'58 Buick transmissionswap and rear axle

Has anyone swaped there dynaflow for a th350/th400 or 700r4 on there Late '50 Buick (mine is a '58 Buick).
The dyna has been rebould 2 times, the first time the plates where burned after about 10 miles and the second time it's still driveble but it's slipping a lot.
Now I want to swap it but because the car is already painted and the interior is in i don't want to cut into the transmission tunnel.
I know it's a lot off work and what it invalves but i want to here from your swap and it went like you thought and would change anything on it.
Witch rearaxle will fit, i have been told a '90 ford explore but that in 6 bold and i would prefer 5x5 like a caprice or a other good possibility.
It's a heavy car and a torxer engine.

 

'90 Ford Explorer is not 6 bolt. They are 5 bolt, 4.5" bolt circle. Chevrolet pickups used 5 x 5" bolt circle after about '71 as I recall........there are numerous GM and full size Ford/Mercury/Edsel 9" rear ends with 5" bolt circle. Width should be about right on most of them.

Ray

 

Too bad my Dynaflow project isn't finished yet. It might help you and others that own 57-60 Buicks with the Variable pitch dynaflow and torque tube drive.

The dynaflow project does not require changing out the 3rd member.

 

just amuse us and tell a litle about it, how far are u from finisging

 

Quality 3 speed auto in place of Dynaslush, but with torque tube! It will be mighty fine! Hopefully will have some more news in the next week or so. The other projects are ahead of this one.

 

For what it's worth, they're adapting the T5 from 4x4 applications to the Ford torque tube drive, so why not say a 4x4 TH400 to the stock Buick torque tube? You'd have to adapt the torque ball to the trans output shaft, that would require machining some pieces I'm sure, but otherwise as long as it's not too long; heck there's a TH400 case that's kind of rare but will bolt up to the 364 and later nailhead.

 

I'd say get a ST400 or SP400 out of a Nailhead equipped 63-66 Buick (you can find them in a lot of other stuff too, but that's another story), it'll bolt up with minimal work to a dynaflow crank Nailhead. Get the center section from an early 60's full size Buick and it'll bolt into your rear end and make it an open driveline. Then you just need to do some Nascar style trailing arms and you're set. It's easier to do the trailing arms before the center section, just FYI)

 

I've posted how to do this stuff on here more than a few times. So the search function is your friend. The ST400/SP400 is a TH400 for the Nailhead, no silly adapters required.

 

My 57 Buick has an Olds 455/TH400 combo

 

Do you even know what rear is in the car you bought?

 

Trouble is it's hard to find those 60s parts now, if I had to go look I'm not even sure where I'd go anymore, everybody's scrapped out the old stuff or died.

 

It's not that hard, but you have to look. It's not as easy as it once was, but they are there. We've had more than our share crushed and I can still find stuff.

 

You mean the car I took the entire drivetrain out of and rebuilt? Including the rear end....theres one in every crowd....

 

You should fix the ugly on that one. It's so incredibly 80's it hurts the eyes and really doesn't belong here. I'll be the one.

 

Just to get back to the subject. There is no rear that fits that car better than the one that came in it. And it being a torque tube makes swapping transmissions an issue. Like I have said before probably the easiest way to go about it is to leave it where it is and add some NASCAR style trailing arms, then take the center section and and torque tube associated stuff out and replace the center section with the open drive one from an early 60's full size Buick. They can be found, and they've never been super easy to find for that matter. BUt then you keep the coils, shock mounts, and panhard bar like factory. This will allow you to put a later model open drive transmission in there.

 

I've heard that before a third member but thats also old and has to be rebuild aswell i'm not sure if that would make my life any easier on this side of the pont seeing the great job they did with the dynaflow.

 

But you would take a rear from a '90 Explorer and put it in without going through it? That's confusing.

 

noppe but that's something most of us can handle , parts and all not the hard stuff for a old axle here in the flatlands.

 

no more information for me? how is your project d2 willys?

John

 

My 58 Century has the entire drivetrain from a '73 Lesabre. The 455 is a really tight squeeze.