Running 35x15.5 on 1/2 ton axels and 3.08 gears? Bad Idea?

[Hoot]

no need to keep your front 44 you have now...if your gears suck, then buying a matched set of 4.10 3/4 ton axels will be cheaper then regearing the ones you have now...less labor, less time swapping parts, less money..sell your current axles while they are worth a damn and still in decent shap. yes you can wheel a 10 bolt rear stock on 35's...gas milage will suck with 3.08s, and if or when the rear blows then you will have a tow bill, down time, money out of pocket or a blown budjet.


the real way to do it would be to get the 3/4 tons, clean them up, go through the axels, seals, bearings if your feeling frisky, put some hubs on it and at the same time you will learn alot about how to maintain, tear down and repair you axel for the future. A plus is that the rig is still drivable while you do this..

no, the real way to do it is (not hacker cheap way either)... if we in the mood for spending some $$$$$... you cannot beat the Dana 60 front with dynatrac lockouts and the 14-bolt full float rear, at this point dasanii19... just lay out the dough and stick a fork in it. LOL! If you are in snow, you wanna get probably a limited slip in the front, like a dana trac-lock, and keep a detriot locker in the rear. if you have lockers in the front while in snow, you can get some serious over-steer issues going on. also, you wanna run a high angle CV (constant velocity), and maybe a 1.5 ton driveline. You can check out www.arizonadrivelines.com . They have the best way to do things. You will want your 14-bolt to have the proper pinion angle for that CV else it will not work. Best way is to cut the spring perches off the axle and weld them back on at the right angle, best to have a driveline shop do this bec they have the machines to work it. That is the correct way of doing it, its expensive, but it will work perfectly as a daily driver/rock-crawler. With a setup like this, you will have absolutely no driveline vibration. It is as smooth as silk. That is the correct way to setup your K5. It will last forever with this setup.

 

[m1ndless]

Thanks hoot, you answered my and his questions. I started a piggy bank for my axels, well its more of an old coffee can with piece of paper that says "Josh's Axel Swap Fund" - It has a total of $23 in quarters in it right now.

So dana 60's or 1 tons would be my best bet? I might want to eventually lift it some more and run 37"s or something. I think a 454 swap might be added onto my list, I just found a complete 454 and 700r (I think) on craigslist for $900!!!!!

 

[Hoot]

Thanks hoot, you answered my and his questions. I started a piggy bank for my axels, well its more of an old coffee can with piece of paper that says "Josh's Axel Swap Fund" - It has a total of $23 in quarters in it right now.

So dana 60's or 1 tons would be my best bet? I might want to eventually lift it some more and run 37"s or something. I think a 454 swap might be added onto my list, I just found a complete 454 and 700r (I think) on craigslist for $900!!!!!

to run 37's, if you run 14-bolt and dana 60, you only need a 6" lift. dont let anyone else tell you otherwise. the axles are so thick, they lift your truck about 1.5 inches. the axle tubes are that much bigger. do not get a transfer case lowering kit... thats just a hacker way of doing crap.

 

[m1ndless]

I found a Ford Dana 60 and 14 Bolt FF for 1500 on craigslist, good price? It doesnt say what gears it has though..

 

[Hoot]

I found a Ford Dana 60 and 14 Bolt FF for 1500 on craigslist, good price? It doesnt say what gears it has though..

ask him how many miles on the truck they came off of, ask him if they have been sitting outside or inside for storage, and do the brakes work? It sounds about right for used axles.

 

[m1ndless]

Alright, Emailing him now. I guess I am putting off my exhaust for a while.

 

[Hoot]

Alright, Emailing him now. I guess I am putting off my exhaust for a while.

and remember a ford dana 60 is a driver side drop.

 

[ryoken]

Alright, Emailing him now. I guess I am putting off my exhaust for a while.

No offense man, but doing a driverside swap is going to be a pretty involved project, more than I'm thinking your ready to handle....

look for some 3/4 sets, more than likely gonna be 4:10's... 3:08's are gonna be a dog and annihilate trannies...

That's a lesson all newbie truck guys go thru, "What do ya mean I need to regear?"

gearing is important in other motorsports, but when you start running 38, 39" tires, it becomes critical...

 

[supersize75k5]

No offense man, but doing a driverside swap is going to be a pretty involved project, more than I'm thinking your ready to handle....

look for some 3/4 sets, more than likely gonna be 4:10's... 3:08's are gonna be a dog and annihilate trannies...

That's a lesson all newbie truck guys go thru, "What do ya mean I need to regear?"

gearing is important in other motorsports, but when you start running 38, 39" tires, it becomes critical...

I agree with his post, dont be tricked, fooled or talked into a dana 60 if you dont need it..from personal experiance...most dana 60's even low milage ones are not ready out of the box, most cost 800-1500 bucks...thats before everything it needs..new king pins$$$ not a fun or easy job for a new to the wheeling wrenching type,hubs, gears, steering its all pricy. if you are willing to spend 1500 for those ill give you my advice on what i would do with that some of money,


for 35-36's and light/moderate wheeling

3/4 tons with 4.10s...500.00
cross over from wfo/ord 450-650.00
disk brakes for the rear from kert or?? around 250-300.00
new rotors.pads and calipers up frot 200.00



now you have a stout, geared, rig with good gearing, brakes and steering.


later on upgrade the axle in the rear with a locker, and a lock right up front for under a grand..

its real easy to get cought up in the mess, but to be honest it takes some of the fun out of it when or if you dive in real deep. doing the 3/4 ton swap, disk brakes, and new brakes and steering up front wil give you the chance to really get to know your truck. when I think of people who took a very educated and open approach to it, muddinmanny comes to mind. yes it took him a while, but he did it right, saved some dough on the labor, and learned alot im sure.

