C1 rear end housing?

[Bruce B.]

Is the rear axle housing for a 56 to 62 Corvette interchangeable other then the differences in the bumpers and traction bar mounts?
I have a friend in the area of Darlington, SC who needs a rear end housing for a 62 Corvette. A 58 to 62 housing will work for him. Axles would also be helpful.
PM me if you have info.
Thanks.

[Tom P.]

Re: C1 rear end housing?

Bruce,
The 56-through-62 axle housings are physically interchangeable. You can literally bolt a 62 housing onto the 56 springs, connect everything together (brake line, em brake cables, U-joint, etc, etc) or vice versa, and drive it away. The 58 WILL work, BUT there is no bracket on top of the housing for the radius rods that were on the 59-62 cars. Thus, the BEST choices would be the 59-62 housings.
The 58-62 axles will be a 100% direct swap. The 57 axles are the SAME as 58-62 axles, BUT the 57 axles/housing used a narrower axle bearing than the 58-62 axles. The 56 axle housing, axle bearings and axles MUST, repeat, MUST be kept together. They are NOT interchangeable with 57-62 axles or bearings (the 56 axle bearings have a smaller diameter, thus, the end of the 56 housing is smaller).
If you have a 56 housing, but no axles, the 55-56 pass car axles/bearings are the same as 56 Vette. But, the 55-56 pass car housing is NOT interchangeable with the 56 Vette housing. The reason is because the flanges on each end, with 4 holes for the brake backing plate/axle bearing retainer are at a totally different position.

Oh yes, and one minor detail. The 56 and the 62 axle housings do not have a drain plug at the bottom center of the housing. All 57-61 housings have the drain plug. No, I do not have a clue why the 62 housing does not have a drain plug--------------the same occured with the pass car housings also, the 62-64 housings don't have the drain plug!

[Edward M.]

Re: C1 rear end housing?

If you have a 56 housing, but no axles, the 55-56 pass car axles/bearings are the same as 56 Vette. But, the 55-56 pass car housing is NOT interchangeable with the 56 Vette housing. The reason is because the flanges on each end, with 4 holes for the brake backing plate/axle bearing retainer are at a totally different position.

Tom;

This came up recently in another discussion, and I could not remember why a passenger car housing would not interchange with a Corvette housing.

You refreshed my memory somewhat. I think that the brake backing plate being in a different position was to accomodate the emergency brake cable angle, and it's entry into the backing plate. Does that sound reasonable to you?

I distinctly recall using passenger car housings in C1s many years ago, but I don't recall if we were able to get the emergency brake cable connected properly.

I believe, without knowing it for sure, that the pinion angle for 1955 to 1957 passenger cars is the same as the pnion angle for 1956 to 1962 Corvettes. In other words, the spring perches are in the same location on 55-57 passenger car housing as they are on 56-62 Corvette housings.

If there was a market, a good welder could easily convert a 55-57 passenger car housing to a Corvette housing.

[Tom P.]

Re: C1 rear end housing?

Ed,
All of that is correct. The spacing between 55-57 pass car leaf springs and 53-62 Vette leaf springs is different. I don't know the exact dimensions on each (I'll go measure), but there is a difference. Thus, to use the 55-57 pass car housing on 53-62 Vette leaf springs, the pads would have to be relocated.
I just went out and measeured the center-to-center distance of the holes in the spring pads of my spare 57 pass car housing, 46in.
Then I measeured the center-to-center distance of the leaf springs on the 56 (60 housing), 47 1/8in. On 55-57 pass cars, the spring shackles are mounted to the bottom of the frame rails, whereas on 53-62 Vettes, the shackles are mounted outboard of the frame rail (which spaces them further apart).

Here's the end of my spare 57 pass car housing showing the position of the mounting holes for the brake backing plate. And another picture showing the drain plug that is on 57-61 housings (both Vettes and pass cars).




Here's the end of a 56-62 Vette axle housing. It's quite easy to see the difference in the position of those 4 holes (this is a 60 housing in my 56).