Alright so the last post about the gears is settled...3.70s it is. Now I have 2 driveshafts. One is a 1-piece from the '57 I got the rear from and the other is a 2-piece from the s10 I got the t5 from. It's my understanding that with the 2-piece, you can go as low as you want and not have to touch the trans tunnel. Is this accurate? Anyone using a 2-piece in their '49-'54 Chevy? I've seen "mention" of them being used but nobody ever goes into specifics. It seems like the ideal way to go to minimize floor reconstruction and rear seat loss. Is there something I'm missing or is it really that good and then, why isn't everyone using them?
Bump to top If you're using a 2 piece shaft, it should have a carrier bearing at the joint, do you have that piece from the donor vehicle.
A 2 piece rear shaft will cost more & has more parts to replace/maintain. Maybe that's why you don't see them quite as often
Yep, you need to mount a carrier bearing somewhere at the end of the front driveshaft. It is used to support the front driveshaft, otherwise the 2-piece ***embly would flop around. Generally the 2-piece is a lot more parts and h***les, but for some applications it works out or is required due to length. Talk to your driveshaft place and they can help you out. You will need to fab the mount for the carrier bearing, it can hang from the top (probably like it was in S-10, most trucks are this way) or be bolted to the bottom (like used in the 58-64 Chevy cars for example).
Never heard of anyone doing a two piece shaft on a 49-54 Chevrolet (I'm just guessing it's the car in the avatar?). Using the side mount setup most use, a 28 inch long transmission, and a rear end mounted to the stock springs with the pin locator holes redrilled a little forward, usually gives a C/C driveline length of about 57 inches. I can't imagine the extra aggravation, costs, and parts to do a two piece. Gluton for punishment? I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Yeah, that's the car I'm putting it in. I was thinking of using 3-inch blocks that I have with two sets of holes, one of which is for a newer axle. I'm trying to end up with about 3.5" ground clearance when all is said and done and the 3" blocks will put me at exactly that. If I'm thinking this through correctly, and maybe I'm not, the shaft would come out of the trans with 0° angle so I would essentially be measuring my angles from the middle to rear u-joint. I paid $50 for the entire shaft so parts and cost aren't too bad
I'm just wondering if it would be more work to put the 2-piece shaft in or to have to rework the trans tunnel and rear seat bottom. I'm going to do a notch of course so my pumpkin and axle clearance will be taken care of. I don't know about the tops of the wheel wells yet but hopefully I'll have room
With the needed one piece shaft being under 5' long, I don't see any advantage in using a two piece shaft. Why complicate the process, when a one piece shaft is so easy to work with ?
I agree if, and only if I can get it as low as I want it without having to cut into the trans tunnel and rear seat. Thats my entire concern with all this is not having to rework the entire rear floor section of the car. Also, I have the original seat so I really don't want to start hacking away at it, you know what I mean?
Static drop all around. I was going to try the stock leaves with blocks and possibly stepping the lower control arms with '53 uprights
Well, I think my rear springs have been either de-arched or heated. Pretty much, I'm trying to have the lowest point on the car, the spring hangers and maybe k-member, with about 3.5" of ground clearance. Here are my measurements. If I use blocks, the driveshaft will pretty much be on the trans tunnel, hence wanting to use the 2-piece driveshaft.
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