spooled rearends????

[Spedley]

I'm lookin at an old C/G '63 Acadian (Canadian Nova) that has a spooled '57 olds rear in it. I'm plannin on driving it on the street with Mickey T ET Street tires on it. Anyone here have spools in their cars? Just lookin for opinions on them. Thanks.

[Junkyard Dog 32]

Spools aren't for street use. The axles are locked together and your rear wheels, turning in a different arc, cause wicked scrubbing. They're made to go straight or in the dirt.

JOEhttp://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Rocky]

Shortly after I sold my 57 Pontiac 2 door to my little brother, he came across a pair of 4.88's with those whippy spider gear lock block thingys. He put the gear-goodies in the 57 and bolted up a pair of 10 inch slicks mounted on 10 inch slotted aluminum wheels. Car had a later 400 pontiac with a muncie 4 speed. He'd come off the line, blazin and would bust stock wheel studs until I asked him if he removed the little 3/8ths bolts holding the brake drums to the axle flanges. They caused the mag wheels to not sit flush against the axles. After that, the next problem was a horrendous pull to the right. It was so severe, he had to place both hands on the left side of the steering wheel to keep the car straight... Turned out to be a low tire on the right rear.
Shortly after he sold the car, the new owner was racing it on our local track when he broke an axle shaft. The failure could have been caused by stress on the shafts incurred by city driving .........lota of negotiating corners where one axle was pushing and the other one was dragging...
I don't think the car survived the resulting crash into the guard rail...heard it was totalled and never saw the car again....
That same little brother now runs a full spool in his street driven Morris Minor with hot dog motor and an 8.75 Mopar rearend but he uses aftermarket [Dutchman, in this case] axle shafts and digs the "chirp, chirp, chirp noise the rear tires make around a corner.....
good luck.

[Spedley]

I know what they are, and what they do, but I have heard of people running them on the street and was wonderin if anyone here uses them, and doesnt mind 'em.

[Spedley]

The car actually has Summers Bros. axles and upgraded studs on it already.

[flamedabone]

My 31 spline axles lasted exactly one year with a spool. It sucks to throw down 400 bucks on a new posi unit, but that will keep you from buyin axles every winter..

Good luck, -Abone.

[Brad54]

It's unsafe.
Don't drive it in the rain going around a corner. Or a light drizzle, when the oil on the road rises to the surface and hasn't been washed away yet.

It's hell on tires, and will break axles. It's hell on the rear suspension, too. And I've got to beleive it can't be good for the axle bearings and ring gear either.

-Brad

[Spedley]

bttt.

[Hot Rod To Hell]

I've got a spool in my car, and I'll probably run one in any other "hot rod" that I build from now on. I have a 9" with a strange spool, richmond gear, and 35 spline moser axles, and have never had the slightest little bit of trouble. it's a 3100lb chevy II with 30x13.5 ET streets on it. I cant even hear the tires over the motor on a corner. I have a lock-right EZ locker in my 75 nova, and that will usually chirp the tires around corners BEFORE it will unlock the differential, so I think you'd be alright

[crow]

I too have run a spool on the street, but in a big ass rockcrawling truck, I currently run a detroit locker with 4:88 gears and 37" tires every day, up to 100 miles a day or more, and have for over ten years. I notice less tire wear with the detroit than the spool(neither were excessive). I never had trouble with the spool but I definitely knew it was there. Really tight corners are best coasted around, same technique helps with the detroit as well. As long as you can feel it and it's limitations and drive accordingly, it is a non issue. Rain can be challenging, but steering with the throttle is easier and an acceptable technique, and loads of fun. Where it really sucks is extreme off camber and slippery situations but I doubt you'll be dealing with the extreme I'm talking about in a rod.

[Spedley]

Thanks Crow, thats exactly what I was lookin for.

[prime mover]

I drive my fairlane all the time with a spool on the street, with short radials its kinda hard to turn sharp while parking. I wouldnt put any serious power to it without aftermarket axles but they are sreetable in my opinion.