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Axle Ignorance

WALREC

WALREC

Deplorablazer
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Hello all, this is my first post on here, I have read many threads on here and learned tons from yall, so thank you.
I've been four wheelin for years but in mostly stock vehicles, nothing serious. Right now I have a bone stock 90 K5. the 350 is about to lay down in it so I have a 383 sitting on the stand in garage and just ordered a set of mega 40s from interco. the 700 has a fresh build on it from previous owner and gonna do a suburban spring swap, so that leaves the running gear. I know the factory axles wont last a day turning those tires and this is where my knowledge runs out. I am learning but, Locker type, spline count, 44, 60, 70 etc etc is out of my wheelhouse. Im nowhere near able to go out and drop 10k on a set of built Dana 60s, which seems to be the only advice ive been given by a few people. ive researched it a bit and every site I go basically just says theirs are the best, buy these. I will mainly be sticking to trail riding in the hills/mountains of AL and TN. just looking for dependable without going over the top. If anyone has any suggestions I would sure appreciate it
 
40's is going to be rough on even a 60 without some fortification with at least 35 spline outer shafts. Outback the answer is simple, 14 bolt full floater. Don't look any further. Get one from a 3/4 ton truck and the spring perches are in the right spot to bolt into a K5.

Ideally, find somebody parting out a CUCV military 1 ton squarebody. That would give you the 60 front that bolts in and a 14bff out back (1 ton version does need the spring perches and shock mounts moved). They would have 4.56 gears stock, but still not enough gear for 40's.
 
I agree with Zoomads choice of axles, if you can find them...and I think for trail riding stock one tons will be fine w a 383/700...mine are stock w lockers and 39.5-15-16.5’s and I pound em most every chance I get, and theyre doing fine.
 
do you know what axles are in the truck right now and the current gear ratio?

A 700 is not going to live long if you have tall gears and slap 40's on it...
 
Are you planning on a suspension and/or body lift? It takes a bunch of cutting to fit 40s with stock suburban suspension.
 
As Zoomad said above, Chevy rear 10.5" 14-bolt full-float 1-ton rear axles are strong and very cheap. A few width combinations exist, and there are three or four stock styles of brakes. But any of them can fit if you're willing to adjust spring and shock mounts.
 
With a 383 (assuming it's putting out some decent power) and 40" tires I would recommend going with a front D60 and rear 14FF axle set if you are going to actually use the truck. If it's just a mall cruiser and show truck you can get by with a 10-bolt or D44 front. The rear 14FF are very common and should be relatively cheap both stock and aftermarket parts aren't too bad. You will have a little money in the front D60 but start out with a regular ol' Chevy D60...no reason to buy a high dollar custom D60.
 
As ZooMad said 14-bolt Full-Floater would be the axle to start with first. GM 14-Bolts are the easiest to find, and easiest to work on for a beginner. Changing gears and lockers is the easiest on 14-bolts because of the internal carrier case pre-load adjusters, the adjusting of bearing pre-load due to self contained pinion housing unit, and external shims for adjusting pinion depth.

The Dana-60 is another matter. They are hard to find, and a b!tch to set gears even for someone experienced.
 
1-ton said:
As ZooMad said 14-bolt Full-Floater would be the axle to start with first. GM 14-Bolts are the easiest to find, and easiest to work on for a beginner. Changing gears and lockers is the easiest on 14-bolts because of the internal carrier case pre-load adjusters, the adjusting of bearing pre-load due to self contained pinion housing unit, and external shims for adjusting pinion depth.

The Dana-60 is another matter. They are hard to find, and a b!tch to set gears even for someone experienced.
Click to expand...

ALL OF THIS!
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the info. I found a 14b today w disk brakes out of a 06 2500, totaled with only 110k on it. got it for 200. I cant answer your question wasted, well on the front anyway,, the rear is a 10 bolt according to a diff cover cheat sheet online but the front is not like any on that sheet. it looks kinda like a 44 cover, but different,, its a 10 bolt, has the shape and large fill plug like a 44 but has rounded sides, not flat sides like the 44 pictured online. Well Campfire, I have been told I could get close to 4" by moving my rear spring to the front and put a 56" suburban rear under mine. That has been my plan anyway. I am aware the fenders will need cutting,, im actually looking forward to that day. oh and 6.2Blazer,,,, I can assure you,, this truck will never see a mall parking lot,, it will be used,, all 475 horses of it. well 475 on paper anyway.. Thanks again guys im new to all this online forum stuff and I appreciate all the quick responses,, im sure there will be many more questions to come as the build goes on and evolves.
 
