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Which axles fit under a blazer without serious modification

might want to give this a read..... seems drums do have an advantage..... they are cheaper to manufacture. :rolleyes:

http://cars.about.com/od/thingsyouneedtoknow/a/discvsdrum.htm

"What is the difference between disc brakes and drum brakes?

Disc brakes are generally considered superior to drum brakes for several reasons......"

For the record, this link popped up while googling "benefits of drum brakes". Like i said, youre the first, and only person i have ever heard tout the benifits of drum brake technology........ wait no, i take that back, some drag racers (cars) like drums because they are lighter (not true with truck axles) than disks, and can be adjusted for zero drag, which disk brakes always have a little of. But other than that, youre on your own here.
 
K5dreamer said:
big words dont mean better operation.:rolleyes:
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Ko-rect. You can call a turd a fecal matter, but its still just a turd

Drums are fine alot of the time. they'll still stop the vehicle, but Disc brakes are a better setup. You can even get calipers that have built in parking brakes in them ,but I think the parking brake setup mounted to the transfer case is better
 
jms said:
So, why not just drop the tire size down to 30s?

I have a 700R4, 4.56 gears, and 35s. With my carbureted 350, 55mph in second gear is a scary thought...
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because I dont want to :D

Seriously though its main duty is towing but I do like to do a little light wheeling. 2nd gear at 55mph the rpms are up there but still ok.

When I went online to look for ring and pinion I see a few different sizes for a 14 bolt. 9.5inch 10.5inch 11.5inch Which is prefered and how do I tell which a particular axle has without removing the cover?

Guys I dont care about drum vs disks. I'll use whatever the axle comes with. I know disc brakes are better but I'm not concerned with having drums. My current rear axle has drums and it does fine. With disks I think you would need to get a propotioning valve. That's just more work I would avoid if possible.

Anything I should look out for when looking at axles?

Picture of said truck
IMG_58542.jpg
 
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K5dreamer said:
um... yes, that is how drum brakes work. but still, comparing drums to disks, disk brakes have shorter stopping distances. its kinda why most production vehicles these days are 4 wheel disk brakes........ why do you think disk brake conversions are so common among hot rodders and four wheelers??? its not just cuz they look pretty. disk brakes are superior technology in just about every regard.

self actuation is just a big word for saying the shoe wedges against the drum. big words dont mean better operation. but then again, you also think a 12 bolt rear end is no different than a 14 bolt rear..... just sayin. :rolleyes:
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Lots of disc brakes on semis these days. . . . .

A 14 bolt semi floater is just that, a semi floater.

Martin
 
Ok, when doing 14 bolt homework, you wanna give this a read....

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/14b_bible/index.html

my understanding is that the ring gear sizes are as follows.

9.5in = SF
10.5in = FF
11.5in = newer 14bff dually axles in Chevy and GMC pickups.

dunno exactly what the start year for the 11.5 is.

With towing being the primary use, an upgraded rear axle is certainly a good idea. a FF axle would certainly offer more piece of mind, but I agree with most here that a SF axle should work just fine for you. the SF axles were used in 2500 series pickups, and never had problems i know of with towing.

Id look into some performance mods for the engine before i started doing alot of regearing and all that jazz. but thats just me.
 
Put a full floting 14 bolt in it, keep the drums, find a dana 44 eight lug and be done.

everything will bolt in you might have to change rear driveshaft u joints or change the pinion either one is no biggy.

find a set with 3.73 or 4.10

if you can't pull hills after that its a power issue.
 
I put a 6 lug 14 bolt SF out of a late 90's 4 wheel drive truck in my Jimmy. I didn't want to add the weight and give up the ground clearance with a FF. I had to move the spring perches and rework the shock mounts. Since I put in a SYE at the same time, I had to have a new drive shaft anyway. I may convert to disks some day, but that is way down on the priority list. I like the wider track, but it does move the tires out of the wheel wells a little. Are you sure about your boat's weight? I'm running 33's with 3.73 gears, and power hasn't been an issue in 3rd, although I don't tow in OD unless it's flat ground.
 
