Okay, I am building my dad's/mine 1955 Chevrolet into a "gasser" and I am going to be putting a staight axle into it. I know that Speedway sells the tube style axle with leafs, but I would really like an I-beam axle. What I am wondering is what axle/spindles do I need? I need to be able to use disc brakes becuase that is what I would like to have for safety. What steering box should I be using? I have read Corvair, or is there something else...?? Lastly, what rear axle should I be using that will be the right width for the '55 (i will prolly be running slicks and I am NOT buzzing the quarters so they will be slightly tucked in the back) and it needs to be able to stand up to roughly 400hp and 500lb/ft of torque. Thanks for any and all help/suggestions.
A Corvair box is too light duty to run on the street in a car that heavy, a Vega box at the minimum if you're going cross steer.. CC
I'm sure there are lots of possible axles - but if it were me I'd consider using a '47 Ford Truck axle (meatier than the car ones) then drill it full of holes. Disc brakes are a breeze to adapt to the early ford spindles. Another consideration would be the ever popular Econoline. I wholeheartedly agree the Corvair box is WAY too light duty for your car. I used a Nissan Truck box for teh cross steer in my gasser style Rambler. Nice SMALL box. Just out of curiosity -what's wrong with the stock box??? Rear axle?? If you're looking for period perfect - the early Olds/Pontiac 1957ish is (I believe is a bolt in) it's definitely NARROW enough to fit. More modern option would be a 9" out out a full sized Bronco -also narrow enough to fit right in.
63CadGuy is using an early '50s Chevy truck axle under the front of his Tri-5 if I remember correctly.
Yes I am and I really think it's the best way to go. Any '49-54 Chevy truck axle will work and they make disk brake kits for the spindles. We put on car spindles before we realized we could get the disk brake kit for the truck spindles, live and learn. The Econoline axle is a bit wide on a Tri-Five and the Chevy van axle is a bit short. We are using Saginaw 122 or 525 manual steering boxes also. Here are a couple of links to my build and my buddy Lonnies build. Feel free to PM me for ay questions or e-mail me from our sites. Here's the link to my page: http://www.blackandbrew.com/stuff/mycars/my56/56gasser.htm Here's a link to Lonnie's site: http://www.rebelrodscarclub.com/members/lonniecobb/55straightaxle.htm
The springs that came with the truck axle. We had them re-arched. The work great because they are longer then alot of the after market springs which gives the car a pretty good ride. The factory axle setup also points the front of the springs inward slightly which gives the car better handling abilities.
The Speedway axle is too lightweight for that car. I have one under the Fairlane and I'll probably replace it with something tougher in the future.
I've seen a lot of '40 Ford axles under 55's and they put the wheels at right about the right spot... I'd put an Olds rear under it if you are worried about "period perfectedness"... and a 9" if you are not. And please... cut the rear wheel wells... Sam These look to be Model A axles... ?
why do we always need a straight axle for a 55 gasser? Guy by the name of Mike Marinoff ran a VERY successful 55 gasser with the stock front suspension.
Your project sounds very interesting, I would definitely go the straight axle.I am in the process of fitting a '55 Chev Pick-Up axle and springs to my '56 Nomad, it is the perfect width and spring spacing.Why don't you use the original steering box and cross steer, thats what I'm using in mine and it works perfectly.As for the rear I've kept the original leaf springs but I moved them under the rails rather than beside the rails, this gave me the perfect height.I am running 11.75x16 M&H slicks with only a very slight modification to the front of the wheel arch, but I think the '55 has a smaller wheel arch.Hope I have been of some help, Good luck. Cheers Dago.
"I'd put an Olds rear under it if you are worried about "period perfectedness"... and a 9" if you are not." Since the Ford 9" was available in '57, why wouldn't it be "period correct" ?? Not trying to be argumentative - just asking.