The '06 axle could be an 11.5" axle or a 10.5" axle. Key giveaway besides the mass of the 11.5" version is the 10.5" has a bolt-on pinion housing where the 11.5" does not. There's no doubt having a bigger gearset is better for pure strength, but it's going to come at a cost of ground clearance because of the larger housing. The 10.5 is much larger than you stock 10 bolts, but more commonly swapped than the larger 11.5" version.

Another way to tell the size is by what engine the truck had. In '06 if the truck had a diesel or 8.1L big block it would have an 11.5" axle. Only the 6.0L small-block would have the 10.5" axle.

Keep this in mind also. The spring pad mounts and shock mounts are nowhere near where you need them for the Blazer. You will have to cut them off and start over. If you are used to light fabrication work and have access to a welder this isn't a big deal, but you need to be prepared for the idea that this axle won't bolt in as you got it.

Take a pic of the front axle at the diff cover and post it up. Anyone of us can ID the axle by sight pretty easily.
 
a 90 should have a corporate 10 bolt...mostly a round cover with two ears at the bottom.
A dana 44 front will have a unique egg shaped dana cover pattern, like below. It should also have cast into it “44F”.

8CD8F772-8893-4242-A4D8-3A4135326F07.jpeg
 
WALREC said:
Well Campfire, I have been told I could get close to 4" by moving my rear spring to the front and put a 56" suburban rear under mine. That has been my plan anyway.
Click to expand...

I haven't run 52s up front, but I have read of folks having longevity issues from that combination. And a stock squarebody suburban spring will have the same ride height as your K5. Being 4" longer does not make it 4" taller.
 
Agree with the axle recommendations above. Dana 60/14 bolt. I ran 40s with 4.56s for a long time. It was ok, but not great. With a 700 or a dedicated wheeler I would go with 5.13s.

For the rear springs up front, be aware that mod requires crossover steering and some sort of aftermarket front shaft to utilize the travel. Bump stops are a must if you want the springs to live.
 
Hey Zoomad, i didnt get a pic of the 14b but i did see it most definitely has a bolt on pinion housing. Also the man didnt know engine size but said it was a gas burner. As far as my frt diff, my wife sent these pics (there not great).

73926863-6A18-4A4F-8E0D-16B4E0499E5A.jpeg

0A28766F-49EE-44C2-AC36-4F29121DCEC1.jpeg

66393B07-27D3-46D6-AAE0-807C8626C4AD.jpeg
 
You can always start with upgrading the rear axle if funds are limited and you want to get it driveable. You would just have to make sure the front and rear axle gears match if you wanted to use 4wd, and the 14 bolt rear axle will be 8-lug as compared to the stock 6-lug. One of my iterations included going to a 14FF rear axle and converting the front 10-bolt to 8 lugs (easy to do as it's simply swapping factory parts). Fortunately my front 10-bolt was already geared to 4.10 that matched the 14FF. 4.10s are very common in the 3/4 ton trucks but you do need to verify.

Installing 52" rear springs onto the front is not a simply bolt in deal. You need to move spring hangars and go to cross-over steering if you actually want to take advantage of the flex. As mentioned above swapping in 56" rear springs won't provide any additional lift by themselves, and of course you would have to move spring hangars also.
 
that 14bff you bought with disc brakes will serve you nicely. All the gas 2500's i've seen have 4.10 gears. Do you know what gears you have in the 10b? in a pinch you could get by with an open front diff and convert it over to 8 lug to match the rear if the gear ratio's match. You could run that until you get afford to build a nice build d60...

I had a 10b front that I beat pretty hard and it actually held up pretty well....

I run a 14bff and d60 front. Both are welded and 4.10 gears with 44-46'' tractor tires. Gear ratio is not ideal, but it's usable. with 40's it would probably be ok for awhile..
 
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