It's getting close to that time for a straight axle for my '55 Chevy Gasser. I need to know the best kits available or what I should look for in used parts. I heard from kiwi Kev that the Speedway kit is just a bit too short and the Billy Meyers kit costs way too much. Ideas?
Let's get a good discussion going on this one. I 've got a project that is going to be in need of this type of front suspension and I'm interested in the pros and cons of what is available. Didn't ShakyPudding do a great thread about this not too long ago? Frank
since this is what we do the most at woodard racing & hot rods, is, . My 2 cents say we always use speedway. if straight and not dropped we order 50 inch axles if dropped only avail in 48 and I dont mind it at all, .. In fact it is what i used on my own personal car... good luck
I was hoping for a 50" wide dropped but wasn't available. I liked the straight one from Meyer with the springs below axle as it didn't jack the car as high as the Speedway kit with straight axle below springs. All depends how high you want the car to sit. Looks like the 48" wide dropped axle would work fine.
Here's one my Dad and I did for Super Chevy a couple of years back: http://www.superchevy.com/technical/chassis/frame/sucp_0809_tri_five_straight_axle_clip/index.html Jim Meyer makes the kit. Straight foreward, no brain-damage install.
That's the same kit I used on my 55 Nomad. There is a picture of my car on the Jim Meyer web-site. Very nice set-up that went on with-out a hitch. I highly recomend them.
This is an excerpt from the Puddin' build As you all know, a common question here on the HAMB is what axle to use for a gasser. The Speedway and MAS axles seem to be popular. Most of the serious racers I talked to advised against a mild steel axle on a heavy tri 5 Chevy. Especially one that may wheel stand. I've heard many say that they can and do BEND. An east coast gasser racer gave me the number for Jim Tinsmith (Tinny) from PA. After a few conversations with Tinny, I was sold on his Chromoly axle. Jim is a long time racer and fabricator. He said they come 53" king pin to king pin. 2" O.D, quarter wall, and zero drop. After seeing the Speedway axles and how narrow they were, I'm glad I bought the axle from Jim. Here it is with Chassis Engineering spindles and Wilwood brakes: http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/shakeypuddin55/Straight Axle/DSCN0411.jpg I have another buddy who got me a wholesale price from Wilwood so I stepped up and got the drilled rotors and polished calipers. They fit the early Ford spindles. They spindles are forged pieces from Chassis Engineering. I wanted the strongest stuff possible since I knew my car would be driven hard. Looks good to me, was wondering where you had got to after the Tangerine Lace.... P.
With the Speedway kit, you can put the axle above or below the leaf springs. The perches aren't welded on when you receive the kit.
Me I like the look of the 55-59 chevy pick up axle or even the 60s van,only because I am drivin on the street and not racing the car,I like the I-beam set up and its damn sure proven its self on millions of truck over the years,pus they are cheap and look good drilled.and its about as straight forward as can be........either way good luck the cars lookin bitchin
I've been looking at lots of options for my '57 gasser project, and since I'm running a big block I have decided to have one of my fab guys build a chromemoly axle for it. I thought about the '57 truck axle (I'll have a complete setup available soon if anyone wants it), but it looks a little wide in a Tri-5 to me. I'm building a pretty serious motor, and the car will be relatively light (painted aluminum heads, lots of 'glass), so I'm hesitant to use the Speedway axle. I really like the looks of the tube style, though.
I like the looks of the early truck axles myself. I got a great deal on a Ford F1 axle that the previous owner replaced with a MII front end. Pretty much the same width as the chevy truck axle which was close to 60" , same width as the 55 front end. The speedway 50" axle comes out to 58 1/2".
Ok, I just talked to Kevin. We're going with the Speedway 50" axle kit and mounting it on top of the springs so not to raise the front end of the car too high. Thx Model A John for clearing that up. I'll try to put up a picture of the car in it's current state after the paint. It looks way BITCHIN' er.
Hey Robert can't wait to see it done straight axle and that new orange paint going to be killer good luck..........
Good choice, since it was not mentioned Nickey Chevrolet of Chicago has a top gun set up for the tri fives. It is a little pricey but from what I gathered it is engineered very well. I plan on using one for my 210 build. Good luck with your car. CGM
Ditto on what Paul Y mentions.... I have built several race car chassis and if you talk to the guys that have done this "Gasser" straight axle thing for a while, they will all tell you to stay away from the mild steel axles. Especially on a heavy car like a 55 Chevy, I would advise against any mild steel axles such as Speedway equipment. These are mild duty "Street Rod" equipment at best and still get bent on rough roads. There are several "Straight Axle" fabricators out there that use Moly. Go for strength and safety and less emphasis on the price !! You life may depend on it !
this may be a dumb question, but, how do you tell a mild tube axle from a moly tube axle. I bought my straight tube axle from EBAY and now I'm wondering.................