Donor vehicle for axle swap

[skark_burmer]

I did some searching but could not find a direct answer, so here i go.
I am looking for a donor vehicle for front and rear axles. I figure id like the whole vehicle for brakes, driveshafts and all that stuff. (is my thinking skewed?)
I have a 83 K5 with a diesel so i already figure i'll be swapping gears so im not too worried about finding something that already has a 3.08. Im looking for a Dana 60 front and 14b FF rear, factory disc brakes would be ideal for master cylinder issues and all that.

From what i gather i do not want a vehicle with dual rear wheels because the rear axle is either wider or more narrow. Correct?

So from the list of vehicles that make the best choice are 77-87 Chevy 1 ton. Correct?
These all have rear drums, which isnt that big of a deal, but id prefer discs if there is a better donor choice.

Also, will the Dodge 1 tons from the same era work as long as they are passenger sided? They will have either a dana 60 or 70 rear, but from what i gather the difference between the 70 and 14bFF isnt that great. Right?

What about Fords? I remember hearing you could take a ford axle and flip it over so you have a high pinion and more ground clearance. But when you flip it over, wont the rotation be backwards? Im no rocket scientest, but that would be bad.

Thoughts?

 

[BulldogK5]

What about Fords? I remember hearing you could take a ford axle and flip it over so you have a high pinion and more ground clearance. But when you flip it over, wont the rotation be backwards? Im no rocket scientest, but that would be bad.

You are thinking about a '78-'79 High Pinion axle from the Fords. These are getting harder to find for obvious reasons.

The easiest swap will be a 14bff from a 3/4 ton since the springs mounts are the same (the 1 tons are too narrow) and a 60 from the same era Chevy/GMC. As for driveshafts, you will have to have a new rear since the length will be way off and a conversion u-joint for the output on the tranfer case. The front shaft should work with a conversion but I am not sure about the diesel part of the equation. The brake lines and emergency brake will have to be redone too.

You might also look for a 14b from the later years (till '91 on the crewcabs) for one with more ribbing on it for structural rigidity. Brakes won't matter if you are going to discs but there are 2 different sizes available.

For using a Dodge axle, you can use any kind you want from any manufacturer dependiong on how much you can fab yourself. just make sure that some parts are interchangeable or you at least keep a detailed list so you don't spend a lot of time going for parts that don't seem to match up.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

I did some searching but could not find a direct answer, so here i go.
I am looking for a donor vehicle for front and rear axles. I figure id like the whole vehicle for brakes, driveshafts and all that stuff. (is my thinking skewed?)

The truck you'll be getting axles from will be a pickup, the rear driveshaft will certainly not work. The front might if you have the same t-case as the donor truck.

I have a 83 K5 with a diesel so i already figure i'll be swapping gears so im not too worried about finding something that already has a 3.08. Im looking for a Dana 60 front and 14b FF rear, factory disc brakes would be ideal for master cylinder issues and all that.

You need to find a 79-91 K30 pickup. There were no factory disc brakes offered on any of these trucks. The disc brake swap on the rear is pretty cheap and easy but getting an emergency brake to work is much more difficult.

From what i gather i do not want a vehicle with dual rear wheels because the rear axle is either wider or more narrow. Correct?

The dually axles are a different width. The single rear wheel trucks are generally more desirable because aftermarket wheels generally have backspacing that caters to SRW axles.

Also, will the Dodge 1 tons from the same era work as long as they are passenger sided? They will have either a dana 60 or 70 rear, but from what i gather the difference between the 70 and 14bFF isnt that great. Right?

Sort of, search on Dodge D60's here. Its been covered many times.

What about Fords? I remember hearing you could take a ford axle and flip it over so you have a high pinion and more ground clearance. But when you flip it over, wont the rotation be backwards? Im no rocket scientest, but that would be bad.

Thoughts?

Flipping the axle over will make it drive the wrong direction.

 

[toomany]

From what i gather i do not want a vehicle with dual rear wheels because the rear axle is either wider or more narrow. Correct?

I believe that the hubs on a front dually axle are differn't too. The wheel mounting surface is farther out.

On a Dodge D60, the spring pads are about 1/4" closer together on each side. I've seen people use ratchet straps to pull the springs in when they install them. It's harder on the bushings, but it works. A better option would be to weld the holes shut and drill new ones.

 

[skark_burmer]

Im going to be 4linking the front and rear so spring locations dont really bother me.
Otherwise Dodge donors are good to go?

What about the Dana70 rear vs 14b?
ARB's cost the same for both, and i suppose the dana has better ground clearance cause everybody bitches about the 14b. Are gear sets for the 14b cheaper/easier to find?

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

Im going to be 4linking the front and rear so spring locations dont really bother me.
Otherwise Dodge donors are good to go?

The passenger drop Dodge 60's are fine.


What about the Dana70 rear vs 14b?
ARB's cost the same for both, and i suppose the dana has better ground clearance cause everybody bitches about the 14b. Are gear sets for the 14b cheaper/easier to find?[/quote]

The D70 has bigger axle tubes and can have much lower gears (the lowest 14b gears are 5.38, the D70 can go down to 7.17).

The 14 bolt has a stronger ring and pinion setup and stronger shafts.


Shaving the 14 bolt is easy and will get the same or better clearance than the D70. Unless you need super low gears, the 14 bolt is the better choice. The D70 is plenty strong too, so if you find a donor truck with a D60/D70 that would work fine too.

 

[skark_burmer]

"Shaving the 14 bolt is easy and will get the same or better clearance than the D70. Unless you need super low gears, the 14 bolt is the better choice. The D70 is plenty strong too, so if you find a donor truck with a D60/D70 that would work fine too."


Cool, thanks for the heads up!