One of the axles I'm looking at for my old school truck project is a 55 Ford Station wagon rear axle... it currently wears 4.09 gears... would like to know what the axle actually is, I assume it's a good strong unit & if any taller gears would be available ??? I could probably work with 4.09 gears, but would prefer something in the 3.50's or 3.73 ??? BTW... anyone confirm wheel bolt pattern ??? I think it's 5 on 4.5 ( best I could gleen from on line sources )
Not as desirable as the later 9-inch and yes 5x4 1/2, small Ford bolt pattern. I don't know what you need specifically for your vehicle as to width and so on, but I'm not sure why you can't find something at least from the 70s or 80s that will work and that isn't so obsolete parts are impossible. To 99% of the people who look at it, a rearend is a rearend, they won't know if it's out of a '55 Ford or a 2005 Chevy truck.
My 55 Ranch wagon was a standard and had 4.something:1 gears. I was a standard. The ranch wagon was a working wagon (painters liked them) so they may have had a lower gear than say a more door with an auto. The '55 Ford car axle was not a real stout axle (don't ask ). Stude axles also had 5 on 4.5 at least in the later '40s, but I don't know if that pertains to trucks.
I know... ( I'm a strange dude ) it's all in the details... started out wanting to do this build out of vintage parts ( maybe just a way of avoiding the "crate motor syndrome" ??? ) I suppose I should just buy the 60's Bronco rear axle with the 3.50's gears & Trac Loc rear end, & go from there... just in my mind, I wanted all the hard parts to be pre 60
Rusty he need about 54" flang to flang as I recall. You have lots of stuff in and out all the time you may be able to give him some options that I have not already given him. You could get the '60s axle and then round up a '57 housing. Cut the housing down to meet the bronco requirements and run with it. You have to relieve the flange where the punkin slides in a bit as the '57 rears had a 8.75 ring gear but that is about all it takes. I can cut the housing for you if you want. I got a fixture here.
60-60.5" total width... since my rear tires are going to be pretty wide I should be able to work with something from 58 - 60" hub to hub... won't be a high HP application, will be using a 58 Studie 289 motor... may add some HP options later on, but pretty much stock motor to start with... I'm leaning towards the 3 speed overdrive I got with the motor... not sure of final gear on that tranny yet... not a "burn out" kinda guy want to use this to cruise with the local group ( comprised of mostly 30's Fords with V-8's, 50's & 60's cars ) I've been trying to keep up with them in my stock 38 Nash, & I'm good most of the time, but need something that can cruise better at 60-65 mph at more extended distances than I'm willing to push the Nash
If you can use 58-60" hub to hub you would be fine with the Bronco. A scout rear woud also work but would be harder to come by. If you use a '57 or '58 rear it will still take a little tweeking to out the bronco guts in it but it is doable and nothing major needs to be done. That would give you the earlier look that I think you are after. You may want to think about a lower geared rear with the OD. Traditionaly OD trannied cars had low gears rears so that they would still pull in OD.
1st off... I really appreciate you guys helping me out... once I jump into something, seems I'm always ending up in the deep end... yeh... I'll need to dig up some info on the final output on the tranny... I didn't think any of the earlier O.D. 3 speeds went better than 1 to 1 in O.D. ??? I figured 3.73 would give me enough gear to rip around a little, yet allow freeway speeds for jumping to the surrounding towns, but won't know for sure till I research the tranny more... I was told, that there were 2 - 3 speed overdrives that Studie used, a "smaller one" that went behind the 6's, & a heavier one they put behind the V-8's, & sometimes the smaller one went behind the lower HP V-8's... I'm assuming I have the heavier tranny since this was a 289, not one of the smaller V-8's, however, this one only had a 2 barrel, so I won't know for sure until I get the tranny positively identified, then can check for final output ( part of why I want to make sure I could get a set of gears ) but am wanting an axle by this fall ( or earlier ) for chassis mock up
On my 55 Stude landspeed race car project, it had a locked up 259 with a 3 speed OD. I think it was a Borg Warner T86? Too many years ago, but it used the same basic OD as the Ford trans did. I sold the drivetrain long ago, so not able to verify. The Studes used a version of the Dana 44 rearend. The weal link is the tapered hubs and axles. Not one-piece axles like most modern style rear have. Another weak link is they are 19 spline axles. Higher splines is stronger. I would not recommend to use a Stude rearend, get something like the Bronco 9-inch you mentioned. An option to consider is the Granada 8-inch is about 58.5 inches width at wheel moutning surface. This would be more than strong enough for your Stude 289, and would have the 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern. Most 8-inch have 2.80 or 3.00 gears in the Granada era. Make sure it is a real dropoout center section 8-inch and not the lighter duty rear inspection cover type rearend also used in Granadas.
