Looking for someone who has some experience with a 55' - 64' Chevy 1/2 ton truck rear ends. I have 55T that was grafted to a 1948 Ford rat rod. It has welded traction bars and the stock inverted leaf springs which make a full axle swap difficult. So, while the inevitable may be a full swap, I want to ask the group about some other options. Background The 3rd member is the rare 3.90 9 3/8 ring size. The rear end is a 10 bolt with 12 bolts holding the ring in place. The axles are asymmetrical by 1" and they have 17 splines. It is an open rear end with limited slip clutches in the planetary assembly. It looks like the axle housing was ground out to accommodate the larger ring which gives me hope. The ring and pinion may be worn out, so if I keep the current 3rd member, I have to buy the Yukon 3.38's and the bearing kits are readily available. The right axle is pitted at the bearing shoulder, so at the very least I need 1 axle. Question 1: Can I swap the entire 3rd member with a 55P or a later model 10 bolt 8 1/2" 3rd member? Based on everything I've read, I want to stay away from the 8.2" GM rear end. Under this scenario, I would get custom axles made. Question 2: I read somewhere (Toms Differentials - Toms Differentials Custom Performance Parts – KickAss Axles) that the planetary gears which fit the axles can be swapped out should I want to keep the current 3rd member, yet fix the axles. I can replace the planetary assembly with 31 spline gears and then get the appropriate axles. Does anyone have feedback on this possibility based on Tom's Diff supposition.
I think your name put some folks off and that is why you didn’t get any responses. R**R** is a bad word around here. Some folks consider them dangerous or an abomination to our hobby. For me I do my own thing and let others do theirs. It might be helpful to do an introduction as well. If folks know your trying to unfu*k your truck they may be willing to help. Lots of very smart people here. I spoke to Tom’s daughter about two years ago. She was very helpful however at that point I think the business was for sale. Tom had passed on and she didn’t know the technicals. She said she could put me in contact with some one who could help me with the operation. Things may have changed since then. I opted to swap in a 67 to 1st half of 70 chevy truck 12 bolt. Same width as the 55-59 rear diff. You would need to weld in spring perches, they can be had for $20. I am working on replacing a 55-59 axle and performing the same operation.
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