Updating a truck’s axles

Question:

Having recently retired, I agreed to assist a colleague in restoring a 1948 Dodge Power Wagon. He asked for my help because I have customized a 1949 five window Chevrolet Pickup and am working on restoring a 1957 Chevy station wagon.

He wants to upgrade the axles and running gear in the Power Wagon. We have the truck down to the frame, have most of the body stripped and are ready to POR the frame. I was able to obtain a Dodge 360 cid short block and found a set of heads at a machine shop that we obtained quite reasonably.

We are looking at the axles and running gear from a late ’70s or early ’80s 1/2-ton or 3/4-ton truck. I visited with the folks at our local Dodge dealer and they said that the only difference between the 1/2-ton and 3/4-ton is the size of the springs. We, of course, would use the springs from the ’48 anyway.

So, the question then is, are we looking at the right vehicles to use in our upgrade? We want to stay away from anything newer, from the ’90s or later.

Answer:

The issue you will need to deal with if you hope to use the axle assemblies from a newer vehicle is the difference in dimensions. A late 1970s or early 1980s 1⁄2-ton or 3/4-ton truck will almost certainly have a wider track than the axles that came in your ’48 Power Wagon. The axle assemblies can be narrowed to fit the Power Wagon chassis but this task is best entrusted to an experienced professional.