Jump to content

new guy here


themanchild

Recommended Posts

Hey everybody, Ive been lurking here for a bit and decided I might as well jump in and introduce myself and my truck. And then also ask a question.

Ok, My friends call me JB. Im from Des Moines, Iowa. Im 23 and diving hard into the classic car and truck world. I bought this baby about 8 months ago. Has a 318, auto, power brakes and steering, and a 6" chop. Also has a 78 dodge diplomat front torsion bar suspension.

First question: When Im going down the street I cant seem to get the truck to go any faster then about 50. The RPM's start to rise fast with not much response from the MPH guage. So I came to the conclusion that my rearend is too low. Im thinking 4.10 or even lower.

Is there a rearend with higher gearing(2.7-3.4) that is a bolt up replacement and still use the same bolt pattern and have the correct width?

***the picture at the end is as it sits right now......sad.....

post-3082-1358534938242_thumb.jpg

post-3082-13585349382947_thumb.jpg

post-3082-13585349383373_thumb.jpg

post-3082-13585349383812_thumb.jpg

post-3082-13585349384267_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd be supprised to find that someone did a V8/auto trans/front clip swap and left the original rear axle in place, but I suppose it's possible. If it is the original axle than it probably does have a 4.10:1 ratio. But even with that you should be able to exceed 50 MPH.

But to answer your question... if it does have the original type axle, you may be able to find a diff out of a car of the same vintage. The Dodge and Plymouth diffs will bolt right in and can be found with 3.90 or 3.73 ratios. I have a 3.73 diff from a '50 Plymouth in my truck. The only thing you need to watch for is the axle shaft spline count. There was a change in the axle shaft splines somewhere in the early '50s.

Merle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If its got the 8.75 ( 8 3/4 ) rearend, I would go with a 3.23 suregrip which are still layin around cheap. The 3.55 up to the 3.91 are a little harder to find. I'm just thinkin if the the front end was done so was the rear, and judging from the "look" they might have thought a 4.10 was a good idea. That's the ratio you want for an all round wicked 1/4 mile, but not so much on the freeway. Save that rear for Saturdaynight. lol.:D

48D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

welcome to the forum! Since you've been "lurking" already, you probably have come to the conclusion that there is s wealth of knowledge from the poeple on this forum (nice guys too). I have seen that truck soemwhere on line before and wondered what happened to it. I have a 53 that is also chopped and I am putting on suicide doors right now. It will rest on a Dakota chassis. Good luck on the rear end delima. You have come to the right place to get it resolved. Bud

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Place your truck in neutral. Jack one wheel up. Have someone count the turns on your driveshaft as you turn the wheel 2 turns. This will give you your ratio. If your driveshaft makes 2 3/4 turns you would have a 273. If it turns a little over 4 turns you have a 410 and so on. It is a good idea to place a mark of some kind on the shaft and wheel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure what trans is in it, spring time ill be able to verify which of the two trans that were offered in the dodge diplomat this one is. Its a 3spd auto. that I shift through the gears manually. In Drive it does seem to stagger going through the gears, so thats why I manually shift(plus it feels like Im actually cool). When I do this it doesnt slip but engages very easily and I go through all 3. It just gets to the point that i can tell im at about 3000rpm and not really gaining much speed.

And my phone has an acceleramoter that tells me my speed and also Ive done the "you drive 45 and then ill match that and see what my speedo says" with my buddies and it all matches up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use