Rear end change.

[countrytravler]

Will a third member ( rear end with gears) from the 50s fit how far back? 36? I'm not talking axles, just the 3rd member.

Car and truck. 

Thanks

Dave

[JACK M]

Funny you should bring this up Dave.

Although not as old I was pondering and trying to remember about third members just the other day.

It seems that I remember searching out the lower gears, (3:91, 4:10 ratios) from older pick ups when I was running stock cars on the dirt.

These are all the 8 3/4 diameter ring gear.

 

I was trying to remember if we used the third members from the tapered axel rears in the newer adjustable bearing retained rears. The later have an adjuster on one side and the axels butt up to each other so both sides preload are set form one side.

I know we did it some way but don't remember if we had to change the ring and pinion into later cases.

My old partner that did these has passed on now and I am looking to put one of the old 3:91 sets that is in an older housing into a later housing on one of my street cars that has an overdrive and would like to try the lower rear end gear.

I think all I have to do is swap out the third member, but my memory is a bit fuzzy about how we did it.

 

So I am experimenting with rear ends from the mid sixties on up after they changed the axels, and mid sixties on back at least into the late forties.

Back to the thirties? possibly.

[Spinneyhill]

This is what The Hollander 1952 says about it. The Chrysler 8s have a very limited range of interchange. They call the "3rd member" the carrier assembly.

[c49er]

All the six cylinder carriers (11 bolt carrier) from 1937-52 (use 10 spline axles) should work.

Eight cylinder Chrysler carriers same 1937-52 Approx. are 10 bolt and will not fit.