Question for you V-8 guys...

RG53Hornet

To the point now where I need to address the driveshaft issue. Have a ’53 Hornet 4 door sedan. I already got some info from here on sourcing the center bearing, but I’m starting to wonder about how well the stock shafts will hold up. The whole thing seems kind of small in diameter, but the slip joint to the rear of the center bearing is real tiny. (Maybe only an inch or so in diameter) I am running a stock ’76 Chevy 350 w/a TH350 trans, so not a real powerhouse combo. I'm not building a race car, just a family croozer.

My question would be to any of you who are running non-Hudson engines, what engine/trans are you running and what have you used for a driveshaft?

Thanks in advance.

rambos_ride

I'm right in the middle of stuffing a GM 454/TH400 into my 49 Commodore 8 4dr sedan, I got the engine/trans out of a 73 Chev 3/4 ton pickup which also had a 2-piece driveline.



I going to try and use the driveline out of the truck since it's beefy (about 1-2x original in diameter) the and the center bearing looks beefier as well. I will have to have the rear shaft shortened and I'm looking at fitting it to a 9" Ford rear end - so the end of the rear shaft will need to be modified to fit the Ford.



I'll also have to make a transmission x-member for the rear trans mount, a new mounting plate for the center carrier and modify the rear x-member that the original rear driveshaft fits through ( the big "oval" whole in the x-member nearest the rear axle needs to be enlarged a bit to fit driveline and exhaust through).



I'm about 50% done but so far it looks like I won't need to make any modifications to the floor pan/tunnel area other than the center transmission cover and that is only a slight mod to make it fit.



You might be able to get a 1-piece driveline to work with a bigger driveline shaft but with the long wheel base you might have a ground clearance problem because of the angle and length - with the 2-piece drivline the front shaft can come out of the transmission output shaft relatively straight and then pivot to the rear end from the center bearing.



That's my twisted thinking anyway - until I get it on the road it's all theory on my part!

Unknown

Hi RG53Hornet! I used the original driveshafts, and have had no problems. At the center, I used the tip that is on Ken Cate's restoration website. Drill out the rubber cushions, and put bolts thru instead. I had to get a different end put on the rear shaft, to mate with the Ford 9in, and I had to get a different end on the front, to mate with the 700R-4. I've been told you can't use a one-piece driveshaft, without re-working the driveshaft tunnel, because the car will "sit" on the driveshaft. As long as you're running regular "street tires", I don't think you have to worry about the original shaft being strong enough. Just make sure you get the shafts balanced when you get them refitted.

RG53Hornet

OK, good info. I had thought about using a drive shaft from a 59-64 Chevy full size car as they are 2 piece with a center bearing, I forgot that some of the trucks were that way too. But since I’ve seen the pictures of the engine Mr. Kitchens runs in his car, I don’t think I need to look any farther than what I have. Mr. Kitchens, did you use the replacement bearing from NAPA listed on Ken Cates site? Can you guys tell if the bracket on mine is bent? (See pic) I don’t have the replacement rubber bushings yet but it doesn’t seem to line up with the holes in the support plate.

Thanks again!

Unknown

Sorry to be so short with info on my last post, but I'm usually pretty rushed, until the weekend. I took some pictures, which I hope helps you. The first, is the modification you can make to the carrier bearing support bushings. Drill them out, and put bolts thru. I used Grade 8, fine thread. Second picture is of both finished driveshafts, that I have been running since the big upgrade.(or downgrade if you're a "Purist".ha!) I've had no problems with this set-up.

RG53Hornet

wkitchens wrote:

Sorry to be so short with info on my last post, but I'm usually pretty rushed, until the weekend. I took some pictures, which I hope helps you. The first, is the modification you can make to the carrier bearing support bushings. Drill them out, and put bolts thru. I used Grade 8, fine thread. Second picture is of both finished driveshafts, that I have been running since the big upgrade.(or downgrade if you're a "Purist".ha!) I've had no problems with this set-up.

No worries on that. My computer time is limited to when one of my four daughters is not on it, so I usually read, post and get chased away. What year is you car? Looks like some changes were made by Hudson. The bracket on your support bearing looks like I would expect mine to look, equal length on both sides of the center. The one I have is longer and bent up on one side of the mounting bolt. The support brace looks completely different. My drive shaft has changes as well; the slip joint is in front of the U-Joint. (I attached some pix.) My car has been through several owners since being disassembled, so maybe I have some parts from another year car.

Unknown

WoW! They're are a lot of differences. Mine is a '48 Super Six. Offhand, I'd say," If you've got all the parts, and everything works, just keep it original,(with the exception of the shaft ends) and "freshen" it up. I guess you know that if you start changing driveshafts, and housings, you can get things out of alignment, thus creating a vibration you can never get out. I spent lots of time making sure the angles from the rear of my Chevy crankshaft, to the front of my Ford differential, were unchanged from the original.That's why my "spider senses" start going off when someone tells me thay put in a V-8 Chevy motor, Chevy tranny, and a Ford rearend, and didn't have to modify the steerarm, tierods, centerpoint steer arm, crossmember, or the driveshaft tunnel. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying if they've found a way, they're a better engineer than I am! Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

SuperDave

Trying to remember my Stock Car days. Memory is a little hazy.Using Ford 9 inchers in Chevys and other makes was, and still is quite common. I seem to recall being able to buy universal joints that mated Ford and Chevy. The Speed shops sold them and actually didn't cost any more than stock ones. Perhaps Speedway Motors would have them? Sure would save some money compared to welding on a different yoke on a drive shaft and having the thing balanced. Many years ago I put a small block Ford with an FMX automatic in a 47 Hudson Pickup and either I used the stock front U joint or used one of those "two faced" ones. Probably the easiest engine swap I ever did. That was a loooong time ago.

Dave W. Fl

Unknown

I used the stock driveshaft. I got it shortened with a new front yoke and U-joint. So far the stock rearend has been the weak link. I went though a hotchkiss style in no time flat. I now have a Spicer in it and no troubles so far.