help with axle swap from old to new chevy

[full foot notch]

Alright, Im wanting to do a solid axle swap on my tahoe, and I was wondering if you guys could give me some help in doing this

I have decided to run a dana front, probably a 44 or a 60, one good friend I know said that I should get a ford front dana, becase the pumpkin comes out on the drivers side and that is the side that my front axle comes out on, and then another friend says to use a k5 blazer axle, since its 6 lug and already chevy, but mentioned something abouth pumpin on wrong side, for my application ,but my plans as for the SAS, is so that I can lift the truck 12 inches using the superlift springs that were made for the old blazers, instead of having to buy a whiplash suspension or a full throttle kit, for the large amount of lift, but the thing with me, is that in my entire ownership of my tahoe (which is a 1995 4x4 4dr LS), I have only had to put it into 4wd only once, and that was at the beach. So basically
I just need the clearance that is readily avail with the large leaf springs and I will most likely run a 38 or 44 tire on the truck(and regear the rear to either 4.10 or 4.56 depending on the tire), so I basically just want to run a dana in the front without a front driveshaft (for at least now, keyword being least money invested as of right now, and later on down the road, regear the front and install custom driveshaft) , but back to my question, that is, if it is the ford dana that I should go with, what model trucks readily came available with the dana front end, so that all I have to do is say buy an old truck like that, and just unbolt the section and graft it onto my tahoe, in which I remember that I can use CJ leaf spring hangers to weld onto the frame, since the whole IFS assembly will be removed and probably sold to recoup some of my costs. And as I was under my truck today removing a
rattling catalytic heat shield, I looked at the area where the IFS unit resides, and it doesn’t seem like the chevy 63” springs would be able to fit in that area (but ill admit I am not the most knowledgeable of all the chevy specs) so maybe it will, and it looks like I may of found a Dana 44 that supposedly came from a jeep, but from what my friend tells me, it is
too narrow to work under my truck, but I think it might be able to work, just needs a rebuild

Sorry if there is any confusion in my letter, but im wanting to do this axle swap and lift by myself and also with the help of the local redneck truck shop, aka DIY project, instead of paying a shop 3500 to just install it the axle (that’s not even including the axle or the custom front driveshaft

and as a synopsis, right now the truck is a 95 K1500 platform with the 241 chain transfer case, and for $$ reasons, ill just get the 4 inch shackle flip hangers as the new spring hangers and use some stock springs, so i can ride on a Solid axle and be 4 inches higher, but the thing is, is that i am not sure what spring length the 88-98 K1500 platform is, becuase i have heard 52,54, and 63 inches for the spring pack length, and i have heard that the 73-87 spring pack length is 52, because its one of those, if teh old and new chevy trucks share the same spring pack length, i can buy a 73-87 superlift kit for my tahoe, instead of having to buy custom springs which will be more, but for right now, i just want a solid axle in the front with the least amount of cutting and welding later on

if there is any confusion, just ask and i will try to clarify

[JIMs70GMC]

There's a company that provides all the parts except the axle and springs I believe it's ORU. www.offroadunlimited.com

Also from what I've seen just swapping in the axle lifts the front and then you'll only need 6" or 8" springs to clear your tires.

[full foot notch]

yeah, everyone sends me to ORU, I have mostly everything, i just need the SPECS of old and new chevy spring pack lengths, and right now, ill be running 31s or 33s, so stock old springs will work for right now

[jerry moss]

not sure what years use 63" springs, all i've ever looked at were 52"and 56".i would go with a reverse rotation front diff from a ford 3/4 or one ton 8 lug. with those tires you'll need a 14 bolt rear from a 3/4 or one ton anyway. there will be a lot of custom fabrication to make everything work, especially in the steering area, brakes and drivelines. if you have 4 wheel A.B.S. then you have a bunch more problems. ford has bolt on front spring hangers on the heavy duty 4x4s that might help you out in the front and crossover steering might ease things in that area.there is a newer chevy pickup locally with a solid axle conversion but i've never looked under it to see if it's a hack job or if it's done correctly.
you're talking about your safety and the safety of other drivers so you want it done right the first time. if you've never tackled a job like this, i would recommend finding a shop that has experience with this swap. your life or someone else's isn't worth trying to save a few bucks by cutting corners.

[breeh]

I would have to second what Jerry said. That is a BIG job and it could end in disaster.

[JIMs70GMC]

I know on pirate4x4 some people have done this as well as over on customtruckshowcase.

[hugger67]

i have a 88 that started out as a 2 wheel drive it now has a straight axle and 44 inch boggers i used 10" front lift springs from a 73-87 chevy and a 3" body lift to clear the use a dana 60 out of a ford for the front in your case with crossover steering if you are driving it on the road otherwise hydraulic steering let me know if you have other questions