I picked up a rear end from a 56 Chevy that was set up in the 60s for a model a spring. Now that I've got it torn apart and cleaned up I'm concerned that the perches might be a little too hokey for my liking. Opinions?
Without knowing anything about your proposed project, I'd say walk away from it and start with parts that are more specific. I'd be wanting a spring behind the diff for starters and I'd be guessing that the diff width you have maybe a touch too wide and who knows what gear ratio you have in it. Does it come with brakes etc??? Much more knowledge out there these days and plenty of over the counter parts to achieve what you really want if you are not able to make them yourself...
Might look ugly but like oldolds said, it looks like it's been around and stood the test of time. Clean it up and use it
The welds look solid. Blast the crap outta it and see what you got! Edges can always be smoothed down and contoured. And yes, I would definitely be concerned about warping!
I can't see enough of it to know the orientation. Spring behind the axle or on top? If it's behind, I'd measure to see if it takes an A or a T spring. If it'd work for your application, I'd check to see if all that welding warped the housing and fix it if so. Then I'd lightly grind to high spots off the welds after a good sandblasting. BUT! I'm told parts are getting hard to find and expensive for the chevy rear ends. I believe I'd start with a newer ford 9 inch or even an Explorer axle.
That pretty much looks like stick welding at its finest. Wire feeds weren't available I bet when that work was performed. Like others said blast the piss out of it and see what you have. You can always clean up ugly welds with a little patience.
Hey sorry for the bad pics. It is set up for an A spring above. If I remember correctly the perches are right at 49" apart. The rebuild kit for this axle is only about $125 and the internals looked really good when I opened it.
I wouldn’t put that on a car that I was building, 1: for fear of others thinking that it was my workmanship. 2: because it looks ugly 3: unproven, warpage etc others said that it stood the test of time, looks to me that most of that time may have been in a swamp, judging by the amount of rust.
A little grinding on the flame cut edges and a trip to the blaster finished with some fresh black paint will do wonders. Looks plenty strong....no need to be super pretty under the car. Sent from my SM-G950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I would run that without thinking twice. What located it when it was in the last car? Wishbones? Ladder bars?
There was some elaborate system of I suppose home made ladder bars that was bolted to the old Chevy spring pads. Supposedly the car ran in the Santa Cruz area in the early 60s. I bought the axle from another hamber
I purchased a Cadillac diff years ago for $50 and thought it was a good deal. After I had thrown another $650 at getting it right I figured I could have saved myself a lot time and effort and found the right diff for $650 and ready to go. First problem I found was that it was sitting around so long and moisture had rusted the face of several crown wheel gear teeth and then the brakes were shot and I needed new wheel bearings and the list went on. If it is the right width, that would be great, if the ratio is to your liking which seems to me to be fine, then really those brackets could come off and use behind the diff setup which will help get the rear end down much lower. However if it is not straight after all that welding, you may start to wonder if it is worth the trouble, unless you find another housing that would work with the internals of what you currently have...
If you clamp about a two foot bar on each flange, step back and compare side to side, you easily determine if the housing is warped; check it both horizontally and vertically.
Looks like it was welded with 6010 or 6011. Pipe welding rod. A lot of race cars (oval) were built using this. As far as strength if it has good penetration I would not be worried. The 60 in 6010 weans 60,000 PSI of tensile strength. I plain to use 6010 and 6011 in my build. The welds look better then many of the factory welds I have seen in 55-57 Chevrolet rear and the last 9" Ford I had.
WOW, those are diesel. Thick steel, stick welded. Looks very traditional to me. If your sticking with spring over, why not use them. Form follows function is what I always say but we fixed everything on the farm with a stick welder and what ever was laying behind the shed. Cliff Ramsdell
You should see the perches on my 56 Chevy rear in my car.....done when the rear end was a few years old...still getting the job done.
If they are too hokey for you, they go. To me they add character, but the rest of the build has to follow that "quality '40/50's backyard build" motif.
I have a perfect 55-56 housing for sale in the swap section. I can go over how the check your housing for warpage and how to straighten it. PM me. Easy to do at home.
Everybody wants traditional until they see how traditional was actually done, then they're scared to death to use the parts. It doesn't look bad to me, I'd run it.
A more true statement has never been made. I whole heartedly agree. And I don't mean any slight against the original poster. Its good to ask questions if your on the fence but the revisionist history of hot rodding is at an all time high.
Are those mounts where you need them on the axle housing? I'm assuming they are in the proper location, or you wouldn't even be asking our opinion. If so, they have a good shape, and the welds look to have good penetration. Id check the axle to see if its warped or not. Then Id clean them up with a die grinder to get in the tight spots, and a 4 1/2" grinder with a flapper disc to smooth the edges, then see what you think of them, before going the route to cut them out and replace them. If you really wanted, you could dress up the welds, or grind them out and re-weld them so they would look pretty.
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