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Three blown trannys and i need some help

A GM Dana 60 doesn't have ball joints, they have king pins. The king pin rebuild kit costs about $100. You may need 2 of them. You may get lucky and the king pins will be good and you won't need any.

Most GM Dana 60's cost close to $1000. Some people get them free (not normal and very lucky) and some people spend $1500 or more. If you find a free one go buy a lottery ticket also.

The universal joint (axle housing end) and constant velocity joint (transfer case end) on a stock GM 1 ton front driveshaft is the same as a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton front driveshaft. 1 tons didn't come with your transmission and transfer case combination so the distance from the front axle housing pinion yoke to the transfer case flange may be different. When swapping the 1 ton driveshaft into your Blazer you may need to have it lengthened or shortened.

It would be better for you to get the full floating 14 bolt out of a 3/4 ton truck or 3/4 ton Suburban. The spring perches and the shock mounts will be in the same place as on your Blazer. If you get a 14 bolt out of a 1 ton truck you will have to move the spring perches and the shock mounts, this requires welding.

The universal joint is bigger on a 14 bolt than the one you have. You can buy a conversion universal joint at most parts stores. This will fit your driveshaft and the 14 bolt yoke.

Search the internet for more info. Things to search for are 14FF, 14BFF, 14 bolt, D60, Dana 60, King pin, Kingpin, Gear install.
If you are interested in doing the work yourself buy a membership here and you will be able to search this site. It's really worth it.
There's alot of info on the pirate 4x4 website also.
Look here:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-ARB/articles/Yukon_14b_Gear_Review/
[URL]http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-Kingpin/index.html[/URL]
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup/
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-ARB/articles/14b_Gear_Setup/
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/14b_bible/index.html
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/60_front/index.html
You'll be reading for awhile if you read all of that information. There will be a test next week.:D
 
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dude this is awesome man im goin crazy with this stuff now! i really appreciate all the help this makes things alot easier for me. im gonna see what i can do about how much of this i can do on my own! i found a dana 60 off a M1008 military chevy truck with 4:56 gears inside, i think im gonna pick it up its sellin for 1k on craigslist.
 
if you do that,see if the got the rear 14bff also.then you will have the same gears and not have to mess with regearing anether axle.good thing about the military 14 bolts is that most also have a locker inside instead of open gears.good luck.
 
your totally right man and im plannin on doin as much as i can myself. luckily all the stuff you talked about i have just replaced! I had some work done at my local les schwab, one thing led to another and i had a complete front end rebuild including all new brakes rotors, hubs, spindles, ball joints, tie rods, bearings, i mean everything with labor out the door the work ran me 2500. was i taken for a ride? i was told that i had too do it cause they guarantee all their work and wouldn't do the new brakes otherwise. i feel that it was worth it truck runs straight and smooth and isnt all squirrely any more. all thats left to do is the gears. im gonna be straight i dont go wheelin in this thing once in a blue moon ill take it out in the mud but otherwise i just love big trucks and i use mine for a daily round the town driver. i just want her to run at her best and not burn through another tranny, but if i did it wouldnt be the worst thing cause i now know that the TH400 is the way too go not this crappy 700R4, and id probably hook up the np 205. btw do i have an np205? what is the stock transfer case in these blazers?
 
I was quoted 5500 for all the work to swap out my current runnin gear for the 14bff dana 60 with 4:88 gears, does that sound about right? its goin through Randys Off Road in smokey point wa
 
No way that should be right. You are only talking about a process that is almost direct bolt in. You could do the swap over a weekend and save yourself a ton of money. You would need new u-bolts, proper u-joints for the conversion, 8 lug wheels, and tires for the new wheels. You could do all of that for way less than $5500, even if you need to re-gear for 4.88's. That seems like a crazy amount of money for something like a simple near bolt-in conversion.
 
i know man but the thing was already parted out its down to just a frame and the front end and some blocks!
 
so i should try to tackle this on my own? i have just never done anythinhg like this but from what ive been hearing form all of you guys and believe me i have learned alot! i think i will be able to do this on my own if i get lucky enough to find a 14bff and a dana 60 geared the same and then just have the shop do the tricky work of re gearing the swap.
 
