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49-54 chevy rear end

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by uponone, Feb 25, 2009.

  1. uponone
    Joined: Nov 26, 2008
    Posts: 112

    uponone
    Member

    Hey guys...come for the wealth of knowledge again...trying to get a rolling chassis goin....i will be using the same old 350/350 setup...i have access to a rear end out of a chevy wagon 49-54....would i be able to convert it to open drive and run it with my trans setup? would anyone happen to know the gearing that would come with this rear? I am hoping for around 3.50ish thanks
     
  2. Your best bet is going to be to get rid of the factory torque tube differential. I'm running an early to mid 70's GM 10 bolt in my '54. I've also heard the 80's G body (Monte Carlo, Regal, etc...) differentials are a good fit.
     
  3. inliner54
    Joined: Feb 9, 2007
    Posts: 411

    inliner54
    Member

    Yeah your going to need to get rid of the torque tube, and like was stated above a gm 10 bolt would be your best bet. Or you could go with a 55-57 chev rearend. I think that the rearends in those early chevs 49-54 had pretty low gears in them like 4:11s espically with a manual trans, so if your looking for taller gears you should be able to get a rearend with a 3:55 gear set in it out of a later GM rearend plus if you plan on lowering the car you can only go so low with a torque tube anyway. because of lubrication problems
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2009
  4. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    The 55-64 Chevy rears work well.
    The 68-74 Nova/Camaro 10-bolts are another easier to find option.
     

  5. uponone
    Joined: Nov 26, 2008
    Posts: 112

    uponone
    Member

    perfect thanks for the replys...all help is greatly appreciated....
     
  6. tooslow54
    Joined: May 6, 2005
    Posts: 929

    tooslow54
    Member

    Don't know about the OH area, but finding rearends out of 55-57's is pretty much a thing of the past in junk yards around here. I grabbed mine out of a 74 or 75 Nova. Fit perfect and has good highway gears.
     
  7. uponone
    Joined: Nov 26, 2008
    Posts: 112

    uponone
    Member

    what ratio.....my motor is out of a 75 nova with the 3 speed
     
  8. 1953 Rat
    Joined: Feb 19, 2009
    Posts: 46

    1953 Rat
    Member

    I was told to look at read diffs from 89 to 92 chevy s-10, you can get them cheap and if you want discs in the rear they are available too, i put one in my 53 Bel Air and it went right in.
     
  9. I used a Olds cutlass 1981, fit great. I guess any mid size GM would be the same.
     
  10. J-KAT
    Joined: Feb 16, 2009
    Posts: 27

    J-KAT
    Member
    from Salinas,CA

    closed drivelines w/3.55 gears are highly sought after over here :D
     
  11. FYI, a stock '54 P.G. rear has 3.73:1 and the manual trans ran 4.10:1.
     
  12. TJratz
    Joined: Oct 28, 2008
    Posts: 375

    TJratz
    Member

    Im using an 80 el camino rear end...works great as well.
     
  13. Snarl
    Joined: Feb 16, 2007
    Posts: 1,639

    Snarl
    Member


    50-54 with PG were 3:55.

    53-54 stick were 3:70.

    49-52 stick were 4:11.
     
  14. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    Isn't the S10 a 5 on 5" circle wheel bolt pattern like the regular 1500 Chevy pickups?
     
  15. R Pope
    Joined: Jan 23, 2006
    Posts: 3,309

    R Pope
    Member

    S10 is the same wheel pattern as a '54 Chev car.
     
  16. 53sled
    Joined: Jul 5, 2005
    Posts: 5,817

    53sled
    Member
    from KCMO

    4x4 rears are the more desireable ones, esp if they have posi units. they are the correct width.
    but the one I have the perches are in the wrong place. s10 frames are basically unchanged from 82 to 98 or so. Are you sure it was a "drop in"?
     
  17. Tin Can
    Joined: Nov 18, 2005
    Posts: 2,096

    Tin Can
    Member

    The 4wd s10 rears are 6" or so wider than the 2wd version so it is the right width for the 54 also right?
     
  18. If you're looking to drop one on stock 49-54 Chevy springs, these all fit with a new hole for the spring locator pin and have the correct wheel bolt pattern:

    70-81 Camaro/Firebird (61.5")
    67-69 Camaro/Firebird
    75-79 Nova and clones
    68-74 Nova and clones as noted above
    55-57 Chevy

    S10 2WD is too narrow. S10 4x4 fits and is the right width but the perches are too narrow and need to be moved. Mid-80s G-body will fit but need perches welded on.

