1959 Ramble six custom. rear axle stripped splines

The best thing you can do is take the one you have and measure it -- inside diameter (down in the splines, or measure the OD of the transmission shaft, which is on top of the splines, and would be within a few thousandths of the ID down in the splines), outside diameter, and number of splines. Count the tops of the splines, not the valleys, and make sure you tell anyone you ask for a count to count the top. that's most common, but sometimes someone just won't know or they've heard to count the valleys. Better to spell it out than be sorry later.

Oh, it will come from the transmission you have... or want to use. If you have a 196 the manual trans is a T-96. It's okay for a cruiser with the 196, but nothing bigger. And I have to go here... if the 196 is questionable in any way, now would be the time to ditch it. It's a good reliable engine and will stay that way as long as it's properly maintained. The only two "unusual" maintenance items (as far as most people are concerned) are that the head MUST be retorqued every 3 years or 10-12K miles, and the valves need to be adjusted at least at those intervals. The service manual says every 8K, but that is with daily driving, and even then there is no harm if you go 2-3 K more. I just retorqued the head bolts every time I adjusted the valves the 14 years I drove one (as a true DD -- back and forth to work, whenever I went ANYWHERE without the wife, including a few day long trips every year).  Easy to retorque the head -- loosen one bolt at a time and torque down to 60 ft/lbs. No need to worry about order UNLESS you loosen all at once. I probably said this to you already, but if you don't know when the last time the head was torqued DO IT NOW before driving AT ALL. Good heads are hard to find.

After all that, if you have considered getting rid of the 196 for more power or something easier/less expensive to get parts for, now would be the time. Get an engine and transmission (and drive shaft for the yoke and front half) all from the same donor. A 4.0L from a Jeep Cherokee is a good choice, or any other AMC six made after 1971(72+ 232/258). Why after 71? The trans bolt pattern changed and you will get a more modern (again, easier to fix/get parts for) Chrysler trans with the 72+ AMC bell pattern (same for sixes and V-8s). Or an AW4 auto OD from a Jeep. You can put a carb on the 4.0L easily, but will lose a little power over the EFI (from 190 down to about 160-170, depending on intake and carb used... might be able to get up to 180 with a Holley 450 Truck Avenger and an Offy DP intake). You can also use a more modern AMC V-8. You will need to fab motor mounts no matter what you put in. So I'll "go there" -- you can put in a "foreign" engine for the same amount of work. There is a custom shop in NC building a 58-59 wagon for a cruiser and they are considering a Ranger 2.5L EFI drivetrain. Makes sense, car weighs about the same and has about the same frontal area as a Ranger truck, should perform about the same.

What are you talking about? Si you even read my post? Who is discussing everyone swaps? There is so much info about the axles I don't need I am not sure what info is important.

FastEddy wrote: What are you talking about? Si you even read my post? Who is discussing everyone swaps? There is so much info about the axles I don't need I am not sure what info is important.

56-61 should fit. Make sure you have the correct axle (V-8 or six) and change the axle and hub together.