Register now to get rid of these ads!

regearing a 1951 buick stock rearend??

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 51_special, Oct 6, 2013.

  1. 51_special
    Joined: Dec 20, 2012
    Posts: 83

    51_special
    Member

    Alright I am calling all you tech savvy kustom building gurus! Is there anything out there to re-gear the rear end of my 1951 Buick special so that i get better highway driving out of her. i am keeping the the original straight 8 and 3 speed manual and torque tube set up. Are there any companies or other rear end gears i can put in to mine to improve the drivability of her? Thanks in advance to all of you who are willing to respond!
    Nick
     
  2. motorgod7
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 136

    motorgod7
    Member
    from chico,ca.

    I have heard to get a rear out of a Dyna flow car. It's minor like going from your 4.11's to 3.73's.
     
  3. 51_special
    Joined: Dec 20, 2012
    Posts: 83

    51_special
    Member

    good to know thanks motorgod!
     
  4. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL

    Up through '55 third members will fit your axle housing. I believe there is a 3.36 ratio around '54/'55 models.
     

  5. TagMan
    Joined: Dec 12, 2002
    Posts: 6,294

    TagMan
    ALLIANCE MEMBER



    Absolutely correct - I had a '55 Special with 3.36 gears.
     
  6. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    It might be best to start with figuring out what rear gears you have now if you don't already know. That would give you a better idea of what change you wanted to make to get the rpm in the range you want with the gear ratios that might be readily available.

    A 3.7 rear end should cut your road rpm by 10% while a 3.30 something should cut it around 20% if my calculations are right.
     
  7. 39cent
    Joined: Apr 4, 2006
    Posts: 1,569

    39cent
    Member
    from socal

    You are lucky to have a 51 as it means you can use all the Buick differential gears from 1940 to 1955. A good friend of mine is an oldtimer Buick guy, and has lots of experience with changing rear end gears. Anything 'before,' 1940 will need some modifications. He says that he has found that you can find just about any torq tube Buick ratio's in these rear ends but most specials have 4.11, 4:40. So it could be a crap shoot, in my estimation anything is better than the 4:40,s. I dont know if the torq tubes are all the same length but I think many are.
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.