pontiac/olds rear end ID

touchdowntodd posted this question 6 years ago. There is no other reply or comments from him since. Dead Thread Guy's

 

Well thanks anyway, I'm gonna go out and smoke that one tire till it catches fire
That sucks, can anybody tell me if it's a 49, or a 59 by the # showing.

I'm gonna go puke. Why would anyone weld 6ft. ladder bars and spring perch like this to a non posi rearend ( forever )

 

The rear housing in your pic is the last version of that rear. The flat pad in the center is where the bracket went for the A arm attachment on the link type suspension.

 

Thanks Landseaandair,
I don't suppose anyone makes a center section that will fit that puppy do they. If the answer is no, THEN the thread is dead.
Who made that guy the official "Thread Deadener " ?
I realize I'm new to this site, and I'm holding back for that reason, but a little patients with the new guys would be greatly appreciated, and I apologize for my lack of Olds rear end knowledge...

Again Thanks LSA

 

Landseaandair,

After all this, I'm still not sure of the origin of this rear end. Can we resurrect the thread long enough to tell me who's it is ??
Or anybody, what about you " Thread Killer " from Cal.

Seriously,
Thank you

 

From post 4 in this thread:

"'57 will have 29 spline axles, unless someone's been into it before, or unless it's a '59-up (which has 31 spline). '56 has 16 spline I think. And I think '53-back has 10 spline."

Pull an axle and see how many splines it has, done deal.

If it's 57 up, these guys sell anything you need for it. They may be able to tell you what rearend it is by the casting numbers too.

http://www.fabcraftmetalworks.com/Home.html
Larry T

 

^^^What he said^^^

 

49-57 are leaf spring, so if it has pads for a link suspension that would seem to indicate '58-'64.

 

Who me! say's who . Well I tried finding and old thread that had a break down that you would not believe. Use to have it saved but gone know . That housing is not 57-64 nor does that 3rd member seam to be either. What's puzzling is the yoke. It's that of 57 and up style but 56 and below did not use U bolt style bearing cap straps. I have been told that 53 54 Olds or Pont that look simuliar to 53 54 Chevys had an open drive shaft with a U bolt style bearing cap strap. That's the best I have to offer. There, "It's Alive, It's Alive"

 

good info here, I'll tag it so as to be able to find it later when I get a chance to crawl under the '55 Chieftain

 

I didn't know how to link another thread onto this one but if you use the following phrase the search engine should take you right to it.


Pontiac/Olds Rearend TECH...post it here...

 

Here you go
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...hlight=pontiac+olds+rearend+tech+post+it+here

 

The last year of the early Pontiac rear 56 used the strap type u joint, not the mechanics u joint. Also I know all Pontiacs were 10 spline axles (37-56) my 41 and 55 were that way and believe all Olds were 16 spline. Unless the Olds guys have some differant info to share...

 

group:
I got this dragster rear end off E bay. It was described as 54 56 olds. When I opened the box I knew it wasn't 54 56 and brushed it off as 57 up. Later I tried to fit a 57 third member in , No go. A 56 type that I have with a 10 spline spider set. is loose, See photos. What have I got? Not a Ford 8" or 9" as they both have a flat spot on the housing. Not Mopar they have two bolts close together at the top. Not Chevy as they are slightly oval shaped

The black housing is the one in question at 10-7/8" diameter.

The silver housing is a early 54-56 type. The yellow third member is 57 -68. The primed third member is 54 -56 that had 10 spline spiders.
dwrfab Don Ross

 

Pontiac Olds side gears are the same size 39 to 64. The spline count is the only difference. 57-8 Pontiac side gears and axles are a bolt in deal in 49-50 Olds. 57-8 Olds rear is 1 inch narrower. The shafts are half an inch shorter. 31 spline are to long to fit early rears. The 8 an 3/4 gears are strong the housing is the weak part.If your going run any more than a 324 Olds it needs a back brace like a 8 3/4 Mopar. Gears 3.07-4.56. I run 4.30s with 57 axles and blocker spider gears in my 50 Olds - Wastedchildhood.

 

I've never seen so much GREAT info from a " DEAD THREAD " Really thanks, I've got a better grip on things now.

 

Excuse my ignorance, but how close was the early Buick?
Tom S. in Tn.

 

Am having trouble IDing an olds rear end. It's in a 29 ford RPU. Coil spring mount with trailing arms, 5 on 5 bolt pattern. Looking at the front of the differential I see: 13 at the 11 o'clock position, F201 at the 5 o'clock position and _1326_ at the 7 o'clock position (1st # could be a 5, last # could be a 1). Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks. All #s are sandcast.....not stamped

 

Casting number 513261 fits '37 to '56 rears, I believe. F201 is the date code. F=Jun, 20=day, and 1=year,so it's either 41 or 51. Hope that helps.

 

Could it be a '61? Pix of the case and pinion I've seen fit that era. From 59 to 64

 

Be assured that I'm not an expert on any of these rears, and my main experience has been with the '57-'58 rears. Having said that, I don't believe it cud be a '61 based on the casting number alone. '59-'62 was a specific generation who's casting numbers wud be 535200 or 534548. '63-'64 was another specific generation who's casting numbers wud be 543317. While there is sometimes overlap in years, that usually occurs at the beginning of the model year and not several model years later. I'm guessing your case flange has a widened portion which is similar to the '63-'64 cases, while the '59-'62 cases are more rounded. I believe the axles after '58 were 31 spline while the '37-'56 wud be 10 or 16 depending upon year and make. Also, the wide-track theme was introduced in '59, so the width of the housing from flange to flange wud be increased from earlier housings. You may have to do a little more investigating on your housing to assure yourself of what you have. I'd start by pulling an axle and counting the splines. Keep in mind that the '29 Ford RPU has obviously been modified, so other undiscovered mods may be present, as well.