The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Swap rear to upgrade Huck?

I have a 1950 3100 and am considering swapping the rear axle & torque tube with one from a '51-'53. I am right in assuming this would be a simple install? I plan on using a 235 or 261 with a 3 spd. tranny so I want to keep the torque tube but also want to upgrade the Huck brakes.
Bob

The rear would be a simple remove and replace.

I'm no brake expert, but Chevy also went with a larger master cylinder in 51, 1 1/8" bore compared with 1" in 50. Also decreased the size of the brakelines to 3/16" from 1/4" in 50 (except for the line from the MC to the first junction block)so not sure if you'd be better to switch those out also. The Hucks in my 50 stop as well as the Bendix in my 51. Just a little more of a hassle to adjust them.

Bob

Interesting, I had heard that Hucks didn't stop as well and that the parts were a lot more expensive. How difficult are they to adjust and how often do they need adjusting? Just want to make sure it is worth upgrading the front and rear to Bendix before I start looking for parts.
Bob

Bob - Hucks arn't hard to adjust, they just have two adjusters on each drum, (one for each shoe). I would check the adjustment each time you change the oil, just as general maintenance.

As for cost of parts, I have just finished a rebuild on my brakes and the only parts that I thought were expensive were the wheel cylinders, around 50 bucks each but they are basically a one time expense. The brake shoes were about 25 bucks per axel.

I would suggest keeping the hucks. They stop just as well as the bendix. If you want upgrade to a brake that stopps better you might wnat to go to disks in front. Which is a lot more work.

Hope this helps.
George

Bob, Like George says, the only parts that were more expensive between the two were wheel cylinders. If you decide to keep the Hucks, shop around for wheel cylinders. The lowest price I found was from Chevy Duty about 3 years ago. I also adjust mine about every 1000 miles, which works out to about once or twice a year for me. I can tell when they need adjusting by an increase in brake pedal travel. Properly set up and adjusted they work just fine.

Bob

I don't know about the costs of cylinders, but if they're too high check with a local parts store about getting yours sleeved.

Also, you shouldn't have to replace the differential to make the swap. Pull the axles and swap all the brake parts including the backing plate. And don't worry about the brake line size being smaller, the change isn't enough to make a difference. It did save GM some money when they built the trucks.

If they only need to be adjusted every 1000 miles or so and stop as well as Bendix I might as well save myself the work and stay with the Huck. May look at a dual reservoir master cylinder though to make the system a bit safer.
Bob