Kaiser Frazer rear end swaps ?

[R-Sargent]

I need to upgrade two of my KF products rear axle assemblies(51 Frazer and 51 Kaiser) to something more modern that can be worked on and that you can actually buy parts for . I looked into having the original rear ends rebuilt but the company i deal with on a regular basis with all sorts of other vehicles does not have the know how ,tools or parts availabilty to do an old tapered axle rear end. Has anyone been through this and found anything that bolts in without a lot of modifications ?   I am thinking maybe a ford rearend , the 60's and 70's leaf spring 8" or 9" may be a possibility since KF wheels will fit and they are pretty common.  My next step is to take a tape measure out to the wrecking yard but i thought i would ask here on the forum first and maybe save some trial and errors.

[Corsairdeluxe]

What is the width,backing plate to backing plate ,of your current car?

[R-Sargent]

The housing itself on the 51 kaiser and frazer is about 55 1/4 inches from backing plate to backing plate and the leaf spring perches are 45 inches center to center .
I measured a 67-70 mustang housing today and that housing is about an inch narrower and the perches are centered at 43 inches so i dont think i will go that route.   Any ideas ?
 

[Gordie]

Kaiser-Frazer rear ends are usually bullet proof and need little maintenance and are rarely a problem.   Why not get a good used unit out of a parts car?  Just get the correct ratio.

[Corsairdeluxe]

Use 1/2 inch wheel spacers and move the spring perches.

[R-Sargent]

Yes i could modify a ford rearend , maybe next winter i will tackle that since i need a quick fix so i can drive it while the weather is good. I have half a dozen or so overdrive rearends so i will try one of those . Thought the one in the car was good, previous owner thought something was not right about it and i had the cover off but did not see anything wrong with it . Now when i pull it out of the garage and without touching the brakes it will suddenly lock up and stop the car , pull forward about ten feet and it does it again . The brakes are new with no issues so something must have sheared off in there or it's just plain worn out.

[Henry's HenryJs]

Here is a link to the most popular car brand rear end widths.

http://www.carnut.com/specs/rear.html

[joefrazer]

I have the same issue with the rear end in my 54...it locks up for no apparent reason. I mentioned this to my dad, the cars original owner and he said it happened years ago to him. A pin had slipped loose and is causing things to bind. He was able to fix it without having to remove the gears. I hope I'm as lucky!

I think it happened when I used a puller to remove the rear drums. It pushes on the axle shaft and that may have let something come loose. At least I hope so...

[brian.b]

I've had this problem on a dodge Dana 70 the roll pin sheared letting the cross pin move in and out of the carrier hitting the pinion and housing....

[damagedduck]

What's the total over all width? In my O/T car (49 Hudson) I'm using a Jeep Cherokee rear in/on it , It was a toss up between that & a Ford explorer or a Volvo {which are all fairly good rears W/ Possies)

[HJ-ETEX]

R-Sargent: Go to a wrecking yard and measure rearends? Sadly that isn't practical anymore. Real estate values and scrap prices caused most yards to sell off their inventory and now nothing stays more than 6 months.
When I was looking for a replacement for the weak Dana 27 used on HJs, one promising candidate I found was a 75-75 Dodge Dart V8. Studebaker V8 rearends are also good fits. I was looking at width - backing plate to backing plate and width between spring perches.  A Kaiser Dana 44 bolts up to a HJ (they did it on the Darrins) but the width doesn't leave enough clearance on the fenders. So if something fits a HJ, then it should fit a big Kaiser.