dana 70 or 14bff?????

[hans999999]

iam looking to do a 3/4 swap on my k5 and ive been looking for a 14bff and d60 but i have come across a truck i can get for cheap with a dana 70 rear and d60 front i was wondering if the dana 70 would be a better choice or should i get it sell the d70 and keep looking for a 14bff?

 

[bigcountryk5]

if you can get it for a good price i'd get it and sell it to get a 14 like you said.

 

[mudslinger99]

The 70 is a little stronger then the 14 bolt ff but not quite as popular.. Both are very good axles..

 

[resurrected_jimmy]

if it has the gears in it you need or if it will work for now go for it, it is equal if not slightly stronger than a 14FF, Just check and see how much parts cost vs. a 14FF

 

[RootBreaker]

id maybe slap that d70 under there and look for a 14bolt... when you find it then add disc brakes and correct gears...locker if ya like them too....

I have always owned 14bolts (always came in my trucks) never really had a problem looking for them...

around here a 14bolt costs $40... however since steel prices are up... junkyards are scrapping all the old trucks... a 78 that has been picked apart will still get them $500-$800 in the scrap yard!!!!
oh those parts... even front d60's hittin the crusher

 

[jekbrown]

they are pretty much equally strong. I guess the real question should be, "do you want gears lower than 5.13.... or do you want a cheap detroit locker to be an option". D70 can go to 6.17 or something on gears.... ff14b has the hella cheap detroit.

j

 

[FRIZZLEFRY]

If you can,pull a shaft on the 70.If its 35 spline get it.And you wont be stuck with 5.13 freeway gears

 

[nvrenuf]

If you can,pull a shaft on the 70.If its 35 spline get it.And you wont be stuck with 5.13 freeway gears

ding ding ding ding ding!!!!!

D70 + LOW gears =

 

[RootBreaker]

ding ding ding ding ding!!!!!

D70 + LOW gears =

not for me that is fo soh......

74mph @ 3,000rpm's with 4.56's and 40" hawgs (38.8 true)
done with my GPS so no need for those calculating sites

 

[nvrenuf]

not for me that is fo soh......

74mph @ 3,000rpm's with 4.56's and 40" hawgs (38.8 true)
done with my GPS so no need for those calculating sites

Common sense has to play in here now... Obviously, if you're going to be doing a fair amount of hiway travel then (for example) 6.17's aren't the best choice but if it's a dedicated wheeling truck then lower gears can be more appealing. Also you have to look at the future as well, if it's a current daily driver but potentially a dedicated wheeler the D70 might be a smarter purchase now while the price is right.

A 14 bolt may be cheaper today but 2 years from now when a guy wants to go with 40+ tires, the option to use ratios above 5.13 can be very appealing.

 

[Brocky]

I would get it, wrap it in plastic with film of oil on it and store it. You never know when you may want it. Ideal for strickly offroad rig. I have parts burried up.

 

[tarussell]

iam looking to do a 3/4 swap on my k5 and ive been looking for a 14bff and d60 but i have come across a truck i can get for cheap with a dana 70 rear and d60 front i was wondering if the dana 70 would be a better choice or should i get it sell the d70 and keep looking for a 14bff?

Since you are saying that you can get a Dana 60 front and a Dana 70 rear from , I assume , the same truck than go for it. You will have the bennefit of both axles already having the same gear ratio's and you will be rolling with strong axles instead of looking for them.

If your plans were to just go 3/4 Ton than I would vote for 14FF for the cheap pricing and simplicity of the swap.
If your plans are to grow in the off-road game and the possibility of more/maximum gear sound appealing than now would be a good time to score a set of axles that will allow you to gear it until your heart is content when the time is right .

Dana 70's are not for everyone and can be a PITA when getting parts for but they are a great choice of an axle especially if you can get a Dana60/70 combo for a good price.
Tom

 

[tarussell]

Common sense has to play in here now... Obviously, if you're going to be doing a fair amount of hiway travel then (for example) 6.17's aren't the best choice but if it's a dedicated wheeling truck then lower gears can be more appealing. Also you have to look at the future as well, if it's a current daily driver but potentially a dedicated wheeler the D70 might be a smarter purchase now while the price is right.

A 14 bolt may be cheaper today but 2 years from now when a guy wants to go with 40+ tires, the option to use ratios above 5.13 can be very appealing.

I thought the 6.17's were the "highway" gears and the 7.17's were for the serious folks ........

 

[FRIZZLEFRY]

...Dana 70's are not for everyone and can be a PITA when getting parts for ...
Tom

Which parts?I see this comment alot when it comes to Dana 70s and it is not true.Everything is readily available weather you have a one or two piece carrier or either of the pinion offsets.Brakes,gears,and bearings cost the same as a 14 bolt.Choise of traction aids and gearing options are better with a 70.

My Dana 70 didnt even have a BOM and it wasnt hard to figure out what parts I needed to get it built.

 

[nvrenuf]

I don't think Tom is saying it's not the axle itself that's difficult so much as the people you have to go thru to get said parts. I think you'll agree that typically the average parts guy (wether at a local parts house or Randy's R&P) is not accurately educated about all the D70 variations.

 

[tarussell]

Which parts?I see this comment alot when it comes to Dana 70s and it is not true.Everything is readily available weather you have a one or two piece carrier or either of the pinion offsets.Brakes,gears,and bearings cost the same as a 14 bolt.Choise of traction aids and gearing options are better with a 70.

My Dana 70 didnt even have a BOM and it wasnt hard to figure out what parts I needed to get it built.

The reason I said D70's can be a PITA to get parts for is that there are several different versions of D70's that were used over the years and not all interchange where as the 14FF's are very part swap friendly over the years.

I'm not saying that parts are not available but care needs to be taken when ordering parts for D70's to assure the correct parts are recieved.
Maybe some folks are lucky when getting parts and do not run into any differences. I wanted to warn this guy about the possibilty of not all D70 parts being equal or interchangeable.
For example:
D70's use several different style hubs and wheel bearings.
Also pinion bearings can vary as well as carrier bearings.
Spline counts have changed over the years from models and different makes.
Different carriers fit different housings as well.

Dana 70 parts are readily available but the average Joe is going to have a bigger chance of finding it difficult to get parts to fit a D70 than a much more interchangeable axle like a GM 14FF if he is not "in the know" about rear axle assembly's.

So , I believe my statement about D70's being more difficult to get the correct parts for is true . It is not impossible , and might be no problem at all for some of us , but for someone who is new to the game it might be more challanging when getting parts for Dana axles compared to common GM offerings.
Tom

 

[tarussell]

I don't think Tom is saying it's not the axle itself that's difficult so much as the people you have to go thru to get said parts. I think you'll agree that typically the average parts guy (wether at a local parts house or Randy's R&P) is not accurately educated about all the D70 variations.

AMEN !!!
It is a shame that most folks have no product knowledge in the field that they are making a career out of .
Tom

 

[hans999999]

thanks guys i gotta pick that truck up

 

[JeffHK5]

Both great!
Hummer wheels - DRW D70
non-crazy back spaced wheels -14 bolt

No bad choice!

Jeff

 

[FRIZZLEFRY]

The reason I said D70's can be a PITA to get parts for is...

I see what your saying .

I was a little leary of getting a 70 at first because everyone always says ya cant get parts or they are expensive.But after making calls and asking questions,I found out they aint that bad.I thought I was doomed when I found no BOM.I used numbers off of the carrier n pinion bearings and R&P to get what I needed dif wise.As for the wheel bearings,I cleaned them up and took em to Napa and they got what I need off of the numbers on them.