Inliners International Forums General Discussion Drive Train rear end swap

A thought for further down the road on my 54 Chevy truck is a complete rear end swap. I am looking for something in the 2.72 range (I really want a highway cruiser, and it is flat as a card table here). Can anyone suggest a donor vehicle?

Do you want 5 or 6 lugs?
How wide do you need it to be?

I would prefer 6 lug, I will get the width answer here in the next day or so when i have a free moment ot look at it, thanks

For that high of a ratio, perhaps an OD would be the best answer to keep everything else standard.

Otherwise, Currie makes great 9" rear ends with lots of ratios and lockers. Standard axles are 5 on 5.5" (early Ford, Jeep, etc.) but I bet it would be easy to get 6 on 5.5" axles from Moser or Currie.

Ed Pruss
Longmont, CO

Staying with 6 lugs is going to limit your option alot. The only ones I know of are:

1. Get a new set of 3:36 gears for the rearend you allready have. 3:36 without overdrive is still fast enough to get speeding tickets.
2. I have heard of guys using a rearend from a 70's fullsize Blazer 4X4, but I think it's a bit wider, so you may need to get rims with a different offset.
3. I have heard of guys using a rearend from an import pickup, Toyota I think. 6 lugs is 6 lugs, the pattern is the same from everybody.

Driveshafts, emergency brake cables, spring perches, shocks, brakelines will all need to be addressed when making this kind of change. If you take a closer look, you will notice the centerline of the axle is not centered over the spring center bolt either. So don't forget to drill a hole in the perches accordingly.

Thanks for all of the input gentlemen, you have given me much to think on.

I dont want to go fast, as much as I want to go quietly (lowering engine rpm at speed). About ten years ago I crossed the country in a stock 67 vw split window mocrobus. It had about 10 to 1 reduction gears, and the top end was about 58mph with the engine about to fly apart. While it was a fun adventure, I am not in a hurry to repeat the experience.

The other reality is that this part of Florida is Rural, and it is a long way to or from anywhere. I want to build the truck for the environment, so a higher gear makes sense for...

RPM at speed
MPG
Noise at speed
Engine wear.

I was thinking a late model (92-96) Caprice/Impala for a donor rear end. Okay, I have to convert to five lug, but in the long run that might not be such a minus. I will be using the truck for light duty hauling (home depot for the wife and such)but mostly it is going to be lightly loaded, so I figure I can get by with the taller gear ratio. Again, thanks for the advice and information

I have a 6-lug rearend out of a 60-66 Chevy that I got from a guy who had 3.07 gears installed into it before swapping it out for a 5 lugger.

Sorry, that's all I know about it, but it seems like it is possible. I'm planning to put it into my '50 with a 4 speed 3-groove Saginaw.

It will spin the engine at 2500 rpm at 70 mph with 29" tires, and 84 at 3000 rpm. This is about all a 235/261 can handle without it being a real dog.

You may have trouble finding a six lug rearend with gears any lower than that, but if you put in a T-5 with it you would cruise pretty well.

I think you would be best looking for a 70-74 corporate 10 bolt out of a nova. You can adapt that rear end to almost anything.
5 x 4.75 camaro/ nova
5 x 5 impala / 5 lug truck (re-drill axles)
6 x 5.5 6 lug truck (re-drill axles)
A lot of the nova's came with 2.73 gears.
My .02
gwarren007

Im facing the same problem with my 41 Chevy this autum. I will put in a 56 OD. So I have to get a open driveline.
50es Chevy parts are kind of rare here in Germany but I can get my hands on a 58 rearend for almost free, but that`s 5 lug.

Has anybody used wheel adapters to us a 5 lug rear end with 6 lug wheels?

Thanks Frank

I don't think I understand the importance of using six lugs,whats the deal?

I just bought new tires (1200$ here in Germany), 5 lugs means new 15" tires, new 15" wheels (also almost impossible to get over here), the original hubcaps won`t probably fit, how about the breaks and drumms?, maybe new spindels in the front? and so on...

Also you get a different ratio with 5 lug/15" and the car comes lower.

Frank,
There used to be adapters made for changing bolt patterns, but they are NOT recommended for use on the rearend except for emergency use (spare tire). They also make the rearend wider.

As for the '58 rearend, re-drilling the axles and drums might be your best option. Just make sure that the parts are in good condition, or you will be doing it twice. Brake drums from a 51-65 1/2 ton 2WD no posi could be substituted for the 5 lug drums, after you get the axles re-drilled. Car and truck axles are not interchangeable.

They show Euro streetrod stuff in Street Rodder magazine from time to time. Seems like there's alot in Britain and Sweden. Perhaps you need to put out some "Wanted" adds in local papers, websites, etc... to scrounge up what you need.

What about Euro made cars/trucks? perhaps looking outside of the "big three" would get some results your looking for. Just a thought.

Seems to me late model Jeep models have 6 lugs, some Dodge trucks also. Not sure if the pattern is the same, but maybe you can find something like that to work with.

Jeep Wagoneers have six lugs.

Dodge is a smaller bolt pattern, 6 on 4-1/2" I believe.

Gael

Moser Engineering[ www.moserengineering.com] could cut you some new custom 5-lug axles for any application including a '58 Chevy. Not cheap, but I found the quality acceptable.