VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 rebuilding ring and pinion on my 1950 P/G

I'm going to start this project. No one in my area has done this on the enclosed drive shaft. Any opinions, help, suggestions are appreciated. I will have a mechanic help, but he has only done open rear ends.
I have new bearings, shims, ring and pinion. Wish me luck.

Not really much different than an open shaft rear except for the method of the driveshaft and pinion locking arrangement. Needless to say if you have questions ask here but I also suggest you have a copy of the Chevrolet rebuild booklet available from several sources.

I have a 4:11 rear axle that I am going to rebuild. Are the side gears the same as a 3:55

The side (AXLE AND PINION GEARS) ARE THE SAME BUT THE CASE THE RING GEAR IS BOLTED TO IS DIFFERENT DUE TO THE DIFFERENT THICKNESSES OF THE 3.55 RING GEAR AND PINION.

Thank you very much.

I have a problem with the assembly. After installing everything and tightening the 3 set screws on the lock ring , i can move the assembly rearward about 1/4 inch. What have I done wrong?

My guess is the the ring is not all the way in. That is the hardest part of the job to get the ring seated.

I would pay to have this assembled.Anyone? You interested , Gene?

Remove the three locking screws and with a long drift/punch tap the bearing in to be sure it is seated. It can be difficult to get it seated as I had a similar problem when rebuilding a rear for my 51. Make sure the lock sleeve is forward of the lock screws . You really need to have a repair manual for assembly as it explains how to assemble and properly shim and adjust. Did you install the lock ring with the bevel towards the pinion?

LUGGNUTT, what did you do, regarding the different internal case, for the 3:55 ?

I used all my old components. The front pinion bearing was my noise. The ring and pinion were good. I replaced both pinion bearings and the side bearings. I didn't use any of the 4:11 parts

We got it together !!!! The lock ring was slightly out of round. Marked the high spots and very carefully filed them down. After lots of work it dropped in. The clearances are good and I should be back on the road soon.

Good job and thanks for the update. Always appreciate what Paul Harvey called "the rest of the story".

If the 3:55 ring and pinion uses a different internal case, as stated by Gene, I am not clear as to how this rear end went together, going from the 4:11 to the 3:55.

The internal case is the part which the ring gear attaches to.

I used the original case and ring and pinion . I have a 4:11 but i did not use any of it. I would have if you had not told me the case would not work. The key to this was finding the out of round lock ring . I don't know how it got that way, but no way would it slide into the housing.
Thanks for the help and encouragement. The next one will be lots easier.

When I rebuilt my rear end I changed the ratio to 355 from 411 and had to change the case. Once I had the correct 355 case I measured it and found it was 100 thousandths thinner so I am guessing that by machining that amount off the 411 case it could be used.

The above was posted on 6-25-18. Let us know how it worked out for you ...... without changing the internal case.

Bob I believe the original rear for a powerglide is 3.55 so if he used all his original parts nothing was changed. Title says "1950 P/G".

I put a 53 std. rear end in my 50 and rebuilt it using 3:55 gears. It has a bigger torque tube and the Bendix brakes. It has the same carrier as the P.G. rear. The number cast on it #3691463 which is the one you want for those gears. A plus is I have a set of good 3:73 gears which is a good ratio also.

The key to this is clean,clean,clean. I pressure washed the torque tube housing. That isn't enough. We took wire brushes, scuff pads and other means to get the inside of the housing shiny. Any amount of build up will make it harder to assemble. The lock ring for the front bearing must be as close to round as possible. It took an hour of sanding to get it ready. I hope I never have to do this again, but I learned a lot.
I have been a Corvair restorer for 40 plus years. They are lots easier.

Also packing chassis grease behind the lock ring will help in keeping it in placw during installation.

Correct on the 3:55 with P.G. Poster stated he was overhauling a 4:11 with 3:55 parts.

From his later post : "I didn't use any of the 4:11 parts". "I used all my old components."

I just took the 50 for a drive . It is quiet as a church mouse. We used .028 shims on the pinion and set the back lash at.008. The pattern is perfect and the noise is gone. Thanks all for the tips and encouragement.
I do have a new 3:55/1 ring and pinion for sale. I bought it from a vendor but I have had it so long , I wouldn't ask to return. I want $250.00 for it plus freight.

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