My name is Johnny new to the h.a.m.b and i just picked up a 1954 chevy pick up. I wanna swap in a 350 with a turbo 350. Any advice i can get on whats the best way to do it and what rearend i should be looking for would very much be appreciated. just looking for help and for me to help in any way i can aswell, thanks.
i see your from orange county.i hear most of the voodoo kattz C.C hang out there. hit them up im sure they are more than willing to help.
Hey Johnny, welcome from over the pond. Good to see you got yourself an AD. There's a sub-forum for 'us' guys here .......http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=132 They'll be able to answer most of your questions. See ya there!
Try chassis engineering they have rear end kits,motor mounts ,trans mount, and mustang II front end. All of these parts bolt in ,and its a great "do it yourself" way to go.
if youre your 350/350 combo is just for street, the stock rear end will be fine. (unless its axle tube? i dont recall if it still is) But ive got a 57 chevy with a 400 horse 350 and a 4 speed. first day i had it out i blew the spider gears right out. but other than that it depends if u want to be period correct or not. if you dont care. find a 10 bolt out of a camaro or nova should be almost the same width as the one in your truck. make sure when you go to measure yours. measure from the inside of the backing plate to the inside of the backing plate. and if you are gonna beat on it get a 9 inch ford. or 58 olds rear if you can find one
If memory serves me correctly,and it is a closed drive, you can convert to an open rear by using a later diff/pumpkin from a second series TF truck. Maybe someone more knowledgable can confirm this? This would be more than capable of handling a stock 350/350 set up. Plus you'll get a better choice of ratios. BTW a lot of guys use 3rd gen,Camaro/Firebird rear axles(me included) they are just the right width and give you the option of disc brakes too.
ok i wasnt sure if it was open drive shaft because a 55 chevy is? but i know a 51 chevy is not (cars that is) so didnt know when it changed but hey Learned something new!
The reason I posted this was I'm not entirely sure myself,when they went to open drive.It may well already have it. I was kinda hoping a Chevy 'guru' would chime in with a definitive answer.
I just pick up a rearend out of a '74 camaro and its 3/4 of an inch shorter from the original axle tube that the truck originally came with, would that still work?
Bravo.....When you say it's 3/4" shorter I assume you mean total axle width from wheel mounting face to wheel mounting face? If so,you'll be OK you will just need to allow for this when you replace the rear wheels. Just measure the wheel backspace properly. Which I assume you'll do as the new axle's 5 bolt. I've used a 3rd Gen Firebird/Camaro rear in mine and it fits just fine.Here's a pic. http://www.flickr.com/photos/26014986@N07/2719091061/in/set-72157606265799089/
Not sure how much this might help, but I've got a '56 Dodge pickup that has '78 ElCamino front & rear suspension, 350 / 350 combo & it's running the stock camino 10 bolt rear. The guys who built it mini tubbed the wheel wells & it's running 295 50's on 15 x 10 rear wheels with plenty of room to spare.
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