Mike,

Thanks for setting me straight on "king pins vs ball joints" in Gm Dana 60's. I replaced the ball joints on a '96 F-350 with a Dana 60. I assumed they all had them.

hOw,

I have an '86 Blazer as well. Yours would have left the factory with a 700R4 and a NP (New Process) 208 transfer case. I understand your enthusiasm, but why not use yours for a while as is. The ten bolts are not as strong as a Dana 60, or the 14 bolt FF either, but they are okay for everything except extreme four wheeling. You just spent $2,500 on the front end, If you now upgrade to a Dana 60 you have essentially flushed away that $2,500.00.

A few years ago I bought a Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser (on ebay) from a fellow in Marysville, WA. He had almost $60K in the vehicle, with almost $32K spent at Randy's Off Road. One would think it would be an awesome rig with that much invested. It wasn't. It looked great in pictures, but up close the workmanship was "average at best". I sold it after putting less than a thousand miles on it. Randy is a nice guy, but I can't recommend his shop.
 
I agree with the poster above about doing the work yourself. You can rebuild the axles (bearings seals brakes hubs) and claen them up and bolt them in. All it costs you is your time and really is a fairly simple job. Pay a shop to do the re-gearing and do everything else that you can do yourself. If you get stuck stop take a picture and post up. Somebody here will help you.

Yeah you will essentially be flushing away the $$ you have just put into your half ton stuff, but what do they say about hindsight?:D maybe you can sell them for a few hundred bucks as a new rebuilt set to somebody on Craigslist, or part them out as spare parts on here. There are a lot of guys still running half ton stuff on here and one of the benefits of that is all the cheaper spare parts.

Do you need a Dana 60? I don't know. I have wheeled for years on my 8 lug 10b with 37's. I am open in the front and drive it nicely and it has lasted. i have broken a couple shafts at the U-joints being hard on it, but like I said..spares are cheap and i always carry them. The only downfall i see to not going to a 60 is buying a 3/4 ton front and dumping all the $$ into the rebuild and gearing just to swap it out later.

I know kennyw has a Dana 60 for sale here out in Gold Bar, but I am not sure what he wants for it. I have the 14 Bolt that went with it though:wink1:

There is a guy on KrazyK5 doing re-gears for $250 for a 60 and $175 for a 14B. Thats better than any shop will offer.
http://www.crazyk5.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2791

KennyW's Dana 60
http://www.crazyk5.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2803

I will also have a set of 3/4 ton stuff for sale in the next week or so. 3/4 ton 10B and a 14B with a Detroit 4.11's
 
h0wl0ngcanitbe said:
I was quoted 5500 for all the work to swap out my current runnin gear for the 14bff dana 60 with 4:88 gears, does that sound about right? its goin through Randys Off Road in smokey point wa
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Does that include the Dana 60 and 14 bolt? If not, that is way too much $$$.
If you can find a 60 with 4.56 gears I would go that route. That way you won't have to pay someone to install the gears. You don't have to have 4.88 gears. If you can get the matching 14BFF from the M1008 it will have a detroit locker in it and the matching 4.56 gears. You will have to have the spring perches moved but that will be cheaper than paying for gears and a gear install.

Do you own any tools? How much mechanical knowledge do you have? Do you like working on vehicles? Do you have any friends that can help you work on your Blazer?

To do an axle housing install you will need the following tools: a good jack, jack stands or wooden blocks high enough to go between the frame and the ground to hold the tires safely off the ground, 1/2" drive inch socket set, 1/2" drive breaker bar and ratchet, inch box-end wrenches from 3/8" to 1 1/8", some small metric wrenches, pliers, hammer.
If you buy a 1 ton 14BFF you will need a grinder, to cut the spring perches and shock mounts off, and a welder or you'll have to pay someone to weld the spring perches and shock mounts back on. I may have forgotten some tools also.

If you have the desire to do the work and save money, by doing it, you can learn how to do it by asking questions and reading this site. It may be difficult at times. How bad do you want to do it?
 
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Wasatch K5 said:
I'm quite sure the Dana 60 uses bigger universal joints so that means drive shaft modifications as well.
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Since he has stock drivelines and a lift, I expect he could put in 1-tons and use the same drivelines. The extra pinion length should be about cancelled out by the suspension lift. The front should bolt up and the rear would just need a conversion U-joint.

Now he may end up wanting driveline changes for other reasons, but I don't think the 1-ton swap will be a major factor.
 
If you find 1-ton axles in good condition, with the right gears and you can afford them - GET THEM.

