The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Anyone Considered axle Changeout from Bus

Has anyone done a Front and Rear Axle changeout on a Chev AD 1 1/2T Truck with a donor (later model) schoolbus components. These busses are really cheap, good runners, 2sp rear and some have 366 engines with 5sp OD trans? - Just a thought is we want to have the old timey look and a day to day working truck? - Your thoughts? - Greasy Fingers

Here's my 48 1 1/2T Grain Dump
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Track width is going to be much to wide.
Front axle can probably be narrowed.
Rear is a much more complicated job to narrow, and the front takes a few days.
Take a tape measure with you and let us know what you find.

I've been thinking about using drivetrain components from a bus for a while, and I know people who got old school buses up here for around $1,000 at auction. I think it'd be a worthwhile idea. We even have 4wd school buses up here but I don't know how much they'd run for in auction. But that'd be a pretty cool conversion.

I found the brakes and spindles and hubs that I want to use from an Anthony sweeper truck. At first I was thinking of an axle swap however as Gigg stated above our trucks have a very narrow track width. So now I will be using to the outer parts and will need to rebore the original beam to fit the bigger kingpins. This will yield a front axle that is 2 1/2" wider than the original due to the hub. This 1 1/4" per side I can work with for the benefit of bigger bearings that can be easily had and 15" disc brakes that are rated for 8000 pounds not just 5000.

Hummmmmm..... oh the possibilities.....
I've actually been wondering the same thing, as I've got a '65 Chev 35ft school bus out by the barn that I've been using for storage... It still has the 2sp rear in it...and the front axle...and wheels/tires all around.
I was wondering if the 2sp out of the buss would fit the axle housing on my '49... thus giving me a better set of gears for highway use.

Graflexmaster I think that the rear axle will exchange with out a problem. However I don't think you will gain top end I think all you will get is low end with the axle in low. But since you already own it I would defiantly check the numbers and see what you got. I could be wrong, it may work fine.

yeah.... the '49 has a 2sp already, as does the school bus, but am figuring that the bus is probably set up for road speed in high... time will tell........
Michael

Graflexmaster,

Here's a real easy way to check which rear axle gives more top end:
Chock front wheels n`jack a$$ of truck up a little bit so both tires ain't touch'in the ground. Get a rock or piece of wood & lay it next to one of the rear tires. Grab a bottle of your wife's brightest nail polish & paint a line on the rock & the tire. Effectivly, you want these 2 marks to line up like "timing marks". Then paint a line on the driveshaft & another reference point. Effectivly you want "timing marks" there also. With all brakes off & in highest gear, manually turn a rear tire 1 complete revolution `till the marks on the tire & rock align again. During that time, count the number of revolutions the drivesaft does. Write it down & do the same proceedure on the other truck, then compare the two numbers. The truck driveshaft that did the least number of revolutions is the one w/ the best "top end" for highway speed.

If ya really wanna know what the exact gear ratios are, there's a way that involves using math formulas added to this proceedure. Also you'll have to turn the wheel more than once.

CFFC
Don

Yup yup.... done that many many times.....

Actually I plan to use boomer to just pick up the arse end of the bus...and remove the pumkin and do it right.... actually count the number of teeth om the gears... as that will give me the exact ratio. I already know the ratios on the 2sp in my 49 as it is original and according to the shop manual it should be 6.10:1.
Michael