57 Chevy Rear End fix or replace?? $$$$

[BFS57]

Hello;
Lately I'm hearing that all framiliar sound 0f a wheel bearing going south. At this point, I'll rule out the front end as I just replaced and re-packed those bearings (I'll check them though). I call around to get a clue on how much this could run me. Well... As you may or may not know, the 57 chevy axle bearing was only made for that year only! Bearings are costing around $115.00 ea plus $45.00 each for the seal! Man, thats $320.00 plus shop time to remove the old and install the new at about $70.00 for both. Thats reaching the $400.00 mark and it doesn't take into consideration anything that may come up with the Pumpkin in an over 50 year old car!!! So I'm thinking... Should I fix or find a replacement from a U-Pull it and upgrade my rear end?
Now, I don't do any kind of fabrication but I can get some things welded from a guy at work but his welder is a "light duty" model so...
Give me an ear full!! What is your thoughts???

Bruce

[enjenjo]

If you can find a 9" out of a 70s Torino, it's the right width for your 57. Then you need to install the right spring perches.

[reborn55]

same width
66-67 chevelle
67-81 camaro
68-76 Nova
or another tri-five rear end

1 1/4 inches wider
68-72 Chevelle
70-72 Monte Carlo

[Carnut]

Guess I'll be odd man out and say I would do the wheel bearing replace and keep the original rear end.

Even if the car is modified in other ways, I'd keep the original rear.

[Digger]

Danchuck lists the bearings for $85 and Kanter lists them for $69 and 20 bucks for the seal.

Digger

[tomslik]

same width
66-67 chevelle

 64-67 chevelles are the same


67-81 camaro


67-69 camaros are narrower than the 70-81 camaros...

68-76 Nova

75-78 novas are wider than the 68-74's...

or another tri-five rear end

1 1/4 inches wider
68-72 Chevelle
70-72 Monte Carlo

[wayne petty]

by the way...  you might want to verify that is a chevy rear end..  some have been replaced with the much stronger olds pontiac units...

i just ran into a place that builds parts for the pontiac and olds rear ends.. including new gear sets...  has some posi's on the way also...

you can normally jack the car up...   put it in gear...  listen to the rear axle housing near the bearings with a long wooden pole to hear the noisy bearings... to verify...

you can also pop the rear tires off..     the brake drums...   grab an axle...  see if you get vertical movement..   should be none...

the rear end guy told me that some guy just spent a week there.. taking photos and learning the secrets... and is writing a book on the stronger olds pontiac rear ends...

getting bearings pressed off and on should not be that expensive.. but i will have to review your post carefully...

[GPster]

! always thought that the '55 was the one year only bearing. For me the hard part was always getting the axle out of the housing. Used to be able to borrow a little press to fit in between the back of the axle flange and the backing plate to get the bearing out of the housing. I suppose now if you had trouble you'd have to find a "Porter Power". If you could ever find old Popular Hot Roddings when they had their '57 project car they went though the Pontiac rear end bit. They even went through the bit of getting stronger axles made for it. I think when they started drag racing it they went to a 9" because it was easier to find gears for. They lucked out because the axles they had made for the Pontiac rear end were 31 spline and they could use them in the 9" by filing the sharp edges off the splines. That's the way I remember it. GPster

[Carnut]

Well now for pulling the axles and bearings out of the housing the trick was having a flywheel and some log chain handy.

Run a length of log chain thru the center of the flywheel and then bolt both ends of the chain to a couple of wheel studs and give the flywheel a good swing to yank the axle out.

That method never failed for me.

Now when you start talking about old Ford and old Chrysler hubdrums held on to a tapered and keyed axle end, that was a headache. I've broken some expensive hub pullers and various other parts and pieces trying to get them off. Needless to say I'll go with replacing one of those axles anytime with something later in design. And yes heat and very large hammers and a whole lot of sweat has been expended on those old hubdrums.

[UGLY OLDS]

Danchuck lists the bearings for $85 and Kanter lists them for $69 and 20 bucks for the seal.

Rock Auto :

TIMKEN Part # RW307R 1.3780 Bore; 3.000 Outer Diam; 0.9055 in. Width
Rear         $61.79  Ea,..........

Bob.......

[BFS57]

Hello;
Yes, I have sourced the bearings at RocAuto they are Timpkin. But first, I did a check today! My driveshaft seems good, not loose or clunking. One side (passenger) had some old signs of oil on the brake backing plate, a sure sign of a bad bearing. But when I jacked up the front (remember I said I had replaced the front berings) The tire had an ever so slight "JIGGLE" on both sides. Next, I will pull the front tires, and look at this situation.
By the way, (I see reference as to how difficult it is to pull axles) I have done this before when I first got the car as the rear end was leaking, so I pulled the thing apart and re sealed it. The axles come right out with the use of a slide hammer that bolts to it! 3 or 4 raps and the thing is out!!
As they say "piece of cake!" Ha Ha!

Bruce

[Beck]

Carnut wrote that he used a flywheel and a length of chain. I pulled many an axle in the salvage yard. There was never a flywheel around, but another junk brake drum works just as well. Just run the chain through the center of the hub. Watch out for smashed fingers using these!

How wide are the S-10 rears? They are plentiful. One trick I learned on 46 to 48 Fords was using an axle that was narrower than stock. Then install a deep dish wheel. It makes it looked mini-tubed with the extra wheel depth.

[reborn55]

http://www.enjenjo.com/chevyrear.html

[chimp koose]

does the 9" have the same bolt pattern as the 55 or would you have to mess with rims also?

[Carnut]

Used to be 9" generally had the ford/mopar 4.5" bolt circle. Don't know if they ever went to the Pickup 5.5" or the Lincoln Mercury 5.0".

Tri 5 Chevys have 4.75" bolt circle.

Also the early Olds and Pont rears had 5.0" bolt circle.