I have a 54 Chevy 3100 Truck, all stock, which the 235 I6 just gave out. Before I decide what to do with the motor or what is going to replace it, I have questions about what someone might recommend to do with the stock rear end, which i believe is a 4.10. With the stock motor it could barely do 55 on the road, I'd like to get something that will be a little better for driving than that if i'm going to put any money into the motor. Questions: Is it worth changing out the ring and pinion gears to change the ratio and leave it stock otherwise? Are there other rearends which are readily available that could be put in that will install relatively easy (ie not narrowing it)? Are there rearends that would fit and I could keep the 6 lug pattern? thanks, in advance for any help. aric
I'd look towards a 60s-1970 rear end to stick with the 6 lug. Not sure on the overall width of either. You can change the ring and pinion but you'd still have a closed driveshaft. The guys at Stovebolt.com can give you lots of 'stock' options. I'd tell you to upgrade the motor and trans and rear end for more modern performance. Not necessarily a V8, a I6 would look cool and you could do the 5 speed from an S10 and have plenty of gears to deal with.
Many rear ends would fit that truck. I have one out of an '87 Firebird and it completes my four-wheel disc conversion. I also kept the rear sway bar off the Pontiac. I'm running the 235 (for now) and backed it up with the S10 T-5. Best all around choice if you are keeping the six. Most of the '70-80's Chevy trucks still used the six-lug pattern even up to today's trucks. That means your rear end options are almost limitless. r
the half ton 2wd pickups in chevy trucks were 6 lug thru 1970, and they were about the same width as the 54 thru 1969. so maybe see if you can find a late 60s truck rearend....gearing would be 3.73 most likely, which is better than 4.10 (or 3.90 which was common in the 50s) but not as good as 3.55.
The 6 lugs that ran after 1970 are typically 4WD. Don't know if that makes a difference in the long run.
getting a rearend that's the right width in either 5 or 6 lug for the 47-55 trucks isn't a problem, but which one is best to use depends on other factors like how do you intend to use this truck? reason being that how you use it and what engine and tranny combo you go with will have an effect on what you should use for a rearend gear. Not all of the rearends that fit that truck come with a selection of gear choices. If you want to get it right the first time, you will need to give us some better info on what you intend to do with the truck overall. There are pros and cons to every option...
thanks for all the info so far. i have a few options of what to do with it. 1. rebuild the 235 or replace, keep the 3 speed and just have more reliable, and driveable jalopy type truck, likely adding discs up front. 2. go small block v8, and switch to an auto trans, front discs, still not meant to be a high performance vehicle, as i'm not really able to afford upgrading suspension to handle worth a darn at high speeds. 3. 235 with a 5 speed, but then i lose the column shift which i like, and dont want to have a floor shift unless no other option. at this point, keeping 6 lug would be nice unless the cost to do so outweighs replacing with a 5 lug steel wheel and tires? main goal is to not have the engine pegged wide open in order to do 55. and having some room for passing speeds would be nice.
Well lets start with this little detail. That '54 truck 235 is desirable because its the right collection of parts to fit easily where the 216 came out, but it also has full pressure oiling. A later 235 has the pressure oil but is set up longer and is harder to swap into the earlier chassis. If you don't use that motor make it available to others. Someone will want it for an earlier car or truck. On the other hand if you like the running a six, this is one of the best motors to rebuild and run. There is one ring and pinion set available for your existing rear that improves the ratio a bit. I think that is your only option if you want to keep your existing transmission. Going to a modern automatic means a rear axle swap also. You can swap in a V-8 with the original transmission and rear but that leaves you spinning the motor pretty fast on the highway. There is a 6-lug disk kit available from CPP that would allow updating the front brakes without loosing the 6-lug but if you have stock wheels it may not work with those. Caliper clearance can be a problem. I'm running a GMC 270 with a stock type 4-speed and a 5-lug rear with 3.08 gears in mine. I have disk brakes in front. Good brakes are real important when the other cars often have ABS but lack intelligence.
i'm not looking for break neck speeds out of it, just for it to get out of it's own way, and maybe that of others on the road, and do it without worrying about damaging the engine. I'm not married to the 3 speed, but this particular one is in fine working shape, and doesnt bind or grind. and has a new clutch. a 4 speed on the column would be cool, just not really keen on cutting a hole in the floor for a floor mounted shifter. Thanks, that is good to know about the stock wheels and that disc kit. what is your 5 lug rear out of? are you using the cpp kit, or something else for your fronts, and did you go 5 lug there as well?
