The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop another rear end question

after following this board for about a month, it seems like 'what rear end fits my xxxx' is one of the more popular questions asked. so, i guess it's my turn to ask that favorite question:

what rear end fits my '31 chevy coupe?

if i want that question answered, i guess i should be more specific.... the rear in my '31 is 57-1/2 inches wide from drum flange to drum flange. by 'drum flange', i mean the surface that the rims bolt to. my requirements for the new rear end are a 6-lug bolt circle and an open yoke. maybe a 55-ish rear?

thanks
ed

If you want to keep it Chevy, check out 55-57 car rear axles.I have one in my 37 PU, must be similar in width to your 31 car.

check out this site, it helped me find what i was looking for

http://50chevy.freeservers.com/Suspension_Widths.html#Suspension

tony- i'm trying to keep the six-lug pattern. do you know if the truck rears were the same width?

stea- already checked there, but thanks for the link.

ed

Can you say Toyota here? 6 lugs on the PU's ,same pattern as Chevy, strong enough for sane driving.

ram-50s too

i've thought about the toyota thing, but wouldn't that be heresy to put an import part on a hot rod? if i found one in the right width i might be able to get over myself.... fwiw, jeep grand cherokees also have the 6-lug 5.5" bolt pattern.

ed

How wide is the 8.25" rear from a dodge dakota pickup? 6 lugs, popular gear ratios, leaf springs, very common. May be the same as the late Jeep rear.

hey thanks for all the suggestions. i guess the only thing i can really do is head out to a junkyard and start measuring rears... maybe saturday. i just became a dad last monday (3/21), so it's been kinda hard to find time to go yarding.

ed

There is a page on the web listing all sorts of rear axle measurements. It has been linked here multiple times, try running a search. It might save you some time measuring.

for anyone following this thread, i found out that 70's jeep wagoneers have a 57" width and the correct 6x5.5 bolt pattern. now to find one...

You may have trouble finding one with a desirable gear ratio, though. They were usually geared kinda low.

GMCpanel, is this link the one you were thinking of?

Yup, that link is the the one I was thinking of.

On the Jeep axle issue, I think all of those were Dana 44s. Very easy to find different gears (and/or carriers) for those axles.

A rearend that I thought about finding for my 37 was a 41-2 3/4 ton rear,open drive shaft six lugs. Supposed to be same width as the 37 which should be about the same for a 31,but still a ancient rear,probably steeper gears than a half ton. I gave up tring to keep my 37 six lugs,modern rims are available to run the old style hub caps and they are not too expensive. You are not serious about running bias ply tires,I would not wish them on my worst enemy as those tires are terrible compared to radials. I would have better handling than for old time looks unless you dont plan on going too fast or far. I am using radials on the 15 inch artillery wheels and had no problems yet,went tubeless also with no air leakage.

jeff,

i'm definitely going to run bias-ply tires. bulgies just don't look right. if i wanted modern handling, i'd get a modern car.

ed

You can get tall aspect radials, you just have to look for them harder.

Ed you are a brave man,I hope your roads are better than the ones here in ohio. Even with radials on my 37 it still handles like crap,I shudder to think of it with bias plys. I like cruising the back roads but there are time when I like to get where I want to go faster. Jeff

a few summers back, i drove a 1965 merc station wagon with bias ply tires and it wasn't so bad. when the bi-plys were bald, I put on a set of radials. i'll agree that the handling improved, but it wasn't a night and day difference or anything like that.

ed

Bias plys are more noticable on trucks because of the taller sidewalls and heavier load rating (stiffer sidewalls) than cars. The differance is much more noticable there, especially with leaf spring suspension. Try driving a Jeep CJ with bias plys and you will have exercised your arms very well.

I have a set of axles for a 1980(?) Jeep grand wagoneer that has 355 rear and 354 front gears
This place advertises gears from 2:73 to 5:89 ratios -
http://www.hicks4x4.com/Differential.htm