mechanic58,
I have a '46 2T that has the 6.17 rear end. My research says that a 5.43 gear set exists for my 6000 series truck. Would any of the "guts" from an AD series truck fit? How about whole units: do the AD series use the same 20" wheels? Thanks, Mike.
The early iterations of these big Eaton axles used a torque tube driveshaft setup if I'm not mistaken. If that's what yours has then I know someone who has several 5.43 gearsets for that application. I am not sure what the year model ranges were for the torque tube design, but I suspect a '46 might have that style.
I do believe though that an open driveline style hogs head from a later axle will still fit in the early housing, however I am not sure about axle shaft compatibility. And of course you would have to convert your transmission to an open driveline setup.
Edit - there were two different lug bolt patterns. The 1.5 tons used a 10 lug on a 7.25" circle, the 2 tons and larger used a big 6 lug pattern on a larger circle, not sure of the size. My truck for example is a 1.5 ton and has the 10 lug axle with 15" brakes on it.
