M1028 Axle frustrations

[point-five-o]

I've been meaning to join this forum for a while now, but I did it today out of frustration. I recently bought an '84 M1028 CUCV in what I thought was good, factory-condition. I knew these things had the 60 front and 14 bolt rear (90% of why I bought it), and my plans are to turn it into an off-road, camping/hunting truck. Anyway, I sourced a 4-inch lift from Offroad Design (rear shackle flip + front Tuff Country 4" HD springs) and in the process of installing it, I made a pretty frustrating discovery . . . someone stole the good axles out of this truck and replaced them with a 3/4 ton D44 front and 14 bolt rear. I'm really pissed at myself for not looking at the axles a little closer (I was more concerned with the body) but I just assumed they were the right ones. Lesson learned.

Anyway, that's my story, and now here's my question: I found and have acquired a set of M1008 axles with the factory 4:56 gears and rear Detroit, but have since found out that the 1 ton's had a wider spring perch spacing in the rear compared to the 1/2 or 3/4 ton's (42.5 compared to 40.5). The 3/4 ton 14 bolt I just removed has the 40.5 spacing and the new 1 ton unit has the 42.5 spacing. What I don't understand is that, when measured at the front or rear of the spring packs, it comes out to 40.5 from center-to-center? Am I missing something here? Shouldn't it be the wider 42.5 measurement? This is, without doubt, an M1028 truck, so I really confused with the spring-spacing measurement. Any insight would be immensely appreciated

 

[mtnman]

Probably a M1028 body on a 3/4 ton frame

 

[point-five-o]

Probably a M1028 body on a 3/4 ton frame

Seems like somebody would've had to go to a lot of trouble to do that? The truck doesn't look like it's been messed with to that extent, and from what could gather, the rear spring hangers look the same as other m1008/m1028 trucks I could find pictures of? Is the frame itself wider in the rear on the 1-ton's, or is it the spring hangers that make up the difference?

 

[mtnman]

I believe that the frame on a one ton is diffrerent from the cab - back. I don't have a regular one ton frame to compare with the 3/4 ton. I have a cab & chassis K30, C30 crew cab and a K30 crew cab frame, and they are DEFINATELY different than my K20 from the cab - back.

 

[point-five-o]

I believe that the frame on a one ton is diffrerent from the cab - back. I don't have a regular one ton frame to compare with the 3/4 ton. I have a cab & chassis K30, C30 crew cab and a K30 crew cab frame, and they are DEFINATELY different than my K20 from the cab - back.

OK, thanks. How about this-do the 3/4 ton frame's have the overload-spring brackets (the one's with the padded-rubber "contact sleeve" over them) riveted to the frame? Mine does.

 

[mtnman]

Not from the factory, not that I have ever seen or heard of. Are the spring hangers or overload spring contact brackets bolted or riveted on? If either is bolted then they likely weren't original to your frame.

 

[mtnman]

OK, thanks. How about this-do the 3/4 ton frame's have the overload-spring brackets (the one's with the padded-rubber "contact sleeve" over them) riveted to the frame? Mine does.

Oops - missed the fact that the overload brackets were RIVETED the first time I read this

 

[mtnman]

I think that the 3/4 ton spacing is the wider one! I will go take some measurements and post up in a few

 

[mtnman]

Yes the 3/4 ton is the 42.5 spacing. Mystery solved! Wish I had really thougt about this in the beginning - I knew the 3/4 tons had wider spacing!

 

[point-five-o]

I think that the 3/4 ton spacing is the wider one! I will go take some measurements and post up in a few

Thanks for the help. However, I have both 14-bolt's sitting on the garage floor . . . the 1-ton & 3/4 ton I removed. The perch spacing on the 1-ton measures 42.5, and on the 3/4 ton, 40.5-inches?

 

[point-five-o]

Yes the 3/4 ton is the 42.5 spacing. Mystery solved! Wish I had really thougt about this in the beginning - I knew the 3/4 tons had wider spacing!

You were right! The 3/4 ton 14-bolt I removed had the spring perches taken off and welded back-on further in! On top of that, the new 14-bolt I got is in-fact a 3/4 ton axle with the larger 1-ton drums on it!! I verified the perch spacing on offroaddesign.com, where under the "shackle flip" product page, they list a different kit for the 1-ton's to compensate for the narrower perch spacing. Looks like I just need to find the right 1-ton 14-bolt! Man, I need to start learning what I'm looking at to avoid getting screwed every time I turn around. Thanks again for the help!

 

[tRustyK5]

If the 14 you have is 4.56 and detroit...just move the perches. Much easier than buying yet another 14 bolt.

Sucks about the robbed D60. I think I'd be mighty tempted to have a word with the dick that sold you the truck. Fine if he robs the D60 as long as it's known and up front when he is selling it.

