oleo
Registered Member
Should I change from stock? Is it a good idea to go to 1 tons? What cost is involved and how much work/time to change over?
TIA
Ole
TIA
Ole
CK5
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Axles
- Thread starter oleo
- Start date
hunterguy86
1/2 ton status
oleo said:
What do you have now and what do you plan to do?
oleo
Registered Member
Stock on a 76, haven't been underneath yet still trying to get new floors in. Going with a 6" BDS and 38's SSR's
I would do a 3/4 ton swap up front and swap a 14ff out back. As for gearing i would try to find a 4.10 axle and regear the front to match since you're going to run 38's and don't have an OD trans.
wforicv
1/2 ton status
If it's a '76 you should have Dana 44's. If you plan on doing anything offroad with 38's you are going to kill your rear really fast. I killed my 10bolt (same strength as your 44) the first trip after putting on 33's. You can pick up a 14Bff one ton for around $100 from the junkyard. Depending on the condition, you could be looking at another $300-$400 for a gear swap and bearings to rebuild. You could look for a 14BFF w/ the same ration as the front, but w/ 38's you are going to want a lot more gear. Prepare to pay for a 1 ton front. Good luck finding a Dana 60 for a good price. Don't be surprised to sink upward of $2000 in one. There are deals out there, but they are getting harder to find by the day. -Eric
A 76 blazer will have a 12 bolt rear and a d44 front. He would also want a 14ff from a 3/4 ton truck for a direct swap. The 1 ton 14ff would need the spring perches and shock mounts relocated. The reason i said to go 4.10's is there are many 14ff with 4.10 ratio and then just regear the front. This would cost the least amount of money.
wforicv
1/2 ton status
Whoopsy , did not know about the 12bolt. Thanks for keeping me straight! -Eric
You could try and get a 70's k-20 donor truck, it will have a dana 44 in the front and a 14bff in the rear with most likely 4.10 gears f/r. Then you can just swap both axles. Put your 1/2 tons in the k-20 and sell the k-20 to get some of your money back4X4HIGH said:
As long as it is at least a 73 or later.
3/4 ton swap would be good but if you have the money go one tons. I ran 38s for a long time on a 10b front and a rear 14b ff. Never had a problem. I was open in the front. I never regeared I pretty much put the axles in as is. So basically since I got them for free it didn't cost me a thing to go to 3/4 ton stuff. If you go one tons try to find some with 4.56 gears military trucks came with these and a detroit locker in the back. 4.56s can be found in civilian trucks too.
Overall cost will really depend on the condition of the axles, I have mabey 700 bucks in my front axle (60) detroit locker superwinch hubs and bearings, a freind has damn near 3000 into his including purchase price replaceing everything gears and a locker
Overall cost will really depend on the condition of the axles, I have mabey 700 bucks in my front axle (60) detroit locker superwinch hubs and bearings, a freind has damn near 3000 into his including purchase price replaceing everything gears and a locker
wforicv said:
There is no Chevy truck that ever came with a 44 rear.
38377k5 said:
Yes there is, 67-72 chevy 2wd trucks had D44 rears. Not all of them but they were offered.
oleo
Registered Member
Ok, so basically I would be better off with 3/4 ton and even better off with 1 ton. I guess I wait to order rims till after I get the axles so I know what bolt pattern to get. What are bolt pattern and spacing for 3/4 and 1 tons?
resurrected_jimmy
1/2 ton status
8 lug on 6.5"
oleo
Registered Member
Okay so my list changed to 16.5X12 steelies 8 on 6.5 bolt pattern and Swamper TSL's 39.5X15X16.5. What model truck am I looking for to get the axles from? Going to check local yards hopefully next weekend, and then online if I can't find anything.
Thanks,
Olaf
Thanks,
Olaf
You need a 3/4 ton rear axle in order to be a direct swap. A D60 1 ton front axle is going to run you anywhere from $900.00-$1300.00 or so but the rear axle should be no more than $150.00.
The 1 ton D60 axle only came in 77-91 1 ton trucks.
The 1 ton D60 axle only came in 77-91 1 ton trucks.
oleo said:
if you are buying NEW rims and tires do NOT get 16.5's. now is your chance to go to 16's or 17's. 16.5 rims are the least desireable for offroad because of the design of the bead seating area. at low air pressures they are easy break the tires bead off the rim.
all of the popular tires and sizes are available in 16's and 17's. sometimes they are cheaper too. if you are buying someones used set then you will see a lot of 16.5's in 8 lug.
a 12" wide wheel is way to wide for the tire you listed. especially for a 16.5 tire. if you got them mounted you would have a hard time getting them to seat and they would probably unseat very easily. I would get a 17x9-10 to run 15/39.5-17 TSL's. or the same thing in a 16" combo.
^^What he said ^^gmc4cw said:
16.5s suck. There aren't as many choices for 16" wheel, but they are becoming more popular. IE: Interco just released the 42" tsl for 16" wheel a few months ago.
oleo
Registered Member
So would 3/4 ton server the purpose and hold up to offroad? I can get a set front and rear 3/4 for $450 from someone here in town, 3/4 ton axles gm10 bolt/ 14 bolt ff gov-lock 8 lug 4.10s Will this do all I need?
That should work good for a tire up to a 36" if you plan on larger tires then the front axle is only a matter of time before it explodes depending on how you are with the skinny pedal. The rear axle is fine for any tire size you choose.
