New stuff for the burb
 

Well I finally found what I have been looking for, for a long time I have been looking for a matched set of 1972 vintage axles for my Suburban.

Mainly to upgrade to a better braking system, and to stay as close to the year range of my Suburban. So I wanted the large hub Dana Spicer 44, to replace the closed knuckle drum brake Dana Spicer 44.

The rear axle in this set is a Dana 60.

Out of this purchase, the following was included.

Power steering box
4 wheels with tires
2 steel wheels
Front and rear leaf springs
NP205 transfer case
Front drive shaft

The tires are 35" tall and just rollers, so they will go to the recycler since I don't want them. The main thing is, is that 3 of the 4 have 1972 OE 8 lug steel 16" wheels. So with the 2 extra 8 lug 16" steel wheels, that sets me up with all 4 and a spare tire wheel.
These will be checked if they are bent, or damaged then sand blasted and powder coated black like my current wheels.
My current wheels are 16.5's, and are not straight so they aren't perfect.

The leaf springs, I don't need. They seem to be aftermarket, since they were able to accommodate a 35" tire. Don't know what I will do with them at this moment.

The NP205 I will keep as a spare, since my T221 is just fine. So if I decide to convert to 205 due to catastrophic damage on the Rockwell, I will have the most expensive part on hand to begin that project.


Here is the crazy part... I really like my current Eaton H052, and my closed knuck 44 works just fine. The problem is, is that my Eaton has been giving me headaches with getting parts. When I do find the parts they are priced at a premium, and I worry that if I take the burb on a long trip and the Eaton decides to do something stupid - I don't think Gomer at the lone service station 40 miles East of BFE is gonna have the part to get me going.

The brakes work fine, but they are drums and these drums are not easy to get either. Heck, they are 12" drums and they are even more harder to source.

I guess where I struggle with this is, is that I am so sentimental with my burb I struggle with changing big things like this on her. So much that I don't let go of any old parts, and I am not looking forward to storing that Eaton let alone a D44.

Well, here are pics of the stuff.
Thanks to Jenn and Jeremiah of Kingstrucks, they made me a heck of a deal on all of this. Plus Jeremiah did a lot of extra work for me to make this all happen.

Re: New stuff for the burb
 

Looks like you have something to do this weekend =) Good purchase.

Re: New stuff for the burb
 

-
I don't understand all of this 4 wheel drive stuff but I'm happy for ya anyways...:)

LockDoc

Re: New stuff for the burb
 

Good score Chris......the 16's will give you much more options! Keep us updated bud!

Re: New stuff for the burb
 

Nice parts scrounging!

Re: New stuff for the burb
 

Great score! Jenn and Jeremiah are pretty cool! they have some doors I would love to pick up when I get some more cash!

On your are your new axles 4.10s?

Re: New stuff for the burb
 

I do not know what the new axle gear ratios are yet, but I hope they are either 4.10 or 4.56. Since my current axles are set up with 4.57's, and I really like the low range they provide.

The tags are missing on the diff covers, since it looks like they have been serviced a little while ago. There is silicone on each diff cover, and the hubs look like they have been apart as well. The hub locks turn smoothly, so that is nice.

I plan to clean everything up, and assess everything when the muck is cleaned off everything. I have already started to make a big dent in getting the grime off of the Tcase, and once that is all cleaned up I will simply store it away for a later project.

This weekend I will strip the rear axle down and begin to clean it up, and then get ready to get the brake hardware ordered.

I may try to figure out what the gear ratio is at the same time.

Right now it's all about elbow grease, since my truck spending cash reserves are extremely low.

Re: New stuff for the burb
 

Nice!

Re: New stuff for the burb
 

Are you actually gonna add power steering?????? I mean you got the box and all....

Re: New stuff for the burb
 

At first if I can I am gonna keep the manual steering, at least until I can source the additional parts required to make that happen.

I kinda like the manual steering, so it's no biggie to me if it stays or goes.