The rating and # of leaf springs, plus the size of the brake drums. 1 tons have 13" brakes while the 3/4 ton is 12" IIRC.
CK5
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Lets talk axle swap
- Thread starter Dabba
- Start date
The rating and # of leaf springs, plus the size of the brake drums. 1 tons have 13" brakes while the 3/4 ton is 12" IIRC.
Pretty much the weight ratings of the springs and the 1 tons got Dana 60 front axles.
That said I've heard you could buy a 3/4 ton with all the weight related packages like the towing package, snow plow package, the diesel, and the camper package and you could end up with the same springs as a 1 ton. I think I've even heard of folks getting the big brakes on 14FF's under 3/4 tons ordered to the highest GVWR possible. You'd still have the 10 bolt or D44 front though.
That said I've heard you could buy a 3/4 ton with all the weight related packages like the towing package, snow plow package, the diesel, and the camper package and you could end up with the same springs as a 1 ton. I think I've even heard of folks getting the big brakes on 14FF's under 3/4 tons ordered to the highest GVWR possible. You'd still have the 10 bolt or D44 front though.
Dabba
1/2 ton status
ahhh now i get it. I guess ill start looking for a 14 bolt FF. Im still not sure what ill do with the front, if i can find an 8 lug 10 bolt or d44 with the gears i want and rims for less than the cost of regearing ill go for it.
Streetgliderx
1/2 ton status
not tryin to steal the thread but can a dually be converted to single wheel? i have a dually with the dana 60 front 4.56's all round and lockers in the rear. or do you just run wide wheels and lots of back space?
Dabba
1/2 ton status
pretty sure thats a no
The front can be converted to a SRW but the rear can't easily...I think.
Dabba, keep an eye on here and Craigslist, local 4x4 sites, etc. Try and find either a set of 3/4 tons someone is getting rid of or a whole truck. 1978BlazerK5 found a rusty 3/4 ton for a grand the other day that I'm sure he could have gotten cheaper.
Dabba
1/2 ton status
yeah saw that. i would glady buy from someone here but most people are not in my area. Ill keep looking. Thanks. Just in case though, whats involved in moving the perches on the axle?
blazin_blazer
1/2 ton status
i have a friend who has a 14sf and he swears it has the 10.5'' ring, did gm ever make such an axle?
I put a 14bolt SF out of a 97 in my truck. It would have been much easier to buy new perches than to reuse the old ones. Other than that, it is just a matter of careful measuring and making sure the pinion angle is right. Keep in mind the shock mounts also need modified and relocated to use a later model axle.
Nope, no semi floating 10.5's came from the factory. Some 10.5's have been modified into semi floaters in the aftermarket but none came from the factory as SF's.
As driney says, cutting, measuring, and welding.
As driney says, cutting, measuring, and welding.
In this case just run Hummer H1 wheels from the Military H1's. They have the perfect backspacing to run on dually axles and give you a single wheel. But this is thread hijacking... its usually easier to get answers by starting a new post of your own so people don't skip past it.
mudboggink5
1/2 ton status
When I was looking for my 3/4 tons, I found them under a 79 suburban 14bolt ff and a dana 44 8 lug, so keep an eye out for the older 3/4 ton suburbans. It also had the 205 t case
Streetgliderx
1/2 ton status
yeah its only a spacer on the fron but i am glad to hear about the h1 wheels
Just to clarify, in this era the dually D60 has a completely different hub assembly...it's just not a spacer you can unbolt like most newer trucks. But yes, you can simply swap in single wheel version hubs.
