maybe picking up a 14b sf

[NorCal_Chris]

So my buddy has a friend with a 14b sf attached to his old mid 70's stepside truck and said i can have it if i pull it. Its got some sort of lift springs in the front and rear that i might take too, depending on how hard its gonna be. The front axel is off and it is resting on the leaves in the front and on roller tires in the rear.

Question is: Should i put this under my blazer? Ive been going back and forth on if i should do a 14bolt or not. I have the stock 12/d44 now on 33's. Max tire i plan on running is 35. I would like it to be strong enough to go out and beat on it, and im not sure if the 12 bolt can handle that for very long. Im just really not looking forward to having to deal with the 8 lug swap and dealing with new wheels.

I know there is a 14bolt 6 lug but this is free so im not gonna pass it up. I guess i could always sell it and grab a 6 lug one, or do the swap on it. I was hearing other stuff too like the axel is a fair amount wider than the 12bolt, so not sure if i want my tires sticking too far out, they are fairly flush now.

Another question: I have a block on the back right now for my lift with stock springs... would i be better off running the lift springs on this axle im grabbing, or are they gonna be too stiff to have much use? it would be nice to get rid of the axle wrap though.

oh and is there an easy way to find out what gear ratio this rear end is? tag on door or something? Or do i need to spin and calculate?

Hopefully i can get some responses before tommorow morning before i head out, but i guess it will be worth it to go anyways because i can flip it for cash.

Thanks!

btw i have a 73 blazer

 

[dirtygoat]

If you put the 14sf in you might have to change your drive line... Length, different joint, so on...

12b is a c-clip axle, so if you "go out and beat on it" you might lose a tire and have to be drug out...

If you change to 8 lug stuff, you'll need to get new rims... might want to think about how much that might cost...

Blocks create axle wrap and that's bad... Lift springs are usually stiff and and suck for trails...

If there's no tag with ratio info, you can pull the cover and there will be stamped numbers that will tell you what the ring and pinion has for a tooth count and do the math...



Get the axle, it's free, then sit on it for a while... Read up on what you are thinking about doing, then make an educated decision...

 

[lectric80]

I am in the process of adding a 14bsf to my Blazer. It is the 8 lug version, and I intend to keep it that way.

It is still a c-clip axle, but the axles make the 12b axles look like pencils. You will have to make sure you take the spring plate for it, as they are different. You should be able to maintain your driveline length for small lifts, but you will have to use a conversion joint. 12b uses a 1310 joint while the 14b uses the 1350.

 

[dirtygoat]

I've never owned a 14sf... I'm assuming that you can eliminate the c-clips...


I have to ask though, why not do the same amount of work and put in a 14ff???

 

[lectric80]

With smaller tires the 14bff doesn't make a lot of sense for some people. The strength difference is minimal if anything, the wms is the same, but the 14sf uses a smaller pumpkin that tends to be less of a boat anchor. In my case it was available for a great price from a member here on the board with a matched front 10b and 4.10 gears.

C-clip eliminators work well for strip use, not so good on our big heavy trucks and off camber situations. The reality of the 14bsf is the axles are strong enough that you usually won't have axle breakage issues with tires around 35". It can happen, but it is far less common than on a 10b or 12b.

Edit: Chris the older 8 lug 14bsf doesn't have much if any difference in the WMS spacing compared to the 12b.

 

[NorCal_Chris]

Thanks for the input guys!

Im definatly gonna go out there and snag it. I wish it had the driveline with it,because i figured i needed a different joint. Its in a really bad location right next to his fence so it is gonna be fun getting it out, and getting it in the back of my blazer lol. I will post some pics of the day when i get home.

 

[Blue85]

Some other points:

-There are different widths available, depending on what brakes the axle had - it's best to measure. The narrowest will be about like the 12b. The widest will be about as wide as the front axle.
-I don't know of a c-clip eliminator for the 14sf, but who cares? If you are worried about breaking a clip and losing the axle, just do a disc brake conversion.
-The pinion is longer, but you probably have a lift with the stock driveshaft, so the situation will improve with the 14Bsf
-You can convert it to 6-lug if you want to (you can't do that with the FF)
-There are dozens of threads on this swap - SEARCH