51' diff question.

[Mannon]

So I've been slowly restoring a 51' chevy styleline deluxe. It still has original 3sp transmission and enclosed torque-tube rear end. I've blasted and painted the housing, backing plates. New ebrake cables, wheels cylinders, fitted stainless lines, brake hardware, axle bearings and seals, everything. Well now I find myself wanting to get rid of the enclosed junk and go with an exposed one so that I may also use a 4/5sp transmission. So, in short, will a center section from a 57' fit? I can't seem to find any luck searching so far. Probably won't have much luck with you ricers but I figured I'd check before registering on yet another forum.

What I have
What I want.

[CivicB18B]

Are you a member on The Hamb? Get on there and check it, there are TONS of topics covering converting Chev torque tube setups to open driveshaft. Best bet would be use an S10 T5 for a trans. Like I said, plenty of coverage there.

www.jalopyjournal.com

[Speed Kills]

Short answer is no, the later "open drive" center won't work. The centers are not interchangeable.

Your cheapest/easiest route is going to be a 10 bolt out of an S10 or something. I think the width is even halfway close for your application too, just have to weld on some new leaf spring pads and go cruise.

Oh, and post pictures of this thing, too.

[evil8]

I have the housing you want and it even has the "P" stamp. It is attached to a 64 Impala though which you will have to discard. Housing price...16500.00