started looking for a rear axle for my old school truck build... it's pretty narrow... stock axle is 54" from backing plate to backing plate... was initially thinking Jeep rear like a Dana 44 or ? & 330's, 350's or 373 ish gear ratio, & some kind of locker I started looking at some vintage heavier axles, 50's Chevy wagon, etc. but they were wider, & not sure I'd get an range of ratios that I would with something like a Ford 9" or Dana 44 so what's under your vintage hot rod ??? BTW... been looking at vintage Buick Riv finned drum brakes on all 4's, which ( I think ) have a 5 on 5 bolt pattern... would kinda like to keep matching bolt patterns... options???
I would measure it from mounting surface to mounting surface.. as drum thickness can vary. 54" inner backing plate is probably close to 58 to 60" overall. lots of rearend in that range
Thanks for the info & suggestions... the axle is going in my 46 Studebaker M-5 project... I was hoping for an early 50's motor, but just picked up a 58 Studebaker 289 & 3 speed overdrive... still trying to decide between the modern T-5 & keeping the old 3 speed with overdrive ??? I'm incorporating some fresh ideas, but want all the parts ( if possible ) to be vintage 50's parts, no bags, as they wouldn't be period correct
I'd go with the 3-spd w/OD. BUT, the unit behind the six might not be the unit you want. Try to find a 3-spd w/OD from a car with a V8.
the truck had a non overdrive 3 speed behind the flathead 6 ( which has been stuck for over 20 years... FIL tried unsucessfully to get it broke loose 20 years ago... the reason it sat in the pasture so long )... the 3 speed overdrive I have came with the 1958 - 289 & came from a 58 silver hawk, it's not a top loader, so I don't know about shifters that would work with my stock truck shifter location ???
my willys has still has the timpken axel in the rear and a dana 53 up front. i get the job of about 5.38 gears. which are great if you hvae a fear of speed or want to pull a tree out of the ground. im lookin for a set of dana 44's i wana get about 3.70's in it.
Here are the pictures of my '47 M-5 with a Stude 259 in it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/70716191@N00/sets/72157622369403675/with/7174520007/ I'm just up in the cities. Come up and have a look. I can hook you up with the guy who made the motor mounts, power steering conversion, front disk brakes, and hanging pedals for me. He's just up in St. Francis. I used a Chevy 10-bolt (the good one with the 8.5 inch ring gear). It was the right width. 3.42 ratio. I've got 5 x 4-3/4 on all four wheels. It works great. Oh, yeah, there's guy down in Omaha that makes an adapter to bolt a 700R4 or 2004R to the Stude V8. I went with the 700R4 and couldn't be happier. If you want a manual, Phil Harris at Fairborn Studebaker sells a bellhousing that lets you install a Muncie 4-speed. We have that on our race car. It works ok, but you have to use a standard clutch unless you want to space it out and it also stays with the Stude starter. The automatic conversion uses a Ford shorty starter which I like because you can service it out in the field.
WOW... awesome... there are a lot of things I'll do differently... but yours is very close to what I'm doing... I really appreciate the tips... BTW... I'm in the cities a couple times a month at minimum, would love to hook up some time & check out your ride some differences will include... ( BTW #2... if you tried some of this & it didn't work for one reason or another, it would be great to hear about it before I get caught in the middle ) mine will be 4 link in the rear, & I'm thinking about doing a spring under conversion in the front, ( who did your springs??? I want to replace my fronts & do coils in the rear ) & I definately want the manual tranny... will be going to a bigger radiator in the front, making use of the lower grills, thinking about a 5 on 5 bolt pattern & 60's Buick finned aluminum drum brakes, with a set of Ansen Sprints to show off the finned drums... N-50-15 rear tires, which will require slight tubbing of the box ( plan on using 4 or 5" of modern pick up box ( non step side ) inner fenders inside my box... the firewall & hood will have a 5-6" section removed to lower the front end... my top is gone, & the top 1/3 of the doors
54" flange to flange your are going to get real close with an S-10 2wd rear. My stude is pretty narrow I am usung a bronco rear but it still needs to be narrowed, @58" it is too wide. A '57-'58 Ford is also 58" so that will even be too wide for your truck.
