I was wondering if there is anybody on here that has changed the read gear on their 1949-1954 chevy car. I have a 1952 chevy fleetline deluxe and was looking at the 3:55 conversion offered by chevy's of the 40's and noticed that it says modification is required. has anybody done this and if so what has to be modified? and I am using stock drive train if anybody should ask.
IMHO, anything spent on the stock torque tube setup is wasted. When I switched to a t5 from 3 speed, it was like a whole new car. I loved the 235/t5/open rear. Single exhaust and a 2 bbl holley weber from a pinto. Why oh why did I get rid of it...
I got 355 in my 51 but it's a 9" I'd recommend loosing the Torque tube if your thinking of upgrading the gear box and or motor in the future
sounds crazy but I would really love to keep it 3 on the tree if I can. I have thought about trying to find a o\d trans out of a tri five chev if that would work. I ham\ve also thought about a t5 too but I am just not sure if I want to it to shift on the floor. I have also thought about a th350 cause I have one but that seem to be kind of expensive to do. And thank for the input and I am open to more suggestion's. thanks
Back in "the day", the quick and easy fix was to swap in the entire rear end from a '50 - '54 Powerglide car. (3:55 gears). Easiest swap is to put the entire rear end in, including the axles as one unit. All you have to do is bleed the brakes. Stay with the '51 and later for the better Bendix brakes.
it actually has a 54 235 with hydro lifters. how difficult is it to come buy a complete power glide rear end and how much do they normally go for?
I had mine shipped from Canada, and shipping was reasonable, even with import duties. You will just need the pumpkin/torque-tube as an ***embly. I have replaced the Torque tube/pumpkin as a unit. (I have also heard that replacing the pumpkin alone is not that difficult.) Chevy Manuals are available, and very helpful, but here is an overview of replacing the pumpkin/torque-tube as an ***embly: 14 bolts hold the unit in place (10 at the differential, 4 at the trans) You will need to slide the axle ***embly rearward, or the motor/trans forward for installation, as there are no U-bolts on the torque-tube. The axles must be moved outward to remove the pumpkin. They are each held in place a retaining clip inside the diff. There is a locator block in the center of the diff. (accessible through the rear cover), with a lock pin that runs through it. Remove the pin, and the block (no tools required. Try to keep the spider gears in place.) This will enable you to push the axles inward a bit (with the rear hubs removed) and remove the C-clips from the axles. They can now be pulled outward, out of the way. Now the pumpkin is free, and can be removed. Reverse the procedure for installation. That's about it. You will want new gaskets for both front and rear of the differential. I went ahead and replaced the axle seals while I was at it. mo Patrick's sells the gears for around $500, but the installation kit (which includes complete rear re-build) is nearly as much again. Then you have the labor costs of having the gears properly set-up. I figure I have less than $500 total in mine, including shipping from Canada.
I did the very same swap on a '51 Fleetline, although all I swapped was the center section. It's NOT that big a job, you could possibly knock it out in half a day if you had everything on hand. I found a rear on Craigs List not an hour away from my house for $200. Post an ad, you'd be surprised what pops up. With 3.55 gears, you'll be able to do 65 - 70 tops, and the car will be a whole lot more pleasant to drive. I put a T-5 and 3.73 rear in my '53 Chevy 1/2 ton, and THAT change made it a completely different truck. Net, the 3.55 gears will allow your '52 to hold it's own on the highway, but the T-5 swap will really put you in the p***ing lane. Chris
I ran a powerglide torque tube for one year, what a waste of time and money. Just spend the money and go with a T5 and a Nova or some other open rear. You will be amazed how it changes the car and it will end up being the best mod you will ever make as for being able to go places and have fun.
thanks for thin info guy's you are a great help. looks like I have a little searching to do. once I decide what option I want to go with I will make sure to do a thread on it. and once again THANK'S!!!!!!!!!!!
A 55-up OD trans wouldn't work with the stock rearend. It should be a cheap swap to go to the powerglide, if you poke around, they're not worth much.
To use ANY 55 and later manual trans will require a bellhousing change. There are adapters to use the T-5 or you can also use a bellhousing swap. There is even a kit from Langdons to install a Saginaw 4-speed and KEEP the stock torquetube rear end; it requires sending your trans mainshaft to them for machining however. BEST direction would be a bellhousing swap, T-5 trans, and a 4 X 4 S-10 rearend, or a tri-five rear end. Camaro/Nova rears are also good but tend to cost a bit more. The OP wants to keep his 3-speed shifter on the column, so in his case, use a bellhousing swap, 55-65 3 speed O.D. trans, and the 4 X 4 S-10 rear end. The 2 WD S-10 rear ends are too narrow, so be sure it's from a 4 X 4. Butch/56sedandelivery.
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