Apocalypse said:
Just wanting to let ya know with 5.12 gears on 35 inch tires your going to be turning 4406rpm pulling a hill in second at 55mph. Have you considered that it might be a power issue rather than gearing? Horsepower is always an equation of torque by rpm = the amount of work done. Changing gear ratios will allow you to add more load but require a slower speed for all things to be equal. 1lbs at 10,000 rpm vs 10,000 lbsft torque at 1 rpm.

By all means replace the weak junk with something that will stand up to the power you need to pull. the 1/2 ton stuff is hardly adequate with a sizable tire. add extra load and your just waiting for the thing to blow.
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Yeah, but if he regears, he won't HAVE to use 2nd gear. He'll probably be able to pull the hill in 3rd.
 
K5dreamer said:
Id look into some performance mods for the engine before i started doing alot of regearing and all that jazz. but thats just me.
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The motor is already a fresh rebuild. Has headers, flat top pistons, light cam, roller rockers, and chip from brian at tbi chips. Not much left to do other then buy a different set of heads. Which that still leaves me with a 10 bolt.

I think my current 10 bolt is toast. When I drive it under load it ticks. Tick-tick-tick. Sounds like its comming from the rear end. So instead of just replacing the gears I'd like to buy something I'll only need to replace once.

My boat is a 21 foot wakeboard boad and weighs approx 4k lbs.

From the info given it sounds like I need a 14 bolt 6 lug SF with a 9.5 inch ring gear. Now I just need to see if they make the gears I want for that.
 
I'm looking at ring and pinions for the 9.5" 14 bolt SF and I am only seeing gears up to 4.10

Can you get 4.56, 4.88 or 5.13 for this axle?

I also saw something that said you needed to replace the carrier for anything over 4.10?

Some additional info would be helpful.

Thanks in advance!
 
I took my 10 bolt apart this weekend. Found 3 busted teeth off the ring gear. Was a little suprised not to find anything left of the teeth. It basically pulverized the teeth into dust.

This is the first time I have had the rear cover off. I was amazed by all the comments not in this thread but a different one that doubted the gears I had without physically looking at the gears. 5th grade math really does work ;) All those gear calculator online really are accurate. Stamped right on my gears 456, 41 teeth on the ring gear 9 on the pinion.

I really appreciate the help I have got in this thread guys. I've located a 14 bolt 6 lug out at a local wrecking yard for $150. All those cash for clunckers being put to good use!!! Just about every car in the wrecking yard was a cash for cluncker. Intersesting thing I looked on craigslist first and everyone wanted $250-400 I think people have lost there marbles.
 
with your 6 lug 14 bolt did you still have to move the perches and shock mounts??
you still using 15" rims also?
I have an 88 that i just bombed out the 10 bolt. I only use it as my DD too with 35" tires - I just bought the tires also 35 12.5 X 15

thanks,

Dave
 
lizard49 said:
with your 6 lug 14 bolt did you still have to move the perches and shock mounts??
you still using 15" rims also?
I have an 88 that i just bombed out the 10 bolt. I only use it as my DD too with 35" tires - I just bought the tires also 35 12.5 X 15

thanks,

Dave
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Unless your towing something I would think your 10 bolt would do ok. Mine did just fine with 4.56 gears. I think the addition of towing a heavy boat is what killed mine.

My understanding is yes I would have to relocate the spring perches not sure about the shock mounts.
 
since I put on 35's it has killed 2 10 bolts in 4k miles. no wheeling and no heavy foot either.
 
1st one was stock w 245k on it; 2nd I bought the assymbly from a fellow K5 member for 50 bucks. claimed it was a stock from his upgrade. really nice guy, I don't think he porked me at all.

need to go to 4.10 gears anyhow, so 2-3 birds with one stone.

i will be following you to see how you do.
 
Stopped by my local wrecking yard and picked up this out of a 95 2500.
I paid $109 about $200 less then what people were trying to get on craigslist. Thanks for all the help now I just need to pick up some gears and bolt this thind under my truck!!

IMG_0563.jpg


IMG_0564.jpg
 
good find for the price.should work fine for what you are doing i think.much stronger than anether 10 bolt or 12 bolt.still use the same rims and tires also.i got my 14ff for 150 at the junk yard.it was already pulled and sitting in a pile of axles waiting for me to find the right one.
 
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