i here that the 57 rear end would just about bolt right up to my 54 with hardlly any modifying. i've heard also that there was a bad design with the axle bearings is this true? would this still be a good thing to get or just look for something else? also i found one for $150 complete drum to drum. as that a pretty fair price? he said he got with a parts car he has and is uncertain of the condtion. of course i would rebuild it before i put it in. thanks
Any '57 rear end is the same...there is no difference between Bel Air, 210 or 150 , wagon, convertible or sedan rear-ends...they are all the same...the only difference is the gear ratio. Now then, $150, to me, seems a bit pricey...but then again I haven't searched for a '55-'57 complete rearend for a long time...I have one in my '57 Chevy and one in my '40 Stude Commander...they are a good rear end...as far as I'm concerned as good as any other...but you can go thru axle bearings...in the last 20 years of owning my '57, I have replaced the axle bearings once...that's after about 60,000 miles... I put the '57 rear end in my Stude in 1977...have now got 118,000 miles on it and have NEVER replaced the axle bearings...what does that tell you? I have never used any other rear, so I can't say how good others are...'55-'57's are plentiful and you can still get parts for them. R-
I paid $150 for a good '55 rear (same as your '57) that had been gone thru with new brakes. $150 for one that needs to be rebuilt seems steep. Ed
I put new axle bearings in mine--they are VERY expensive. I backed off the throttle at 95 mph and for some unknown reason several teeth broke off the pinion and broke 3 holes in the cast iron third member housing. I could smell the gear lube as soon as I heard it pop. Since it was only 30 miles home, I drove it! I figured it was ruined anyway. The next third member had a spider gear bushing go bad and it made some horrible noises turning corners. The third one I put in is holding up good.
I've never had any problem using these rearends over the years. Always seemed to stand up and perform well. Good luck.
thanks, i'll see if he'll go lower on the price. just about how much is it to get it rebuilt? just a ballpark figure.
I may be able to get a 57 wagon rear end for free. Any Chevy fans know the gear ratio on those? Thanks
I just picked up a 55 in good shape with good breaks for $75, if that helps. Tell the guy that, maybe he'll come down. -J.
'55-'64 rearends are all the same, except for suspension- parallel leaves (like your '54) in '55-'57 and coils thereafter. I've not heard anything bad r.e. the bearings. Post the number on the pumpkin and I'll find out what gear ratio it is (or you can spin the u-joint 10 times, count the number of axle rotations and do the math). Stock, they're good for up to ~400 HP, but if you do much drag racing with that much power and sticky tires, the rear will be the weak link and will eventually fail. One relatively easy upgrade is to replace the 7/16"-20 studs with 1/2" studs. When raced as gassers in the '60's, Chevy rearends were often replaced with stronger Pontiac and Olds rears. If you're planning any serious racing, you might consider a 9" Ford instead for it's strength, parts availability and ease of narrowing. FWIW, I run a stock 3.55:1 geared rear in my '55 with a ~350 HP 355 & Muncie M-20. It's a great street combo that even my wife is comfortable driving.
'55 - '57 have ball bearings on the axles...'58 - '64 have tapered roller bearings. The later bearings can be adapted to the earlier housings, though. Brian
cad carver tell me more about it? how much would you want for it? gary 55 no i'm not going to race the car unless a kid in a honda pulls up next to me. i'll try to get the #s off it. j kustom how would you be able to ship it is that pretty pricey?
I have a 57.The original rear was fine with a 327 but when I swapped in a 400 small block it lasted about 45 minutes I was not beating it.
I have a '57 rear in a T-bucket, and it's held up fine behind a SBC, even when doing hard launches. .....I've run 3.08 and 3.70 ratios. I suspect the light vehicle weight, along with wheelspin, contribute to its longevity. .... Although, these rears have been wailed on for years in tri-five Chevs. I have had to replace axle bearings a few times, and as mentioned, they are NOT CHEAP! ..... I believe the axle housings were warped when a previous owner welded the new mounting brackets. Kustm52: Brian, can you please advise what must be done to utilize the later-style roller bearings? ....Is machine work required, or do they fit as is? The ball-bearings had the seal integral with the bearing. ....I assume the roller-bearings use a separate axle seal? Thanks in advance, for any info!
If I'm not mistaken the 55 and very early 56's had smaller diameter axles in them and weren't the strongest. A friend of mine put 4.56's in his and had to grind out the housing to clear the gear set. not sure if you had to do this on the later rears. I ran a hot 327 in mine for years, with plenty of HARD shifting, never ever busted anything. Guys around here used to look for rear ends out of 6 banger cars - less wear and tear.
I agree with ramrod. it was fine with the six, but when i put in the 350, it lasted about two weeks, i was a little hard with it, but not real hard. now im parenoid when i go out'a town that it will bust again. the first time it happened was about 3 hours from home. the B S of getting a trailer, finding a place to store the car in the other town, and inconvenence of having to get a ride home wasnt worth leaving the old rear in there. go with something better. just my opinion.
I have a 57 rear in my 54' and so far so good. It is the right width but I still had to space it off the spring pins about 2-21/4". I don't remeber the exact amount, I made the perches out of 2x4" 1/4 wall tube. Using the 4" in the vertical to provide a 2 1/2" drop. This works good with a 7" rim in the rear. Thanks, Tim
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