The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop What Rear End Are You Running In Your AD?

I just bought a frame and now I'm looking to add running gear. I'm just curious what rear end you're using in your AD and what trials and tribulations you went through to fit it up.

In case anyone is interested I have a 1953 3100 5-Window. My vision is to keep a stock look to the truck, but to modernize the running gear to make it more enjoyable (IMO) to drive.

Thanks for participating.

Go with a set of Patrick's 3:55's. You cant go wrong.

There's plenty of options available to you,it just depends how far you want to go and how deep your pockets are.
Plenty of folks here stick with what's there but just change the rear end ratio as SWEET mentions.
That'll give you reasonable highway cruising ability,without breaking the bank.
Try a search and you'll open up a regularly discussed topic.

Your '53 is not a "first series" anything. First series refers to '55 trucks that look like '54s. Some people also refer to '47 trucks that look like '46s as first series.

Kzoo, I am running an 84 GMC 1/2 ton rear end with 2:73 gears and a 283/TH350. It is not a ball of fire away from a light but it cruises very nicely @ 55/60 and will give 16/17 MPG. BTW it is a 49 Chevy suburban.


Weeds

I have a 54/3100 with a 235 with fenton headers and offenhauser intake. the rear end is a 79 nova with 2.73 gears and an s-10 5 speed trans. it does fine in fifth gear from 45mph on up on flat land. long uphills sometimes require 4th gear especially when i have the cruise control on.

Cletis, Good catch ... keep the AD ditch the first series.

I have a 50/3100 and am running a 1969 10 bolt from a camero with a 350/th400 with 2:73 gears.

Mid 70's Camaro with 3:08 gears.

I'm running a 14 bolt full floater from a 70's 1 ton pickup. They're plentiful and fairly easy to find in the parts yards. They are considered "bulletproof" by the 4x4 folks, even though mine isn't 4x4.
Mine is attached to a 350/350 combo.

Well, I pulled the torque tube out and installed the pumpkin out of a 56 pickup. So, I went from a 4.11 to a 3.90. Not much of a gain but hey, it was free and got rid of the torque tube!.

I did the same thing Achipmink did. Add on a T5 and you'll have a good freeway cruser.

George

89 posi 10 bolt from a camaro fit just fine, using the saddles and custom ubolts from buffalo enterprises worked awsome, and I also used the lokar E brake cables for 47-53 chevy pickups, it worked out great in my 1953 3100

Just out of curiosity...is a 52 a 1st series?
I only ask this, because some of the truck part vendors call 47 through 54 1st series while the 55 through 59 is a classified as a 2nd series...any clarification...?

the vendors are trying to prevent you ordering parts for the wrong series, usually applying to the year '55 only as the 2 versions of 55 are common - some might call any TF year [55-59] a "2nd series" .... the terms apply only to 47 and 55, no other years

the "first series" is the model that looks the same as the previous model series, the 2nd series in any case is the model that looks like the following series .... Deco "series" = 41 to 47 1st ... AD "series" =47 2nd to 55 1st ... TF "series" =55 2nd to 59

Bill

run that one by me again to make sure I heard it

some might call any TF year [55-59] a "2nd series" .... the terms apply only to 47 and 55, no other years

are you saying 47-55 Are T F

no Fred, the term "1st series" applies to either a 47 Deco or a 55 AD, the term "2nd series" designates either a 47 AD or a 55 TF, but then you knew that .... some of the suppliers call all the TF years "2nd series" because they don't pay any attention to the 47 1st and 2nd

folks that don't understand the 1st/2nd situation [not you Fred] should read up on GM post war production and labor problems in the auto industry

Bill

Narowed 9" ford with 3.89 gears With a locker in it with a 4 Link Suspension.

thanks for the clarification...:>)

12 bolt out of a 74 C10 on chassis engineering leafs.......dave

In my '50 truck I have a Dana 44 rear end from an early sixties GMC or some Chevy 1/2 ton pickup, it has 3.54 gears. I have installed A Detroit TrueTrack Torque biasing Diff. Truck has a 350 motor and Tremec TKO 5 speed manual trans.

Stuart.

alright I am going to sound like an idiot regardless but can someone explain to me the torque tube rear end, what is it and when upgrading your rear end are you just talking the innards of the pumpkin or the entire rear axle? also what about drive shafts...what is an open drive line as i have heard it referred to, is that not the same as what is in a rear wheel truck today?

A torque tube is a sollid connection between the transmission and the rearend. There are no visible u-joints, and you would not see the torque tube spin while the vehicle is in motion.

An open drive rearend is what we are typically used to dealing with on modern rear wheel drive vehicles. A drive shaft with visible u joints can be seen spinning while the vehicle is in motion.

A torque tube rearend is much more efficient at transmitting the torque than an open drive rearend, so more of the available horsepower will make it to the wheels. This is in part because the tube prevents the axle from rolling and maximizes the effeciency of the joints.

The down side to the torque tube is parts availability. There are few gearsets that will fit in a torque tube rear, and most of them are not suitable for modern interstate driving. There are also few transmission choices to use with that torque tube rear. The torque tubes were designed for trucks rated for less than 150 hp... in the case of most 1/2 ton chevys with the torque tube, they were rated for less than 115 hp. When modern 300 + HP v8s are used in these trucks the torque tube transmission/and or rearend usually do not last very long. Most commonly one of the concealed u-joints breaks, as this tends to be the weakest link.

The torque tube has an enclosed driveshaft. Torque tube rear. An open driveline has the driveshaft in the open.

Running a '69 Nova rear, 3.08 gears, 1" billet wheel spacers

I kept my old torque tube with enclosed propeller shaft. Rear gears were swapped out for Patrick's 3.55s. Old gears were shot anyways.

I am not even sure my rear end is original. it has a u joint hook up at the front, no drive shaft of any kind. here's a link

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac6/Silverado_9c3/My%20project%20Bolt/trucksrearend.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac6/Silverado_9c3/My%20project%20Bolt/rearend2.jpg
Any help would be great!

Silverado_9c3, that is not a stock rear end for an AD truck.

hmm..well thats good to know, I have only had this particular truck 3.5 weeks. next question I have is how might I find out what it is and what is it from?

That appears to be a GM truck 12 bolt, probably from the late 60's or early 70's. It should have 6 lug axles unless it's been converted to 5 lug.

Dave

it is a 12 bolt housing and the number i found on it was NF3896838... I took the cover off and well it was dirt brown smelled ridiculous and all i could find was 386116N on the larger ring....

can we get a pic of that set up Dyehouse12

anyone know of an online souce to ID my rear end by its casting numbers?

That rear end looks similar to a 12 bole I have out of a '65 big block Impala. Look on the front side of the passenger side axle tube for a series of numbers and letters just above center usually but should be there under all the crude, dirt, etc. If it is a car rear I can help if U send the numbers/letters.

P.S. I have a '79 Camaro Z28 big 10 bolt 3.42 in my 1st series '55 with a 700R4 - works great though the 275R60s I had on 8" ralleys rubbed a little so went to a 255R60.

I'm using a Ford Dana 60 with 3.50 gears. I'm very happy with it.