Rene

 

[point-five-o]

If the 14 you have is 4.56 and detroit...just move the perches. Much easier than buying yet another 14 bolt.

Sucks about the robbed D60. I think I'd be mighty tempted to have a word with the dick that sold you the truck. Fine if he robs the D60 as long as it's known and up front when he is selling it.

Rene

The new 14-bolt I got does have the 4:56 + Detroit, and I think you're right—moving the perches will probably be a helluva lot easier (and cheaper) than tracking down a CUCV rear. Still pissed that I didn't get the axles I thought I was paying for, for the second time in a row.

Since he said he bought it at an auction, I'd like to give the dude I bought the truck from the benefit of the doubt, and say that he didn't know the axles had been swapped out, but he also said he collects the M1008/M1009/M1028 trucks, so I'm sure he knew what he was looking at. He drove the truck up from Florida (where he lives) to New Hampshire (where I bought it), so the best I'll be able to do is send him a nasty-gram via email, since I still have his email address. Either way, I still consider it my fault for not looking and confirming the truck had the right running gear.

 

[mtnman]

Are both full floaters? If so the one on the truck is a 1 ton and the other (with the 42.5" spacing) is a 3/4 ton - my K20 has 42.5" spacing - one tons are narrower - 40.5"

 

[tRustyK5]

The new 14-bolt I got does have the 4:56 + Detroit, and I think you're right—moving the perches will probably be a helluva lot easier (and cheaper) than tracking down a CUCV rear. Still pissed that I didn't get the axles I thought I was paying for, for the second time in a row.

Since he said he bought it at an auction, I'd like to give the dude I bought the truck from the benefit of the doubt, and say that he didn't know the axles had been swapped out, but he also said he collects the M1008/M1009/M1028 trucks, so I'm sure he knew what he was looking at. He drove the truck up from Florida (where he lives) to New Hampshire (where I bought it), so the best I'll be able to do is send him a nasty-gram via email, since I still have his email address. Either way, I still consider it my fault for not looking and confirming the truck had the right running gear.

If he bought it at auction I can almost guarantee it had the 14/60 in it when he got it. He likely removed the 60/14 himself, then drove the truck up to your location...with the near worthless 3/4 ton stuff under it.

How you choose to deal with that asshole is your business, but I'd be more than just a little ticked off. A 4.56 low mile D60 is an easy $1200 around here. 14's are more common and cheaper...but not with 4.56's. So either you find a good 14 and have new gears and Detroit installed ($800-$1000) or you're gonna drop another $500 for a detroit'd 4.56 14 bolt from a CUCV.

You got ripped for at least $1500 IMHO.

Moving the perches isn't hard...

Rene

 

[sixb]

Buyer beware! People will take advantage of you, but now you know what a d60 looks like. Good luck with your project and definetly move the pearches to meet your needs.

 

[jp0863]

The 1984 1028's had the dana 44 front, very few came with the 60 in 84' and the one's that did were specialty rigs usually with a radio or ambulance box. 85' i believe they all had 60's and from then on. I've bought several 86's from GL and when i picked them up, there have usually been a few 1984's and they all had 44's in front.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

The 1984 1028's had the dana 44 front, very few came with the 60 in 84' and the one's that did were specialty rigs usually with a radio or ambulance box. 85' i believe they all had 60's and from then on. I've bought several 86's from GL and when i picked them up, there have usually been a few 1984's and they all had 44's in front.

Ummm...no.

The pickups were ALL 1 tons, especially considering the 1028's were the heavier rated ones vs the "standard 1 ton" M1008's like mine.

No CUCV pickup ever had a D44. They were all built to the same standard, SRW's D60/14ff, DRW's D60/D70.

 

[point-five-o]

Well, I finally got my hands on the requisite axles for my truck, thanks to a MV dissmantler I've dealt with several times on ebay—his ebay username is muddobber40, and I highly reccomend him for transactions both inside and outside ebay. He's a great guy, and extremely honest. I was going to follow Rene's reccomendation of simply moving the perches on the 3/4-ton 14 bolt, but since the guy (local to me) was willing to swap-back the Springfield Armory Scout Squad M1A I had traded him for the axles, I thought it'd probably in my best interest. The new axles came out of a 44K-mile '85 M1008 that came out of Georgia, and their in excellent "ready to bolt in" shape, and surprisingly clean. He even preserved the brake lines, E-brake cables and steering linkage for me—all of which usually fall victim to a hasty axle removal. When all was said and done, I had about the same amount invested, had a better set of axles and intall time will be reduced thanks to the fact that I'm simply bolting stuff up. With the exception of the fact that I'm essentially still out-of-pocket for a Dana 60 and 14-bolt, all is good. Thanks again to all who helped!

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Good to hear man.