Zach--
When you're deciding on what rearend and wheels to
use, you really have to do some research on you
own. The ideal approach is to find the wheel design
you like, then find what widths it's made in. Then
do some measuring, see how much room there is
between the bedside (or spring, which ever sticks
out further) and fender...and leave about half an
inch clearance on the inside, and close to an inch
on the outside, this will give you the width of tire
you can run. You have to mount the tire on the
wheel to find the exact actual width of the tire,
though. When you do this, you can then lay the
tire/wheel on the floor, and measure from the floor
to the wheel mounting surface. Measure across the
truck, from the bedside (or spring) on one side to
the other side, and measure across from the fender
edge on one side to the other side. Write all the
dimensions down on a piece of paper, too :) Use
all this info to calculate how wide the rearend can
be. You may find that there is no rearend available
that will be just the right width, so you may have
to get one narrowed or custom made.
Then again, someone may have an easy answer...but if
you're messing with the F*rd rearends, be aware that
you have to be extra careful to measure the one you
are thinking of buying, because there are an
unbelieveable number of different width rearends
available, and if you get one used, it may not be
from what the seller claims it's from.
Ever been to a swap meet, see a neat part, and ask
what it fits...only to have the seller ask you,
"What are you working on?" THen they say, "Yeah,
it'll fit a 53 Chevy pickup just fine!" Beware....
Jim F
59s in AZ
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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