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12 bolt vs 10 bolt

J

jacked_86chevyk10

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SNELLVILLE, GA
how much stronger is a 12 bolt than a 10 bolt rear? im building a pavement pounder (i know...but i also have a k5 mud bucket!) and i have some 15" weld racing that i really like, how much tire will my 10 bolt honestly stand on the road? ive searched through past threads and no one really has an answer for jus dailydriving on 1/2 gear...what would be the best idea for this setup? or possibly running a 14 bolt SF (the 6 lug type, but the only problem is i dont know where to get those SF 14 bolt...what kinda truck/van did they come in?) im tired of drivin the mudbucket around bc clean is good sometimes....thanks fellas
 
35's is recommended largest size on 1/2 ton gear. I happily drive to work and wheel with a 12 bolt , and I am stubborn so I will use it until its dead . A lot of people would say upgrade to a stronger axle , but if it won't really get wheeled hard , spend the money on some emissions legal performance enhancers .

I have seen 8 lug 14bsf in Suburbans 3/4 ton and 6 lug in later model Tahoes, Suburbans , pickups . /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif
 
I'd be realy leary of trying to go bigger that 35's IMO.
 
The 12 bolt is only stonger than the 10 by hair, not worth a swap IMO.

Hell, if your just driving on the streets you could slap some 40's on those babies!
 
*Hi-Jack On* About what year are the 14bsf found in those vehicles. That's what I want for my rig. *Hi-Jack Off*
 
In all honesty, a 14 bolt FF with 8 to 6 lug adaptor ( will line rear wheels up with front ) isn't a bad idea. Plus a 14 bolt FF is cheap.
 
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*Hi-Jack On* About what year are the 14bsf found in those vehicles. That's what I want for my rig. *Hi-Jack Off*

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I have seen them in the '88 and newer light duty 3/4 trucks. They may be in others as well. If you get one from an '88 or newer it will need new spring perches welded on.
 
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The 12 bolt is only stonger than the 10 by hair, not worth a swap IMO.

Hell, if your just driving on the streets you could slap some 40's on those babies!

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I ran a 10 bolt front and a 12 bolt rear w/gov-lok and 17/40-15 monster mudders on the street and often in the mud and never had any problems. I say go for it.


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In all honesty, a 14 bolt FF with 8 to 6 lug adaptor ( will line rear wheels up with front ) isn't a bad idea. Plus a 14 bolt FF is cheap.

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A 14 bolt FF is cheap, but it will likely not match his front gear ratio. If he needs to swap a front gear ratio it makes the 14 FF not seem as cheap anymore, especially after buying adapters. I would think that for street use and mild wheelin' that he might be better to strengthen the 10 bolt if breakage becomes an issue. /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif If a different gear ratio is desired then it would be cheap to buy a matched set of 3/4 tons /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
depends on how much power your pushin, and how you are drivin it... If your doin burnouts then id keep em around 35" or so, if your just cruisin, 40's would be fine, prolly even larger.. Many factors weigh in on this..... I ran 38's on half ton gear for a long time, broke one rear axle, and that was just cuz i was being stupid.
 
thanks fella, theres a guy on cardomain who ran 44 tsl with 1/2 gear and he had one of those 14bsf...sweettruck though!!! but thats the way ill prolly go..thanks for the comments and recomendations!!! I JUS GOTTA SAY MAN I LOVE CK5!!!!!
 
For a truck that will mainly be street cruising the biggest issue will be the horsepower and how hard it is being used. From my experience a 10 or 12-bolt will not hold up very well behind a mild to medium small block, 35" or bigger tires, AND hard street use (burn-outs, heavy towing, etc....). I'm not saying it will always break the first time you spin the tires, but it will eventually break if abused.

The 14SF would be a nice compromise, though I'm not sure why so many people think they are hard to find. The 8-lug 14SF was used in most 3/4 ton GM trucks from the early-80's on. The 6-lug version was introduced with the body style change (IFS trucks) in '88 and used in the light duty 3/4 tons and a few 1/2 tons, though I don't believe it's a bolt-in on a pre-'88 truck. It should be fairly easy to either re-drill the shafts and drums from 8-lug to 6-lug, or just swap in the 6-lug stuff onto an 8-lug axle.
 
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The 12 bolt is only stonger than the 10 by hair, not worth a swap IMO.

Hell, if your just driving on the streets you could slap some 40's on those babies!

[/ QUOTE ]

I ran a 10 bolt front and a 12 bolt rear w/gov-lok and 17/40-15 monster mudders on the street and often in the mud and never had any problems. I say go for it.


[ QUOTE ]
In all honesty, a 14 bolt FF with 8 to 6 lug adaptor ( will line rear wheels up with front ) isn't a bad idea. Plus a 14 bolt FF is cheap.

[/ QUOTE ]

A 14 bolt FF is cheap, but it will likely not match his front gear ratio. If he needs to swap a front gear ratio it makes the 14 FF not seem as cheap anymore, especially after buying adapters. I would think that for street use and mild wheelin' that he might be better to strengthen the 10 bolt if breakage becomes an issue. /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif If a different gear ratio is desired then it would be cheap to buy a matched set of 3/4 tons /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

[/ QUOTE ] Isn't he also talking about going to larger tires ??? In my mind that also means regearing so ya don't burn up a automadic transmission. Yeap, the matched 3/4 tons is the rought I'd go.
 
In my opinion the 12 bolt is not any stronger than the 10 bolt. Some parts of it are even weaker. Ring and pinion is bigger, yes...but the rest of it is just as worthless as a 10 bolt.

Knowing what I know now I would never spend a dime on anything less than a D44/10 bolt front with 8 lugs and 14 full floater rear. I see no point in going with anything smaller than that when 3/4 ton axles are a dime a dozen.
 
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