beefed up 10 bolts f&r?? Talk to me...

[wetbackZO]

It's tax season and I will be getting some cash back. For quite some time I've considered beefing up the 10bolts on my 82 Blazer. This is because I want to keep drivetrain modifications to a minimum, and would run 36'' tires or smaller. I'll have about 1200bucks to spend and would like to know if this is enough dough for the upgrades like cromo's, u-joints, lockrights, gears, etc... This truck will be used for the occasional weekend wheeling, but also will see lots of trips on the pavement. Is it worth beefing up the 10bolts or should I just use the cash to get bigger axles like 14bff for the rear and a matching 44 front?? here we go....

 

[Jrgunn5150]

I'm guessing you could find a 3/4 ton in the junkyard and snatch the axles for fairly cheap. It's not just the internals, but the actual housings are also weak I understand. Figure a breakdown like this; gears, 150 a setx2=300, set up kits for front and rear, 90x2=180, lock rights 300 so you're into it for 700 real quick if you only want the rear lock right. Add in miscellanious stuff for another 100, and you have 400 leftover. If you can do all the labor you're good, but if you want news shafts, chromoly u-joints, etc. then it's probably better to hit the junkyard for a 3/4 ton and one lock right and stay in the budget.

 

[dyeager535]

The 14SF is always a good choice if your usage isn't that extreme. You can get it in 6 lug pattern (either stock or with aftermarket axles that don't seem to be that expensive) it's a lot stronger than the 10 bolt, and quite common.

If you are talking lockrights and 36" tires, I'd say the 10 bolt rear has to go.

My personal take on the 10 bolts is that they are actually pretty strong, the real problem is only the gov-lock carrier if present, but there is no question that the 9.5" or 10.5" axles are much stronger in all regards.

If you keep the 10 bolt open, or in a light vehicle, you likely won't have problems, except perhaps the occasional pinion or side gear(s) blowout.

 

[BowtieBlazer]

or you can look at it like this:

3/4 tons you can easily find with 4.11's already inside (probably fine if you are just running 36's

If you plan on lots of pavment why not put in a FF and kiss the fear of axle shafts with c-clips goodbye( no more rear tire passing you on the road) bigtires with lots of traction and mass = lots of stress on the shafts

buying heavier duty axles already geared is much cheaper than beefing up 1/2 ton stuff

as mentioned if you're looking for lighter weight higher clearance stuff look at the 14sf or the d60FF

 

[wetbackZO]

thanx guys, guess i'll be hitting the junk yards and see what I can find...