Hay guys, I am working on a 54 Chrysler Windsor T&C Wagon. My brake man suggested that I swap the brake drums on the driver's side so that all the lug nuts turn the same way. Sounds good to me since I am finding that dealing with lug nuts that will not work on all 4 is a challenge. Anyway, I have purchased 4 drums on the internet. I now have 8 drums and three that work. Passenger side and driver's front are OK, but on the driver's side rear the drum is too small to fit over the axel. It seams that a rear end swap may be easier. Has anyone done a rear end swap on an old Chrysler or should I keep searching for the missing drum? I am keeping the Spitfire flat head six and may change the trans.
Why don't you quit dicking around and keep it like Chrysler made it? They put the left hand threads on there for a reason. As long as you know about it, should be no problem. PS Find a new brake man. I hope he assembled and adjusted your front brakes correctly. You will know soon enough, if he did it right they will be the best drum brakes you ever drove, and you will have no desire for disc brakes. If he messed up, don't be surprised of he suggests a disc brake conversion to cover up his own incompetence.
Ford 8.8 out of an Explorer is a popular swap - correct 60" between wheel mount surfaces (check that dimension on your Chrysler - it's right for Dodge of that era). Or 90s Cherokee. Front disc swaps are easy - see the rustyhope website
I can't believe anyone is contemplating a complete rear axle swap for no other reason than it was suggested by a mechanic who doesn't know what he is talking about. However, if you want to waste your money, I suggest you get a real low rear axle ratio like came stock in those cars. They are a very heavy car for a 135HP six cylinder and they need some gears to get rolling. The 2 speed Powerflite is not much help.
If the drums were "Good", why wasn't he sharp enough to just replace the wheel studs with ones that he 'remembers' how to work on? It certainly seems cheaper & faster than buying new drums, or am I missing something? Or, possibly, is he? So : How much has either your misunderstanding or his incompetence cost you so far?
Well, damn, all this time I thought this was a hot rod forum for improving/updating/modernizing old cars. When did it switch to restorations?
Emphasis on improving. There is a difference between improving something, and spending $$$$ putting on parts that are inferior to the originals because you don't know what you are doing.
Personally I'd do the disc front & modern rear axle and a 2 pot master myself. Why deal with obsolete parts. And Mopar eventually realized there was no point of left hand threads on one sire. Probably should get an adaptor from QEC & put a modern A/T in it if it has a PF.
It is indeed your choice (or not) to swap more parts. May we assume that you will again be employing the skills of your "master mechanic/brake expert" to perform more of his "automotive-magic" on this project?
A lot of us feel updating/modernizing isnt an improvement.... I do, that's why i commute every day with a 50 year old car and own a 100 year old house
Well guys, my wheels bold on. They are not nut on stud. I don't mind drums all around, but I want to keep all 4 the same. Can I find a drum that will work from another car or drill the old ones and put studs in safely?
That's one advantage of updating to disc & modern axle, studs instead of lug bolts. Used to have a '54 Imp but too long ago to remember if there's room to install studs.
Not really........there are both bolts and studs used on Mopars.......over the years in the '50s at least. I have a bone stock '53 Dodge and it has studs, left and right hand threads........my various '49 Plymouths have bolts, as did my '55 Chrysler Windsor. I have seen other Mopars with wheel studs as well. Not so many that I detected a pattern as to which models got what style, but enough to know they come both ways. In any case, replacing the bolts with studs is any easy exercise for any reasonably skilled 'mechanic". the Dorman catalog has an excellent array of studs. Select a stud with a suitable shank length and diameter and appropriate thread size. Then drill the threaded lug bolt hole to the correct size for the serrated shank and press in the studs. I have done several Mopars and a few Buicks and much prefer the studs to bolts. In the Op's case, he need not replace otherwise good drum/hubs. He needs to consider replacing his 'mechanic'.
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