The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk A/D Rear end.

This might have been answered earlier, but here it is again. Why aren't the rear wheels on AD truck centered in the fender cutouts?


Stuart.

No one knows for certain. When I die that will be the first question I ask. Of course, I won't be able to tell you.

With the way the springs are mounted, don't the wheels move back in the well as the load increases?

GMCpanel,
You are exactly right, but even with the Titanic in the bed of the truck the rear shackles won't swing back far enough to center
the wheel in the opening (I think). This goes hand in hand with the strange fit of the hood to fenders. I don't know if this funky hood fit can be adjusted out or not. I always figured the fellow running the huge hood press was drinking gin on his Wheaties and maybe smoking hemp at break time!


Stuart.

I think it was just a styling choice. Personally I think it looks better that way.

I think it's kind of the same reason you have to put a crown in a long doorway or it will look like it sags.

I would have paid good money to see how they dealt with hood fit and ring and pinion setup on the AD assembly line.

Here's another thing I've noticed about the 47-54 trucks - every one that I've seen so far has a different gap between the front edge of the running board and the back edge of the front fender when comparing the left side to the right side. Kinda like having different hubcaps on one side of the vehicle I guess. No one notices.

Partly because of the torque tube set up too. As there is no rear u-joint the axle the axle will move backward a bit when it hits a bump or takes on a load. I learned this when I raised the front of the truck on stands to get to the trans and u-joint. I pushed the torque tube up to clear. When I put everything back I lowered the truck to reassemble the u-joint ball housing but the torque tube would not clear the rear of the trans. I had to raise the front of the truck again so the whole unit would move back an inch.

I could see the torque tube expalnation for the half tons with the way they hook up to the rear end, but why are the 3/4 tons not centered when they only have half a torque tube and the rear end is mounted solid to the springs?
Ralph