The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 55.1 rear end swap re. emergency brake

Did the search, no luck. Swapping a 55.1 rear end into a 53 1/2 ton. Though the spring pack seems to be a direct bolt-in the emergency brake hookup surely is not. A lot of differences between 55.1 and 53 including the way the ebrake cables attach to the backing plates, the backing plates and the length of the ebrake cables. Anyone who had done this swap have any guidance? The direction I'm heading is to source a couple of good 55.1 cables (mine were cut by someone else when they removed the 55.1 rear end)and modify them so they will fit the 53 e brake where the rod goes across behind the cab. I will have to have cables cut and threaded rod swedged onto cable and get the clevis and pin that attach to the rod that goes across from left to right. Good idea or is there some better way to do it?
Jerry

Just use the e-brake cables from the 53. That is what I did and it worked quite well. I also used the breaks and all the hardware from the 53 because they were new.
Tom

Tom has it right. If you switch out the backing plates you should be able to use the earlier lines that fit. This is probably easier than using the later year cables and fabbing them up. I ended up at sailing shop buying fittings and using their cable tools.

OK. Things to consider. I didn't get back to the forum all day because I was yarding out the old (53)rear end and putting in the 55.1

I wound up using the springs out of the 53 as the eyes on the front of the springs on the 55.1 were egg shaped from Lord knows how many years of being loose and pounding. A little welding and grinding made the stud on the 53 springs a larger diameter to fit more snugly into the locating hole.

Re. the emergency brake setup:
I thought about switching out the backing plates but looked at the rivets and thought about grinding off 16 rivets and passed on that plus I would have had to pull the axles and couldn't remember if you have to pull the back off the 3rd member and pull out the little clips or could just put the drums on backward and use them as pullers.

It seemed easier to use the 55.1 ebrake cables by shortening them and putting 53 type fittings on the cable ends. That sounds like what Nifty 50 2 did.
I took an e-brake cable from the 53 to use as a model and both from the 55.1 which are longer. I will take them to a brake place and have the 55.1 cable trimmed to the length of the 53 and a threaded rod swedged onto the cable end and a couple of new clevises and pins and think that will work OK. I believe I can clamp the 55.1 cable shields using the clamping fitting on the 53 that sits about 7 in. or so behind the rod that runs from side to side and pulls the cables tight when the e brake is applied.

The other issue and a small one at that is that the main brake line on the 53 hooked up to the brake line on the rear end about 1/3 of the way across while the 55.1 connects to the main line right in the center so I will have to run a longer brake line from the frame to the center and then hook up via the rubber brake hose in the middle. Brake line is easy enough to run and flare so just another sub-project to the rear end swap.

Thanks for the advice. Never thought of going to a sailing shop to get fittings and swedge them to the cable.
Jerry

The 55 1st springs are different from the 53 in where the locating pins are for the rear end housing. You may find that the rear end mounts a little over an inch too close or too far back. I would stay with the 53 springs and rear housing with cables and install the 55 1st carrier into it. I think that way is a direct bolt in? I don't know how the front pivot style of housing works with an open driveshaft though. I may be giving bad advice here.