Hey Guys,
Yesterday I completed the rear axle change-out...I removed the
Timken axle with 5.38 gears and replaced it with a Dana 53 with 4.88's.. The truck still has gobs of power at highway speeds and
the clutch action seems a little smother on engagement.. I used
a Dana 53 because:
It is a OEM option in this truck, so everything fit with zero mods.
It was cheap and had the correct gears and is in great shape
($300 for both a Dana 53 and a good usable Dana 25 front axle.
That also had 4.88 gears).
It is strong enough to handle the Jeep 258 engine output.
The truck now drives like a near new 1983 Jeep with a hard top.
I will be refurbishing (new gaskets, seals, brake shoes and
wheel cylinders) the Dana 25 next...Getting it ready for installation this Fall...
The 11" non-power brakes on this 1950 Willys truck are quite
powerful... I've considered upgrading to discs on the front with
a vacuum booster but, the stock setup works so well that will have to wait.
The original speedo failed last night during a road test. The
cable twisted off because the speedo head froze up...I'm off to
the speedo shop today to see if they can rebuild it..The speedo
failure was probably a result of age and my pegging it out at
over 80 mph while "road testing" the new engine, trans and gearing... This is an 80 mph speedo (stock 1950).. It just didn't like the kick in the butt I gave it.. The truck gets up
to 80 pretty quick now..