Dabba
1/2 ton status
yeah, ill keep looking. im not looking for any for any fab work with this so its gonna be a 14bff and maybe d44 or 8 lug 10b. Around here you see broncos alot more than blazers, junkyards included so its gonna be awhile until i can find them. Ill make a note of what years and what trucks i can find them in, and take another look at the iding page so i dont need to rely on others. Thanks
Desert Yeti
1/2 ton status
Hey Dabba,
As a noob with a fear of fab work on things as critical as pinion angle, I've looked into this topic for some time now and to echo (and summarize) what others have said here, for a minimum of fab work you want:
Front and rear axles out of a 73-87(91 for subs) 3/4 ton truck with 8 lugs. This will give you a 14bolt Full Floater (VERY strong) and an 8 lug D44 or 10 bolt. You've got to give up your 6 lug wheels to do it, but that's the only downside, the rest of the swap is really easy. 1 ton trucks have the same axles (essentially), but the perches are different on the 14b FF rear and need to be moved, so look for the K20 (3/4 ton) trucks.
Also as stated here, for the front, you can easily swap the ends from an 8 lug D44 OR 10 bolt onto your existing 10 bolt, so if you find a 2wd 3/4 ton truck with the rear you want (14b FF with the right gear ratio), you can get that and then look for 8 lug parts to convert your front axle to use matching wheels.
A LOT of guys run 14b FF rears and D44 or 10bolt fronts with 8 lugs (just so the wheels are all the same, not because 8 lug is necessarily any "better"). D60's are generally expensive and you can buy a lot of 10bolt replacement parts for that money, and if you just go easy on the skinny pedal, you won't need to.
As a noob with a fear of fab work on things as critical as pinion angle, I've looked into this topic for some time now and to echo (and summarize) what others have said here, for a minimum of fab work you want:
Front and rear axles out of a 73-87(91 for subs) 3/4 ton truck with 8 lugs. This will give you a 14bolt Full Floater (VERY strong) and an 8 lug D44 or 10 bolt. You've got to give up your 6 lug wheels to do it, but that's the only downside, the rest of the swap is really easy. 1 ton trucks have the same axles (essentially), but the perches are different on the 14b FF rear and need to be moved, so look for the K20 (3/4 ton) trucks.
Also as stated here, for the front, you can easily swap the ends from an 8 lug D44 OR 10 bolt onto your existing 10 bolt, so if you find a 2wd 3/4 ton truck with the rear you want (14b FF with the right gear ratio), you can get that and then look for 8 lug parts to convert your front axle to use matching wheels.
A LOT of guys run 14b FF rears and D44 or 10bolt fronts with 8 lugs (just so the wheels are all the same, not because 8 lug is necessarily any "better"). D60's are generally expensive and you can buy a lot of 10bolt replacement parts for that money, and if you just go easy on the skinny pedal, you won't need to.
As its been quoted time and time again, do a search n00b. This subject has been beaten to death and there's literally thousands of threads out there about this swap.
MaxPF
1/2 ton status
Everyone on this site likes to preach the 14bff gospel, but the fact is most of them are web wheelers. I went with a 6 lug 14bsf. It saved me time and money over converting to 8-lug. Also, the minimum diameter of the sf shafts are larger than the minimum diameter of the ff shafts, and I have never seen anyone break one. They weigh less than a ff and have more ground clearance. It is something you should consider rather than following the herd. Or, stick with your 1/2 tons for the time being. Plenty of guys here in AZ wheel HARD on 1/2 tons without problems. It's all about finesse.
If you want to see a 6-lug 14bsf swap, go here.
If you want to see a 6-lug 14bsf swap, go here.
But there is a reason for that... the SF axleshafts have to do twice the work of the FF shafts since they support the weight of the vehicle in addition to the torsional load (torque) applied between the tire and engine. On the FF the axle has spindles that support the weight of the vehicle thru the bearings/bearing hub.
My preference for light wheeling is a Dana 60 rear axle. It has approx the same ring gear size and ground clearance of the 14SF but better gearing and locker options plus the added strengths of the FF axle design.
MaxPF
1/2 ton status
The shaft isn't doing "twice the work". The part that supports the weight is 1.7" in diameter, while the minimum diameter is 1.400. If the shaft is going to break, it will do so at the smallest diameter, which is next to the splines. 14bff shafts neck down to 1.362 - I measured one myself just the other day.
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