The young boy i swaped my car to to get this 77 K5 wasnt too bright. ive got a d60 rear 8 bolt and what looks lige a 10 bolt corprate front. Im not sure if this has the same ratio in front and rear. i know that neither are the stock axles cuz this has the 203 transfer and the front axles have locking hubs wich the 203 didnt have and the d 60 well that is self explanitory. i got 4 h1 wheels and the mil spec tires and bead locks to go with the deal not re centerd yet. im just looking for a lil direction there are so many different ways to go here! i want to get the wheels re centerd and use them so that means converting to a 8 lug spindle front or get the 6 lug centers for front and 8 lug for rear.and then im screwed if the ratios are differentshould i wap ring and pinion or get a 3/4 ton 8 lug front. im a 31 year old combat vet working at the veterans hospital with 2 young boys and a wife and limited resources so any advice you fellows can give me id realy appreciate. id like to become a active member of this forum, ill try to post pix of the pproject soon as i can. stats 77 k5 on 8 inch lift springs mild 350 carbed tith th350 and np203. also what is the easiest way to re position shock mounts cuz one of my mounts on the rear d 60 are on the wrong damn side!!!! thanks in advance for any guidance
CK5
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Figuring out someone elses mess.
- Thread starter LOKI3006
- Start date
Well, you need to start by pulling covers and counting teeth to check the ratios. If the shock mount on the rear is a style that will work for you, just cut it off and weld it to the other side of the tube.
K5dreamer
1/2 ton status
First off... welcome to the forum. i joined up back in 2005 before i even found the K5 i wound up buying, and the guys and girls here have been invaluable for advice and the occasional slap the the back of the head.
Secondly.... x2 on your first order of business being to check the ratios front and rear in your axles. Not like its a huge issue, gearsets are relatively inexpensive but rather annoying to install correctly. not hard, but time consuming unless you do it often enough, and have the tools, to be adept at it. Now this is also a critical issue if you want to run those 37in tires. if youve got 3.08 gears, putting 37's on there will probably cook that automagic transmission. and accelleration will suck. Ive got 3.08's on 33in tires and most on here think i need to regear. Which im currently doing with new axles. 4.10 gears and 38in tires, which most still think is to high a ratio. most suggest 4.56 gears.
Beyond that... advice on a direction for the truck is difficult unless we know what youre using the truck for. The 8 in lift worries me because that can be tempting to shove some massive rubber under the truck which that front axle will not survive behind. and the rear is questionable. But you said at least for now, youre using military spec stuff which would be 36 or 37inches. probably ok for trail use, but id be worried about the lifespan of that front axle if you wheel the wee out of it. A simple solution to your 6 lug front / 8 lug rear issue, is swapping hubs from a 8 lug 3/4 ton D44 front axle to your 10 bolt, its a direct swap.
as to your drivetrain, im not sure there is a problem with running a 203 with external locking hubs, but it just means that unlocking the hubs dosnt gain you much (supposed to improve mileage by reducing load on the engine), can always do something about it later, but i dont think its an issue right now.
Secondly.... x2 on your first order of business being to check the ratios front and rear in your axles. Not like its a huge issue, gearsets are relatively inexpensive but rather annoying to install correctly. not hard, but time consuming unless you do it often enough, and have the tools, to be adept at it. Now this is also a critical issue if you want to run those 37in tires. if youve got 3.08 gears, putting 37's on there will probably cook that automagic transmission. and accelleration will suck. Ive got 3.08's on 33in tires and most on here think i need to regear. Which im currently doing with new axles. 4.10 gears and 38in tires, which most still think is to high a ratio. most suggest 4.56 gears.
Beyond that... advice on a direction for the truck is difficult unless we know what youre using the truck for. The 8 in lift worries me because that can be tempting to shove some massive rubber under the truck which that front axle will not survive behind. and the rear is questionable. But you said at least for now, youre using military spec stuff which would be 36 or 37inches. probably ok for trail use, but id be worried about the lifespan of that front axle if you wheel the wee out of it. A simple solution to your 6 lug front / 8 lug rear issue, is swapping hubs from a 8 lug 3/4 ton D44 front axle to your 10 bolt, its a direct swap.
as to your drivetrain, im not sure there is a problem with running a 203 with external locking hubs, but it just means that unlocking the hubs dosnt gain you much (supposed to improve mileage by reducing load on the engine), can always do something about it later, but i dont think its an issue right now.
