Hey guys, I know you guys have a wealth of knowledge so I figured I’d ask for some advice on me and my dad’s new project, 1930 Chevy coupe. I’m a ford guy and This is my first Chevy project so I’m a little lost on some stuff. Run down: Rust free cab but the wood needs some work. My dad wants to run fenders, no chops. Looking to put in a 350 and a good auto (not computer controlled) Looking to run a late model rear and either stock front end or mustang 2 or model a. My questions: 1, Anyone know a good rear end swap that doesn’t require being chopped down and custom shafts. 2. Best place for body parts 3. Best auto transmission to run, not looking for speed records just a good cruiser setup 4. Any advice on suspension front or rear. Any advice would be great. It’s not my first car to rebuild but I’m only thankful for help so I don’t have to do things twice. James South Austin, Texas Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Regarding front suspension, assuming you are staying traditional straight axle, my vote is stay parallel leaf and use a dropped a Chevy axle. Don't convert to a Ford buggy spring as is often done. The parallel leaves maintains the character of the Chevy. There are guys on the board that can drop the Chevy axles, and there are other years of Chevy axles that can also be used, and later brakes that can be retrofit to the spindles.
55-64 chevy rears will fit and so will the later s-10 4x4 rears. the ad chevy truck front axles that are dropped can used and fitted with 51-54 front brakes. can't go wrong with a 350 tranny you sure you don't want a stick shift? remember chevy made other motors than the 350, i hear good things about the 283's and 327's. sheet metal can be found and there are a few places that sell fiberglass parts. here is my build thread for my '33, full fendered and unchopped. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/33-chevy-3w-time-for-a-cool-change.863287/
^^That there's some good info, already. Regarding those '55-'64 Chevy rears, the center sections will swap for all those years. The '55-'57 rears were leaf suspended and the '58-'64 rears were coil suspended. '55-'64 full size passenger rears are 55" from axle tube flange to axle tube flange. Yes, I've heard good things about those 283's and 327's, myself. 350's are like bellybuttons. Yet, parts are plentiful and relatively cheap. You'd be surprised what's available for those 283's and 327's though. You can't go wrong with a TH350 tranny is right, but there are other options such as a TH2004R OD trans. They have been fairly prevalent and cheap in the wrecking yards. You'd need to check dimensions. There is no "best" place for Chevy body parts. It's not like the early Fords where everyone is making repro parts. Being in Austin, you're probably in one of the best places for finding some good body parts. Regarding the wood, many guys replace it with square tubing. If you want to use new wood, there are several places making new wood, but be prepared to wait a considerable amount of time to get your wood as these places are in great demand. Autowood Restoration Hanna, IN Jim Rodman 219-797-3775 www.autowood.net./ KC Wood Manufacturing Willis, VA Bill Cartwright 540-789-8300 info@ chevywood.com There are several threads on the HAMB regarding wood replacement. You can do a search on the HAMB for them, but here is one that is specific to your car, "1930 Chevy Replacing the Wood with Steel." You can search for that or here is the url: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/threads/1930-chevy-replacing-the-wood-with-steel.526069/ Best of luck with your build.
I used a rear end out of a Chevy S10 2WD for my 33 Chevy. The width is 54" side to side where the wheels mount. They come in a variety of gear ratios to fit your needs. I used 3:42 gear ratio to go with my 350 and 700R4 trans. I'm happy with the combination but I have a 283 in the garage I eventually will rebuild and install in the car. Good luck with your build!
I'm building a 1936 Chevy pickup truck, to be a little different I'm using a 250 Chevy 6 with T-5 trans and a 3:73 S-10 Blazer rear end. I'm keeping stock leaf springs all around with dropped stock front axle.
Thank you for the help,Where did you get the drop axle? And what disc brake set up are you running on the front? Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Your car came with a straight six engine. You could install a 250 or 292 and T350 and have a fine driver. And a car that will draw more attention when the hood is open. Save some clearance issues also. You could even think bout the later Atlas engine that GM made for a while.
Keep the stock suspension....drop the front axle (Sids Axles) and 54' Brakes. There are different spindle options...several early 30's will work with just a swap of inner race and bearings. Use a tri five rear end and brakes. Just about any engine and th350 would work for a cruiser. Just need to add a crossmenber. Best place for parts is Filling Station, Chevs of the 40's, Jim Carter. I would suggest boxing the frame.
As someone who has built a 32 Chevy,....................... WOOD ! Get a plan and address this first ! If this is going to be a regular driver, replace with steel. If an occasional driver replace every piece of wood that is not perfect. Otherwise nothing will align or fit properly .................. for very long.
how cool would that be with a 1953 vette blueflame 6 clone under the hood??? Blueflame by Chappy444 posted May 17, 2018 at 3:15 PM
Great car My Blue flame sorta Another 6 vote and 55-64 rears look better than s10s and both are cheap if your not looking for posi S10 will have g80 code in glove box for posi and ratio id codes
Since your a Ford man....why not slap a nice 5.0 roller motor in it!!!!!!(That would go over like "a fart in church" ) with most of those "Chevy kids". See if you can talk your old Dad(who's prolly my age) to at least put a healthy cam in that 350(or whatever) engine. TO ME......nothing sounds much worse than a smooth idling, totally re-done, old classic, like what ya'll are working on! Even if its brought back to totally original look......cam the crap out of it to get some "big-eyed-stares" from us old timers at the shows.
The Jalopy Journal