Thanks for all the help so far guys. I am not using the stock 55 box cause it is shot (bearings coming out of the end where the column goes in) but it would probably be just as easy to get it rebuilt because it will bolt right it. It seems that the popular thing to be using is the 49-54 Chevy truck, and that figures becuase I just had one that I could pull all the parts off I wanted for my other truck, but it just went to the wreckers. I will likely end up using the Ford 9" because they are widely available and easy to find, having the period correct axle doesnt matter as much as having the right stance, etc. Approximatley how high will the Chevy truck axle/leafs set the car up in the front? I dont want it insanley high, but i want some good gap...My last question is do I HAVE to cut off the front of the frame? I would perfer not to, just incase I ever decide I want to go back to stock, or should I just go with it and chop it off at the firewall? I am going to be running a glass front-end so retaining all the mounts for the stock sheet-metal doesnt really matter, as long as it looks alright when you open it up (with the stock frame). Thanks.
Wacked Shoebox wrote: "why do we always need a straight axle for a 55 gasser? Guy by the name of Mike Marinoff ran a VERY successful 55 gasser with the stock front suspension." I don't think you "need" a solid axle under them... but there is something about it that screams "gasser". I myself am going to stick with the stock front suspension under my '55. It was a race car from 1962 until 1972... at one time the guy had a '40 solid axle under it, a nail head Buick and six Stromies... he said when they decided to go fast (in 1967) they ditched the nail head, put a 283 in it, and put the stock suspension back under it. To give the car a taller stance with the stock suspension... I bought some new springs that make the car 1" taller up front... and cut the front frame horns off like ShakeyPuddin did. I thought about putting a solid axle under it... I could show off some fab work, and I know I'd have a fun time doing it... but I figured if I held off, I could have it later if I wanted. TgMan said: "Since the Ford 9" was available in '57, why wouldn't it be "period correct" ?? Not trying to be argumentative - just asking." I think it stems from a few things... the earlier "Olds" rear came out in the early 50's... and hot rodders had been using those, as well as the '55-'64 Chevy rears in hot rods. Purpose built drag cars were not as prevelent in the 50's as they were in the 60's. In the 50's they were digger type cars and modified roadsters... those cars usually went with a Ford Banjo rear with a quick change center, or even a stock Banjo center. When the "Gasser" cars came around... they were first using Olds and Cad motors... so when the builders robbed the motors out of those cars, they usually took the rear ends too. Another thing to remember is the size. Olds rear ends are physically BIGGER than the 9"ers... the ring gear is larger too... so the old addage "bigger is better" played out. Add to that that the Olds and Poncho rears were virtually the same... and you had the makings of a "drag rearend" for everything from a gasser to a fuel altered. Now the front engined dragsters were a different story... there isn't much room in a slingshot. So you saw a lot of '55-64 Chevy rears... and later on, Mopar 8 3/4" rears. There are no set in stone rules... so it is possible that Olds rears were used in FED's... as well as the 9"ers. I talked with the guy that build my '55 in '62... he said "we went with the Olds when we got tired of blowing up stock '55 Chevy rear ends". That says volumes about the "why". Hot rodders found out what held up REAL QUICK when tires got better. A Ford banjo could be used back in the 50's because they would spin the tires off the line to half track. When M&H introduced the wrinkle wall in the 60's... and then Schafer and Crower with their slipper clutches came onto the scene, guys could taylor the "bite" to the track conditions... putting maximum power to the ground.. when that happened, it was all over. I also asked the guy why he went with an Olds rear... he said "Because that's what everyone was using". That concept is nothing new... Here's something else to ponder... wrecking yard rear ends... The Olds/Poncho rear ends were built from 1957 until '64... The Chevy rears of choice from '55-'64... and the Ford 9" from '57 until I think, the 1980's... So when hot rodders and drag racers started using up the supply of Olds rear ends... they turned to other alternatives and found that the 9", with it's third bearing support, was quite strong. All this aside, I think the 9" is a good choice. I have an Olds rear in my '55... the same one that was in there in the 60's... and it was a pain in the ass to build. I went with a spool and 35 spline axles... and had clearence problems with the housing ends. Add to that, a spool isn't that great on the street... and I kinda wish sometimes I had went with a Ford 9". Sam.