actually was thinking the most practical might be a Jeep axle ( I know... not period correct ) might be the cheapest option, getting me a good choice on gear ratio, locker, & a standard width... the Dana 44 on my CJ-5 is actually narrower than the Studie axle, but the newer ones are wider, so I might be able to find on that matches
I just had a guy make new leaf springs -- the fronts are a little stiffer since the Stude V8 is quite a bit heavier than the Champion 6. The other suspension difference is the conversion to conventional shocks. I can get his number if you want. He's up in the St. Francis area. I have to imagine that there is someone down your way who can do it what with all the agricultural vehicle servicing that has to go on. If you want to go with the manual tranny, you can make an adapter yourself or call Phil Harris for his bell housings. The radiator in my truck is a aluminum copy of the original. I had a radiator place make it. I was able to idle through Back to the 50's on black asphalt last weekend with the water temp staying right at 160. If I had to do it again, I would probably have spent some time finding a side-by-side from Jegs, Summit, or Speedway that would fit in the existing hole. That would have saved a couple hundred bucks but I do kinda like the original look mine gives. Don't kill yourself trying to find something really big because you don't need it. Punch out the freeze plugs on your 289 and pressure wash out the water passages. You will be shocked at how much casting sand and wire comes out. Get a new water pump and everything will be great. I don't know anyone who has done a coil spring or 4-link conversion on one of these but that doesn't mean anything. People do that stuff all the time.
I noticed your steering linkage looked a little tight... how is it working ??? mine might be even tighter with lowering the front 3" or so ??? one thing I'd like to do that will set off the truck ( even more than the roadster cut on the body ), is cutting out the whole front grill, & building a stand alone stainless grill that would be the same size & shape, & look the same, but be fabricated out of stainless flat strap ( bent to the outside shape ) & filled with 3/8" stainless rod, to the shape & look of the original grill... I'm actually afraind how fragile some of the stock grill is... it looks like if I hit a small bird, that it would deform some of the grill enough that I could be futzing with it all the time ??? wish I would have run into you at BTT 50's... I was up there most of Friday... thanks again
9'' i built it to fit my car..hung the wheels/tires.at ride height and narrowed the rearend to fit...
Steers great. No problems whatsoever (except for a slight leak in one hose end ) No bump or roll steer. Very smooth. The guy who made that for me has done 3 other conversions for M5's. It's a Jeep column, power steering pump and box. He made one setup as a kit for a guy out east. The other 2 are up in the Zimmerman area. Mine was the only Studebaker V8, the other 3 were SBC's. Yeah, the stock grill isn't the stoutest or finely detailed thing out there. It's pretty simple, so you shouldn't have too much trouble making something that looks like it and still looks pretty nice. I'll PM you some contact info and we can get together in the next month or so.
would this be something that would have been used in the 50's ??? listed as Ford 9"... the ring gear might be 9" but banjo style... any gear sets for this ??? it currently is listed as .410, & with hydrolic brakes
Those got used up into the '60s, but if you throw much torque at it or get traction or both you are not going to be happy with it. Yopu may also keep your eye out for a quick change like a V-8 quick change, I see them reasonable every once in awhile. I have my eye on one now that I can get for 350 and the ride. It needs work and is more of a roundy round thing probably not what you are after.
remeasured the stock axle last night... 60.5" hub to hub right now I'm looking at 3 or 4 axles... 2 newer axles... & a couple more period correct... 1st... is a 73 Torino axle ( should be 5 on 5" bolt pattern, & work with the Ansen Sprints I had on my Nash last year, & those aluminum finned Buick brake drums ) should be a Ford 9" currently has an open diffy & a 2.75 gear ratio 2nd... is out of a 77 Bronco, is going to need to be redrilled, as it should be 5 on 5.5" has a Trac Loc diffy & 3.50 gear ratio 3rd... is out of a 1955 Ford Station Wagon, has an open diffy in 4.09 ratio can anyone tell me anything about this one??? any taller gears out there ??? a couple others are... one out of a 52 Ford F-1 with 373 gears ( only the axle housing & diffy, no axles or brakes ( not sure on the bolt pattern... maybe 5 on 5" ??? ) another is a 65 Buick Lesabre axle gear ratio is too tall, but has the brakes I'll be using... others still looking suggestions??? any of these be a good vintage hot rod axle ??? I'm still looking, but the 55 Ford wagon axle might be my 1st choice right now, if you guys tell me it's good... I still need to verify the bolt pattern I'm really wanting 50's vintage parts... the newer axles might give me some of the options & strength I want... but part of me doesn't want to put anything under it that's 1960 or newer
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