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In this Discussion
- 46HudsonPU May 2006
- barry May 2006
- jr38special May 2006
- jsrail May 2006
Will my rear end hold up??
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I want to put a 350 or 400 sbc in my 46 Hudson super six coupe......has anyone done this before and can tell me any possible problems?? The main question is will the stock rea end hold up? I dont plan on horsing it too much, just a ggod driver. I will probably put in a 350 trans as well. Thanks JR new guy
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JR, there are a couple of us building modified Hudsons, so I'm sure there will be some good tips coming. In my opinion, if you are going to stomp on this at all, I'd change rear ends. I'm waiting for more info (a current thread on this forum) where some guys are trying to see if there is an upgrade kit for the Hudson Dana 44's. That way you could have a strong rear end that would take almost any abuse you would give it. And its a bolt-in!
I am building a daily driver as well, but I know that I will want to romp on it occasionally when I'm on the highway! I'm using a '95 Corvette (all alum.) LT1 and 4L60e combo in my '50 Pacemaker Coupe. Your's sounds like a good combo, but I would recommend an o/d tranny if you're going to do any long trips (400 or 700R4). Or maybe an overdrive unit, but I think they are still pretty pricey.
There're plenty of guys here who have installed (or are installing) a SBC or BB Chevy in their cars and can give you some things to watch out for, especially if you are keeping the stock front suspension (i.e. clearance issues, etc.) I am going with the Fatman Mustang II stub frame and suspension to upgrade to a modern frontend and get it very low.
Anyhow, welcome to the group and send some pics when you can. Where are you located? There's alot of good guys on this forum with years of experience and tips. I'm just returning to the hobby after 25 years (been building hawgs and rock crawlers over the years). And don't pay attention to those critics of the SBC! lol
Jay
"but its a dry heat!" -
If you are going to put an SBC/TH350, I recommend changing out the rear, as the gear ratio on the '46 Hudsons is pretty extreme for highway driving.jr38special wrote:I want to put a 350 or 400 sbc in my 46 Hudson super six coupe......has anyone done this before and can tell me any possible problems?? The main question is will the stock rea end hold up? I dont plan on horsing it too much, just a ggod driver. I will probably put in a 350 trans as well. Thanks JR new guy
As Jay recommends, I would look into a 700R4 - and even then I would recommend changing out the rear to a more modern setup. If you do a search on previous posts, you'll find a lot on rearend swaps, which should give you a good idea as to where to 'start looking'. A Ford 8.8 would probably be good, as I understand that the wheel bolt pattern is compatible (not sure of the models, but that information is in the previous posts as well).
Me - I'd go with a 5.3L-5.7L Vortec, with a 4L60E trans, coupled to a 3.42 - 3.8 rear. Equates to about 2200-2400 engine RPM @ 65-70 MPH (depending on the rear gear ratio).
BTW - as long as you are looking into improvement of the 'go power', you might want to consider the 'stopping power' as well (brakes).
The beginnings of a 'can of worms', huh?
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Jr. I am the other of the couple of guys that Jay mentioned that has just built a Custom. You can try the old rear end, won't cost much to try, only modifing the drive line. I don't know how tough the old rear ends are, this would be a good test.
If you plan an up date, figure out the width, please don't set one up with the tires sticking out from under the fenders. Their is a formula for rear end ratio/ tire size/transmission/ and R.P.M. I've lost the formula ,but someone will have it. I would not want over 2,000 R.P.M. at 70 M.P.H. I had a 35 Dodge running a 350/350 with a 3:00 that ran 3,000 at 70 MPH, drove me nuts, and only got 15 miles to the gallon.
Good luck with your rod, Barry -
Here's a thread on a spreadsheet and an online calculator for RPM/MPH...barry wrote:Jr. I am the other of the couple of guys that Jay mentioned that has just built a Custom. You can try the old rear end, won't cost much to try, only modifing the drive line. I don't know how tough the old rear ends are, this would be a good test.
If you plan an up date, figure out the width, please don't set one up with the tires sticking out from under the fenders. Their is a formula for rear end ratio/ tire size/transmission/ and R.P.M. I've lost the formula ,but someone will have it. I would not want over 2,000 R.P.M. at 70 M.P.H. I had a 35 Dodge running a 350/350 with a 3:00 that ran 3,000 at 70 MPH, drove me nuts, and only got 15 miles to the gallon.
Good luck with your rod, Barry
http://www.classiccar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4746
Not sure of the gear ratio on the TH350, but the 3000 RPM @ 70 MPH with a 3.00 rear sounds like it is 'in the ball park'. A 700R4 OD trans would have taken it well under 2000 rpm - You probably would have had to increase the ratio on the rear.
According to the Hudson Mechanical Procedure Manual (1942-1947) the available rear gear ratios were 4 1/8; 4 5/9 or 4 7/8. That equates to around 3500 RPM @ 70 MPH with the lowest available ratio! -
This is a picture of the beast in progress......
