Hey folks In my '53 Chevy I got the original torque tube/3spd set up running the original 4.11:1 diff ratio which isn't going to get me anywhere in a hurry. I heard that the 54 has a 3.55:1 diff ratio which would be a lot nicer for the long highway drives. My question is, is there an easy way of swapping the 4.11 diff to the lower revving 3.55 ratio diff?
its easy, just a swap. but i was told that the 4:11 to 3:55 isnt that big of a savings.. dont have any experiance with it so i cant say. I just dropped the entire 53 torque tube, and installed an open drive line, cheap, dependable..3.73 rear end..although i have a V8 in mine. but as far as your question the front "pig" unbolts out of the diff. slide a powerglide diff in and yer done. Just sold one to another HAMBer about a month ago ..those were his plans too.
Its actually the ***le of my new book. About a guy who goes places but takes ages to get there. Compelling read As for the open driveline, thats my over all plan, to swap a mid 70's camaro rear end in the thing. Might just hold out till I got the bean$
If you are going to swap in an open driveline later then I'd just wait till then. I have the original 53 transmission and 53 torque tube rear end in mine. A 59 235 pushes her down the road and I don't have any problems. And now that I have a new set of tires I can do 80 all day long with no worries. Those old rear ends aren't really all that bad.
It was pushing it. But I did it for 45 minutes and she held up. I wouldn't do it all the time. I think I could but you are right it's a little crazy. But sometimes you have to push um hard!! I didn't believe it either but my wife was behine me in her 2006 car and was keeping an eye on our speed cause I don't have a speed-o. If she said so I guess it's true... We all know how that works
not really, like mynameisnotpete said I would not run it at 80 all day but I have done 75mph for more then 2 hours on a drive to a show more then a few times. tall tires in the rear help with your final ratio. the swap to a rear out of a "power glide" car will help, nice tall gears and its a bolt in deal.
Hahaha. I might just have a good rear. Not all of them are very good. Believe me. I'm worried evertime I get in the car. But I just see it as one more thing to have fun fixing! For your original question... Highway driving can be tough sometimes. The hight RPMs get pretty old pretty quick.
14% is better than nothin, plus its another thing to do to keep us punk kids off the streets, if I find one at the wreckers tomorrow in she goes
I guess it varies depending on how fast you're going. If its 14% slower revving that would mean what is normally 3000 rpm would then be 2580 to get you going at the same speed.
Use to drive to work everyday,20 miles a day, in my 51 Chevy. Had a 3 spd. closed driveline,wore out 54 235 with a 848 head, powerglide 3.55 rear end and I could run 65-70 mph without problems. I couldnt tear it up but finally the steering box wore out!
Not to make waves.. But if 3.55s arent a big difference.... Why suggest 3.73 ? I had a '51 Chevy coupe with a 216 & stock drive train running H~78x15 Bias Tires & drove fron Ventura to San Leandro Ca. & back, approx 370 miles and went along at about 70 (cept for the grades). The look at people in new cars as we rode by is Priceless ! Did the same thing as a kid with my parents in a bone stock '49 4dr on the way to & from Arizona & California To many people underestimate thes old cars, To quick to chop them up for newer stuff just for the sake of "NEWER PARTS" True some cars need it but not always
what DE SOTO said is true..but you cant trust a torque tube rear end behind a 300+H.P. small block and a lead foot. cutting up stuff and adding newer and better parts is great! look at some of the cars on here that have...well just that!..new parts in an old car..works for me.
LOL ... True on the 300HP... But if yer runnin a 6 the tube is fine ! Hell the 'Ol girl made it this far !! Just so no one jumps my ***, For the record, If i was to switch to a V8.. Its a no brainer to open the drive line & get a strong Rear end. I was going off the thought of the guy keeping his 'Ol 6 and trying to gaet a Lil mor OOOMMPPFFF outa the Stovbolt But to clear the air so noone Jumps my *** about this.... If i was to run a V8 in such a car... Its a no brainer to open the drive line & get a strong rearend.... Im just going with the thought the guy is KEEPING his 6 and lookin for a Lil more OOMMFFF out the the 'Ol Stovebolt. Im with ya, My Daughters '55 Ford has an 8"... Just i feel its not ALWAYS necessary
Dat Dirty rat used to own my 53 year's ago, and i know for a fact he drove the hell out of it... One trip to Indy from here and back, running with a bunch of street rodder's with upgraded cars etc.....He kept right up.. He did have an issue with a u-joint when he got back into town from what i remember, but that's it.. That was a stock 235 3 speed with stock 4:11 diff.. When i got the car it had p***ed through a couple people since him, and the motor was said to be rebuilt (babbit pounder for the 53 stick cars) and it dosn't sound as good as it did when he owned it (it's pretty noisy and it aint lifter's) so i've become very apprehensive about long trip's with it because of that. I've run it for about 1.5 hours or so at 55-60 without a hickup though.. I think if you have a solid motor and your not prolonging the high rpm's it would probably be fine..... Although, i do plan on swapping to a 5 speed and open rear in mine... Just for my own piece of mind. It's probably not needed in the big picture. Tony
Sounds good, I dig the ol stuff. I guess that means I can save my money for those 22 inch chromies always wanted...
The 54 PG torque tube and gears is a real easy swap for 40s and early 50s cars, preserving the original ******, rear housing, axles and brakes. Did it last fall on my 48 coupe driver. Found a low-milage rear at a local wrecker for just $150. Already got the funds back in gas savings alone... My truck has 3.55 gears for about a decade now. Drops rpm down about 425 rpm at the same speed. You can go on freeways around 2700 rpm and 65 mph all day. Gives about 18-20 mpg with dual intake/exhaust.
I can tell you from experience that I swapped out my 4:11 rear for a 3:54 in my 34 coupe ,and it was the SINGLE best thing I did for my car. I changed the rear out prior to Paso last yr. What a change. It's better EVERYWHERE except for dragging. Longer shifts between 1st and 2nd. Alot of work for no one to see, but well worth it if you drive alot out of town.
It's worth the effort if you plan to keep the car and want to run the stock driveline, as noted. If you have to spend a bunch of money to get the parts you may as well price out the open drive conversion and see which way is best in the long run.
Go here.........these folks have everything and all the knowledge and info. http://www.patricksantiquecars.com/index.htm
They also sell the ring and pinion set that will get you down to that 3:55 you want. I think it's around $300 or so and they say it's pretty easy to install... this might be the route I take with my '52, unless a '54 parts car pops up on the radar. -ns
To the best of my knowledge , the glide car's had insert bearings to where the stick car's were still babbit..all 54's were insert. Even the oil pressure gauge is different. Mine is a low press gauge. I could be off with this, but i do know they had different oiling system's depending on what transmission was backing it..
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