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Should I get this?

Thats the semi floater. Do you have 4.10s in front now, or are going to re gear the front.
 
munepit said:
Thats the semi floater. Do you have 4.10s in front now, or are going to re gear the front.
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Thats the plan, to re gear the front. I want 4.10s is my reasoning. How hard would 6 lug conversion be on this?
 
Hopefully im goin to check it out today after work. I could just swap 6 lug axle shafts, long as they are same length, and it looks like because its 8 lug the perches shouldnt need to be moved to put in the blazer. I wanna look into disk brake conversion as well.

If i get it I wont put it in right away, i can slowly put some money into it and put it in when im all ready. :waytogo:
 
Deuling said:
Thats the plan, to re gear the front. I want 4.10s is my reasoning. How hard would 6 lug conversion be on this?
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That's the biggest question really. At a minimum, you would need a new backing plate, brakes, drums and axle shafts. I did swap these things in the junkyard but that was for the newer SF axle where the spring perches need to be moved, etc. I don't know if they are the same width or not.

I think the axle in question would bolt up using existing spring perches but others will confrim this......

Also, you need to ask the seller what the WMS to WMS width is.

Here are the two widths I found on the "newer" SF axles:
Approx 67-1/4" (will match your front axle width)
Approx 63-1/2" (will match your existing rear axle width)

Some people like to keep the same "narrower" width in the rear, others want to match more closely the front width. Personal preference I think.
 
WMS.. Please specify for dummy(me) :doah:

Ill take a measurment when I look at it, id like it to be the same as the stock axle, I like the idea of it in some for not running the tires directly in the same trench lol. Gives some fresh ground to bite on.
 
wms=wheel mount surface

The biggest advantage I see to a full floater is the wheel bearings. You can get some stout axles for semi-floaters that will not break but you will never have the same wheel bearing quality.

That being said, if you dont plan on hard wheeling I think its a worth while investment.
 
If this axle is much of a drive for you get pictures of the gears before you go. I have seen more bad ones than good ones from listing like this. People are sure the axle is fine (by ESP or something) and don't want to break the seal. So the first time they open it is in front of you and you see rust, milkshakes, chipped teeth, etc. and have lowered your gas tank for nothing. Plus, you have to know if it is open, gov-lock or other.

If it is in good shape and the ratio you want - go for it. You have 3 choices here:
1) Get an 8-lug like this and swap axleshafts and brakes to make a 6-lug
2) Find a 6-lug and move the spring/shock mounts
3) Find both, swap the parts between them and then sell off the 8-lug for an IFS truck.
 
Deuling said:
WMS.. Please specify for dummy(me) :doah:

Ill take a measurment when I look at it, id like it to be the same as the stock axle, I like the idea of it in some for not running the tires directly in the same trench lol. Gives some fresh ground to bite on.
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Don't worry dude.....I asked the same question when I heard it for the first time, too (WMS)! :whistle:

The narrower one is more rare so it may be worth a call before coming out. If he hasn't popped the cover, the only advantage for you doing it yourself is to verify if any major metal pieces are on the magnet or not. If he popped it, he could have cleaned it up already.....
 
Blue85 said:
If this axle is much of a drive for you get pictures of the gears before you go. I have seen more bad ones than good ones from listing like this. People are sure the axle is fine (by ESP or something) and don't want to break the seal. So the first time they open it is in front of you and you see rust, milkshakes, chipped teeth, etc. and have lowered your gas tank for nothing. Plus, you have to know if it is open, gov-lock or other.

If it is in good shape and the ratio you want - go for it. You have 3 choices here:
1) Get an 8-lug like this and swap axleshafts and brakes to make a 6-lug
2) Find a 6-lug and move the spring/shock mounts
3) Find both, swap the parts between them and then sell off the 8-lug for an IFS truck.
Click to expand...

This is good advice, especially since the seller has it listed as a 1-ton axle :screwy:
 
Is anyone actually sure you can convert an 8 lug SF 14 bolt to a 6 lug one?

You can get new 6 lug shafts but they are different lengths than the 8 lug shafts (i.e. the housings are different widths). As far as I know nobody makes a 6 lug shaft to fit an 8 lug housing.
 
38377k5 said:
Is anyone actually sure you can convert an 8 lug SF 14 bolt to a 6 lug one?

You can get new 6 lug shafts but they are different lengths than the 8 lug shafts (i.e. the housings are different widths). As far as I know nobody makes a 6 lug shaft to fit an 8 lug housing.
Click to expand...

Blue85 did this on his.
 
38377k5 said:
Is anyone actually sure you can convert an 8 lug SF 14 bolt to a 6 lug one?

You can get new 6 lug shafts but they are different lengths than the 8 lug shafts (i.e. the housings are different widths). As far as I know nobody makes a 6 lug shaft to fit an 8 lug housing.
Click to expand...


I know at least one guy who has converted an 8 lug to 6 lug SF but it seems like more trouble than its worth.

The caveat here is of course it was a newer one, I have no clue about the older ones.

I don't think its worth it Adam, you plan on staying 6 lug, then find a 6 lug one. You can find them with 4.10s but you might pay a bit more and it will be the newer one so you will have to change spring perch width and shock mounting.

As far as strength goes for what you have planned that will be plenty of axle
 
The 6 lug conversion is very easy - just swap parts from a 6-lug unit. However, there were different size brakes for different GVWR or whatever and this effects the length of the axleshaft, width of the pads, size of the drums, etc. I've never heard of a problem swapping everything from the same donor axle, but you could run into headaches trying to piece things together at NAPA - the new parts may not all fit together.

But, if you have the whole 6-lug unit you can skip finding an 8-lug one and just move the spring and shock mounting points. This is a great option is your 6-lug axle has good brakes on it already.

If you want to do a disc brake conversion at the same time, then the 6-lug conversion is just a matter of getting some 6-lug shafts. This makes a lot of sense if the new axle needs brakes because it's like $100/side for pads, drums, etc., - about the same price as an axleshaft.

Somewhere around here there was a 14b s/f tech thread.
 
If you have the large bearing 10 bolt then an 8 bolt hub is a bolt on deal. If not then you will need a different front axle to mount under the truck
 
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