MTFCA Forum

Can a large drum ruckstell housing be made into a small drum by taking the rivets out of the wheel side casting / tube and replacing it with a small drum casting? If so do the rivet holes line up? Is this possible?

Thank you,

Adam

Take the rivets out of the Ruckstell housing and cut the tube of the large drum housing to fit the Ruckstell housing and drill out and Rivet. Leave the end where the brake backing plate as is. Be sure the spring shackle and radius rods are in exact alignment with the right side so the spring will fit and the radius rod and the bearing brake shoes will be aligned with the drum will line up in same orientation as the stand Ford axle.
Norm

Why don’t you just try and trade it for a small drum?
Also what year? There are two small drum rear ends.

I am trying to put it in a 1923. How do you tell the small drums apart?

Open spool closed spool.
Why not just build a big drum rear end and change brake drums.
Which is cheaper?

I have a set of small drum Rocky mountain brakes which I purchased used for the ruckstell I was going to rebuild. When I got into rebuilding it, I found out the ruckstell housing was cracked when I cleaned it up. I have a gentleman I can get a large drum ruckstell housing from but my brakes won't fit.

Adam

To answer your question. Yes, you can do it but its
a hard job, especially removing and installing the backing plates.

I used os rivets and turned down the heads. Be sure the new backing plate is installed so the radius rod will install in the torque tube correctly. Dont rely on your eye. Attach the ds to the rear end and rr to the backing plate before pressing it onto the re tube. Then drill os rivet holes.

I did the reverse. Installed a 26-27 backing plate on a Perfecto re housing. I groung and chisled off the Perfecto and cut off and bored out a 26-67 backing plate from a junk housing.

Erilk Barrett says I have the only 26-27 Perfecto in existence!

I have replaced ball castings on the end of tail shaft housings, and the rivet holes never lined up. I believe such assemblies were made without any need for absolute accuracy as all were individual assemblies. If backing plates were done the same, swapping them from one tube to another will pose the same rivet alignment problems. The answer may be to weld up the rivet holes in the axle tube, fit the backing plate as required and drill new rivet holes using those in the backing plate as your template.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

Thank you for all the help.

Adam why not take the cracked Ruckstell housing to a professional welder & have them stop drill it and weld it up.
Where is it cracked?

Probably could find one at Luray.

I have tried getting the tubes out of the casting in the past and gave up, and I am a professional metal guy. Those things are really in there to stay. I can’t say that it’s impossible, but I won’t be attempting it again. There’s enough stuff out there at the swap meets and other places to not bother.

Thank you for all the advice. It is cracked on the bottom of the cast ruckstell part next to the tube. About a 3" crack. Being it is on the bottom, it is under tension and wouldn't trust welding it. If it was on the to under compression, it would have been welded and in the car by now.

Muggy welding using number 77 cast iron welding rod will be stronger than the material around it.A competent welder can repair that. If you were still concerned add a truss.