We found a hidden treasure on ebay and got it home last night. We ripped off the horrid fiberglass body and found that everything else is completely restoreable. We're going to strip the car down and rebuild it into a nice custom rod for a buddy of mine who plans on driving it to the Hunnert Car Pileup this year. We were left scratching our heads trying to figure out what the hell this rear end came out of though? Any idea's from the expert panel? The old man was thinking early 50's chevy rear end...
I can't help much to confirm your axle ID. It looks like either a Chevy or early Olds to me, but I haven't seen enough to recognize them on sight. Question though... Where are the shocks?! That Q-eliptical spring install looks cool. Can you post more pics showing it? I'm trying to work out my own installation and would appreciate any ideas they might offer. Thanks in advance.
We wondered the same thing. I'll post some pics of progress and how we end up mounting the shocks when we get there.
It's '57-'64 Olds/Pontiac. As you look at the front of the center section, at about the 7-8 o'clock position, there will be a single digit stamped in it that tells the ratio.
DEFINITELY '57-64 Olds/Pontiac. The two-rib pumpkin is actually from a '57-8. Not sure about the housing. But the rear is '57-64 Olds/Pontiac type, and the pumpkin is '57-8. The pumpkin is not a pre-'57, as it is perfectly round. And '59-up would be 3-rib.
Thanks all, We have decided it is a Olds (57-58 from the post above) will tear down next week to replace axle bearings and seals. Drivers side is leaking lube on brake shoes. Will post pics of project as time goes on. plans are to drive to the hndret car pile up this year.
The car had a fiberglass body? Sounds like an old race car, especially with that rear. Better check the gear ratio that's in there, or if it's a locked or spooled rear before you decide to make a long trip with the car. I know a few guys with parts for these rears, besides myself-- though it's not always easy to get exactly what you need. But e-mail me direct at [email protected] if you wind up having some specific needs. Good luck with the project!
Here's some updates finally with pics on the ol 23T project. Dirt cheap and one ebay auction later... A few Miller Lites and one evening later... Three weeks, a lot of work and elbow grease and we got a roller. Still lot's to go, but she's well on er way. Keep an eye out at the Hunnert Car pileup for this gem.
Don't want to hijack your thread so I'll start another that you might be interested in. Currently going through the Olds axle in my 57 chevy. Actually a 57 Olds housing with a 61 center section but still using the 29 spline axles and diff. Since the brakes are a rather generic 11x2 I'm converting them to a self-adjusting setup from a 63 Chevy. Here's the linkhttp://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125265
OK all you "Chevy" guys.......that is in-fact a Chevy rear end. I just went through this search for my rear end. It is a 55 to 59 early Chevy drop out rear end with a rare 17" pinion spline. Don't screw it up cause parts is a BITCH to find for it. By-the-way, I'll take the u-joint yoke if ya don't need it, I do.
Oops, I spoke to soon. I would never argue with Blown Olds,,,,he's the man when it comes to all things Olds.
It is most definetely a 57-64 Olds/Pontiac rear.Go ahead and beat on it with that chevy motor in that light little T-bucket. You cannot break it with that little weight involved unless you go to sticky slicks from a AA/FD. With that short, little driveshaft, make damn sure the U-joints are fresh, quality pieces. They'll be working overtime everytime the shaft rotates. BTW...the axle seals are in the wheel bearings, meaning you'll need to remove the bearings to replace the seals. It's easiest to simply replace the bearings and seals at the same time. I got mine from NAPA.
Don't know bout the rear end as ya'll know much better than i BUT the ride is looking really kewl and cant wait to see pics of finished product
Yup, we got new seals and bearings. Apparantly the last guy who had the car didn't think he needed the seals and actually calked the bearings to keep the rear axle grease from getting in the brake drum.
Thanks! I know my buddy is stoked about it. He went to the Hunnert Car last year and I think I've officially infected him with the rod sickness.
I just noticed this the other day by accident on my '57 Poncho rearend, mine has an 8 on it, is there a list somewhere of the different digit=ratio reference? I've also got a '62 Poncho posi that I need to figure out the ratio on and figure out if the center section and axles will swap into the '57 housing... That's a killer T, I'll definately be on the lookout for it at the Hunnert if I make it there this year...I bet that thing really flies...
I also thought the axle seals were in the bearings, not so on this one. The seals are in the axle tubes. My machine shop guys had the bearings and axle seals in stock for the 57-58 Olds Pontiac. Just put them in last week.
Ok you already gots the scoop on the rrar. i just thought I'd mention that the little buggar looks pretty well built and i kinda like the horrid glass body. maybe not for a trad ride but its a kinda neat little bucket horrid and all.
Hollander's has the list. An 8 is a 3.42, a great street gear. Make sure it says 8 and you aren't mis-reading a 0, 9, or 6. Of colurse, it could be possible that the ratio was switched over the years, or the pumpkin could have been mis-stamped at the factory, so the only way to tell for absolute certain is to check the ratio physically instead of putting 100% reliance on the code. Yes, the '62 Poncho third member will swap into a '57 housing. BUT you will also have to switch to 31-spline axles. '57-8 only has 29.
I know you guys can appreciate "the vision" here. We call it Bubba Vision. Here's a couple new updated shots. Our fine friends at Culbertson's shop are getting "the vision" and getting ready to mount and fab the body to the car. If you stare hard enough, you can see a roadster in the making.
do you have the full list of the B O P rearend ID numbers for ID'ing the gear ratios from '55-'6? You were right, I misread the 8, it was in fact a 9 on my '62 posi rearend, and my '57 open rearend has a 2 stamped on it...both are Pontiac rearends...just curious which gears were supposed to be in there, and if you had the full list in case I run across more of those rearends down the road...thanks
We physically counted ours and it was a 2:93 if memory serves correctly and ours was stamped with a "12" if were talking about the same spot. Ours is also a single track and not a posi.
That would be either a 2.8x (2.86 I think) or a 3.08. There wasn't a 2.9x-anything. There are no 2-digit numbers for the '57-64 Olds/Pontiac drop-out rears, they are all single-digit codes... with one exception... some of the posi's also have an "L" stamped next to the single digit number (which would be a two-digit code, I guess). The full list is in Hollander's Interchange manual. Mine's buried right now, can't look them up. I just know to look for the following: 4-- 3.90 6-- 3.64 8-- 3.42 I also look for 3.23's but I forgot the code for that one. And according to Hollander's, 0 can be either 4.10's or 3.08's. I never found any 4.10's from the factory, only 3.08's, so I don't check those anymore unless I've got time to kill.
Cool, thanks again for the Olds/Pontiac expertise. Where do we look for that stamped number? I just looked at the first pic and it's at that 3 o'clock posistion staring front of the axle. That is where I dreamed up the "12". Totally possible we missed a tooth so I would tend to believe ya.
That large "12" that is CAST there serves no purpose in identifying the ratio. Look for a pad at the 7 o'clock position, and scrape it off. Then look for a single number STAMPED there. It will be maybe 1/4" in size.
for olds anyway they did change some of the codes from year to year.they do list the codes in service manuals,and most have what cars got what. eric eric
are there any online resources for those stamping numbers anywhere? anyone? Bueller?...my '57 Poncho is a 2, '62 Poncho is a 9...
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