I have a 31 Chevy Sedan and was wondering what rear end to use without having to cut it down.
Thanks in advance!!
Buck

I am in the process of building a 30 chevy streetrod,and have found one owner with 72 Nova,another with a 79 Lincoln Versalles.I think that you can probably find the best info on rear ends at http://hiqties.hypermart.net/9inch.html
--
Monty

i have friends with lincoln rear ends......did it for the breaks? they are all unhappy and wish they would have used reg. 9 inch. also a lot of people i know use S-10.i dont know specs. check it out. what a great car for a rod.......... other than danas, mopar 8.75 can take more power and torque than reg. 9 inch according to info i have read......i think mopar could take over 430 hp. but i have seen a blown 440 mopar explode the 8.75 out the rear in the burnout area and throw the parts into the race cars in the staging lanes.... ouch.....tom
--
pink rod ... tom

I'm building a 31 Chevy sedan too and I used a '71(or '72?) Nova 10 bolt rearend to get the frame rolling and the tires fit inside the fenders just about right, with standard offset steel wheels. I did find a '58 T-bird 9" rearend which is about the same width and I'm going to switch to that because its stronger and I tend to be a little hard on rearends. The narrow 9" rearends ('57 thru '59 Ford) are getting hard to find. 8" Ford rears are plenty strong if your engine has moderate hp and there are a few of them still around. I saw some in a local junk yard last weekend. The link to enjenjo's page in one of the messages above is a good source of info. His chevy rearend page has some info on widths of early Nova and S-10 rears too: http://hiqties.hypermart.net/chevyrear.html . From my experience you want to look for something around 57 or 58" from axle flange to axle flange (where the wheel bolts on). If you have to go with a wider rear end, wider fiberglas rear fenders are available and wheels are available in various offsets so you can get the right combination to put your tire right where you want it in the fender. Narrowing a rear end is still an option too. It doesn't cost a terrible amount. Here's Moser Engineering's page with some info: http://www.moserengineering.com/moser_interior/shopservices.htm

I built and drive a '31 Chevy pickup too (basically same frame as sedan) and I am using the original springs and mounts and it rides real good. The sedan didn't come with springs and the back of the frame had been cut so I had to use different springs and weld mounts on the frame.

While I was locating the front end and rear end on the frame, I think I had the body on and off the frame a dozen times before I did my final welding but now that the chassis is done it was worth it because I have the stance I was looking for. Take your time and have fun and don't be afraid to ask questions.

The early Chevys have a lot of wood in the bodies....but that's a whole 'nother subject.

You might check out the 6cyl Jeep Wranglers at the boneyard. They use a lot of Dana 44's. IF you are just building a cruiser a 35model would do the job. Those are plentiful under the Cherokees. As far as not having to have them narrowed, those are my .02. OK, so I lean a bit towards Dana products! :) I have abused them badly and have had no troubles with them.

Sorry, I almost forgot! The old IH Scouts commonly had Dana 44's also.