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Which is it, Dana 44 or GM 10 Bolt?

F

fbronson

1/2 ton status
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Denver, CO
A little while ago, I bought a pair of axles. The guy advertised them as a 14bff rear and a dana 44 front 3/4 ton axles. I got them in the mail, and they sat in the garage for a little while. When I unwrapped them to start the rebuild, I noticed that the front axle looks remarkably like the current 10 bolt on the front of my truck right now. It has 8 lug hubs, and the tie rod looks a little different than what I've got. The saddest part of the whole deal is that the passenger side steering knuckle is not a flat top, which means that I'll have to get a different steering knuckle if I want to do the cross-over steering. /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif The diff housing has those same little bumps on the lower flange as my 10 bolt, so I am a little unsure. So what is it?
 
<font color="black"> Dana 44 </font>
dana44.jpg


<font color="black"> 10 bolt </font>
gm10bolt85in.jpg
 
sounds like a 10b with those two little ears. Same axle as a D44 anyway. Unless these were pre 76-77 axles the dana 44 wouldnt have had flat tops anyway. Did ya make sure that the gearing mtches in them? /forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif
 
So post 76-77 the dana 44's didn't have a flat top kunckle? That was the most important thing to me, actually. I knew that the diameter of the axle shaft was the same in both the 10b and the d44. Although, I think the d44 has a slightly thicker axle tube wall, doesn't it? Yeah, the gears are 4.10's in both. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif So that is good anyhow.
 
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So post 76-77 the dana 44's didn't have a flat top kunckle?

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77 and earlier had the flat tops, 78 and newer 44's didn't.
 
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I knew that the diameter of the axle shaft was the same in both the 10b and the d44. Although, I think the d44 has a slightly thicker axle tube wall, doesn't it? Yeah, the gears are 4.10's in both. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif So that is good anyhow.

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D44's housings are made of nodular iron and 10B housings are made of grey iron. The D44 housing is slightly stronger but only really matters if you are getting a lot of air. I wouldn't be mad, they are basically the same thing. Not only that but now you don't have to buy different brake lines and if you ever find a D60 it will swap right in because it shares the same lines as a 10B. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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<font color="black"> Dana 44 </font>
dana44.jpg


<font color="black"> 10 bolt </font>
gm10bolt85in.jpg


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By the way the 10 bolts in here is a rear, the front is a little different in shape, looks more like a 12 bolt shape but has the fill hole in the cover.
I don't have a pic of one now but I have a few sitting in my driveway.
 
Yeah, I am pretty sure that what I have is a 10 bolt. The interesting thing is that someone did an 8-lug conversion on it, and in doing so they must have put brake calipers from a Dana 44 on it, because I did have to swap the brake lines. Thanks for the info on the types of iron used. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif I am not really planning on "getting air" in this truck, so I guess I should be o.k. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
I had an '82 Suburban K20 (years past) that had an 8 lug 10 bolt stock, I thought hmmmm now that is strange but the old guy I got it from I know had never touched it. So from my experience they are out there.
 
Many rigs had factory 8 lug 10 bolt fronts. I ran one for years in my rig until I swapped in the Dana 60.
 
All GM K series trucks started getting 10B fronts instead of D44's under the 3/4tons in 79', 8 lug of course. IIRC. My 8 lug 10B came from a 79' 3/4 burb.
7068front_8lug_10_bolt-med.jpg
 
Nice pic! Have you ever had any problems running 35's on a 10bolt? So did those 8-lug 10bolts come stock with 4.10's? I know that the 14bolts often came stock with the 4.10's in the 1 ton trucks.
 
Pretty normal for 4.10's with 8 lug no matter what the front end is. Mine was 4.10 and just about every 8 lug front end I have ran across has been 4.10. I ran 35" Gumbo mudders (cheap available tire at the time) with no problems but it was mainly a tow rig and only saw offroad once.
 
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Nice pic! Have you ever had any problems running 35's on a 10bolt? So did those 8-lug 10bolts come stock with 4.10's? I know that the 14bolts often came stock with the 4.10's in the 1 ton trucks.

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To this day most 3/4-1ton trucks roll off the line with 4.10's. 4.10's have been standard since the 60's or 70's with 3.73 and 4.56 being options.

I have never broken anything on my front 10B. I was lucky and and picked my current front axle up because it looked like it had been in 4wd about twice! It was probably a grocery getter burb(donor veh.) it was totally cherry and that is probably why I have never broken anything. As you can see I am running 35x16 boggers and they are probably the nastiest 35 out there as far as breakage. /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif I used to wheel a lot in the mud and have pulled on asphalt a few times burning rubber without breakage. Maybe I'm lucky. /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
 
There are alot of 3.42s as well. Esp in the '88-98 3/4 tons. At least thats whats in the junkyards around here.
 
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All GM K series trucks started getting 10B fronts instead of D44's under the 3/4tons in 79', 8 lug of course. IIRC. My 8 lug 10B came from a 79' 3/4 burb.

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Kind of the Grayist of Gray Areas there. I bought a 77 burb with and 8 lug 10 bolt. D44 and 10 fronts and 10 and 12 bolt rears were both used it seams from 77 unitl they ran out of 44's and 12 bolt.
 
My 90 V2500 /forums/images/graemlins/burb.gif came stock with 3.42's 10b front &amp; sf14 rear.
 
3.42's and even a 3.20 something were also options but are rare for the most part. /forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif
 
They say 2.73s were rare in K5s too. Yet I managed to buy one of them as well. I have NO luck /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
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They say 2.73s were rare in K5s too. Yet I managed to buy one of them as well. I have NO luck /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif


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Yeah, it's crazy what they put in the 1/2 tons, 3.08's and 2.73's are a joke...
 
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