Hi I have a 1951 chevy truck 3100 6 lug torque tube and want to change it to a five lug with 3:73 gears non torque tube does anyone know what rear end will fit in the truck and anyone got one for sale in or close to Wisconsin?
i changed mine out for a 79 caprice rear end. nice cruising gears for the highway. i believe it was within a 1/2 inch of the original. it fits well in the wheelwells just make yourself some offset spring perches. good luck- robert
I'm running a 75 chevy nova rear end under my 51 GMC. Bolts right up with no mods using your stock springs. So 68-78 novas, 67-69 camaros and birds, some second gen firebirds will work too. Gears will vary from car to car so, you may have to change the gears to get that ratio. Hope this helps.
I used an8.8 out of a town car. you can get disc or drum, and it matched the track on my 3/4 ton. They are about $100 at pull a part.
NOT The One As I'm a stock kinda mechanic.... It's good to know these guys here who've done it and can offer up so many different donor cars . F**d rear ends have a different bolt pattern than Chevy though , right ? .
Camaro diffs I'm currently running a 62" wide 1988 Camaro 3.42 diff in my 54 truck with a .72 T5. I know for a fact that the 88 and 89 will work as I have used them both. The problem you're going to have is finding a 3.73 R&P as most are 3.08 or 3.42 being the most common from behind the 2.8L V6 with automatic transmission. I've recently agreed to purchase a 3.73 Camaro diff from an 02 Camaro....this is said to be 62" wide but I haven't put an eyeball on it yet. It is supposed to have disc brakes. The 3.42 and 3.08 used 15X7 rims with 3-5/8" backspacing to fit my 54 truck. Hope this helps. Dave
Hey Big Chevy 3600 and everyone else on this thread that has swapped a torque tube for open driveline, Exactly what do you mean by "bolts right up"? Does that meant that the flanges on the Camaro rear literally bolt right up to the AD springs? Is the pinion angle correct? What about brakes? Do the brakes on the camaro rear "bolt right up"? What about E-brake cables? Or...can you "bolt right up" the backing plates from the old rear to the new rear? These are all questions I need to have answered to install a later rear in my '55.1. Mine has a Muncie sm420 4-speed with a torque tube. Getting the rear housing switched for an open driveline rear housing is no problem as I have access to the parts free. I also have access to later rear ends for free as well. Close friend owns a driveshaft manufacturing shop. Good to have friends that survived. Please, please, please help me out. This is WAY cheaper than Patrick's ring and pinion upgrade and will get me cruising in the fast lane instead of limping and over-revving my 235. Thanks, Andy
6 lugs VS 5 lugs Don't forget, Andy, these rear ends are 5 lug. You'll have to swap the front drums for the 5 lug disc conversion... I know of a few 6 lug rears that WON'T bolt right up, but with a little effort, they will work. Welding new perches is a given, I believe. That would include setting the pinion angle. Swapping the backing plate is an interesting question! Can't wait to hear if that would work!
Bolts right up! This term, used rather loosely, implies that the differential is the same width as the original and can be "adjusted" to fit. Being that the Camaro is a coil spring diff the stock mounting hardware has to be removed, perches set at the proper width for the new vehicle, which includes setting the new pinion angle, the emergency brake system modified to graft to the AD system and a new driveshaft fabricated. The advantage of doing a complete diff swap is that you can get the R&P ratio you want, upgraded brakes, maybe even a swaybar setup and a lower mileage unit for a couple hundred bucks......if you have the tools and experise to do the work yourself. About the only thing I've found on the AD that actually "bolts right up" (without modification) is the gas cap. Dave
If you are keeping the 6 lug setup, look at the dakota rears, 97 and up. The 8.8 is not a bolt up, you have to cut off the 4 link mounts, weld on new saddle mounts, then bolt it up.
It doesn't matter what rear you use. look at one that has the same measurement flange to flange (where the rim surface touches the brake surface) as what yours does. There is a lot of fudge factor in these trucks, depending on what rim you want to use. You should count on cutting off the origional mounts, setting up the rear with the desired pinion angle, centering it, and then welding on new saddle brackets...eaisily found from rod shops and trailer suppy houses. Install brake cables and e brake cables and get the driveshaft modified to fit.
Do these swaps work only on the pickups? Would the same rear ends work in my 1950 3100 panel? Haven't posted in awhile. Been too busy getting ready for my daughter's wedding. Slow spring at work means less money for the Panel and more needed for the wedding! But still have fun just driving it around. Brian
Congrats on your daughter's upcoming wedding! In answer to your question, yes they will work on a panel truck too with the same caveats as the pickup.
Glad I caught you! Nope~ sorry Brian- These only work on trucks. The only option I see is for you to ship me your panel, and I'll ship you my truck. That way you can do everything you read about. Those darn panels are a different breed altogether! You notice that CP's catalog has NOTHING to do with panels! I would even be willing to give up my beloved G, just so you would be able to find parts! But really~ if you want to trade...
Diff changes Selecting a diff and one with the correct R&P ratio isn't really all that difficult. Granted, you could use most any mfgr's units that match the wheel mounting flange to mounting flange, but I've found the 80's Camaro diffs to be readily available, the correct width for the AD, easy to modify and inexpensive. If you're going the T5 route even the shortbed driveshaft can be used. It's important to understand that when you go to a 5 on 4-3/4 lug pattern you more than likely aren't going to get your rims from a salvage yard. This is one of the down sides of of that particular lug pattern. However, I've found that there are a good selection of applicable rims from smoothies right on up to the premiums available from most wheel vendors. One word of caution....be sure to crunch your numbers before you choose your R&P ratio. I've previously mentioned some that I know will work and some that will not. Getting the correct ratio, which matches the torque curve of your engine, your final drive ratio of your transmission, the diameter of your rear wheel and ultimately what speed you plan on driving your truck, will contribute to optomizing your performance and fuel mileage. Hope this helps. Dave
Thanks Ken. Yep, Just about a month away for the wedding and most of my "fun" activities (truck and surfing), will get less and less during July. But I only have one daughter to give away so I am sure all the details will work out. Zig, as they say, "The trucks in the mail!" Yeah, I sure love this old panel. Probably will be doing more to it after the Labor Day holiday. Too many irons in the fire and not enough mulla to do much now. I realize the majority of truck owners here are pickups and a few Subs. I don't always see many Panel owners at least in the AD series. As far as I know, there is not a lot of panels in my area of W. MI. There's a AD Sub who has been a big help here and I get a lot of compliments at local cruise-ins even being in less than show condition. But I don't want a show truck anyhow. Eventually, I just want it reliable and to look clean. It's a surf truck/work truck, not a trailer queen. Thanks for all the help everyone on the dif swap. Brian
Panel Helper Brian I was looking at your Panel and hoping to get help from you Here in New Jersey I think mine is about the only one. I havent brought it to any shows pretty much for the same reason I have a daughter ...though she is only 2 years old and hopefully a long way off from getting married.
