Hello, my name is Chad and I have begun working on a 1951 Chevy 3600 that I bought off my grandfather 17 years ago for $50. I will probably have many questions on this project over the course of my build (which will probably last me 10 years....) but the first i have is regarding the rear end. It has the original rear end in it and I am looking at swapping that with a 1951 3100 rear end. Can this be done? My understanding is that the 3100 has a 'torque tube' and the 3600 doesnt. what does that mean?
A torque tube is an enclosed driveshaft. This limits things that can be easily swapped. The 3/4 ton has an enclosed shaft to the carrier bearing, then a conventional open shaft from there to the axle. This means you can put a modern rear end in without changing the transmission. You can look into a Colorado rear end to keep 6 lugs, or a Chevy 5 lug rear (S10 4x4, Camaro, etc.)
Thanks guys! follow up question, will any Colorado rear work, or only 4x4 or 4x2? I think I heard somewhere that the 4x4 ones were wider. Not sure if that is accurate. Thanks in advance.
