1/2 ton axel up grade ?

[shakedown96]

if you read my introduction thread (dont mean to be rude but...) you know what I have for parts to up grade for strength. I plan on doing some offroad touring nothing past a #4 trail.

as I under stand the 14bolt ff is the way to go there is one in both doner trucks witch is the best 78 3/4 or 94 1ton? they are both open with 3.73.

the next queston is i have a 71 3/4 ton 2 wheel with a dana 60 w/factory locker with 4.11 gears I will most likly only ever go up to 33'smay be 35's would you
a) put this axle in the rear?

b) save the locker for a front dana 60? or will it not work in a front?

c) this is over kill you wont need it with the lighter wheeling you will do.

just tryin to plan out the best combo for what I got. I would love to stay with 15" wheels for the street even with the 8 lug

[LONGHAIR]

the next queston is i have a 71 3/4 ton 2 wheel with a dana 60 w/factory locker with 4.11 gears I will most likly only ever go up to 33'smay be 35's would you
a) put this axle in the rear?

Yes, it will take some bracket moving/welding, but it is a great axle

b) save the locker for a front dana 60? or will it not work in a front?

A differential from a Dana60 rear will work in the front, but you do NOT want a Detroit locker in the front. It would be a serious steering problem.

c) this is over kill you wont need it with the lighter wheeling you will do.

A locker in the rear and open diff in the front will be fine.....nothing wrong with overkill as long as it doesn't cost too much to justify.

just tryin to plan out the best combo for what I got. I would love to stay with 15" wheels for the street even with the 8 lug

15" wheels and 8 lug can cause clearence issues with the calipers and possibly tie-rods. You have to be careful about the wheel off-set.

[special-K]

From the factory the GM Dana60s only came with a posi,not a locker.Maybe yours is atermarket.The Dana60 does the trick and is a bolt-in if your truck is a 69-72.

You can use 15" rims with no problems.Just grind the ridge down to clear.I`ve done this with not problems on a K/20.Yours will have a 1/2t axles so the rear is only in question,right?15" will bolt right on.

[1-tonmudder]

A front Dana 60 is 35 spline and your rear 60 will be 30 so you wont be able to use the locker.

I plan on doing some offroad touring nothing past a #4 trail.I will most likly only ever go up to 33'smay be 35's

I dont know about the trail rating system in your area but a 4 rated trail around here requires at least one (true)locker and in the neighborhood of a 38 inch tire.

[shakedown96]

so the next question is will the nuckels and spindels from the 78 3/4 ton fit my 71 1/2 ton housing? this woud be the easy way to have the 8lug and retain the 4;11 gears they are both d44 right?

I was going to pull the 60 out for the springs any way (the ones in my truck sag on the drivers side. there was a scale recipt for a local auto cruser truck trailer and load 18,852lbs). the stack in there is close to handling a good ton or more. and rides like it. so I will just swap in the whole deal.

as far as trails and rating go I dont know s*it. on the farm I was raised on we wheeled there thru the pastures I walked from when I was a young boy and the woods I hunted growin up or we rode the red shale trails thru the state forest. bottom line is I dont want do build this truck and roll it. I would rather ride on trails and enjoy the veiws and do some camping much like the jamborees the j**p guys do but with a lot fewer people.

[1-tonmudder]

so the next question is will the nuckels and spindels from the 78 3/4 ton fit my 71 1/2 ton housing? this woud be the easy way to have the 8lug and retain the 4;11 gears they are both d44 right?

78 will be on the fence,could be a 44 or a 10 bolt.The parts will interchange as long as the 71 is open knuckle.If the 71 is disc brake it will have flattop knuckles which are needed if you want to put crossover steering on.

[shakedown96]

it does have disk brakes and I am interested in cross over all I know is you need a 2 wheel drive searing box (the one in the 3/4 71 is manual not power)
and what opyions are there for making the front 8 lug?

[skchevota]

Originally Posted by shakedown96

it does have disk brakes and I am interested in cross over all I know is you need a 2 wheel drive searing box (the one in the 3/4 71 is manual not power)
and what opyions are there for making the front 8 lug?

The 78 3/4 outers will bolt right on, as long as your housing has open knukles( you can see the u joints) as was stated earlier. For cross over steering, you will need a flat top passenger knuckle, a high steer arm, a 2wd box, a drop pitman arm ( usaly the ford one works best) and a drag link. the drag link will be custom, you can order the pieces to make one or give the length that you need and get one pre made. Your options will be weather you want heim joints or tierods. The knuckle will need to be machined to accept the high steer arm. Most machine shops can do this for less than $100.

[skchevota]

Originally Posted by 1-tonmudder

A front Dana 60 is 35 spline and your rear 60 will be 30 so you wont be able to use the locker.



I dont know about the trail rating system in your area but a 4 rated trail around here requires at least one (true)locker and in the neighborhood of a 38 inch tire.

some of the front 60s came with 30 spline inners as well. In that case you can use the powerlock from your rear 60. the factory rear 60 is a great axle, i would not think twice about using one..... wait I am using one

[1-tonmudder]

some of the front 60s came with 30 spline inners as well

Which ones??? I have never seen or heard mention of a 30 spline 60 front.All Chevy/Dodge/Ford disc brake 60 fronts have 30 spline outters and 35 inners.