Also... about your front frame. The front frame horns are not strong enough to sopport a front spring. I know guys do it, bu they are as slimsy as hell. I think if you were to box them in though, they would be strong enough. That way, if you left them, you could always go back... The down side would be that you would have this heavy, bulky, crossmember there... hanging down... Sam. Here's my '55 when I got it.
I used a Super Duty 65 Econoline axle. The brakes are big (drum) and the springs are long so it doesn't ride bad. The 9" won't last long without aftermarket axles if you're running slicks. I broke a few even on the narrower Hurst re-cap slicks until I switched to Mosiers. The early axles are tapered and thin. If you find a 65 Econoline for parts, you'll get a good 9" AND an axle.
The main thing I am thinking about by using the stock front frame is that I might one day want to go back, and like you said boxing it would work and wouldnt make that much of a difference in the look of it. This car is REALLY solid, not any rust at all, and I just see it as a shame to cut off the front of a perfect frame. I could always try to work out something to take away the attention from the crossmember (I dont know what though) or I could just leave and get used to it, cause it doesnt really matter that much. Does anyone have pictures of a 55-57 Chev with a staright-axle on the stock front frame, cause I guess that would be the best way to decide, is see how it really looks. I guess I could potentially go with the stock supspension lifted (which would make my life a lto easier) but I am not too sure how it would look. Astraight axle look so mean, but I am also wondering about its handling capabilities and what would happen if I had to make a panic move on the highway doing 120 kmph, I think it would be a major problem. The other good thing about retaingin the stock supension is that i could also potentially leave the stock steering (mostly stock) and, as Sam said, I could always put a straight axle under it after. I would still have all my original motor mountsm and rad mounts too, so I would only have to fab-up hinges for the front-end. Does know how high I could lift the stock suspension without running into major issues and how I would do it (i assume springs but what about spindles etc?) Thanks a lot for the help so far.
With those things in mind you might want to leave it alone by retaining the stock suspension. The straight axle setups are more for straight line runs, not turns unless you really set it up with good shocks and a steering dampener. If it was drag raced mostly and an occasional jaunt on the street then go with the straight axle. Plus it might be more than you can handle as far as the work involved. Just my opinion. I'm doing a similar build using a 54 GMC axle in a GTO. I'll be leaving the front crossmember in. One thing I'm doing to try and draw attention away from the crossmember is drilling holes, then chroming the front axle. I'm also going to shift the engine back into the firewall by 4" to 8".
^^^Yeah it definatley isnt going to be a drag only car, I want to be able to drive it to school and work etc during the summer. Maybe what I will end up doing is retaining the stock supension and then buying something else later to put a straight axle in if I absolutley have to have one. Now I need to know how to lift it though.
...they used to make upper ball-joint spacers for these cars; and along with some big block springs you could get the front up pretty good; mite be a problem findin those spacers now.Anybody know if they are available? ...the Speedway tube axle is too narrow for a 55, the 47-54 Chev pickup axle is a favorite choice.
First generation 12 bolt Camaro rear end is a bolt in.Perches fall into place like they where made for it.If you're not cutting the fenders at all the only draw back is not having clearance for big tires. Firebird rears are the same and usually posi units.Although they are 10 bolt, they still took alot of pounding considering some were behind 455's and they bolt right in too
TagMan - Nearly every OLD 60's gasser I've ever seen had an OLDS rear in it. Simply put the EARLY 9" Ford Rears weren't as strong - 9" Fords came a long ways over the years. Now-a-days you can build a bullet proof version of either - so strength isn't a problem - but parts availability might be for the OLDS rear. I've got BOTH under my rides - so I am not on either side of this.
I'm running a 32 axle with a transverse leaf. I'm also using the stock steering box on my 57 150. Good luck and post some pics. Todd
Man, that looks pretty enough to leave it just like that Todd! Don't put the body on it! LOL! Beautiful job!
^^^Yeah that thing is pretty amazing, great quality work. Im very undecided now as to what to do for suspension, but my gut is telling me a straight axle cause thats what looks best, and I prefer it.....
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