If not, you could look around for a front 10-bolt with 4.10 gears and a 14B (either the full-float 10.5" or the semi-float 9.5" version) to match. This would save a lot of money and you could do all the work yourself. If you want to go with bigger tires, this isn't a good option, both because of the axle strength and the rarity of finding a lower gear.

If you need to re-gear, look for cK5 members in your area. You can probably find one with experience who would help you out pretty cheap. The front axle is a little more forgiving of the set-up because you don't use the front diff as much.
 
Blue85 said:
If you find 1-ton axles in good condition, with the right gears and you can afford them - GET THEM.

If not, you could look around for a front 10-bolt with 4.10 gears and a 14B (either the full-float 10.5" or the semi-float 9.5" version) to match. This would save a lot of money and you could do all the work yourself. If you want to go with bigger tires, this isn't a good option, both because of the axle strength and the rarity of finding a lower gear.

If you need to re-gear, look for cK5 members in your area. You can probably find one with experience who would help you out pretty cheap. The front axle is a little more forgiving of the set-up because you don't use the front diff as much.
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so far i havent found a set of one ton axles with matching gears or the right gears that im lookin for. luckily ive had alot of help from a ck5 member up north of my place and i think ill be thanking him alot here pretty soon!

"Now he may end up wanting driveline changes for other reasons, but I don't think the 1-ton swap will be a major factor"

with 37 inch toyo mt open countrys would i need to mess with the driveline?
 
I have most of those tools minus the jack but its probably worth investing in if im keeping this thing, i think i can do most of what you just talked about the grinding part seems tricky but im sure ill figure somethin out. i have a question? did you just describe to me basically a complete axle swap, meaning im removing my current axles with the new ones and then im set? anything else i need to look into?
 
yes the 5500 does include all parts and labor to swap out and in a dana 60, and the 14bff geared to 4:88 or 4:56 whichever i decide on.
 
so are you saying that i can just have my ten and eight bolt regeared to the 4:56 or 4:88 specs that i want? i really dont go wheeling i just like the look, more show then go ya know what i mean? i just know that i have to regear my rig to get that tranny to start workin right.
 
thanks for the tip on crazyk5 i would much rather go through one the ck5 guys thats in my area then any shop, and if i could give this guy some business i would love that even more! do i just need to know what i gotta do about my truck. with keeping my 700r4 and my np 208 whats the best solution for a guy who just uses his truck as a commuter and with 37s on it? can i regear my current axle that is a 6 lug or is that completely out of the question.
 
I run 37's with a 10b front and a 14 bolt semi-floater rear. The 14bsf's are available with a 6 lug pattern on some 88-up 3/4 tons. The spring perches and shock mounts have to be relocated to fit a K5. 10b axles will be OK with 37's if you don't beat on them. Many AZ guys wheel pretty hard on 1/2 ton axles and 35-37" tires (although many have 3/4 or 1 ton rear axles and 1/2 ton fronts). It's all about how you drive - finesse is the key. You should replace carrier bearings in a 10b rear every 100k miles or so - they always seem to wear and start getting sloppy once they get a lot of miles on them. Check the axle bearings and pinion bearings at that time and replace as needed.

That said, I admit that when it came time to re-gear and add lockers I ditched my 10b rear and swapped to a 6-lug 14bsf. I figured if I was going to spend the money on lockers and gears it would best be in a diff that can handle a lot more abuse that a 10b, and the 14bsf let me stay 6-lug. I do agree that you should consider what you eventually want to do with your truck and decide if an axle upgrade is in order. Since the 10b rear is always driven and tends to be hard on bearings guys often swap it out in favor of a 14bff or 14bsf, but they still run their 10b front. It is actually a cost effective compromise versus a complete 1-ton swap.
 
Well the fact that you arent going to wheel it much changes a lot. For one you won't need to shell out the cash for a 60. For just daily driving and moderate wheeling a 10b front will be just fine. The perfect medium for you would be the 14B semi float rear, but they are a little harder to find in the 6 lug variety. The 10b rears are sort of a weak axle, and have been known to fail with stockish size tires. That being said you have to weigh the cost of re-gearing the axles you have since you just put a bunch of money into them or buying a set of 3/4 ton axles with 4.56 in them and run it that way. 4.56 will be sufficient for 37" tires. I have been running 37's for a few years with 4.11's. It's not a drag truck, but it works both on and off the road ok.
 
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