Thread: Converting 1954 CVs to earlier Tracta Joints - Whats involved?

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

You could always fit a stage 1 front axle and SII/SIII 88" rear axle, which will also give you a little better turning circle) . Or you could talk to Barry about making up some short S1 length halfshafts for the Stage 1 swivels, these will bolt up to your S1 housing.

If you need some 80" front axle components, I took a heap of them out to storage at Maralya I'm sure we can come up with enough bits.

Thanks Diana,
Different axles and bespoke bits all sound a bit more involved (read expensive) than Id like just at the moment... Perhaps I may think again when I get it back on the road, have lived with it "as-is" for a while and have decided that I need to swap the diff out for a 3.5:1.

Re the bits from storage - many thanks for the offer. I'll bear it in mind - I'd rather contribute to friends hobby funds rather than commercial entities.

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

A Stage 1 front end will bolt straight up to an 86" and only widens the track by the thickness of the drive flange on each side. You do however have to swap the bottom steering lever to one of the cranked levers off any of SIIA or SIII vehicles.

With the rear axle, any 88" SII/SIIA/SIII rear is a straight swap, no modifications.

The half shafts ( scarce to find ) in a Series one are 3/4" shorter than the Series 2, 2A, 3 and Stage one.

The spring centre bolt position in the axle housing is the same as the front in a 1950 onward ( wide spring leaves ) and the rear and front spring from 1954 onward.

So it's possible to do as Diana said and fit front axle from a series 2 onward into a Series one, with the benefit of the wider track allowing a tighter turning circle before the wheel rubs against the spring.

Also the wider track of a Series 2 onward when installed into the rear of a Series one and while using larger tyres ( 7.50 x 16 ), allows better vertical axle articulation before the tyres run on the insides of the mudguards.
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