    The stock rearend is 60" wide, so I suspect some Ford 9" rears can also be made to work if you prefer that sort of thing.
     
  19. S-10 4X4 is what you need. Not 2wd. The pattern is 5x4-3/4 same as GM cars. Todd
     
  20. bikervet
    Joined: Sep 16, 2013
    Posts: 1

    bikervet
    Member

    good day to all hi my name is bikervet i have a 54 chevy 210 i would like to swap rear in will the old shock,s hook up to the new rear in and will the u joins from the old rear in work and can i used the olb brake lines and is their any thing else i need to know thanks
     
  21. 56sedandelivery
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 6,695

    56sedandelivery
    Member Emeritus

    Shocks will fit as long as the mounting plates are set up for them. We have a 56 Chevrolet rear end, and traction bars meant for the Tri-Five cars, and everything fits/works. I would probably run new brake lines, it seems to me the 51 lines were smaller in diameter; or maybe the rust just made them look smaller. We also used coil wrapped, over load shocks to help control the body roll. The stock springs are narrow, and the torque tube controlled body roll, and spring wrap up, so we used the over load shocks. It's solid, with very little side to side movement; that's what most complaints are about with the stock springs after an open drive line conversion. Butch/56sedandelivery..
     
  22. bill brock
    Joined: Sep 6, 2011
    Posts: 4

    bill brock
    Member

    Hello i have a 53 belair i am putting a 350 and a 350 trans i have purchased a 99 s-10 4x4 rear end with disc brakes and in the process of rebuilding it did i hear someone say that this will not fit my 53 without hitting the frame rails
     
  23. Snarl
    Joined: Feb 16, 2007
    Posts: 1,639

    Snarl
    Member


    Get out your tapemeasure.

    As to whether or not the tire will clear, that is as much about rim backset as it is rearend width.
     
  24. fastcar1953
    Joined: Oct 23, 2009
    Posts: 3,567

    fastcar1953
    Member

    i belive the 4x4 disc brake rears are to wide. drum brake 4x4 rearend will fit fine.
     
  25. Snarl
    Joined: Feb 16, 2007
    Posts: 1,639

    Snarl
    Member

    ZR2 package is wider. All other 4x4 are fine, disc or drum.
     
  26. poboyross
    Joined: Apr 29, 2009
    Posts: 2,142

    poboyross
    Member
    from West TN

    To add to the throngs of replies...I used an 81 Trans Am rear...worked great after you mod the leaf spring lower plates to handle the gas shock studs...easy to do. You also get disc brakes out of the deal, too!!!
     
  27. bill brock
    Joined: Sep 6, 2011
    Posts: 4

    bill brock
    Member

    thanks for the info on the disc brakes do you know if i can use the original springs, they are new and can i use the spring perch off of the 53 cut it off and weld back to the s-10
     
  28. Boones
    Joined: Mar 4, 2001
    Posts: 9,691

    Boones
    Member
    from Kent, Wa
    1. Northwest HAMBers

    2 issues may arrise if using original springs, will be narrower than modern springs your lower spring plate will have to be modified (or use a newer one) since it will be to narrow. other is the pin location might be to far forward due to how the factory rearend pivoted. I am sure you can make it work with some mods to the mounting plates.

    I do not think you can use your original mounts from the factory rear due to how they pivot but with a hammer and torch alot of can be done
     
  29. nitrousnutter
    Joined: Aug 23, 2011
    Posts: 239

    nitrousnutter
    Member

    Hi I'm currently restoring my '51 styleline, and got loads of good info I posed this question a while back and got good info here.....

    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=768587

    And also check out my build I went with a 2nd gen Camaro rear end you will see in my build thread here.....

    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=774067&showall=1

    That it was a quite straight forward fit only about an inch or so wider so fits ok, the only other thing you will have to do is set your pinion angle with wedges before you have the prop made. Don't bother trying to adapt the torque tube rear I doubt it will be strong enough.


    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  30. King Karl
    Joined: Sep 27, 2007
    Posts: 383

    King Karl
    Member
    from N.C.

    I'm close to changing the rear in my 50 fleetline as well.
    If I use the rear end out of a 57 Chevy will the perches need to be moved or is that a direct fit?
    Haven't gotten the tape out yet to see. Thought someone here may know already...

    KK
     

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