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Axle Upgrade?

S

sparkey83

1/2 ton status
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Dec 1, 2008
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the U.P. MI
:thinking:About a month ago I picked up an 83 K20 to part out. My question is would it be worthwile to swap the 14bsf an what I think is a 8lug 10bolt for my 1/2 ton axles. My current rear axle has and Eaton posi in it but other than that the axles are stock.The axles from the K20 have 4.10 gears and I think I currently have 3.73 gears. How big of a tire can be run on the K20 axles without having to worry too much?:dunno:

Any input would be greatly appreciated :grin:

Thanks Martin
 
Yes it would be worth it to swap, as far as how big of a tire. That depends on what you are going to do with the truck and how much power you are putting out. There are guys running 44's on d44's and 10 bolts, I am not saying that it's a "ideal" set up but alot of it comes down to how you are going to use it. IMHO I would not run more then a 36" -37" tire with those rears if you are going to do any offroading. If it's a street truck you could get away with a bigger tire, but then you have to start thinking about brake upgrades and such. Generally if you leave the diffs open or lsd you can get away with more tire.
 
I may hold out and just go with a 60 front and a 14bff rear then. my axles still work. I think i can sell these to a buddy of mine he offered me $450 for the pair but i wanted to check and see if they were worth while axles first
 
I don't mean to hijack this thread but I'm in kinda the same boat. I just got a 89 gmc v1500 and I believe I have 10 bolts front and rear. If I go up to say a 33" tire on those axels will they hold mostly a DD and very moderate trail rig. If it's fine are LSD's safe on those axels and whats the re-gear for 33's if any?

Otherwise I'm still on the hunt for a 14bff for the rear and a 44 for the front but I don't know which years was the best to look for?
 
jamacee said:
I don't mean to hijack this thread but I'm in kinda the same boat. I just got a 89 gmc v1500 and I believe I have 10 bolts front and rear. If I go up to say a 33" tire on those axels will they hold mostly a DD and very moderate trail rig. If it's fine are LSD's safe on those axels and whats the re-gear for 33's if any?

Otherwise I'm still on the hunt for a 14bff for the rear and a 44 for the front but I don't know which years was the best to look for?
Click to expand...


I am currently running close to the same setup as you are asking about 33's and 1/2 ton axles with a LSD and i have no troubles. The eaton posi is great and i drove from Wyoming to Michigan towing a 4500lb truck and had no troubles. I even got 11.5 MPG @ 65-70MPH. I just want to go with bigger tires.
 
so many variables to take into consideration....1/2 ton (10bolts, and D44) should be fine if in good condition, and 33 or less tires, under moderate use. 35 and bigger or, heavy off roading will probably require some upgrades or attention to broken parts. I've broken 10 bolts and D44 axles, stubs, and ujoints just running on a plow truck, with 32's. I've also run 33's on 1/2ton's in the sand, and never had a problem. It depends on power, use of power, driver input, terrain etc. Sparky83, if you can get 450 for those axles, I'd take it, and put it toward a 60, and 14bff. you'll never be sorry.
 
I had a 60 under the front of an f150 I had with 38's and it held up awsome.I just need to find one for my k5.
 
Or sparky you could just get some rockwells and call it a day....LOL. Yea I'm just going to be keepin an eye out for 60/14bff and slowly build everything I need till the swap. Good luck sparky keep us posted.
 
4.10's and 33's will have about the same final drive ratio as 3.73's and stock tires.. 3.73's and 33's are a decent combo, comparable to 3.42's and stock tires.

I'd say the axle swap would worth it just for the deeper gears. The 14bsf is strong enough for 35's, but you'd want more gear if you've got an OD trany.
 
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