55 Pontiac Rear End

[deane bruce]

I have a 55 Pontiac rear end I'm going to rebuild, bearings, seals etc.. I can't find a new pinion bearing crush collar for it which I would normally replace. I'm thinking adding a .005" to .010" shim on top of the old crush collar may work. Any differential experts think that would work ok.

[JWLawrence]

Using a shim to restore the length of the crush collar was a method I used when replacing the pinion shaft seal on my 39 Cadillac 60 Special. This method was recommended by an acquaintance in the Cadillac-LaSalle club. Brad is his first name, but forgot his last. This work was successful and done in the early 2000s. Good luck. JWL

[lump]

Deane, 

 

Have you checked with specialists who build special rear end assemblies for drag racing purposes? If I remember correctly, the rear ends out of 1950's Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs were very popular with Ford and Chevy drag racers in the early 60's, because they were stronger units. While other rear axle assy's have surpassed them today as the go-to units for dragsters, there is a very popular movement among enthusiasts of vintage drag racing equipment to use period-correct components. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the big axle companies has reproduced those crush collars for their own shop use. 

 

I'm thinking of companies like Curry Enterprises, Strange Engineering, Moser Enterprises, Mark Williams Enterprises, Etc. Contact those folks, and if they cannot help you, I'll bet they can steer you to someone who can. 

[deane bruce]

JW, thanks for the response. It is reassuring to know someone has successfully used this method in the past. Thank you, Bruce

[Pfeil]

On ‎12‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 1:14 PM, lump said:

Deane, 

 

Have you checked with specialists who build special rear end assemblies for drag racing purposes? If I remember correctly, the rear ends out of 1950's Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs were very popular with Ford and Chevy drag racers in the early 60's, because they were stronger units. While other rear axle assy's have surpassed them today as the go-to units for dragsters, there is a very popular movement among enthusiasts of vintage drag racing equipment to use period-correct components. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the big axle companies has reproduced those crush collars for their own shop use. 

 

I'm thinking of companies like Curry Enterprises, Strange Engineering, Moser Enterprises, Mark Williams Enterprises, Etc. Contact those folks, and if they cannot help you, I'll bet they can steer you to someone who can. 

The rear ends you are talking about are the big Pontiac/Olds 9.3" rear ends. The first one was the1957 with 27 spline axles, the 58-1964  with 32 spline  axles would easily take 1,200 + HP engines which is why they were used by dragsters and funny cars.

[lump]

15 hours ago, Pfeil said:

The rear ends you are talking about are the big Pontiac/Olds 9.3" rear ends. The first one was the1957 with 27 spline axles, the 58-1964  with 32 spline  axles would easily take 1,200 + HP engines which is why they were used by dragsters and funny cars.

Thanks, Pfeil. Glad to learn the details.