First timer with axle questions.

[70RedBlurr]

Long time listener first time caller here. Just bought my first 4x4 68 K10 with a sbc and four speed. My plan for the truck is drop in a aluminum headed 383 and keep the four speed. WheelS planned Are 35” bogger on some classy weld super singles. So as I start my search for some weld wheels I soon realize I need to decide if I’m searching for a 6 or 8 lug pattern and then I got to thinking. Are the axles in my truck now adequate for the mostly street use with some off roading use that I have planned for the truck?? Light bulb went off in my head again and I figured out that I do not know enough about 4x4 axles. So my questions to the 4x4 community
1. What axles are under my truck? pictures provided.
2. Are they sufficient for a 383 and 35” boggers?
3. Are these axles worth rebuilding or should I scrap them and if so what would work best u red this build.
I appreciate the info and will answer any questions regarding info I left out. I look forward to sharing the progress of this build with the 4x4 community.

[57taskforce]

You’ve got a Gm corporate 12 bolt rear and a 6 lug Dana 44 front. Neither of which are the strongest or weakest axles out there. What you have will likely survive in mostly street use. If you want more strength than you will want to swap to 8 luggers. A GM 14 bolt full floating rear from a 73-87 1 ton 4x4 single rear wheel truck will bolt into your truck with the exception of 1 shock mount, and I’m pretty sure you will need a conversion ujoint. Also it will take a little work to get your E brakes working but not the end of the world. I’ve got one in My 72 K20. In the 67-72 trucks there was no 1 ton 4x4, 3/4 ton was top dog. It had an 8 lug Dana 44 which is marginally stronger than the 1/2 ton version. It you want more strength in the front than a Dana 60 from a 77-87 1 ton 4x4 (91 for crew cab 1 ton 4x4 and cab and chassis 4x4) is in order. The front Dana 60 is pure beef, with king pins, pretty big brakes and big hubs. They are getting harder to find but are still out there. I’ve got one about ready to drop into my K20. Whatever you do don’t scrap your existing axles. They are still valuable to someone wanting to keep there K10 original. Does your existing front have disk brakes? It has 70-72 style hubs but looks like it may have drum brakes hard to tell. 67-69 will have drum brakes with a close knuckle, 70 is open knuckle drum brakes, 71-72 is open knuckle disk brakes.
Also that red lock out dial is 70 only and pretty uncommon. Don’t loose it!

[kwmech]

At the minimum I would look for a semi-float 6 lug 14 bolt. Keep the 44 front and go to the later model disc brake front axle which will have the larger axle shaft u-joint. The 68-- closed knuckle drum-- dana 44 will be your weakness.

[70RedBlurr]

Gents, thank you for the info. Yes the front axle is a drum brake axle.
Kwmech, any idea what those full float 14 bolt 6 lugs came in and any recommendation on a disc brake kit for the Dana 44?

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by 70RedBlurr

Gents, thank you for the info. Yes the front axle is a drum brake axle.
Kwmech, any idea what those full float 14 bolt 6 lugs came in and any recommendation on a disc brake kit for the Dana 44?

I wouldn't waste time or money converting a drum brake 44 to disc. Just find a disk brake 44 from a later truck. Squarebody 44's are the same up to when they got phased out for the 10b front axle in the late 70's.

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

I wouldn't waste time or money converting a drum brake 44 to disc. Just find a disk brake 44 from a later truck. Squarebody 44's are the same up to when they got phased out for the 10b front axle in the late 70's.

I agree, even if you find a 10 bolt it will bolt in just the same. As for the 14 bolt, only the semi float axles were(actually ARE, GM still has used them in later model trucks up to now) 6 lug, they are not the same as the near bomb proof 10.5” 14 bolt full floater. The 9.5” semi float 6 lug 14 bolt is commonly found in light duty 3/4 ton trucks from the 80’s-90’s. In the 90’s especially look for 3/4 ton trucks with the 7200 lb gvw. The 8600 lb trucks will be the 8 lug full floater. The 6 lug 14 bolt was also put in certain 1/2 trucks as well, they aren’t terribly common so it may take a little bit of searching to track one down. You’ll have to move the perches and shock mounts to make it work but that’s not a terribly big deal.

[mongocanfly]

From my research, the d44 and 10b front axle are almost identical...the 10b front is the same axle on both 1/2 &3/4 t trucks, with only the outers being different (6 lug vs 8lug)...
When I needed axles, I found a junk 3/4t suburban that I got for cheap..that was my axle donor..
It was 10b front and 14b sf rear
Liked stated..the front bolted right in...although I did convert it to crossover steering..the rear got new spring pads and shock mounts
If your wanting extreme duty then look for a cucv...Dana 60 front,14b ff rear...but are 8lug

[kwmech]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

I wouldn't waste time or money converting a drum brake 44 to disc. Just find a disk brake 44 from a later truck. Squarebody 44's are the same up to when they got phased out for the 10b front axle in the late 70's.

I was implying to get a disc brake axle assy. Any front end from 1973 up. 44 vs 10 bolt are about the same in strength.