I just put a nine inch ford in my 54 GMC yesterday went with new axles drilled for 5 X 4 3/4 GM pattern to match the one's I'm going with in front. has nothing to do with your problem, but there are many options unless you're one of those darn restorers that keep them nice for rodders to find
you cant keep your 3 speed and change rear ends. patricks 3.55 ring and pinion hardly seems worth the cost for no more gain than you get for the money. you 235 will easly handle a 2.73-3.08 gear. you will need a 4spd truck bell hsg to change out your trans . your 3 spd has a small pattern the tk 4sp hsg will let you use the common gm trannys saginaw 3 or 4spd and the 5spd. cheap way to go here is a camaro rear, saginaw 3spd (lets you keep it on the column) 54 car drums are the same pattern as the camaro rear and bolt on the front. remember to offset the rear about 1 1/2 in to line up in the fender.this stuff should all bolt in except for the new spring pads needed on the rear end.
I'm partial to inlines. since "high performance" isn't what you're after, I'd suggest staying with a 235 or 261. The 58-62 versions are the best, but the water pump can be an issue as mentioned. The cure is an adapter plate that will allow you to use the '54 pump on the later block. $40 off of Ebay. Or you can move the radiator to the front edge of the radiator support and trim the upper and lower splash aprons, which will cost you nothing. As for the bellhousing, the 3 and 4 spds use the same housing and have the same input collar OD. Not sure what O.D.T. is talking about. Your stock housing is fine. To keep the column shift, you are stuck with a 3spd or 3spdOD. 235's like to cruise around 1800-2200rpms. Without overdrive I would go with a rearend gear between 3.08 and 3.42. With overdrive, I would go with 3.55 to 3.73. I have a '53 with a built 261, T5 and 3:55 gears. If I cruise a 65, I'm turning about 2000rpms and I get about 22mpg. As for a rearend, for 6 lugs, I would try looking for a 70's full size Blazer. I have also heard of guys using Toyota 4x4 rears. Possibly 65-69 rearends also. Just measure first. To find something with a ratio below 3.90, you're stuck with something newer than 1960. If you go with 5 lug, your options are better. 55-64 car rearends came with 3.08, 3.36, 3.55, 3.70, 4.11 and 4.56 and have a drop out center section. Some use S10 4x4 rearends also, 3.08, 3.42 and 3.73 are common. Novas, some Camaros, maybe 60's fullsize could be used also. The overall width varies on all of these choices. When selecting a rearend, durability, width, and gearing need to be considered, but also rim backspacing. As mentioned, it is possible to use 49-54 car drums and hubs on your '54 straight axle, thus giving you 5 lugs up front without much effort or cost. Stock rear leaf springs are fine below 300hp.
My rear is from a '73 Chevelle wagon. It has 3.08 gears and with a stock 4-speed I've been pretty happy with it. It does not like a loaded trailer, but you shouldn't pull a heavy trailer with a 1/2-ton anyway. I have a buddy with the CPP kit. The brakes are installed but he hasn't finished the rest of that truck yet. I used a front disk kit from Chevy Duty that uses mid 70's mid size GM parts. The '73 Chevelle stuff again. I have 5 x 4-3/4 hubs on mine. There is no magic to the '73 Chevelle stuff, but the rear is the right width and when I need brake parts I know all of it is '73 Chevelle stuff and its easy to find. You really need to convert to a dual master at the same time and I used a '73 Chevelle master too. I did this all five years ago so I may not remember all the details right any more.
snarl. i must have been thinking about the car bellhsg having the small tranny pattern, a 3.55 gear with a t5 tranny ( most overdrives are around .70 ) 3.55x.70=2.48 thats why your 235 crusies so good at 65.
.73 OD. Its a V8 Camaro T5 with S10 tailhousing. 235/75-R15 tires in back. Speedo is accurate. Doesn't like the bigger hills much, but I haven't needed to downshift yet. It would be happier with a 3:70 which I have, but haven't tried out yet.
Is it possible to use a trans that was set up for torque tube, with a regular drive shaft, or is a completely different transmission required? I guess i'm wondering if you can change out the yolk or something to make the trans work with a regular driveshaft. i've got a line on a nova rearend, and possibly a 235, and would like to continue using my 3 spd, but it is a torque tube trans...
if you want to keep the torque tube, you can put in a saginaw 4 speed using Patricks torque tube adapation kit - makes it bolt right in and gives a modern 4 speed to boot. You even get to choose from one of 4 gear ratios in the trans. If you are going to use his 3.55 gears, they won't work on a 54 - you have to find a 53 /earlier spool.
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