Several Opinion Questions

[bga]

I've been out of the offroad loop for several years now, but I've decided to jump back in with this '76 K10 I bought.

Since I've been out this long, and this will be my first Chevrolet 4 wheel drive project, I'd like to ask for opinions on a few things.

Right now I have a 350, TH350, NP203, Dana 44 Front, & a 10B Rear. I'm planning on swapping the 10B out with a 14B, and swapping the front later on down the road. What are the recommended swaps for the front? I've found a dual Ford 9" setup (front & rear), so if the owner will sell then there will be no question as to what axles I'll be running! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I will also be looking for a new Tcase, but really have no idea which one. I've heard people talking about the NP205, but haven't really heard why this tcase is better. Any suggestions?

Last question..... I'm looking into a 6" Suspension / 3" Body combo lift. I'll be running 35's for a while, then stepping up to 38.5 Boggers. Any comments on this amount of lift for 35's?

Thanks for your time!

 

[ugly_blazer]

Np 203 is chain drive and full-time four wheel drive, and wears out/breaks easily. The 205 is gear drive, part time, and very strong. Also, all of your front drivetrain will not be spinning while driving down the highway.

You could swap in a 14 FF rear and swap 8 lug outters to your D44. 3/4 ton chevy trucks came with either a 10 bolt or D44 front. The D44 will handle 35's if not abused badly.

The 6/3 lift will look good with 35's. I am in the minority on this and many others will tell you that is way too much lift. If you don't go that high your tires will rub unless you sawz-all your fenders. I don't like cutting my fenders. I have 6 and 3 with 36" swampers and still rub the fenders.

 

[ugly_blazer]

6 and 3 with 36's

 

[Hossbaby50]

The NP203 is the second strongest case GM ever put in any truck behind th 205. The 203 is a fulltime case that can be converted to part time and work just like a normal part time case. I know a guy running a 203 and 37" tires and haven't had problems with them. He runs it hard in the rocks without problem. It is the white Blazer in My K5 link below under the latest Raw Deal run. Depending on the type of four wheeling you are going to do there is alot of tcase options. 203, 205, 208, 241, 203/205 Doubler dual case, Klune V & ___ (fill in the blank) dual case, Atlas, Klune V & Atlas, etc. The possibilites are endless. It depends on what you wheel, your budget, how you wheel, etc.

D44 will hold up to 35's if you take care of it and don't use the skinny pedal to four wheel. You will probably brake some parts eventually with 35's, and the problems will be compounded with 38's. D60 is recommended for 38" tires and a truck that will see some good offroading.

The 14bff is a strong rearend. Much stronger then a Ford 9".

6" suspension will be fine for 35's. Then add the 3" body when you do the 38's. You will have to trim the fenders some but that is a reality for most any Chevy that runs larger then stock tires an moderate lift. The Black & Tan K5 in my webshots link has 5" lift and 35's. The white one has 4-5" and 37's. Sure we could go taller but for the wheeling we do in AZ the lower the center of gravity the better. So therefore we cut the sheetmetal to make the tires fit with less lift.

Harley

 

[fwdjunky]

If you're headed to 38.5 boggers I'd go with a 14BFF rear (They are rediculously cheap) and use the money you'd spend on the dual 9 inch set up for a Dana 60 front. It's not exotic or unique like a front 9 inch, but its a dirt simple, stupid strong set up. The only real down side is losing ground clearance, but with a couple hours work with a sawzall and a grinder you can negate most of that. I'd agree with Hossbaby as far as lift. Go with 6" while on 35's then add the body lift to clear the 38.5's later on. Just for reference, here's a really bad pic of mine on 35's with 4 " of lift. The front fenders needed very light trimming. I'm planning on going to 39.5 IROK's with the same lift soon....that may require a little more "light" trimming... /forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif

 

[mrk5]

I was new to alot of this too. One of the cool things I've found out about is the ORD shackle flip kits for the rear.

The product review on the site is here.

You could do the 4" shackle flip plus 2" springs and get much better flex than blocks or 6" springs.