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1970 dually axles

K

K5dreamer

1/2 ton status
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First question..... for a 1970 rig, what axles would i see for a dually setup? Dana 44 front / 14bff rear???

i contacted the owner, he said he knows its not a Dana 60 up front, but it is 8 lug. and they are factory 1970 axles, not replacements.

Second question.... does anyone know if the wheel mount to wheel mount distance for duallys are the same from 1970-1999???

I am trying to mount H1 beadlocks to my blazer without spacers, and was told i would need dually axles to do this. however that was looking at mid 80's duallys with the D60/14bff setup. i tried google but couldnt find the information i was looking for regarding the 1970 chassis.
 
It would be a Dana 44 up front and either an Eaton or Dana 60 rear. The rear probly is a cab and chassis axle, which means would be too narrow for what you want. WMS is 72-ish up front and 63 rear. I just picked up a dually with the 70 rear, could meet yah halfway if interested.
 
mmmmkay, so did a little digging, and if its the D60HD im probably ok strength wise, but the wms concerns me, but whats this eaton diff??? i looked but couldnt find any specs, are the eaton diff's solid? or trash? i want to eventually run 37in tires and 4.10 gears.

b454rat - sending a pm
 
Sent a PM back.

I think I remember you posting that link here. If not someone else did. But it's not a dually, 10 bolt front and 14ff rear. If the frame is clean, might be worth getting only if you have a 67-72 that you want to make 4wd. Can't use the front spring on anything, the rears might be usable tho. Eaton rears the early version of the 14ff, GM designs them after the Eatons. A good axle, but guess can be a pain to find parts for.
 
Those eatons are pretty sweet axles and some of parts are interchangeable with 14b. I know lockers are, not sure about what else. The eaton is like a 2x stronger ford 9in basically. It has the same style rounded housing, removable third member, and decent clearance for what it is.
 
Ditto on the Eaton. They are very stout rears but yes parts can be a tricky to find. I have seen a lot of them transplanted into truck pull trucks. I don't know what the WMS would be on one.

I would think that almost and late model dually rear (not C&C) will work for what you want to do. You could get a
D70HD out of an '80's Cheby
AAM 11.5 out of a late model chevy (will have nice disc brakes too)
AAM 11.5 out of a late model Dodge
D80HD out of a late model dodge.
All of these are around 73" WMS.

You could also use a Ford axle if you really wanted to :).

You will have to move the springs pads and shock mounts whatever you use. Even if you went with the '80 Chev style, it is one ton spring perches so it won't "bolt" right into your K5. The D70 and 14B 10.5 are about equal in strength. The D80 and the AAM 11.5 are about equal. You can break anything, but I think with 38's and a D70 you would be ok. It will probably be the cheapest find unless you want disc brakes.
 
To run H1 Beadlocks with no spacers you will need a dually D60 front, and a dually D70HD rear, and swap to 14 Bolt FF hubs. This puts them within a 1/2" of each other, IIRC.:D

While your at it, convert the rear to disc brakes. DIY4X sells the brackets.
 
71chevy4x4 said:
To run H1 Beadlocks with no spacers you will need a dually D60 front, and a dually D70HD rear, and swap to 14 Bolt FF hubs. This puts them within a 1/2" of each other, IIRC.:D

While your at it, convert the rear to disc brakes. DIY4X sells the brackets.
Click to expand...

Be aware that you will have no e-brake, or a poor ebrake with this setup. May or may not be an issue for you. You can always put a line lock in if your not required by inspection to have an e-brake. I converted mine over to eldo calipers in the rear and failed inspection 4 times. That cost $125 right there plus $400 for the conversion. I recently purchased a late model 14B with factory disc to alleviate the issue. I paid less than the disc brake conversion cost me.
 
pseudomike said:
Be aware that you will have no e-brake, or a poor ebrake with this setup. May or may not be an issue for you. You can always put a line lock in if your not required by inspection to have an e-brake. I converted mine over to eldo calipers in the rear and failed inspection 4 times. That cost $125 right there plus $400 for the conversion. I recently purchased a late model 14B with factory disc to alleviate the issue. I paid less than the disc brake conversion cost me.
Click to expand...
Thats good info. I don't have to worry about inspections. The plan is for line locks, since this is a trail rig. A transfer case e-brake is also an option.
Keep in mind, the DRW D70HD swap is only the best solution for not running spacers with H1 wheels. You could always re-center your wheels and run standard width axles.
 
