1951 gmc

[ts3342]

Hello getting ready to build my first truck 1951 GMC . Got the truck they where building a rat rod out of it.It is sitting on a s 10 frame so i am going to use it. First it has a 2 wheel drive rearend and i see on here they are to narrow. Most poeple say use the 4 wheel drive its wider my question is how strong are they will they hold up ? What other choices do i have and if i have to cut one down what is the measurement from flange to flange. Also what is a good size rear wheel i am thinking 15 x8 . Sorry about so many dumb question also not building a rat rod i like old school look .

[iowaboynca]

TS, 1st off, welcome to the site, the information here is priceless. 2nd, I'm calling it here...my Iowa State Cyclones are beating the Mountaineers to become bowl eligible!!! 3rd, what do you want? Trophy winning show truck, full blown restoration, a resto-mod...etc? Based upon the feedback found on this site, its best to lay out the expectations of your build and the parts will shake themselves out.

Getting back to your questions: rearends, you'll find a lot of suggestions here! Personally, i'm using a 8.8 out of a F*&D explorer...the eddie bauer's come with 3.73 gears, limited slip and disk brakes and the width works well. Wheels again the sky is the limit!

And lastly...there is no such thing as a dumb question on this site...otherwise this site wouldn't exist!

[FLATROCKER]

Welcome ! My 54 gmc on s10 frame uses stock 2wd rearend. I cut bed side and made a 2inch wide narrow tub to clear the tire. I currently using a stock 15x8 corvette rally wheel and it fits great. Stock s10 rear is fine as long as you don't plan on throwing a lot of horsepower at it or beating on it too severely. Fine for me for now as I have a stock 283 2 bbl engine. If your going to narrow a rearend just make sure you buy the wheels and tires you want before cutting.

[tlorber]

I working on a '54 GMC on an S10 chassis. I got a mid 70's Camaro rear axle because I don't want to tub the bed. I want to be able to carry plywood or Sheetrock occasionally so I need the full 48". I bought some 17x8 zero offset Rev Classics for the rear (I believe they have 245's on them) and they will clear the bed.

You can find the measurements on my build link below if you need them.

[ts3342]

Hey thanks for everyones comments going with a full time driver,Maybe drive it across the us in any weather. Going with small block power and auto trans. maybe put a trailer hitch on it and drag a little scottie behind me.Got the frame table cleaned off going to throw that s 10 frame on it and start fabbing i like the 8.8 rearend that might work .