1953 B-4-B Rear End Gears

[John-T-53]

Howdy, Does anybody know if ring and pinion sets are available for early 50's half ton trucks? I have 4:10's in there now but would like to increase them to 3:70 or approx. The reason is to be able to reach highway speed. Any clue as to what the ring gear diameter is??

I've looked into a tranny upgrade too but I don't think overdrives were available on these trucks. Thanks in advance for y'all's help!

Edited May 14, 2009 by John-T-53
forgot one thang

[Merle Coggins]

Welcome to the forum John. Where do you hail from? Y'all talk (type) like you're from down south.

Anyway, there are no suppliers for replacement ring & pinion gears for our diffs, however there are other options. The differentials in Mopar cars of the same era are a direct swap. The only thing you have to watch is the spline count on the axle shafts. With a little hunting you'll be able to find a Plymouth or Dodge car from the late 40's - mid 50's with a 3.90 or 3.73 rear gear. I have a 3.73 diff from a '50 Plymouth car in my truck and it'll easily do 70 - 75 on the highway. However, stopping at that speed with drum brakes is another story, so I try not to do that too often. I'm currently collecting the parts for a front disc brake upgrade to help that.

The down fall to having the 3.73 gears is a lack of power on the steeper grades. It's probably a bit more sluggish getting off the line too, but I wasn't gonna win many drag races with it anyway.

Merle

[coW52Dodge]

Welderxxx has an entire rear end for sale. He's willing to send just the pumpkin so maybe he could strip the gears out of it for you.

I bought his other one but haven't bolted it on yet.

It is a 3.54, though.

[greg g]

you can also uprade to a more modern rear end with a bit of work. Would also necesatate a driveshaft modification. There are several vehicles which are likely doors withthe same bolt pattern for the wheels. It usually requires some work to remove and relocate the spring pads. MOPAR B body cars, like charger and satallite, Jeep Cherokee,

Ford Ranger and Explorer. You can also put on some taller tires, there are lots of tire size comparitive calculators on the web where you can juggle tire sizes to see what the difference is. Not sure how it would work in the trucks, but a 5 speed OD transmission (mustang, S10) is also a possibility depending on how true to stock you wish to remain.

You can also look into the mopar 3 speed overdrive trans that was abailable in the 50's for Dodges and Plymouths, or if you got lotts of bucks, and after market OD (gearvendors) unit.

Welcome, lots of info here. You can go to the the user CP and add a signature, or the info box in the upper right corner to include the year and model of you vehicle and your general location. Who kows there might be a forum member in your vacinity.

[John-T-53]

Thanks for all the geat ideas guys. I didn't know car and truck pumpkins were interchangeable. I did get a reply from Vintage Auto Parts in Denver (www.vapinc.com) about gears:

1937-56 Dodge car, all models with 8 1/4" ring gear. WX2390-1 39-10 3.90 to 1 $230.00

1941-56 Dodge WX2390-1 39-10 3.90 to 1 $365.00

Their description is rather vague, so perhaps doing the direct pumpkin swap from a passenger car would be the easiest thing to do for now. If I can get a 3:73 ratio, then a four speed tranny might be the next upgrade to help me out on the uphill and off-the-line starts. I assume the first gear on a 4-speed is lower than first on a 3-speed...better check the manual first!

I'm living in San Juan Capistrano, CA, in south Orange County. I picked up the "y'all" from going to school in Georgia and it stuck. I get a lot of flack for it around here but that ain't going to change me.

[Merle Coggins]

The 4 speeds 2nd - 4th are basically the same as a 3 speed, except that some aren't syncronized. 1st on a 4 speed is a granny low and wouldn't be very usable for normal driving. Stick with your 3 speed, it'll be just fine. Also, to change to a 4 speed you'd need to change the bell housing too. If you do a trans swap, consider converting to a T5.

Merle

[William Davey]

I'm also looking for a replacement diff for my 55 Dodge C-3-B-8. Currently has 4.10's and really howls at 65. I'd like a ratio 3.55 or 3.73 and some better brakes. Bolt pattern is 5 on 4.5" center.

I need 63" hub to hub to match the existing width of the diff. Local yards tell me the Cherokee is too narrow by about 2". I have found lots of info on spring perch C-C dimensions, but not Hub- Hub.

Would like to stay MOPAR, will settle for Ford as a last resort. Does anybody know width info?

[Warren Nielsen]

---I need 63" hub to hub to match the existing width of the diff. Local yards tell me the Cherokee is too narrow by about 2". I have found lots of info on spring perch C-C dimensions, but not Hub- Hub.

Would like to stay MOPAR, will settle for Ford as a last resort. Does anybody know width info?---

Look for a rear end from a mid 60s Dodge A-100 van or pickup. I put one under my 52 and the width, hub to hub, was within less than an inch different from the original. I have the numbers written down somewhere out in the shop. These are 8 3/4" rear ends, the small pinion 741 casting. But all those pumpkins will interchange. You would then have 5 on 4 1/2" bolt circle, parts are available for them and with the right pumpkin, darn near any ratio you would ever want. Would need to cut and reweld spring perches and have a driveshaft built.

Just something to check out.