The 55 Ford Wagon would have a Dana rear most probably a Dana 44. If you look at the cover side of the rear at the 2:00 or 4:00 position you should see the number 44. 55 and 56 Merc wagons used a Dana 45 rear. The 44 was also used in 55 and 56 Tbirds and they offered a 3.36 ratio among others. The 4.09 ratio you have was common in overdrive cars. Gears and rebuild kits are available through Tbird parts houses. Tbird products in PA. Services both Tbirds and full sized 55 and 56 Fords.
just to clairify... I was hoping to use a 5 on 5" wheel bolt pattern... I already have a set of Ansen Sprints in that bolt pattern... I want a good functional drum brake set up, & I really like the looks of the aluminum finned 60's Buick drum brakes ( they'll show off as well as cool off nicely with the slots on the wheels... the bigger 5 on 5.5" axles will have no problem being re-drilled to 5 on 5"... but I'm not so sure there would be enough flange on a 5 on 4.5 / 4.75" axle to redrill to 5 on 5" ??? thanks... PETE for the info on the axle I 1st asked about
this is on E-Bay, but sold by a local company... I've bought a couple things from them for my Nash... saw them listed on E-bay, & drove over & picked them up... here are a couple pics... there is a 44 + or something cast in the front... don't see anything on the cover??? Hope I'm not getting in trouble posting this link ( if it's a problem, can someone please delete it ) anyway I searched early Dana 44 Ring & Pinion, & found this site, & if it's the same rear end, I'd have quite a few gear options... if it's not the same... hopefully someone can point that out for me... http://www.precisiongear.com/dana44.htm
That looks like the old Mopar flange on the pinion yoke but I think you can change that easily enough. The main thing is does it have Flanged axles or tapered axles. I lot track of the number of times I had to go tow my little brother home because he ripped the keyway out of the axle shaft on his small block Chevy powered Jeep CJ. The ring and pinion are fine but the tapered axle won't stand up to much power.
I called Doug ( the guy I know that works there ) one of the brake drums is off, so I sould be able to take a look at it in a couple hours... BTW... I have an 80 CJ-5, that had the corp 20 rear axle with tapered axles... the jeep had a 350 someone had dropped into it... from the stock Iron Duke 4 cylinder... I got a long education about weak links... now the only stock part on the Jeep is the transfer case ( which I lucked out & got the good one ) the rear axle... 1st time I installed a set of 34" Super Swampers... with in 1 mile, I was getting towed home...
I have a Dana rear out of a 1956 Thunderbird with 3:31 gears...If you want it, come get it....I can't deliver it...It's free.....4.5" bolt circle too !!.....anyone else interested ???...hit me up.
Appraciate the offer ( never been "out east" ) but this other one is at a lot a few blocks away... if I choose to use this style... I'll probably pick that one up... thanks again though
Might be tough to find something that narrow with that bolt pattern, but look at early-mid 50s Olds and Pontiacs.
you guys are awesome... I went over there a little bit a go... bought the 55 Ford Dana 44 ( I have one in my Jeep, so I'm pretty familiar with them ) it is the flanged axles, rather than tapered, & the flanges are easily big enough to redrill to 5 on 5"... now ( already ) I think I have most of my hard parts needed to fab the chassis... errr... well except the rear suspension components needed to replace the stock spring set up... but I guess that will be another thread... BTW... I got the axle for the cash / non E-bay reduced price, so I'm happy... thanks everyone
I double checked the rear axle I got, & it is smaller than 5 on 5" likely 5 on 4.75" or 5 on 4.5" I have one of my 5 on 5" wheels hanging on the truck right now, so I used that to check the new axle
The Jalopy Journal
