Greetings all!
I've been watching this list silently for a number of months now, and owe
many of you multiple rounds of thanks for the information you've shared over
that time.
A while back, I came across a sad bucket of bolts on a farm that reminded me
of the truck my grandfather used to take me for haircuts in when I was a
pre-school kid. Sadly, both my grandfather and my hair are gone now, but
seeing this truck in the pasture almost made me think I could feel the wind
through my hair again!
Anyway, it turned out to be a 1951 3600 that I had towed home and put in the
shop. Since that time, I've taken apart every bolt, screw, nut, pin and shaft
on the beast, and I have the small knuckle scars and dirty fingernails to
prove it. I've been cleaning, restoring and rebuilding components along the
way, and am almost ready to start attaching things to the frame again. The
goal I have for this truck is for it to be pretty much as original with a few
"tweaks" for safety and enjoyment. I've procured a rebuilt 235 engine to
replace the babbit pounder, have disk brakes for the front end and a power
brake system. The only other major upgrade I plan to do is a rear end swap to
better handle highway driving - the thought of being held back to 45mph just
doesn't thrill me - need more speed than that to support the
wind-through-hair illusion.
So, here's the question - has anyone out there tried to put a Dana 60 rear end
from an early 80's F*rd F-250 into a 51 style 3600? I have gotten ahold of
one with a 3.55 gear ratio. It's about 3" wider than the stock rear (wheel
mounting face to wheel mounting face), but appears to be able to fit within
the fenders with the right wheel selection. I'll have to transfer the spring
perches and shock absorber mounts from the old axle, but otherwise it looks
like a pretty clean swap. Am I missing something here? Any/all advice or
comments would be welcome.
R.D. Hulst
A transplanted Canuck with a '51 3600 in KY
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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