The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline '46 1 1/2 Ton Front Axle Swap to '46 3/4 Ton Axle

Wondering if I can unbolt the entire front axle assembly and bolt one from a 1946 3/4 ton in it place? The original one is wore out and I can get a complete 3/4 ton axle with leaf springs for free.

I would also like to swap out the Rear Axle Assembly to a 1 Ton Dually Rear out of a '70s, '80s or '90s Chevy Truck. Any suggestions on what works the best? Trying to keep a stock appearance. The truck is a 134 1/2" Wheelbase with the 9' Stake Bed on the back.

Here are a few pictures.

http://s419.photobucket.com/albums/...ne%20and%20a%20Half%20Ton%20Stake%20Bed/

Hey Dyno --- what is the wheel/tire size on the 3/4 ton you are looking at. The 4000 series (1.5T) and up all have the 20" wheels while from there down they range from 15-18" and make a big difference in the appearance as well as final drive ratios (on the rear). The smaller wheels are fine for a "rod" look but really alter the overall appearance quite a bit. And, like I said...small tires make a huge difference in top speed at "normal" rpm. I've heard there are a few modern 19.5 & 20.5 wheels that can be adapted though. They would be close to the original look, allow for much better radial tires and, keep the drive ratio up near what can run at anything near highway speeds.

Good luck, looks like a great project, and as I noted in a couple of your other posts, I would be very interested in the ring & pinion you take out if they are 5.43:1.

The wheels on the truck now are 20", with 7.00 - 20 tires on them. The axles that I can get do not have any wheels on them, so I'd be looking for some. I have checked the local junk yards and the are some 8lug wheels off of late model dually's out there, just not sure what size to go with yet. I was told to stay away from 16.5" wheels due to tire selection. It will be a few months before I get to this swap, but when I get into the rear axle, I'll get back with you about that ring and pinion. Thanks for the info also.

Hey Dyno --- one more rear end tidbit. 1.5 T dually Chevy truck axles from 55-59 are easy to fit and the wheels (19.5 as I recall) have the same lug size & pattern as 41-52...you just need to open up the center hole a bit. The wheels will take tubeless radials and there are more gear choices as well.

Now the bad news...they are scarce as hen's teeth. But ya' never know...one might be just down the block from ya so I thought I'd pass it on. I believe it was Grigg here on the Bolt that posted the info a while back.

Best of luck & happy hunting.

Got a few leads on some '90s Dually Rear Diff's. Is there any issues using these if they were off Anti-Lock Brake Systems. Obviously I won't have an Anti-Lock Brake Setup on the '46.

Found a Front Axle off of a '46 3/4. Now if the temperature comes back up above 30, I'll try to get it installed.