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14b ff or d70?

87 Blue Beast

87 Blue Beast

1/2 ton status
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i am thinking about buying a set of axles locally from a guy down the road. he has a 4.56 1 ton set (d60 and d70hd dual wheel), but also said he would give me the 14bff if i didnt want the d70. so my first question, which is better as far as strenght? the d70 is deff bigger in size and has bigger axles shafts, but i hear alot of good about 14bff's. second q, can you even put single wheel hubs on a d70hd? third q, how much do hubs run for d60's and d70's?
 
Not trying to be smart but a little search goes a long way.


personally I would pick the 70.
 
boz42 said:
Not trying to be smart but a little search goes a long way.


personally I would pick the 70.
Click to expand...


i know, and i would be the first person to say the same thing to someone else also. i did search alittle and couldnt come up with the solid answers that i need, and not to mention i need some answers/opinions asap.

as far as h1's, i would, but i have brand new boggers that are 15" wheels, so i need to stick with that. besides the fact that beadlocks are illegal for road use in pa :doah:
 
1. H-1's are street legal cause thay got a D.O.T. stamp.

2. Opinions are like a-holes every one has one. Opinions are all you will get when you ask which is better 14 vs. 70. They are close to being equal. I prefer the 70, but both have there positives & negatives.

3. If you can't or will not run H-1's the D-70HD is too wide for you. You will not be able to run it. SRW hubs on a rear DRW axle widen it (I know it sounds crazy but it does).
 
Stock d70hd = 74" wms-wms aprox I can't remember off the top of my head.

w/ SRW hubs it is about 77.5-78" close to the same as a DRW 60f.

This is the set-up I run on my K5, w/ H-1 wheels.
 
so if i got the d70 and put single hubs on it, it would be about the same width as the front axle, maybe an inch wider (since the front is wider to start with by 3" i believe)? if thats the case, i wouldnt mind, i would just loose some steering radious correct?
 
Yes you are thinking right, but without a wheel that has a ton of offset (like the H-1 that has 7.25"), you will be very wide.
 
Shafts:


Dana 70's have 1.5" 35 spline shafts with a minor diameter of 1.361"

FF 14 bolts have 1.625" 30 spline shafts (they are cut at a different pressure angle than most, comparison is closest to 37 spline dana) with a minor diameter of 1.422".

14 bolt shafts should be almost 20% stronger than Dana 70 shafts (assuming they are made of the same material)


Ring and Pinion:


Both have 10.5" ring gears, but the FF 14 bolt has a third pinion bearing which makes its gear setup much stronger (it helps to eliminate deflection which is the cause of almost every gear failure)

I've heard of very few gear failures from either axle and I would bet that most can be attributed to poor gear setup


Gearing options:


14 bolt: 3.21-5.38

Dana 70: 3.54-7.17 (Be aware that some dana 70's use a totally different gear set than most of them)


Housing:


14 bolt tubes are generally 3.25" .500" wall, there are some with slightly bigger tubes

Most Dana 70's are 3.5" .500" wall, there are some with 4" diameter tubes


Lockers:


Detroits for FF 14 bolt are cheap

Detroits for 2 piece carrier D70 (rare) are similar in price, full carrier detroit is a couple hundred dollars more expensive (most Dana 70's need the full carrier detroit).

ARB's are available for both, there are many more limited slip options for the D70


Disc brakes similar in price for for both.



Advantages of the D70: Very deep gearing available, stronger axle tubes

Advantages of 14 bolt: Stronger R&P and shafts, cheap Detroit






What do you mean by "how much do hubs run for dana 60's and 70's"?
 
I have seen more D70 shafts break than 14B.

I would get a 14B shave the bottom and call it a done deal.
 
87 Blue Beast said:
i mean how much is it goina cost me to get single wheel hubs for the d60/d70 set?
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Srw hubs on a D70HD will make it dramatically wider than a D60 with srw hubs. A D70HD with drw hubs is still a good bit wider than a srw D60.

That said, the biggest factor in deciding which axle should be what gear ratio you ultimately want to run. Will you ever want more than a 5.13? If yes, D70... if no, a 14 bolt will work fine (and be a matching width to an srw D60).
 
ok, the way its looking, im probably not going to go with the d70. as for the d60 front, ive heard a king pin 60 is better than ball joints, its that correct? also, what is a good d60 and 14b ff worth if they arent matching gears?
 
87 Blue Beast said:
ok, the way its looking, im probably not going to go with the d70. as for the d60 front, ive heard a king pin 60 is better than ball joints, its that correct? also, what is a good d60 and 14b ff worth if they arent matching gears?
Click to expand...

I don't think there is too much strength or wear difference between kingpin or balljoint 60's.

Kingpins are very old technology, they were likely replaced by ball joints because they are quicker for mechanics to replace.

There really isn't any argument that the old bearing hubs are stronger and last longer (as compared to the currently used unit-bearing hubs). The unit bearing hubs are lighter and smaller, but you are probably limited to 30 spline outers only AFAIK (since the drive flange is cast into the unit bearing).

A low pinion Chevy dana 60 is probably worth $900-1200 if everything is there (price depends on how much money will have to be invested to make it useable).

A FF 14 bolt with an open carrier is worth ~$150 IMO. If it has the gears you want and is in good shape, it may be worth more to you. The gov-lok likely makes it worth less because you have to buy a new carrier to put a locker in it.
 
I paid $1400.00 for a matched set of military one tons. D60/14ff 4:56 gears and a detriot in the 14ff. I thought it was a pretty good deal.
 
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