55.2-59 Stock Rear Axle Info?

[57chev3100]

Looking for any information on what the stock rear axle width [wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface] is for a 1957 3100.

My truck currently has an axle that is too wide and the fenders contact the tires when a few people are in the back. Unfortunately the truck is in storage at a 'non essential' location and combined with our lock down I cannot get to it to measure.

As I look for a replacement, any advice for me? Thanks.

[mr48chev]

I'm finding one site that says 62 but I have a 55 axle out here that I can measure tomorrow if I remember. I need to swap wheels on it anyhow to get a pair of tires that are the same size.

Hopefully someone will give that measurement earlier though.

[geezer#99]

I think 62 is correct.
But the width might not be the problem.
Perhaps the wheels are at fault if they’re not stock.
Does it have the stock factory steel wheels on it?

[mr48chev]

I thought about that last night but figured that had already been considered.

20/30 years ago guys thought they had to stick the widest deepest reverse wheels they could find on these trucks because that was the look at the time an it was the norm rather then the exception. The thought that if 7's with a reasonable back space worked perfect 8's with a deeper reverse would be cooler and tens with a super deep backspace would be wild.

Still a 69 or later axle puts the tires out real close to the fenders as those are a couple of inches wider.

[mr48chev]

With pieces of square tubing clamped to the mounting surface I get 62 -1/8 front and rear meaning on both sides of the drum in case one was wonky.

[57chev3100]

Thanks guys for all the details, that really helps a lot.

The current wheels are 15×8 wheels with 1" negative offset. Looking at the body width info the fenders should be about 76" , which by my math would still tuck these wheels inside by a couple inches. Instead the tires bulge is outside of that and contacting the tread with 235/75 tires.

So, I found a post recently referring the use of a Toyota Tacom 4x4 axle as a replacement, are there other 6 lug axles that also could be used? Salvage yards are charging $600 + from what I found via a quick search.

Thanks guys!

[mr48chev]

Wheels with less offset are a lot cheaper. It only takes a half hour and no money to jack it up, pull the wheels and measure the wms to wms when you get the truck out.

It's certain years of toyota 4x4 that work. I looked that up for Blu Don because in his part of the world you would expect the Toyotas to be quite common While our normal state side 6 lug donors might be real hard to come up with there.

[57chev3100]

Completely agree on different wheels being s cheaper and much easier solution! When I get access to the vehicle that will be one of the first things I do.

New wheels to solve the rear will have to be a balancing act with the front, as I converted to disc and have heard a lot of steel wheels do not clear the calipers. Again something I will need to measure when I get access, just looking to figure some of this out while under this "house arrest "

[mr48chev]

There should be plenty of steel wheels that are six lug and work with disk brakes that are the right width around.

Still getting your homework done as much as possible will speed things up when the time to get it done comes around.

In some ways I am one of the lucky ones as I am retired and my house sits in the middle of a 70 acre alfalfa field and is 400 ft off the highway. The closest house is my moms that is 300 yards away and I can be outside all day without having contact with anyone besides my wife.

The cat and I spent today fighting with the window regulator on one of my OT cars. He only supervises though. So far the regulator has us wooped.

[57chev3100]

Making me jealous!

Any idea on where to find information on wheel measurements? Thinking if I could put together a list with more than just back spacing would be helpful. Otherwise I envision making a template of my front axle set up to clear the 12" rotors & calipers and then the rear with width and drum info.