73 k5 blazer gm 10 bolt 3/4T steering

[73blazertaylor]

Hello all,
I am new to threads and all and somewhat new to mud trucks and setups but currently I have a 73 blazer 4x4 with a 350 mild built motor and a 350 turbo trans with a 203 t case I have a gm 10 bolt 8.5 3/4 ton front diff and a gm 14 bolt 10.5 rear diff I have it set up with 4.11 gears on 35s and I'm going to 4.56 gears and 44s what I wanted to know as far as the front end goes will the 10 bolt hold up and what are some of my options as far as hydro assist and steering and if it's even worth the trouble putting the work into the 10 bolt or should I just run it with stock steering till it blows.

 

[nvrenuf]

1) how will the truck be used?

2) for 44's, you need more gear.

 

[73blazertaylor]

For mud and street and I was going to do 456 with 44s

 

[nvrenuf]

Imo, I would seriously consider 5.13's with 44's.

The 10 bolt isn't going to love the 44's. You're going to need to maintenance the wheel bearings a couple of times a year (more if you tread a lot of water) to be sure the big tires aren't killing them. I would also stay with an open diff to avoid broken axles. A D60 is better choice for 44's.

 

[sweetk30]

tell you also 5,13 gears or even 5,38 .

I have drove a truck with 4.10 and 44" tires and it is a dog . . . .

if realy want 44" tires go dana 60 and be done with it . that 10 bolt is not going to like it long at all.

also big lift to clear 44" tires go crossover steering .

 

[73blazertaylor]

Thank you very much for the advice and I am definitely going the d60 route, is there disadvantages to high steer or cross over as far as one being better than the other or are they use specific as in one better for travel than the other. And I do have a hydro ram assist I will now use for a d60 and save not sure if the hydro assist will work better with crossover or high steer I also have a drilled and tapped 2wd steering box ready to go for it. I was just not too sure on how much of a beating the 10 bolt would take and it doesn't sound like too much. For now I'm going to run my 10 bolt with 411s and my 14 bolt with 411s which is how it's currently set up with 38s till I can get the funds up to swap the front end over. I unfortunately sank a bunch into rebuilding my 10 bolt with new bushings and ball joints and all new bearings and seals and gears. I plan on Friday going junk yard shopping unless anyone knows of someone selling a complete d60 for a reasonable price.

 

[nvrenuf]

First, the crossover drag links are different lengths for a 10 bolt (and D44) vs D60 so keep that in mind when spending your money.

Hi steer simply moves the tie rod above the springs to get it out of harms way. Also, many times hi steer will have a smaller sweep of travel than stock which changes the amount of throw needed from the ram.

Crossover is better for very flexy suspensions because the stock push / pull does not offer enough range of motion to keep up (ie; certain situations will max out the steering before the suspension).