I should have listened to you guys...6 lug to 5 lug conversion

[par4tom]

My 61 chevy truck has a rear end from a 66 or 67 chevy truck in it and it is a 6-lug. The number on the differential is HC 8 06w. I believe (and check me if I'm wrong), this is a 3.73 Posi unit manufactured in August of 1966. It has the 12 bolt pattern and has never been modified.

Anyway, I've spent the last 3 years working on restoring this truck and originally I thought I would be able to find a nice set of 6 lug rims to fit this truck, but due to the fact I am trying to put as wide a wheel as possible in the rear, I have found out that the selection with the correct offset is VERY limited. (I am leaning towards the Torq Thrust II wheels). It's no wonder so many of you have moved to the 5 lug setups.

So...I sit here this morning contemplating swapping out the rear axels and putting in a set of Moser axels with 5 lugs. My front setup is McGaughy's drop spindles with 6 lugs and I can swap into a 5 lug for about another $150 bucks and swapping out the rotors. No problems there...

My question is threefold:

1. How do I go about selecting the right Moser axels?
2. Because this unit is a posi, is the job of switching these out beyond the reach of a true shade-tree mechanic?
3. What have some of you guys done who have actually made this specific type of switch?

I am not interested in swapping out the entire differential, just the axels. This truck is about a 400 hp street machine...nothing for the drag-strip required.

Thank you,
Tom