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So I know the brake shoes and backing plates are the same on the front axle from 48-56, but why are the hubs and drums different? Can 53 and later hubs be bolted to the 48-52 spindles?
That's a good question. The brakes and backing plates are the same, the bearings are the same, but the hubs, drums and spindles are different. There must be some differences in the relationship of how the pieces fit that caused a change in design. One would likely have to compare the parts with micrometers side by side to see it, but mixing and matching the components probably isn't a good idea. My 2c.
Jordan and I have been debating this for a couple of days. The idea here is to figure out WHY or WHAT was changed on the front drums and hubs in '53 to see if there's any possibility of somehow using the later parts on the F1's. The F1 front drums are $100 apiece and only available made in Timbuktu. The later drums ran all the way through '63, they're comparatively cheeeep, and they're being made by several different name brand vendors. Neither of us have any F100 parts to play with, though. Just a bunch of F1 stuff. Surely somebody has compared them at some point?!?