fishinnutt
1/2 ton status
I have the D70u and one nice feature of the D70u is that it is smooth as an egg on the bottom side. The one drawback to the D70u is that the pinon bearing is a bit smaller (I think it is the pinon bearing).
CK5
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14 bolt or d70
- Thread starter buffblazer
- Start date
What model dana 70 is it?
DR
1/2 ton status
What did Dana 70s come in? I have only seen them in DRW.
fishinnutt
1/2 ton status
I believe my D70u came from a 1985 Ford F350 SRW
79chevyk10
1/2 ton status
The D70 already has a detroit as stated. Does the gear ratio on the D70 match the front axle ratio? If so, go with the D70 (assuming it's 35 spl) it will be cheaper. Both are strong axles that can take the punishment. I'm a fan of the 14 bolt myself. Grind it smooth, plenty of strong as hell stock axles for spares, third pinion support bearing.
buffblazer
1/2 ton status
lots of replies to get to but yours will help clear most of them up.
the k5 wont be a hard core wheeler, it will be on 35 maybe 36's and the wheeling i will be doing will be range from nice mountain climbs, to trails that will be difficult but not bad enough to cause sheet metal damage.
the guy who is selling the axles is selling a dana 60 front and has the 14bolt and or a d70 to go with it so the gears will match i just have to decide what rear axle i want
as for the spring perches, im installing a lift so i was going to correct the pinion angle with new perches so either way i have to weld new spring perches with either the 14 bolt or the d70.
In that case, a d60 and 14bff/d70 is total overkill. Its up to you, but I would just swap a 14sf in the rear, change gear ratio, throw a locker in the rear and call it a day.
buffblazer
1/2 ton status
well the d60/14bff or d70 that im looking at is a killer deal, and since im out of town and the shop is doing the work, its cheaper swap these in then do a single floater and change gears and put a locker in.
is the D60 SRW or DRW? are both rear axles DRW, or just the D70? do both rear axles have the same gear ratios as the front?
buffblazer
1/2 ton status
all three axles have the same gear ratio, the guy hasent responded back to me yet so i dont know if its single or dual rear wheel
well, i think think that if everything is drw, go with the D70. as you stated, it is detroit equipped. that seems like the best deal.
In that case, I'd make sure that the D70 actually has a detroit and get that one (you can always post pics up here). Lockers cost a lot more than $100.
So I take it you voted 14FF....
Nope, I didn't vote either because it certainly depends in this case.
Just trying to make sure that misinformation is not spread, bigger numbers do not equate to a stronger axle; a D60 isn't necessarily stronger than a D44 (a FF60, D44 and 10 bolt all use the same size shafts), a Ford 9" R&P is stronger than both a D60 (9.75") and D70 (10.5") ring and pinion. GM started calling its 10 bolts the 8.6" rear end while all of the parts (including ring and pinion) interchange with the 8.5 (i.e nothing changed), the size of the ring gear is pretty arbitrary. Gear contact, length of the tooth, depth of the tooth, # of pinion bearings, etc all determing gear strength.
If the D70 has a detroit for only $100 more than the gov-lok'd 14 bolt (same gears), the D70 seems like the easy choice; coarse spline or not. You won't break either axle on 35-36" tires.
Could you provide proof of this Wes? I've setup a few of both and I don't remember the carrier bearing sizes being significantly different.
Most D70's use the same carrier bearings as the GM 14FF & D60 carriers ( with minor differences ) but the HD D70 versions use a much longer tapper roller ( as in wider ) set of bearings. They are not any bigger I.D & O.D. wise but they sure are wider. HD 70 carrier bearings are also shared with D80's as well. The small pinion bearings vary on some series of D70's but the inner ( larger ) pinion bearing is very impressive on most all D70's regardless of series. Ya'll don't forget that the distance from each pinion bearing on the Dana stuff is the reason why it does not need or require a pilot bearing like the removeable pinion set ups like the 14FF.
Both are great axle designs and each has its place and purpose . Choose the one that is cost effective and is the least hassell for your future plans . Strength wise what is gonna break one is gonna break the other in most cases.
HTH's , Tom
