Projects Chevrolet drop axle

Picked up a 47-54 cpp chevrolet truck 4 inch drop axle on the cheap yesterday . Anybody have any experience using these axles or good tips to make this a good experience installing . Will car hubs (5 bolt) interchange with the 6 bolt truck hubs ?

 

best to use 51-4 Chev pass. car brakes (Bendix) everything including the backing plate out on the truck spindles...don't know anything about using that axle myself.

 

The trucks started using bendix brakes around 51 as well , was hoping I would be able to swap out 6 bolt truck hubs to five bolt car hubs .My understanding is I have to use 47 -54 truck spindles to maintain the correct camber .
I'm sure a truck front end shop can correct the camber if I have to go a different route with spindles ..

 

Nostalgia Sids has some good info on these.
Sometimes the steering link can hit the axle
Their FB page has some nice install and tech covering this. I’m interested in the same brake set up. There is a good bit of info here on the brakes. I’ve read using the 51 ish up truck backing plates and car drums and spindles.
@squirrel has posted info on this.
A 54 automatic belair is in our scrap yard. I’d like to use the rear end (if it’s open drive) and front brakes. So I’m interested as well.
I also plan on using a dropped factory axle.

 

I would love to send Sid an Axle and have it dropped and the steering arms done as well ,but just way to much money to shipp the stuff both ways from Canada !!! Figuired I was doing well to fall over this axle on the cheap ,rarely does any drop axles for chevs hit the market .

 

Slide a new king pin in to see if it’s a POS before you do anything. They can be bushed but the shop better know what it’s doing.

 

The axle is new , never used , but I will check it out for sure

 

New King pins fit the axle great !!

 

51-59 truck backing plates, 51-54 car hubs/drums.

 

I’m gonna try to go by Monday and talk to em.
Decent 2 door car until the picked it up by the roof.
I’d like to get the auto column/box as well.

 

So the car backing plates are a no-go.
My 49 has the huck set up. Never liked em.

 

I am guessing the mounting holes on the truck backing plates differ from the mounting holes on the car backing plates .Car and truck spindles are different . Perhaps the car backing plates can be redrilled

 

Anthony , is your 49 a car or truck ??

 

The other option(assuming you have spindles?) is to go with a disc brake conversion. Will give you the 5x-what you need- BP.

 

Truck

 

YOu

Get the axle from Sid, don't get that horrid looking trailer axle meets truck axle thing that Speedway sells.

You can use 51/54 Car hubs, drums and backing plates on the front. You have to make some spacers for between the backing plate and the spindle Because the car backing plate is slightly different than the truck backing plate. You have to drill two new holes in the car backing plates as the hole spacing is different on truck spindles.



Yes I do have a long muddy driveway but my 48 is no prissy show only truck. Spacers on the bottom bolts behind the mud.


5 Lug rear axle= a 55/64 Chevy car axle is the right width and I had a 61 axle in my 48 in 1973 when I drove it to Tulsa and I wish I had kept that bugger in it. A coworker cut all the brakets off it at work one night and welded on spring pads for me. You don't want to get under 60 inches wms to wms as stock back spacing wheels won't fit no matter what the bullshit artists say. I've got a 74 Nova rear under it now and have to run a negative offset wheel to clear the bed. I had to pull one of my front wheels off and put the stock steel car spare on the front and put the front runner on the rear.

Wood remover if you have that mess of a Speedway axle with the square tube and it didn't come with spindles you had best contact Speedway to make sure you can use stock truck spindles and don't have to use their "special" Chevy spindles. Some of their house brand axles only work with their house brand spindles.

 

Thanks for the info.
Hopefully the car is still in the junk yard. I’ll check tomorrow
But I have a 6 lug open rear axle now. Could locate some 51 up truck backing plates.
I plan on using OE steel wheels

 

The axle I have sourced back to classic performance products , Their king pin set says can be used with stock or dropped axles .
They dont offer a spindle !!!
I think the importance thing is to make sure you use the 47 -53 truck spindle to maintain the proper camber .
I have to agree that it is a butt ugly axle .
But after you get off your knees and belly to look under the fenders and front of the car ,I will agree, what a butt ugly axle !!!!
If I cant find a traditional dropped chevrolet axle ,I will build it in the spirit of traditional and use what I can find, make work and afford .

 

Those are those same square tube messes that Speedway sells. They look like they belong on a camp trailer rather than a custom truck.

Speedway 1947-54 Chevy/GMC Half-Ton Pickup Truck Dropped Axle (speedwaymotors.com)

I have to agree that shpping an axle both ways or paying the 65.00 US core charge on an axle from Sid might run the tab up a bit. 360 for the axle, 65 for the core and probably 150 for shipping puts it up there.

 

Yes , and the money exchange , duties ,and canadian taxes pushes this to 800.00 .
I picked up the axle for a 3rd of that .
Even an original chevrolet drop axle with it parallel springs looks like a trailer axle
I am sure many were used as such as well

 

You got a pretty good deal because most vendors want right at 500 US for one of those three piece axles.

 

That is the thing , no disrespect to yourself or Sid . Anything I buy out of the USA pretty much at the end of the day is 50 percent more .
If I hadn't found this axle I likely would have left this stock height. I have 5-6 chev axles and really couldn't justify buying a core from Sid .
This axle is not my first choice in axles ,but will achieve 4 inch drop under a full fendered car .
I am using this under my 33 chev 3 window ,th 34 chev truck will have to run a stock axle .

 

Not positive on the late 40's to '54 Chevy truck axles. But on '55 to '59 we simply bought a pair of '49-'54 car drums and put them right on the truck spindles. No backing plate change, or any other change.
It's also possible on any late 40's to '59 Chevy truck axles to buy a kit from Speedway to convert the axles to disc brakes with 5 bolt Ford or Chevy patterns. I have a kit on the '58 Chevy truck axle I put under my '39 Chev coupe gasser. It was super easy, and really pretty cheap to do it.

 

I do have the disk brake set up for chev spindles ,but wont be using it on this vehicle .
I am putting this drop axle under a 33 chev 3 window car . Plan is to keep this traditional ..
4 wheel drum , 401 buick , 3 speed overdrive (50 ford) 55 chev rear end on leaf springs

 

Isn't the spring perch width a lot wider on the donor axle than the '33 Chev frame rails? Do you plan to adjust mounting points, narrow the frame, or narrow the axle?

 

I will put new spring pads on the rear axle

 

If I have to narrow, I have an 8 inch that is narrower but no backing plates or drums
55 the brakes are all new .
Original rear end is 57 3/4 wms to wms.
I think the 55 rear is 60 inches
8 inch I have is 58

 

Wasn't talking about the rear axle.

 

The 33 master 3 window and the 34 chev truck are both 50 1/2 king pin to king pin and 26 3/4 spring pad to spring pad . The axle will fit either vehicle .