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Phase
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Well on to the rear end. My plan has been to use the 1955 1st series
rear end I bought used for $250.00. You've heard the saying
"Good things come to those that wait"? Well only a
few months after paying for this rear end I found a guy that was
swapping his entire suspension out of a 1955 1st series truck. I got
the front axle I am using from him, free, just pay the shipping.
Since I already had this rear end I passed on getting a second one
free. Should have waited. This will become a recurring theme on this
rear end. I bought a bunch of parts that either don't work on my
truck or just weren't right. I am reselling things on ebay, but I am
certainly not braking even. I am chalking it up to being
impatient and a novice. But learn from my mistakes, take the time
you think you can't spend, because you're in a hurry and make sure
you are buying the right parts. You waste money and time in the end.
I paid to have the rear end case blasted and primed. It was well
worth it. What I got back was something I could work with. It still
took a great deal of time to clean up the cover and the 3rd
member. That needed cleaning inside and out. Once I had the 3rd
member all cleaned and primed and reinstalled, I set out to install
the bearings and seals. I learned a mildly expensive lesson in
bearing installation. Make sure the thing is square in the opening
and use the right installer. I was in a hurry (Once again not good)
to get the axles in the rear end and I used my installer to tap the
bearings into the housing and that went great. However when I tried
to install the seals, I rushed the job and the end result was I
damaged the seal and the retainer spring came out, on both sides. I
was pretty mad. I ponied up the $32.00 for new seals, talked to some
friends on the web and went back at it. Calmer, slower, bigger
diameter driver, so I was driving on the edge of the seal, not the
middle, and "Bob's your uncle", I was done.
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What I started with
After the second installation of the axle seals.
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This picture is here to show you more of the I
bought what didn't work for me theme. This is part of the tube shock
conversion I bought from Jim Carter. It is meant for 1947 - 1954
trucks. Not 1940! It says it should work with some engineering. The
front did see the previous page on that. This however can not work,
and remember this is a 1955 axle. The gap between the brake back
plate and the shock mount is about 3/4 of an inch. I can't imagine
anyone taking the rear axle off to change shocks. I'm aborting this
conversion and looking elsewhere. The lowering blocks I got from
Chevs of the forties are working well. However I sourced my own
round u-bolts. The kit comes with the square ones that can't work in
my opinion. I'm selling the whole damn lot on ebay. If you read this
around the first of August 2004, they might still be available.
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New mono leaf springs
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Here is the finished brake setup for the truck. I picked the 1955
rear end for two reasons. One it was open drive shaft and that would
allow newer drive train options and the second was the improved
brakes of a later truck. These brakes replace the Huck style brakes
from the 1940. I cleaned up the parking brake and spreader hardware,
bought new pads, a brake hardware kit from one of the suppliers and
new adjusters from NAPA. All set to go on the freshly painted back
plate.
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Nice new everything.
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Don't know why this is here. I just like it. I guess
I always knew I preferred a nice rear end to other parts (of the
truck I mean). Once I have everything the way I like it, I will drop
the rear end again and paint the entire thing black.
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Oh great pumpkin....
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I even got the brake drums from NAPA. I have been considering having
the drums drilled at a place like C. H. Toppings. Anyone out there
done that? Worth it. They get like $45.00 a drum to do it. I only
paid $32.00 for the drums them selves. Here you can also see the
mono leaf springs in the rear. Between the springs and the lowering
blocks, I hope I've lowered the back of the truck at least 4 or 5
inches.
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New binders.
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Well here is a picture I have been wanting to take
for a while. My frame back up on all four wheels. There is still a
bunch of stuff to do. I need to find new components for the tube
shock conversion, I need to source an axle bumper that will work on
my frame. I need to paint the suspension and axle components that
need paint and I need to touch up the frame where I have dinged it
putting stuff on. Not as bad in the back as on the front. I am
getting better.
After that I need to put the steering box and and
shaft on and hook up the new drag link., engine, master cylinder,
brake lines....
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It Rolls..... For a few days anyways.
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Here is a picture of the new shock mounting kit from CPP. This isn't
all that much better than the one from Jim Carter. The big difference
is this uses a complete spring pad and shock mount. I think this gives
the whole setup more stability. The pad locks into the spring pin on
the bottom and locates the u-bolts better than the individual
brackets. It even felt better while I was bolting it together.
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New shock mounts.
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All the Hot Rod and Truck magazines talk about adding sway bars to
improve the ride of your "ride". So this was high on my list
of mods. Both front and back if possible. No one makes any sway bar or
suspension kits for the pre 1947 Chevy trucks. I don't understand
this, but it must be simple economics, not enough guys to buy the
parts. So I was left with some fabrication projects on my hands. The
first one is to make brackets that will support the sway bar ends on
the rear. I bought a rear sway bar from CPP, but it is made by No
Limit Engineering. Buy it directly from them. This kit is really for
the 1947 - 1955 series Chevy truck. Well there are some big
differences in the frames between the early trucks and the later
trucks, even though the spring placement and axles are completely
swappable. I made a cardboard mock-up of the part and took it to work
where Mike Murphy cut these out and bent them on the metal
brake. The kit comes with brackets, but they aren't even close
to what is needed. You can also see where the shock mounts very
close to this bracket.
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My
first fabrication effort.
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Here is a picture of the completed rear end. All
painted up, sway bar in place, shocks mounted. I learned a lot about
just ordering parts and hoping they will work once at home. It didn't
work that way on more than one occasion. Now I have to try to
recover the costs of unused parts. I have the shock mounts, shocks
and parking brake cables to sell. I know some one will be able to
use them. More to come before the cold comes...
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It will ride like a dream.
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