Technical Changing center section.

Hello everyone. I have a 50 Chevy panel got it cheap so no engine or trans. I have a sbc and th400 floating around. It has the torque tube unfortunately. Is it possible to remove the center section and replace it with the center section out of my brothers 59 Chevrolet pickup? I wanna keep original brake suspension etc front and rear and be able to use oe style steel wheels. Not a restoration or race car just a driver. Thanks in advance and cheers


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use the whole rear out of the 59. the '50 axle needs the torque tube to keep it in located in place.

 

You will have to change the rearend. Use a 55 Chevy or newer GM rearend, or a Ford rearend, or your brothers 59 rearend. You can't just bolt a GM rearend to your springs. The locating pin in the spring is to far forward and will put the rear wheels forward in the fender opening. That is true with the 59 rearend too. Are the spring pads on the 59 rearend the same distance apart as your original rearend to be able to line up with your springs? I reversed the leafsprings on a 52 Chevy car and it put the locating pin in the correct place to center the rear wheels in the fender opening. That might work on the truck too, you'll have to figure that out. I've seen guys make lowering blocks with the locating hole offset enough to fix the problem. You can redrill any axle to your original lug pattern, or use adaptors. The adaptors will move the wheels out on each side the thickness of the adaptor, so make sure you have the room to fit the tires up under the fenders.

 

See if you can get all the front brakes from the 59 also...the 51-59 brakes are much better than the 1950 and earlier brakes (Bendix vs. Huck).

 

Wow that name fat ASS whitewalls. Love it. Also that’s a lot of information thank you. Ok so I’ll just con him out if his extra rear axle. Haha. 33anda3rd thank you as well. I will have to see what he’s doing if nothing else I’ll just swap everything over to disc setup. I tried using a later model suspension cross member but didn’t like the way it has to be done and ended up damaging my frame severely. I thank all of you for the information.


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You can put that center section in but like was said you have to cut the pivots off and weld new spring perches on to lock the rear in place, now granted you'll have to weld new perches on the 59 axle too, but you get the better brakes.