47-59 Antique Chevy axle identification

[tcar_man]

Looking to id an old straight axle for ball bearing to tapered bearing swap. I assumed it was '41 to '59 Chevy half ton with one and three quarter inch springs, six bolt wheels etc. Length is about 50 inches between kingpin centers, kingpin diameter is about 7 eights inch. Spindle casting number is 30416.

[mr48chev]

I am pretty sure that that isn't an AD or TF truck axle and it may not be Chevy or GMC at all.

Searching and memory says what you have is a 48/52 F -1 Ford axle and spindle. That should already have tapered bearings.

Have you pulled a hub to check and what is the bolt pattern on the hub?

[mr48chev]

The first two shots are of 48/52 F 1 spindles, the last shot is a 52 F-1 frame showing the axle.

Now I have to ask what makes you assume that the axle is a Chevy?

The axle you have isn't of any use except as the axle under the trailer it sits under due to the spindle being welded to the axle if you plan to use if for anything except a trailer.

[tcar_man]

Yes, it is only good as a trailer axle which is all I need it for. I had thought it was Chevy because of the six bolt rims, as mentioned but photos of antique spindles don't show a match. No '48 to '56 Ford axles I've worked on were six bolt though I suppose somebody might have managed to install the six bolt hubs to this thing.

[mr48chev]

It's hard telling what someone cobbled together 50 years ago.

Some searching shows that the F-1 inner wheel bearing id is 1.1895

Outer wheel bearing as a .750 id

1940 Chevy 1/2 ton front inner wheel bearings measure 1.190 id.
The later AD trucks at least 48 and up measured 1.281 ID on the inner race.

Outer wheel bearing has a .750 bore

With that you can indeed put a 40 Chevy 6 lug hub on an F-1 spindle.

[tcar_man]

You're right about one thing, you never know what someone might cobble together but no one is forging i-beams or spindles in their garage. And no one is building wheel bearings except major manufacturers. Working from the spherical bearing numbers the information shows the outer bearing used in 1927 to '34 Chevys and the inner bearing number in 1931 to '35's. So in answer to my question the spherical to tapered bearing kit I have will not fit. The '55 Ford axle I have looks like it might swap in though.

[mr48chev]

That would kill a 55 axle but so be it.

Funny thing is that not long after I bought my 48 in 1973 and decided to to do a maniac speed redo on it from a 75.00 beater with a hand brushed paint job to a street rod truck to drive to the 1973 NSRA street rod nationals in Tulsa (I was living in Texas at the time) when I went to swap from the Huck brakes to drums and backing plates from a 1954 Chevy station wagon that I snagged in a wrecking yard in Crawford Texas just about where Jimmy Don's metal shop (as seen on Fixer upper) is now my spindles had a smaller od than the Chevy car inner race did and I had to swap races to get the hubs to fit. Now I have and axle out here 49 years later with the same smaller diameter spindles. Someone had swapped a 40 axle under my 48 at some time in it's life.

[dsraven]

prolly best just to get the ID, OD and width of the existing bearings and see what the bearing supply place can do for you. or check the online bearing supply specs. you will need a good accurate dimension, maybe vernier caliper if you have one. same for the hub seal. check it out and see what you find and compare that to the cost of a new axle

[1project2many]

I believe the axle in the pictures is from a Studebaker truck. The steering arm to spindle attachment is pretty unique. Try ~62ish vintage.


Edit: I didn't catch the square spindles. That's definitely Ford stuff. Leaving Studebaker pics for reference.

[mr48chev]

It could be Studebaker but it positively isn't Chevy and he already matched the wheel bearings.

Looking at the right side steering arm to see if it had a hole out beyond the hole for the tie rod for the drag link to connect to would tell one if it was Studebaker or not. They had a cross steer setup from the late 40's at least. Chevy and Ford didn't have that.

That drawing also shows round back spindles and his axle has square back spindles.

I'm pretty sure that 1/2 ton Studebaker pickups had a 5 lug bolt pattern in the 50's and early 60's.

[tcar_man]

I originally bought this trailer for the '64 Chevy fleetside longbox that was sitting on it. That along with the six bolt wheels had me thinking it was a Chevy axle (but you know what they say about assumptions). In spite of the near identical wheel base, it is about 50 inches kingpin to kingpin whereas the '41 to '59 Chevy is 50 and a half, the spindle diameter is about ten thou over that of those Chevy's and the bearing hubs were modified to six bolt. I still have no idea what this axle is.

[mr48chev]

You never know what someone might cobble somethign together out of.

I have a Tear drop trailer frame that I bought at an auction that is made out of Model T frame rails, the tongue is a piece of galvanized pipe that slips into a piece of steel pipe and is held in with one bolt. The wheels are 37/39 Ford Wide five complete with V8 hubcaps. I bought it for 10.00 at a friend's auction and he about had a fit that it didn't go for 2/300 dollars. The frame for my 48 is sitting on it now.