Im building a 1955 belair wagon and im throwing a 350 crate engine in it with about 350 hp! I need to know if I should change out the original rear end I have a 1965 malibu rear end should I trade it out for that? I would appreciate any advice! thank you
Jason, I have a 55 Belair Wagon also. I was planing on putting in a Ford 9". After lowering it -3 in the rear with Posies springs, the 9" would hit the stock gas tank. The limiting factor is the center line to the outside rear of the housing is too deep. The stock 55 housing cleared just fine. I found a 58 Corvette "P" case stuffed with original equipment Dana Powerlock Posi differential, all new of co****. I also shipped off my axels to Moser and they matched them perfectly. Note, when switching from an open diff to a posi the axles need to be shortened by 1/8". Just be sure the bearings seat properly and the everything spins without binding. Also check run-out to see if the axles spin true. I also have 350, a crate motor from GM Performance. It's their 350/330hp model. It's mated to a 700R4 with some goodies installed. With the 3.55 ring and pinion gears, the 700R4 in 4th, the torque convertor in lock-up, and 26" tall tires, I'm getting about 26mph, no kidding. There are many brake options for the stock 55 housing including disc's if you want to go that route. Everything considered, feel confident a properly built stock 55 rear-end will hold-up what you throw at it. Check out my photos in my profile. Feel free to PM me with any questions. Good luck.
What you might also want to do, is go to BruneausPerformance.Ca (it's a Canadian site), and look at what he offers to strenthen the stock type rear end. Butch/56sedandelivery.
the original rear wont last thru 3 launches ... these were weak back when they were new ... I would suggest you find at least a 10 bolt posi .... the best one is from a Grand National ... 340 posi ... Joe
Jason, this past Friday I went for a ride with my kustom kulture artist/friend/club mate Sonny DePalma, here on the HAMB. He has a BAD*** blown 700+hp '55 2 door post. It has a stock rear-end housing. He told me after destroying many set-ups, the fix was a set of stronger aftermarket axels and (the key) billet end-caps to all but eliminate internal deflection. He hasn't had a problem since. Sending that much HP to that set-up really says something. Let me tell you, this car is a ****ing monster! Just some more info to chew on ; )
If you're runnin' an automatic and street tires and the guts in that diff are in good condition, you'll never hurt that thing. Save your $$, run it. Steve weim55 Colorado
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