Yeah, I wasn't aware you had to swap the hubs on the D70 for the H1 swap. I was just throwing the others out there because they have similar WMS in dually form as the D70.

As an aside.....I thought H1's were 16.5" wheels? I would probably steer away from that because it's widely known that tire manufacturers are steering away from 16.5" and even 16" tires. It would be a real PITA if you swap axles over to run super offset wheels like H1's and then can't find or have limited options for replacement rubber. Are the H1's bead locks? I know those are illegal for street use in most states.
 
first and formost, thanks all for the replys.

i did a thread earlier where i found about the DRW axles to fit the H1 rims. I was just trying to see if this setup would work for me.

the pictures are pretty small and grainy, im going to see if the guy can email them to me in high res so i can better see what it is im dealing with.

after doing some homework it does seem that this setup does not have the eaton rear. maybe a D60 rear? if im lucky, the D60HD with larger 35 spline axles (murphy dosnt like me well enough to let that happen.) and the front is probably the D44 DRW front hub. Not the biggest or the best out there, but as long as they eithe are... or can easily be made to around a 73" WMS they will be strong enough for me i think. And if i can get them for what I think i can, its wayyyy less than a D60 front axle alone.

Now this opens up a new issue.... maybe i should start another thread on that question......
 
H1's are beadlocks. They are DOT approved. Interco continues to produce 16.5" tires, and they are building new SX & SXII's in bigger sizes.
 
no no, i believe you , i just read on another forum that the D44 DRW axles existed, and were used before 1976 when the D60 came out.
 
Why not just run regular backspacing bead locks? At least you could borrow a spare in case you need one. Seems like a lot of mix and matching to make it work.
 
pseudomike said:
Why not just run regular backspacing bead locks? At least you could borrow a spare in case you need one. Seems like a lot of mix and matching to make it work.
Click to expand...

life wouldnt be any fun if it was too easy ;) got the H1 beadlocks cheap, was upgrading axles anyway, so if i get the DRW axles i dont have to pay to have the H1's recentered and pay for shipping both ways, And to me its just cooler running military rims on a military truck.
 
What about the newer millitary ones run on the Silverado's? I think they are made by hutchinson?

Kinda a wash if you are swapping axles anyhow?
 
K5dreamer said:
no no, i believe you , i just read on another forum that the D44 DRW axles existed, and were used before 1976 when the D60 came out.
Click to expand...

i have heard people talk about those drw D44's but never seen one myself. anyway, there were no factory one ton 4x4's in the 67-72 range, the only way it would even be remotely original is if it were a napco conversion, which the pics show it clearly isn't.

the d60 rears out of 67-72 trucks, at least the full floaters, are 30 spline, not 35. i'd say that sounds like too much $, you could probably find a complete truck for that price.

edit: also forgot, if they were the original axles, they would be open knuckle with drum brakes up front.
 
well as b454rat was first to point out, and all the rest of yous guys have pointed out, these are neither DRW hubs, and very very unlikely original to the frame, both of which the seller clearly claimed they were, so I guess ill keep on lookin for that stellar buy. Ill have to get in touch with my parts guy and see if he can find me PN's on those DRW D44 hubs. And keep searching for a DRW axle that will work. without selling a kidney on the black market.
 
I've seen 1 dually D44, didn't get a real good look at it, but they do exist.

There were 1 tons in 67-72, they were NAPCO's and guess they have a divorced transfer case. I read that off the 67-72 board, so not from some shmuck off the street.
 
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