I have a 1958 Detroit Gear and Axle 55P in my 1931 Model A coupe. It's kind of an odd bird but I think it's kinda cool. It has a 3.36 gear now but it really could use 4.11. I've heard old stories about these but would like to get your take on reliability of these axles. If it's a ticking time bomb, I'll probably look into a Ford 8.8, but I'd like to keep this one if it's worth it. The car doesn't get flogged, it's just a cruiser, so abuse is not an issue. Also, anybody have a line on brake shoes and hardware for this? Thanks! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Is that like a 58 Chevy car rear end? Lots of guys know about the 55-64 Chevy rearends...but we don't call it "Detroit Gear and Axle 55P", we call it "55-64 Chevy"
I've never heard it called a 55p but I learned something new today. Now lets see if I can remember it tomorrow http://www.drivetrainshop.com/GM_55P_55T_s/106.htm Axle Details The GM 55P and 55T axles where used by Chevy between 1955 and 1964 before being replaced by the GM 12 Bolt 12P and 12T axles, respectively. While they may look similar from the outside, the internal components, including ring and pinion gears are not interchangeable so make sure that you know which model you have before ordering parts.
Yup. The 55T is open, the 55P is posi which is what I've got. How's the strength/reliability? I found a good line on parts. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
With a light car with a not too big engine, you should be fine. You can find 4.11 gears, beware that the posi unit has a different offset for "normal" 4 series gears, but they made thick 4 series gears to let you use your 3 series posi. I don't know if they're still available...I had a set of thick 4.88 gears up until last year.
What he said, in days gone by we used the thin gears with a spacer. The ring gears bolts sheared if you had any kind of motor and traction.
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