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14 bolt or d70

axle choice

  • 14 Bolt Full floater

    Votes: 16 57.1%

  • Dana 70

    Votes: 12 42.9%
  • Total voters
    28
buffblazer

buffblazer

1/2 ton status
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found a 14 bolt with a gov lock in it and a d70 with gears and a detroit out of a mil truck.

only a hundred bucks difference between the two with the 70 being more expensive.

gonna go under a 86 k5 which one would yall recomend?
 
Go with the D70HD. Gear ratios way down to 7.17 and you can get a few locking diffs, too.

These axles are BEEF. Carrier bearings are HUGE compared to a 14FF. 35 spline over the 14FF's 30 splines. Ring gear is 10.54" compared to 10.5" on 14FF. Wide track width makes it the best candidate for H1 wheels with no mods.
 
I would get the 70.1 1/2 35 spline shafts and you wont be stuck with freeway gears.Whats not to like :D

I had a built 14 bolt and got rid of it for my Dana 70.Everyone will tell you that its more $$ to build a 70 and parts are hard to find.Its the same cost to build either.The only thing thats more expensive for a 70 is a Detroit for a one piece carrier.Get a 70 with a two piece and its the same price as a 14 bolt.And parts are readily available for all 70 versions.
 
I should be getting a second tommorrow! Prolly half a dozen 14 bolts too. Along with another SRW Crew cab.


Sorry for the HI-JACK!
 
A D70 wont bolt into a K5 will it? From the OP's other threads(I think) he preferred bolt in. Also 33" to 35" tires max. I chose/found a 3/4 14ff so I could bolt in right off the bat, then buy perches if or when I wanted to adjust angle.

Kenny
 
solely on stats given i would pick the gears and detroit over 100 bucks difference and govlok anyday.
 
Kenny78 said:
A D70 wont bolt into a K5 will it? From the OP's other threads(I think) he preferred bolt in. Also 33" to 35" tires max. I chose/found a 3/4 14ff so I could bolt in right off the bat, then buy perches if or when I wanted to adjust angle.

Kenny
Click to expand...


Dana 70's always have the 1-ton spring spacing, so no they will not bolt into a K5.
 
thatK30guy said:
Go with the D70HD. Gear ratios way down to 7.17 and you can get a few locking diffs, too.
Click to expand...

True, but you can get an ARB or (cheap) Detroit for the 14 bolt and what more could you need? Other than the gov-lok there is no real posi for the 14 bolt I guess.

thatK30guy said:
35 spline over the 14FF's 30 splines.
Click to expand...

The 14 bolts shafts are cut at a different pressure angle than the D70's and hence the lower spline count. They are 1.625" which is closest to 37 spline Dana shafts, 14 bolt shafts have proven time and again to be stronger than 35 spline stuff.

But the 35 spline D70 shafts are pretty strong, depends on the use.


thatK30guy said:
Ring gear is 10.54" compared to 10.5" on 14FF. Wide track width makes it the best candidate for H1 wheels with no mods.
Click to expand...

The ring and pinion setup on a 14 bolt is significantly stronger than the D70 despite that .04" difference in technical ring gear size. This is due to the third pinion bearing which practically eliminates pinion deflection (which is the cause of most ring and pinion failures).



One pro for the D70 that hasn't been mentioned is that it generally has larger (and hence more difficult to bend) axle tubes.




So basically the D70 has deeper gear available (5.38 is the lowest for a 14 bolt, 7.17 is the lowest D70) and generally has thicker axle tubes.

The 14 bolt has bigger shafts and a stronger ring and pinion, along with cheap detroits.




Between the two that you have to choose from the D70 is definitely the better way to go IF it has 35 spline shafts. IIRC some of the old military trucks had coarse spline shafts which are less desirable.

The 14 bolt would require a new carrier for any kind of locker, the gov-lok carrier won't accept a detroit (though open carriers are usually pretty cheap and a detroit will install in that).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
And I should have asked first, but what's the use of the truck and what size tire? The gov-lok isn't all bad, but its not good in the rocks.

3/4 ton or 1 ton 14 bolt? The 3/4 ton would bolt in.
 
whats the difference between a 3/4 ton and 1 ton 14bff?just wondering cause i just picked up a 14 and didnt know there was a difference

sorry to hijack your thread
 
couch said:
whats the difference between a 3/4 ton and 1 ton 14bff?just wondering cause i just picked up a 14 and didnt know there was a difference

sorry to hijack your thread
Click to expand...

3/4tons will bolt into a K5/halfton truck with no mods to either.
1tons will need the spring perches moved...or the spring hangers on the frame changed.

To the OP:
If the gears don't match what you have in the front....you will have to change them, need to factor in that too. Unless you plan on a gear change and the D70 has to ratio you are looking for.

I voted 14B, weld it and bolt it in. But I have no experiance with the D70.
 
so the axle physically is the same axle just different mounts? ok. cause i just bolted in both axles out of a 3/4 ton under my 76 k5 without any problems. just had to get new u bolts . but strength wise its all the same right?
 
couch said:
so the axle physically is the same axle just different mounts? ok. cause i just bolted in both axles out of a 3/4 ton under my 76 k5 without any problems. just had to get new u bolts . but strength wise its all the same right?
Click to expand...

Yeah I believe they are the same axle, other than the spring perches.
 
38377k5 said:
True, but you can get an ARB or (cheap) Detroit for the 14 bolt and what more could you need? Other than the gov-lok there is no real posi for the 14 bolt I guess.



The 14 bolts shafts are cut at a different pressure angle than the D70's and hence the lower spline count. They are 1.625" which is closest to 37 spline Dana shafts, 14 bolt shafts have proven time and again to be stronger than 35 spline stuff.

But the 35 spline D70 shafts are pretty strong, depends on the use.




The ring and pinion setup on a 14 bolt is significantly stronger than the D70 despite that .04" difference in technical ring gear size. This is due to the third pinion bearing which practically eliminates pinion deflection (which is the cause of most ring and pinion failures).



One pro for the D70 that hasn't been mentioned is that it generally has larger (and hence more difficult to bend) axle tubes.




So basically the D70 has deeper gear available (5.38 is the lowest for a 14 bolt, 7.17 is the lowest D70) and generally has thicker axle tubes.

The 14 bolt has bigger shafts and a stronger ring and pinion, along with cheap detroits.




Between the two that you have to choose from the D70 is definitely the better way to go IF it has 35 spline shafts. IIRC some of the old military trucks had coarse spline shafts which are less desirable.

The 14 bolt would require a new carrier for any kind of locker, the gov-lok carrier won't accept a detroit (though open carriers are usually pretty cheap and a detroit will install in that).
Click to expand...
So I take it you voted 14FF.... :rolleyes:
 
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