The Build Begins: A Fast and Nasty ʼ54 Chevy Truck

When this ʼ54 Chevy truckʼs owner started building it, he wanted it to be fast and to have a nasty appearance. He always liked the Pro Street style, so that is the direction he decided to follow. He started by ordering a custom back half that was narrowed and set up with a narrowed rear differential with coilover shocks, a Panhard bar, and ladder bars. In order to complete the back half, the car was delivered to Dream Cars, where the suspension was installed.

Strange Engineering Ford 9-Inch Center Section

The truck was outfitted with a Strange Engineering-prepared Ford 9-inch center section that features 3.73:1 gears and a Traction-Lok unit. Strange also built the strong axles that should be able to hold up to the torque produced by the big-block Chevy engine.

Assembling the Differential for a Big-Block Engine

The back half came in kit form with a narrowed Ford 9-inch differential housing. It was Dream Carsʼ job to get the parts that were needed to finish the differential. Since this car is going to be powered by a 547ci big-block Chevy engine, the differential had to be equipped with racecar-strong parts. First, a Strange Engineering-prepared Ford 9-inch center section was ordered with Traction-Lok (limited slip) and 3.73:1 gears. Before the axles could be ordered, the differential center section had to be installed so the axle length could be measured. Ford differentials have an offset pinion, and that means one axle will be longer than the other.

Measuring and Installing the Axles

Dream Cars began by installing the Ford centersection and then measured from the splines in the differential to the outside of the housing to get the correct axle length. After the measurements were made, a heavy-duty differential was ordered from Strange Engineering, along with the corresponding axles. The axles are super-strong racecar units that should be able to hold up to the torque and horsepower produced by the big engine.

Adding Stopping Power: Wilwood Disc Brakes

This truck will have plenty of “go” power with its healthy Chevy engine, and that means it should also have ample “whoa” power. Dream Cars suggested using a new Wilwood disc brake system with internal emergency brakes. This will be used in conjunction with large Wilwood disc brakes on the front suspension. We will show you how Dream Cars assembled this rearend from start to finish, and in the process, we will also show you how the brakes were installed.