Old K5 axles versus newer ones

[Lostroad44]

I mentioned to a friend that I had just purchased a k5 and he said he had a pair of older axles out of blazer that are a 44/12 bolt combo. I have the 10 bolt combo with the exploding rear gov lock but they work just fine. I am just planning on running 33's is the swap worth it. He also had an pair of early chevy axles that included a heavy duty 44 and and eaton rear end. Do people use these as swaps or are they scrap?

 

[chevydan3]

Swap is not worth it. D44 and the 10 bolt are equal in strength. 12 bolt is marginally better than the 10 bolt, definitely not better enough to justify a swap. If I remember right, the 10 bolt front has bigger bearings than the d44 anyways, and yours are newer. The HD axles he has are 8 lug if you care, the eaton is strong, but old and lacks aftermarket support, the hd dana 44 is the same just with 8 lug hubs, instead of 6.

 

[blazinzuk]

I realize all the stats say the 12 bolt is just a marginal up grade but I have seen 12 bolts hold up better than 10s alot.

Thats based on what I have seen break and what I have seen last.

The question you should be really asking yourself if the axles are in good shape is what gears do they have in them.

Depending on the year of your truck you may have 3.08 gears which are gonna suck with 33s, More than likely the 12b 44 combo will have 3.73s which is a better gear ration for a 33. Another advantage is the fact the 44 may have flat top knuckles if you are ever going to x over on that particular set up.

The Eaton rear and 44 front will have even deeper gears. I would swap for the gear change not necessarily for the strength differences