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Xtreme 4x4's Hybrid FRONT 14ff build...

Avery4jc

Avery4jc

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I was watching Xtreme 4x4 off the DVR this weekend and on this episode...

http://www.powerblocktv.com/sites/xtreme/episodes/index.php?ep_num=XT2008-22&ep_sea=0802

...they started their realistic tools/garage build. In it they started working on a hybrid front 14ff axle but just my luck there was a glitch or something and it cut off half way through the show...

I saw them cut the tubes, weld on new C's and talk a little about it but that was it.

Did they discuss it anymore or was that the extent of the coverage? I know K5Monsterchev attempted a front 14ff a few years back but something that always came up was the fact that the gears wouldn't be spinning in the originally designed way... did the show address that?
 
we've talked about this b4 on here, and as far as i can remember, it was said frontends run on the coast side of the gear the way they are stock, i propossed reverse cut gears to correct it, if that was true, but i still haven't pulled my front diff cover to see if its true or not, so i'm still unsure, i just can't see gm engineers designing the frontend that way
 
Yeah I'm sure the front runs the same way the back does... that's why guys have told me not to pull people out in reverse... always pull from the rear of your truck going forward because it's easier on the gears...

I was just wondering if anyone else saw this snippit I was talking about this weekend?
 
how about rotation? I think you have to run it upside down to power the drive side of the gearset. rather than power the coastside? No? I think so.
 
I'd like to see a D70HD rear used instead of a 14FF. Problem is, Dedenbear C's don't have a 4" bore to fit the 70's tubes. Probably either have to mill the 70's tubes down or bore the C's out to a hair under 4" i.d.
 
getting custom gears made???? talk about expensive.

I've seen 1 14bolt FF front diff in Calgary. it was being run upside down, d60 (I think) knuckles he grafted on. seems dumb to me..........its not the gears that are the weakest in a front drive axle. then you will have pinion bearing oiling issues from running a hypoid diff in amboid position. then you are powering the coast side of the gear........all sounds dumb in the name of being unique.


take the $$$ bucks from the custom gears and buying outters and time and fabrication supplies..........put that dough into a real D60 front. and you''l have a stout diff. If thats not good enough get rockwells.
 
DEMON44 said:
take the $$$ bucks from the custom gears and buying outters and time and fabrication supplies..........put that dough into a real D60 front. and you''l have a stout diff. If thats not good enough get rockwells.
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Well said sir. I see where they do certain things just to show that they "can" be done but come on. That's just not being realistic in any sense it seems to me.
 
your basic chevy 60 front it low pinion just like the 14ff and it is in the front end of trucks.
 
You guys have to keep in mind that in a D60 the ring gear is to the left of center when looking from the cover side whereas a 14ff is to the right when viewed from the cover side.
 
WMS used to be market 14FF fronts and had seen a few rigs running them but not sure what was done to them.
 
DEMON44 said:
I've seen 1 14bolt FF front diff in Calgary. it was being run upside down, d60 (I think) knuckles he grafted on. seems dumb to me..........its not the gears that are the weakest in a front drive axle. then you will have pinion bearing oiling issues from running a hypoid diff in amboid position. then you are powering the coast side of the gear........all sounds dumb in the name of being unique.
Click to expand...


You can't run the diff upside down, it would drive the axle in the wrong direction. The axles use the same orientation in the front or rear, you don't need to flip the axle if you move it to the front.

As for the gears running on the "wrong" side, that's true. But how often do people break gearsets? And on top of that, the 14 bolt has a third pinion bearing which practically eliminates pinion deflection (the main cause of ring and pinion failures).

IMO, using a 14 bolt center-section for a custom axle doesn't make sense. There are better differentials to use, but we've been down this road before ;)
 
thatK30guy said:
I'd like to see a D70HD rear used instead of a 14FF. Problem is, Dedenbear C's don't have a 4" bore to fit the 70's tubes. Probably either have to mill the 70's tubes down or bore the C's out to a hair under 4" i.d.
Click to expand...
Yea pretty much, that d70HD my bro is selling was originally going to be turned into a rear steer axle. He has the d70 knuckles and inner c's and was going to have the local 4x4 shop machine the tubes to accept the inner c, then have longfield CV shafts made
 
Avery4jc said:
I know, I was just interested to see what they had planned and I couldn't find anything on their site about it...
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X2. I think we all know it's highly impractical and expensive, but I like the novelty of the idea and I'm very interested to see how it works out. I don't think anybody's gonna run out and try to make a 14b front in an effort to have a cheap & strong front axle. I missed the show and was wondering if anybody knew if you could watch past episodes anywhere :D
 
carpeonnel said:
X2. I think we all know it's highly impractical and expensive, but I like the novelty of the idea and I'm very interested to see how it works out. I don't think anybody's gonna run out and try to make a 14b front in an effort to have a cheap & strong front axle. I missed the show and was wondering if anybody knew if you could watch past episodes anywhere :D
Click to expand...

I know you can download them on podcast something like $2 per episode or $30 for the season. gotta figure how to load them from itunes to my zune
 
carpeonnel said:
I don't think anybody's gonna run out and try to make a 14b front in an effort to have a cheap & strong front axle.
Click to expand...

If cheap was a part of any custom/hybrid axle I would have done it by now. The 14 bolt center section might be cheap but the tubes, c's, knuckles, custom shafts, hubs, etc are expensive.

IMO the only reason to build a 14 bolt front is to be different.
 
IMO if someone was going to dump that much cash on axles I would go for portals of sorts then you actually have something. Sure the 14 front would be strong but only as strong as the 60 outers you use still. If you have a built 60 and are breaking R and P's or other internals in the diff itself sure maybe worth it but would have to do some serious shaving too.
 
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