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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Columbia

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Columbia -- page: 1 2     Sporty40 07-22-2011 @ 8:53 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 24 Joined: Oct 2009 Would a '40 Merc Columbia match up to a '40 Ford Coupe? Thanks in advance for your reply! Sporty TomO 07-24-2011 @ 8:51 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7271 Joined: Oct 2009 The Columbia half of the differential is the same on the Ford and Mercury. The 40 Mercury differential assembly will not fit in a 40 Ford due to the 4" longer drive shaft. Tom Sporty40 07-24-2011 @ 9:17 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 24 Joined: Oct 2009 TomO, I really appreciate your reply. I thought it was most likely too good to be true. Thanks! Sporty Stroker 07-24-2011 @ 9:48 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 Sporty: As usual, Tom O is correct in his answer to your original question. However, If you have a 40 Ford rear axle assembly, and a 40 Merc w/Columbia at hand, you can simply swap out the Merc Columbia onto your Ford rear axle/driveshaft/center section. Sporty40 07-28-2011 @ 12:10 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 24 Joined: Oct 2009 Stroker, I'm a little dense, so please bear with me. I may be able to purchase a '40 Merc Columbia with controls, but do not have the Merc vehicle available to me. Is that what you meant? Thanks for your comments! Sporty Stroker 07-28-2011 @ 1:03 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 Sporty: The Merc and Ford Columbia overdrive assemblies are the same. The dash control knob may be a different color, but all the Columbia parts should be usable on your 40 Ford. What TomO was referring to was that if you wanted to substitute an entire 40 Columbia-equipped Mercury rear axle assembly (drive shaft, radius rods, etc.) you would find that the driveshaft is too long, since the Merc has a longer wheelbase. The only other caveat I can think of is that your 40 coupe likely has a 3.78 rear axle ratio. That may end up being a little too "tall" to run with the Columbia, and you may want to consider a 4:11 (easy to find) gear set for your Ford rear end. I would highly recommend contacting John Connolly at http://columbiatwospeedparts.com, as he is the Clubs expert on setting up Columbia's so that they are "bulletproof", and makes the parts to do it. Sporty40 07-28-2011 @ 1:36 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 24 Joined: Oct 2009 Stroker: Thanks for the additional information and the recommendations. This really helps me determine which direction to go. Your comments are appreciated. Sporty Stroker 07-28-2011 @ 2:00 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 Sporty: You are certainly welcome. My 38 came with a Columbia which I "broke" in the 50's by trying to take-off in low overdrive with a large 3-carb'd stroker motor. I still have all the parts, and in the intervening years have found a good extra set of "innards". I'm planning on re-installing it, but not without using John's upgrades, even though I'm currently running a mild stock-appearing motor. I really loved the Columbia, and I look forward once more to cruising down the highway at 65+ without "buzzing" the old flatmotor, (which is the same age as I am). Sporty40 07-28-2011 @ 2:46 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 24 Joined: Oct 2009 Stroker: I hear you! My '40 & I share the same birthday, but I've only had her for about 4 years. My memories of driving late 40's & early 50's Fords with Columbias are great, and I miss those days of smooth running old flatheads. You could wind 'em out in second gear overdrive & shift into high with no effort for a nice smooth ride. The gas mileage was pretty good, and the gas wars made it even better! Sporty wmsteed 07-29-2011 @ 8:54 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 613 Joined: Oct 2009 Your memories from the 50's of winding a Columbia equipped V8 up in 2nd over and them shifting into high gear for smooth cruising maybe a little dim. The Columbia's were set up so that the minute the clutch was depressed to shift, the Columbia shifted into low range which would require an additional shift into high range... I installed a separate toggle switch into the controls on my Columbia so I could control when and how mine would shift... In the days when I street raced my Ford, I would usually shift into 2nd over and not shift again because I could "pin the speedometer" in 2nd over with my 3.78 gearing. Bill 36 5 win delx cpe

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