Im at work so real quick do i need to pull the axles and get to the pinion gear or can i get away with just counting the ring gear?
K5Dreamer as far as your concern im only using the big H1's because they came in the deal id wrather run done 34-36;s so i dint rub. im just using this for mild off roading cuz here in south ga unless its poaring rain and the school buss comes down my dirt road there are not many opportunaties, and im sorry im not into the hole mud bog track thing, i mainly got it for the family and i to go trail riding and stuff. thanks for all the advice so far keep it coming. with the npp203 if you unlock the hubbs the truck wont move because the diff in the transfer tries to send power to the path of least resistance.
K5Dreamer as far as your concern im only using the big H1's because they came in the deal id wrather run done 34-36;s so i dint rub. im just using this for mild off roading cuz here in south ga unless its poaring rain and the school buss comes down my dirt road there are not many opportunaties, and im sorry im not into the hole mud bog track thing, i mainly got it for the family and i to go trail riding and stuff. thanks for all the advice so far keep it coming. with the npp203 if you unlock the hubbs the truck wont move because the diff in the transfer tries to send power to the path of least resistance.
Rather than counting all the teeth on the Ring gear and the pinion (can be a royal PITA) just read the stampings on the outside edge of the ring gear in both axles and it will tell you what the ration is as well as the manufacture date of the axle (if they are stock) or the date of manuf. of the gears that were replaced. If you don't know how to read the stamped numbers post them up here with the proper spacing of the numbers as they are on the gears.
K5dreamer
1/2 ton status
Id check the diff's for tags, sometimes they will still have them bolted to the diff cover. If they are there, they will usually have the gear ratio stamped on them somewhere. But to be sure, the best thing to do is engage the hubs so everything is locked up, and drive the truck forward. mark the tire so you can tell when it turns once, and watch the driveshaft and count how many times it turns for one turn of the tire. you should be able to eyeball it and get a good idea of what your gear ratio is. requires to people, one to watch the shaft and one to drive the truck.
for the H1's, id look around, check craigslist and whatnot. you could probably sell those rims and tires for more than a set of regular steelies and smaller tires would cost you. Your H1's, how many bolts do they have around the edge? are they 8 bolt? or 12 bolt?
for the H1's, id look around, check craigslist and whatnot. you could probably sell those rims and tires for more than a set of regular steelies and smaller tires would cost you. Your H1's, how many bolts do they have around the edge? are they 8 bolt? or 12 bolt?
Thanks for the ideas, it will be a day or two till i can do the che check on the gears ,at laest with the steering rebuilt and replaced i can move the beast. As for the rims ill take a look tonight and post it up. i hope they are 12 but a chief warant officer in maintnance in my old unit said during desert storm they first started going fron bias to radial when they got the 12 bolt and he said they had to modify the 8 bolts by adding 4 or 6 more spaced equaly to the 8 bolt patern so they could run the radials. sounds like a pain and a nightmarer to balance but on a up armored hummer ballance never was a real issue. ill get back to yall soon as i have anything.
chulisohombre
1/2 ton status
if anything ,you can look at ring gear and post up the numbers.3.73 seems to be the most widely used in the 70's,but its been 30 years and the axles are not stock.the front should have been a dana44 as 10 bolts didnt come out til 78.you have to find a 3/4 ton axle and change out everything from the spindle out.hubs,bearings,backing plates,and rotors all need to come from a donor axle.i would replace the bearings,but if you clean them up and they look good,they can be repacked and reused.on this year of truck one shock went forward and one to the rear,so that may be what you are thinking looks wrong on the rear.203 is all wheel drive as you have found out,but can be modified for 2 wheel drive use with a kit.then you can use your hubs correctly.lol.we also need some pics,as we all like to see new members rides.
Well the passanger side shock mount is foreward of the axle witch is the correct position but the driver side mount is also foreward of the axle and that leads me to believe it began its life under a ford or dodge. most likely fors as they favored trailing arm and drag link suspensions. ive gotten under this beast and its not a da44 it is a gm 10 bolt and all the ratio tags are gone pluss whoever re sealed these covers back on the diff the lazy mo fo just used black RTV and no seal. ill try to get some pics on here for you fellows.
