Axle

[Guest no neck.]

Hi can anyone tell me the best axle to go on my 1952 B3B dodge pick up

I will be fitting a 383 cu motor thanks in advance no neck

[Guest Dave Claussen]

I have similar plans for my B3C (a 360 cu. in.) and a 727 Mopar tranny. I scored a Ford 9" rear end from a 77-78 LTD II. It has the same size axle tube (3") and is only about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch different in width measured to the inside of the backing plates. I'm going to use the original shock mounts from the truck on the replacement rear end. I'm using the same leaf spring setup except I'm leaving out the helper springs that were standard on the 3/4 ton. I had to have new U bolts fabricated because the old ones were too long and too "tired". You could probably buy those from any company that deals in springs and the associated hardware. I also had to get new spring perches for the leafs to set on. Will have to weld them in place once I get the location pinpointed.

This is only one possibility. Others have used Mopar rear ends with success as well. If you wanted to stay strictly Mopar, it's something that's very do-able too.

That 383 oughta make her get up and go real good! I almost went the big block route myself but I got a real deal on the 360 and tranny that I couldn't pass up. Best part about the small block was it was already a running engine. I would have had to rebuild the big block from the bare block up. It was a no brainer as they say.

Just my 2 1/2 cents worth. Good Luck. Dave C.