[jeffahart]

The good, or bad, thing is you have options galore! But you say you don't know much about axles and you will off road occasionally. What if you talk yourself into a locker in the front when your going through the axle... then what do you need? Do you have throttle discipline? Do you know when to lay off the throttle, and when to nail it? Will you be on cow trails and fire roads. Do you have a tendency to get a wild hair when off road. Will you take those boggers into the bog? You can spend more money on your front axle then you probably spent on the truck. I think a good exercise for you would be to look at the expensive offerings and ask yourself if you need something like that. Obviously you don't compete but it's just an exercise in understanding what goes into a high quality axle and why... you can ratchet it down from there and get a combination of what you want and need. Understand why you might want a D60 over a D44. Just offering a way to learn about axles. Here's an offering of axles to research what components are going into the builds. Building axles ain't cheep, but you can go through a takeout and get real close to a tuff axle. So, look into the built Dana 60s and 44s... just so you know.

https://www.fourwheeler.com/news/fea...4-crate-axles/


j

[70RedBlurr]

4X4 Community comes through once again spitting information and dropping knowledge.
So I know I want disc brakes up front and stay 6 luggers. My biggest fear was dropping in my 383 stroker and breaking an axle. I mean my stroker is most definitely not putting out 600 foot pounds of torque, but I want to do my axles once and not have to upgrade to 8 lug and then have to chase down another set of 8 lug weld wheels. Jeffahart thanks for the link brother. I quickly realized what kind of offroading i am going to be doing and what my needs are. Ill be doing mostly fire roads, some intermediate trails to camping locations and for sure hitting those mud pits! I would be really happy driving to the junkyard or searching Craigslist for some used factory axles i could rebuild with some slightly beefier parts and add a limited slip or locker to. I know for sure I dont need custom fabbed axle housings. Although I will more than happily entertain the thought of buying beefier rebuilt OEM axles from a shop that wont break the bank. anyone out there have any recommendations?
Oh and is cross over steering worth converting to in my application??
Thank you once again gents for the input. I am reading it all and doing research as well.

[mongocanfly]

if you've got a good bit of lift, that's where the crossover really comes into play...with min lift its not needed

[70RedBlurr]

Some combination of 35’s or 37’s with a 4” lift or 6” at the most.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by 70RedBlurr

4X4 Community comes through once again spitting information and dropping knowledge.
So I know I want disc brakes up front and stay 6 luggers. My biggest fear was dropping in my 383 stroker and breaking an axle. I mean my stroker is most definitely not putting out 600 foot pounds of torque, but I want to do my axles once and not have to upgrade to 8 lug and then have to chase down another set of 8 lug weld wheels. Jeffahart thanks for the link brother. I quickly realized what kind of offroading i am going to be doing and what my needs are. Ill be doing mostly fire roads, some intermediate trails to camping locations and for sure hitting those mud pits! I would be really happy driving to the junkyard or searching Craigslist for some used factory axles i could rebuild with some slightly beefier parts and add a limited slip or locker to. I know for sure I dont need custom fabbed axle housings. Although I will more than happily entertain the thought of buying beefier rebuilt OEM axles from a shop that wont break the bank. anyone out there have any recommendations?
Oh and is cross over steering worth converting to in my application??
Thank you once again gents for the input. I am reading it all and doing research as well.

Here's a bit of knowledge. An 8 lug D44 or 10B really is no different than the 6 lug versions other than the rotor lug count. Axle shafts are the same between them. So in the end, the 8 lug 44 or 10b isn't gaining anything over the 6 lug version unless you need one to match a 14b rear axle. If you want to fortify either version, get chrome-moly axle shafts for it.

For your intended usage either 44 or 10 bolt would be more than fine. The 44 or 10 bolt will handle the weight of your 383 and live with the torque. If you leave the front diff open you will be less likely to snap a stock shaft. If you do go with a limited-slip or locker, upgrade the shafts for sure.

I'd wouldn't go past 35" tires with either axle as it will keep the stress on the shafts within reason. Going bigger will require the upgraded shafts for sure.

I wheeled my old '75 for a long time on 35's and an open front diff. Beat on it actually with the manual trans. Turned out I broke the 12b rear before the front got any damage at all. The 12b failure wasn't on a trail either. Lost a tooth on the pinion and it got shot out of the cover a block away from my house. Now I will admit in my '91 while it had the 5.3 I did manage to snap an axle shaft 3 times with my D44 8 lug front axle. I am running a Tru-trac up front and it seems to be part of my issue with breakage. The Tru-trac has a tendency to wind up under torque and the auto trans seems to keep the torque applied. Each time I broke I had gone from drive to reverse to back out of a situation. Chromo shafts are on my upgrade list, but the 8.1 project kinda snowballed and killed the budget. Just have to keep my right foot under control until I upgrade.

[Short 3/4]

Originally Posted by 70RedBlurr

4X4 Community comes through once again spitting information and dropping knowledge.
So I know I want disc brakes up front and stay 6 luggers. My biggest fear was dropping in my 383 stroker and breaking an axle. I mean my stroker is most definitely not putting out 600 foot pounds of torque, but I want to do my axles once and not have to upgrade to 8 lug and then have to chase down another set of 8 lug weld wheels. Jeffahart thanks for the link brother. I quickly realized what kind of offroading i am going to be doing and what my needs are. Ill be doing mostly fire roads, some intermediate trails to camping locations and for sure hitting those mud pits! I would be really happy driving to the junkyard or searching Craigslist for some used factory axles i could rebuild with some slightly beefier parts and add a limited slip or locker to. I know for sure I dont need custom fabbed axle housings. Although I will more than happily entertain the thought of buying beefier rebuilt OEM axles from a shop that wont break the bank. anyone out there have any recommendations?
Oh and is cross over steering worth converting to in my application??
Thank you once again gents for the input. I am reading it all and doing research as well.

Not sure what Central Coast you live on, but if it's the California one I can strongly recommend Matt at American Gear in San Luis Obispo. He's done a lot of work on my old junk over the years and always treated me right.
As far as upgrades go, I would put some miles one what you have right now. Unless you have a trust fund burning a hole in your pocket you will find out what you truly want and need. You might even be pleasantly surprised at what some of that old factory stuff is capable of. I'm not preaching concourse factory preservation here, as God only knows I have never left any vehicle stock for long, it's just that I've always had to work hard for my money, so like to be absolutely sure before I fix a part that aint broke.
Have fun with the project however it turns out
Tom