Crack the cover and let us know the numbers on the ring gear and we will tell you the ratio.
Ohh, and just using RTV is accepible without the seal. for the diff cover.
pauly383
Daddy383
I didn't do it , I swear
RTV is no problem without a gasket . Most of us do it . Hell , OEMs do it on lots of items now
YZEATER
1/2 ton status
don't lock the hubs and drive it. if you are unsure if the ratio's match that will just bind it up.
either pull the covers and read the gears - hard way.
or lift a tire off the ground, lock the hub in, rotate the tire 2 times, and count how many times the driveshaft goes around and report back, i'll tell you what gear you have. do that front and rear.
ok its a late nite got the covers off but i need to do some serious cleaning before i can see any numbers on these ring gears. i did learn the spyder gears in the rear d60 have been welded looks like a good weld , just the gears not welded to the carrier. i had to move the truck a lil bout 20 feet with it in hi transfer and hubs locked with the np 203 its full time 4 wheel and if i un lock the hubs it dont go just makes a wierd noise. when i made a fairly sharp turn it just kinda snow plowed thw front tires and didnt realy want to turn so im fairly certain im going to find different ratios but i will let all you fine people know what i find soon as i can. i just want to say thank you again ive had this post a day and already gotten more input than i ever expected. i look foreward to getting to know you all and participating actively.
supersize75k5
OrganDonorRacing.com
You can run the h1 rims with just 2 inch wheel spacers.
If you have any concerns about the reliability of that set up look at my avatar
If you have any concerns about the reliability of that set up look at my avatar
supersize75k5
OrganDonorRacing.com
Since you're not a member you will need to use photobucket.
I googled and found a nice tutorial
http://www.stevesnovasite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27716
chulisohombre
1/2 ton status
then as was said before,cut it off and reweld it to the rear.you already figured that one out.haha.rtv is good for most things without a seal.as long as its black rtv as thats the best seal against oil that ive found.it will snowplow because of the rear being locked as there will be no torque bias between he axles.any sharp turn or regular turn for tht matter will do that.and having 4 wheel locked in all the time doesnt help.definitely dont drive it far until you know for sure the ratios are correct in the axles.pics???
ok dumb question would a axle that has been set up to go under a 1988 to 1998 chevy z71 be able to go under my 77 k5? im realy new to this and im not sure if that vehicle has the same distance between spring perches or if it even had front leaf springs like my k5. im asking cuz if it will go i can get a killer deal! and it will fix several issues in 1 fail swoop or pass it on to someone else that needs it!(
dana 44 and rear dana 60, 79' model ford 3/4 ton axles that have been moded to fit under 1988 to 1998 chevy z71. they have 4.11 to 1 gear ratio and the front axle has been machined for cross over steering that costed me $350.00 to get done. The rear Has a disk brake conversion that cost $500.00 new bearings and seals were put in about 8months ago so they are more than worth it. I DO NOT have any lift for a chevy only blocks that could be used in the rear. You will need the kit for the front to put the axle under the truck if needed i can find the one you will need not sure how much the kit is but probly around another $500.00 i can send pic. of the axle if needed. so any ideas or is this even worth it?the guy wants 500 cash for both!
dana 44 and rear dana 60, 79' model ford 3/4 ton axles that have been moded to fit under 1988 to 1998 chevy z71. they have 4.11 to 1 gear ratio and the front axle has been machined for cross over steering that costed me $350.00 to get done. The rear Has a disk brake conversion that cost $500.00 new bearings and seals were put in about 8months ago so they are more than worth it. I DO NOT have any lift for a chevy only blocks that could be used in the rear. You will need the kit for the front to put the axle under the truck if needed i can find the one you will need not sure how much the kit is but probly around another $500.00 i can send pic. of the axle if needed. so any ideas or is this even worth it?the guy wants 500 cash for both!
pauly383
Daddy383
The axles in 88-98( 99 sub/tahoes too ) are a couple inches wider . Also shocks are in different spots , our rigs are outboard frame , the new ones are inboard of frame and usually go to the floorpan of the bed .