 

[m1ndless]

Crap. Well my 35's are going to sit for a while then, I didnt realize how much stuff I needed for it.

 

[Hoot]

really, 35's are the highest you should go on 1/2 ton axles... but make sure they are at least 30-spline count. you go over that, and you may just find yourself looking for a tow-truck. i have seen it happen too much on the GM 10-bolt.

 

[supersize75k5]

Crap. Well my 35's are going to sit for a while then, I didnt realize how much stuff I needed for it.

not trying to burst your bubble, just a heads up since myself and others have been there, gather all your parts and go into it with ALL the parts so you have as little surprises as possable!

 

[obijuan]

shiiit if i only knew then, what i know now. there would have been waaay less parts fetching on saturday afternoon when you run into a snag. with no matter how much preparing i do, there will ALWAYS be something to get you. something, somewhere. whether its a ujoint or part hiding in your pocket. just be aware and prepared.

 

[dasanii19]

ask how long the axles have been sitting... and ask if they have been rebuilt? ask how many miles are on the axle. ask what the brakes look like. ask if axle has been stored outside or inside. bearings may need replacing.

Here is his responce, and a refresher on what we are talking about http://reno.craigslist.org/pts/286595801.html


"I have had them for about five years and as far as I know they are original, although in very good condition, the brakes are about 75%, rear end still has both E Brake cables, not sure of the mileage, When I bought them they had been stored inside and have been stored inside since I got them, Not sure on the condition of the bearings. I got them for a 1969 4x4 conversion I was working on. Ran out of time. Still have the 1969 4x4 frame but not the 2x4 truck. I am in Fallon, NV. I’ll try to get some pics if you still need to see them."

So what do you think guys? should I get these? I am also needing to replace my tranny, should I go with a TH400? If you dont remember, my currect setup is 76 K5 blazer, 4" lift, 33"s tires, 350 motor 3.06 gears (12 bolt rear 10 bolt front) and a TH350 transmission.

 

[Avery4jc]

really, 35's are the highest you should go on 1/2 ton axles... but make sure they are at least 30-spline count. you go over that, and you may just find yourself looking for a tow-truck. i have seen it happen too much on the GM 10-bolt.

I was just reading about this...
After the 10b was upgraded to 30 spline axle shafts it didn't really make a difference because they still used the same 1.10" necked section and the 30 spline carrier was actually weaker than the 28 spline carrier.





Back to the question at hand dasanii19...
You and I have PM'd back and forth and the TH400 came up. The only reason I suggested looking into this was because in bone stock form a TH400 is capable of handling your setup so it'll be easier on the pocket book.
Anyone have suggestions about this?
Can TH400's utilize the existing crossmember, bolt pattern, kick down setup, etc.?

 

[Hoot]

Here is his responce, and a refresher on what we are talking about http://reno.craigslist.org/pts/286595801.html


"I have had them for about five years and as far as I know they are original, although in very good condition, the brakes are about 75%, rear end still has both E Brake cables, not sure of the mileage, When I bought them they had been stored inside and have been stored inside since I got them, Not sure on the condition of the bearings. I got them for a 1969 4x4 conversion I was working on. Ran out of time. Still have the 1969 4x4 frame but not the 2x4 truck. I am in Fallon, NV. I’ll try to get some pics if you still need to see them."

So what do you think guys? should I get these? I am also needing to replace my tranny, should I go with a TH400? If you dont remember, my currect setup is 76 K5 blazer, 4" lift, 33"s tires, 350 motor 3.06 gears (12 bolt rear 10 bolt front) and a TH350 transmission.

What kind of axles are you looking at again? is this the GM Dana 60 and the 14-bolt FF rear? The TH400 should mount to the engine with no probs, the tranny mounts and cross-member may need to be changed out to fit a 400 though, just like Avery4jc is saying.

 

[Hoot]

if the axles have been stored inside, thats a good deal. when they are stored outside, the weather destroys seals and u-joints. things tend to sieze up faster when stored outside.

 

[Avery4jc]

What kind of axles are you looking at again?

3/4 ton will be 14ff/8 lug 10b, 14ff/8 lug d44 or there is the possibility of getting a 14sf/8 lug 10b etc. like we were talking about earlier...but most likely its one of the first two.

 

[Hoot]

3/4 ton will be 14ff/8 lug 10b, 14ff/8 lug d44 or there is the possibility of getting a 14sf/8 lug 10b etc. like we were talking about earlier...but most likely its one of the first two.

yes, the 14-bolt SF is a 9.5" ring gear. hopefully he gets a 14-bolt FF with a 10.5" or 11.5" ring gear. The 14-bolt FF 11.5" is built by american axle, but very expensive to get parts. I prefer the 10.5", just because parts are very easy to come by for them.

 

[dasanii19]

yes, the 14-bolt SF is a 9.5" ring gear. hopefully he gets a 14-bolt FF with a 10.5" or 11.5" ring gear. The 14-bolt FF 11.5" is built by american axle, but very expensive to get parts. I prefer the 10.5", just because parts are very easy to come by for them.

So hoot, you saw the reply that he gave to the questions you had me ask? What else do I need to know to determine if these are the right choice for me? I want to be absolutly sure these are the right choice.