Looking to change out the rear end if this Plymouth wagon. Has anyone swapped out this enclosed drive for a open end drive? It's a 1954. Looking for a mopar engine online and a good trans to match, but want to get a good rear end for the highway... What do you guys suggest?
The '54 Plymouth wagon has a 60 1/4" wide rearend. It's pretty easy to find a 9" that will work. Depending on what tires you will run, you've got a little wiggle room. I'm building a '54 Plymouth 2dr wagon right now for a customer. I had a '67 Torino 9" laying in my pile that is just right. It's 3/4" wider than the original rear, which is fine with the 6.70-15's.
Keep it mopar use a b body 8 3/4 . Try to find a complete donor car get the motor, trans and rear. If you find the right donor car you can save a lot of time and money.
I dont know about your area but there arent many 62-70's cars in the yards in michigan anymore tey have all been scrapped I would suggest a 8.8 from under a ford explorer and you will get disc brakes as a bonus and be able to get parts right off the shelf in stores
Yep, Mopar 8-3/4. They're plenty tough for street use and swapping out the hogs-head to change gear ratios it pretty simple. Look hard enough and you can find one with a sure-grip for added fun!
I'm a Mopar guy, but for the money, a Ford 8.8" rear from an Explorer will fit the bill, as stated above. I believe Scarebird offers a front disc conversion for the '53-'54 Mopars, but you'd have to contact them to see. Also check here for a front kit - http://rustyhope.com/mopardiscbrakes.html Four-wheel disc brakes is hard to beat, regardless of what they are off of. Plus, who is going to know differently, unless you tell them??? I'd normally be a guy that says "yeah, make it all-Mopar!", but when there are VERY affordable mods that are simple and cheap to attain, why not go that way? Now, as far as an engine and trans, THAT is visible, and I'd say stay with a Chrysler powerplant. It's your car, after all, and you are the only one you have to please with the end result.
^^^ agreed. If you get a big block car the gears will be taller than a small block car, the MOPAR engineers had a good handle on what would work with what. the 8 3/4 rear is a good rear.
54 Plymouth should have an open drive shaft it just has those odd ball early Mopar u joints on them. I'd still hunt down the later Mopar rear axle though as it may be close to a drop in without a lot of hassles.
ah, there not that easy to find anymore! Explorer is the way to go! Super stong , easy to buy parts for and should be easy to source thru most junk yards for a good price!
Man, I WISHED that I lived in Fresno! Good donor cars should be a lot more plentiful where you are! Mopar stuff has pretty much dried up around here from the salvage yards, BUT the local "Trading Post" or Craigslist will turn up some pretty good deals on rollers or parts cars every now & then. Look online for some local mopar clubs too and browse their classifieds. Ours is still going strong. As a last resort, look for Mopar Collector's Guide magazine. It's like a mini-Hemmings of nothing but Mopar stuff. Everyone in there pretty much knows what they have there, so there's no great bargains in there, but if you're looking for something hard to find, or suppliers of new/repro/remanufactured parts... I'd also recommend staying "all mopar" especially since you want a mopar powerplant. You'll never break an 8-3/4 with a street engine regardless of what anyone else says.
I think some of the 9.25" Mopar truck rears would be close. They often come with limited slip. Here's one I did an axle flip on in a 47 Dodge Truck. They are C clip, but still a good cheap axle imo. Forgot to add - You might find a part out truck for super cheap and get the entire driveline (motor/trans/driveshaft/rear end) for a transplant. I'd start looking at 80's Dodge 1/2 ton trucks. Find a pick and pull and bring a measuring tape.
Ford 8.8 from an Explorer they are dirt cheap, many have limited slips and are easy to find with either 3.55 or 4.10 gears. They come with 31 spline axles and disc brakes. Around here the pull a part junk yards are full of them You can pick up a complete one for 75.00 on "Sale days" complete with rotors and calipers. They are 60" wide. I was going to go with an 8.75 but they are getting hard to find, and pricey when you do find them. The 8.8 will be much easier to find parts for down the road. If you get one, make sure you get the Ujoint flange with it. As for the 9.25 Truck ones will be too wide and the 9.25 is known to eat pinion bearings. It also has limited gear ratio choices and nearly no aftermarket support.
The Jalopy Journal
