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Using rear diff in front wear question...

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4x4shortbed

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I've been doing alot of searching about using a rear differential turned around backwards like the "famous" Xtreme 4x4 14 bolt frontend and still have a question.

If you take a used rear-end and flip it around to where its running backwards, on the "coast" side or whatever, won't your gears have accelerated wear? The axle would have had say 100,000 miles on it running in one direction and it seems it would have worn itself to turning that way. I hope this makes sense, I'm finding it a little hard to explain. lol

This is for a hypothetical "out there" project idea of mine. The rearend is a D70. It would need to be capable of hiway speeds/everyday use

Thanks- John
 
Unless you are running drive flanges, the rearend won't be spinning on the highway anyway so I don't see what the big deal is. That and if you put new gears in it there won't be any difference. Just buy a 60. That 14 bolt front cost them like $5000 didn't it?
 
I agree with the others. However if I were to build my own front axle I would build it using a semi float 9 3/4 14 bolt axle. Much better ground clearance than the 10.5 14 bolt. Same ideal as the AAM axle in the Dodge HD's, but it wouldn't be a high pinion set up. Who knows maybe someday all of those 8 lug semi float 14 bolts could be converted as an option to the Dana 60.
 
who was that in here that did the 14 bolt front years ago? he was a big poster back in the day, but iirc he sold the truck and hasn't been around much...

iirc, all it needed was custom shafts to be finished...
 
it was a Cali rig iirc.... been a few years.... it was black, but i was thinking burb, but thats a very vague recollection.... :haha:

thats what i love about this place, by the time i get home for din din, someone will be "oh, that was blah, blah" :bow:
 
Wear on the gears will not be an issue at all.

As mentioned, building a custom front axle isn't cost effective compared to buying a D60 and IMO using a D70 center section doesn't make a ton of sense. D60 front gearset failures are pretty rare, the weight, clearance and money that a custom front D70 would cost don't outweigh that one smallish upgrade.

If I made a custom front it would be a 9" with D60 outers :deal:
 
Sorry guys, I guess I should have spilled what the project is. Its just in "idea" stage right now but its a rear engined hotrod truck. I was just wondering what the issues were with wear on the used gears would be. In other forums you get flamed bigtime for asking off topic questions but I think the only guys with experience running a diff backwards would be the offroaders, so I asked here lol The other reason I was a little hesatent was that saying you want to build a rear engined hotrod is like saying you want a tunnel ram, everyone knows a single 4bbl is better lol

And I did run a search lol, Im not THAT much of a newb hahaha. Just couldn't find anything on used gears wear characteristics.

If we do this project it will be mostly just for fun and be put together with extra parts we have laying around(like a D70 3.50 gear limmited-slip rearend I got sitting next to my garage lol) or stuff we can come up with easily/cheaply.

Thanks for the replys guys, Im sorry I wasn't more clear.

-John
 
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