I've sent threads asking how to get the proper location, (fore or aft), of a 10 bolt rear end on my 1950 3100. I had made all kinds of measurements marking where the center of the old torque tube rear end was before I removed it. I didn't feel comfortable with any of them, You users who responded did a great job not knowing that I HADN'T YET REMOVED THE ORIGINAL FRONT SUSPENSION. Luckily, one day it came to me...measure 116" back from the center of the front axle to the center of the ten bolt!!!!

Can't see the forest for the trees

All is well!

P.S. By the way, I'm 66 years old and only half way through my project...not so sure if there is any hope!

I know a pro street rod builder whose motto is, "If it LOOKS right, it IS right." I'd locate the axle where it looks the best, which would probably be m/l two inches rearward from the original location.

I've always wondered why the factory put the wheels so strangely far forward in the opening.

P.S. By the way, I'm 66 years old and only half way through my project...not so sure if there is any hope!

Well now that's encouraging. I'm 55 and haven't even really started...

Exactly, why the rears are setup forward from the factory is beyond me, other than with the torque tubes, it appears as the rear of the truck becomes laden with weight, by design the wheel base will get longer because of the fulcrum pivot of the torque tube. Or am I all wet?
Rocketman, I have never met a dummy named rocketman, so dont be so hard on yourself. On your next build, use a plumb bob to mark the chassis before you take it apart.

Steve

If you have to get a driveshaft made, set the axle where the truck looks right, don't get hung up on the 116" wheel base. When I built my truck, I set the 10 bolt where the original was, only to find out the fenders were not centered over the tires. Lucky for me, I had new bed sides not drilled for fender mounting, so I shortened the running boards and pulled the fenders forward 2". Truck looks right now, but I should have just moved the axle back and had a second driveshaft made the correct length. 2" isn't much, but on an already short wheelbase it, it could have helped the ride quality a bit.

That's like asking why the sky is blue.
That's like asking why Fwords are undesirable to sane people.
Just because.

Gosh, kinda wish I set my rear end an inch or two rearward. Never thought of it, but have always thought they looked a bit too far forward.

The open-wheel dirt track car we ran in California had about 6 holes in the pad that mated the rear axle to the springs. Once the wheelbase got checked at the beginning of the season tech inspection, that rear end had a habit of creeping forward an inch at a time. The shorter the wheelbase, the better the car handled in the turns! I think we had 3 driveshafts of different lengths!
Jerry