The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Swap 53 GMC rear end into 1950 gmc truck

I am looking to swap a complete 1953 GMC rear end into a 1950 truck. From what I understand everything should line up in terms of spring perches and driveshaft angles. I am doing this in order to get Bendix brakes on the back of my truck. My question is how do you separate the torque tube and driveshaft from the rear pumpkin so I can slide my old one out Slide the new one in?

You dont .put the jackstands under the frame the rear end and tube come out together . Pulls out from the back of the transmission.If i remember right you dont have to mess with the u joint but wouldent hurt to check it as well as the bushing and seal.May need a oakie bushing as mine does.That is a half ton we are talking about i hope

they're both half tons but the rear end is coming out of a short box truck and it's going into a long box truck

Oops..........that’s a big problem.

Maybe take the brake backing plates off the 53 and put them on the 50.
Or
Use the entire diff and torque assembly from the 50 in the 53 rear end housing.

Does that long bed truck have a torque tube with two torque tube balls (u-joint housings)?
If so, I would be interested in finding out if the torque tubes of the long bed and short bed GMC's were the same part, but the long bed came with the extra torque tube ball assembly to make up the difference in length.
Carl