53 B4D rear end swap

[53 B4D]

Bought this 1 ton truck without knowing the low gears would make it so slow. So now I either need to change the rear end or sell the truck. Would like to install a rear end from a half ton Dodge truck of the same era or something like that; nothing fancy just want to reach 55 mph at least ? How difficult is a rear end swap? Which rear end should I use? What are your thoughts? Any help is appreciated.

[lostviking]

Not too hard at all. There are several threads, including mine on my 46 showing the process.

[ggdad1951]

define slow, my 1 ton stock gears I can get 55-60mph.

[nonstop]

My half ton is the same.  I do not dare go faster than 60-65…

[48Dodger]

On 8/1/2022 at 2:57 AM, ggdad1951 said:

define slow,..... 

 

Any position out of the top ten........or in my way.

 

48D

[53 B4D]

On 7/31/2022 at 10:14 AM, lostviking said:

Not too hard at all. There are several threads, including mine on my 46 showing the process.

Nice! You have many posts. Is this the one you are referring - 1946 WD15 rear end swap...and full replumb of brakes?

[53 B4D]

On 8/1/2022 at 2:57 AM, ggdad1951 said:

define slow, my 1 ton stock gears I can get 55-60mph.

Wow! This is what I need. Is everything stock? What year is at? Are we comparing apples to apples? My truck revs very high but can't get past 50mph

[53 B4D]

3 hours ago, 48Dodger said:

 

Any position out of the top ten........or in my way.

 

48D

??? Exactly!

[John-T-53]

Welcome, neighbor. This very same question was what brought me here many years ago.

 

If you end up swapping the rear end I would try to find one from a truck of the same weight rating (1 ton).

 

Remember that it is currently geared for optimum usage of the engine's torque/power availability, so changing to a taller gear ratio you will have less torque available. If you change it slightly, you might not notice it that much, however (such as 4:10 to 3:90). 

[ggdad1951]

On 8/2/2022 at 12:22 PM, 53 B4D said:

Wow! This is what I need. Is everything stock? What year is at? Are we comparing apples to apples? My truck revs very high but can't get past 50mph

1951 B3D (1 ton) fully stock with all the gears (radial tires a little taller than than the bias ply) and such.  I think what got me to that speed was putting in an actual tach.  The engine SOUNDS like it's going to explode, but really sitting only at 2600 RPM or so.  LOTS of fan noise since its direct drive and not clutched.  Now, steering response and braking distance at above 60 mph with a stock set up is a bit different story.

[lostviking]

On 8/2/2022 at 10:18 AM, 53 B4D said:

Nice! You have many posts. Is this the one you are referring - 1946 WD15 rear end swap...and full replumb of brakes?

Yes, that's the one where I swapped the rear. Nothing is ever completely done...so there were other posts, as well as completely other things. I can't keep my hands from doing "things" sometimes.

[Ram Man 02]

Something to think about that i didnt see mentioned is wheel bolt pattern. i dont know what it is for the 1 ton axle but i know its larger then my half ton. next question is if you put something modern in are you going to care about dealing with 2 different wheels incase of a flat tire. How about the looks of the different wheels? the wheel backspacing will likely be different so think about that when looking at fender clearances and suspension movement. What gear ratios are available for the new housing you just picked and will that get you where you want to be with the size of tire? Theres free gear ratio calculators available. Grimm Jeeper comes to my mind first. Thats what i used.

I thought about all these things and realized i wanted to upgrade all these other things in the drivetrain as well so ended up with a Fatman IFS and an 8 3/4" rear end. Definitely not the cheapest route but this way i solved all my current issues with the truck and hopefully all future ones that might pop up?

Good Luck!

Edited August 11, 2022 by Ram Man 02

[kencombs]

12 hours ago, Ram Man 02 said:

Something to think about that i didnt see mentioned is wheel bolt pattern. i dont know what it is for the 1 ton axle but i know its larger then my half ton. next question is if you put something modern in are you going to care about dealing with 2 different wheels incase of a flat tire. How about the looks of the different wheels? the wheel backspacing will likely be different so think about that when looking at fender clearances and suspension movement. What gear ratios are available for the new housing you just picked and will that get you where you want to be with the size of tire? Theres free gear ratio calculators available. Grimm Jeeper comes to my mind first. Thats what i used.

I thought about all these things and realized i wanted to upgrade all these other things in the drivetrain as well so ended up with a Fatman IFS and an 8 3/4" rear end. Definitely not the cheapest route but this way i solved all my current issues with the truck and hopefully and future ones that might pop up?

Good Luck!

First thing I thought of too!  I see some custom wheel adapters in his future if he wants to retain the matching wheels front and rear.  I would. 

 

Second option for me would be a front axle swap to match the new rear bolt pattern.

[nonstop]

Might be time for a Ford 9 inch - they sell blank axle shafts and redrill drums.  Might be easiest and most straight forward.

[Dodgeb4ya]

I've owned my 1 ton for over 40 years.

Used to drive it every day back in the 70's /80's.

Had a tach on mine too..still do ...a old Dixco. 2600 on the freeway.

Drove it on I-5 for years  55-60 mph.

Still runs great.

A nice stock drive train ...except the 265.

 

[kencombs]

16 hours ago, nonstop said:

Might be time for a Ford 9 inch - they sell blank axle shafts and redrill drums.  Might be easiest and most straight forward.

I think the common Ford axle flange will be too small for the 1T bolt circle.

[nonstop]

I did not think of that - what about a 14 bolt with redrilled hubs, or even a rear out of a fedex truck with the wide 6 bolt hubs?  Just throwing things out there, not sure which ones could work…

[53 B4D]

Now I got the experts talking! Thanks for all of the feedback ?

[53 B4D]

I'm thinking I'll change the clutch (downshifting from 3rd to 2nd hasn't worked since I bought it) and put in a tachometer to check out the rpms at top speed. If that doesn't work then I may have to sell it or trade it for a smaller truck ?

[ggdad1951]

17 hours ago, 53 B4D said:

I'm thinking I'll change the clutch (downshifting from 3rd to 2nd hasn't worked since I bought it) and put in a tachometer to check out the rpms at top speed. If that doesn't work then I may have to sell it or trade it for a smaller truck ?

Are you double clutching to go down from 3rd to 2nd?  That is required.

 

What speeds do you want to attain?

[JBNeal]

Pilot-House 1-tons are not known for speed, so if'n ya want to whip it around like a modern truck and row through the gears effortlessly, you're gonna be disappointed...these old 1-tons were driven like big trucks, where shifts included double clutching and having a feel for what the transmission could do by what the gearshift is telling the driver.  If ya got the spur gear 4spd, ya definitely have to shift by feel.  But it can be done, no grinding required...once I got the feel for these old transmissions, the only grinding I did was on my teeth, when some whippersnapper would cut me off and try to stop short while in town

[Old CWO]

Taller tires will kill some RPM