Axle Upgrade

[vtblazer]

Need to upgrade my axles, big time.

What I have:
79 Ford F350 up front - stock and open
98 3/4 ton chevy in the rear - stock gov-lok
5:13's in both w/37" tires. Have a doubler also.

What I want/need:
To be able to wheel the truck into some fairly gnarly places.
So any info or personnel experience with different options or brands of parts would be great.


I'm thinking for drivability issue's about using a Detroit in the rear and a limited up front.
Cha-Ching...

[vtblazer]

Meant to put this in the message section.

If a Mod would be so kind please...

[Yukon Jack]

I have a Detroit No-Spin from the factory in the rear axle of my 69. Yes you have to remember it is there, but only once has it caught me by surprise. If you do a turn when it is slippery out, it can throw you a bit. Nothing that would keep me from wanting it, but just something to be aware of. Obviously they work awesome. I have dirt pile near my barn and the 69 will walk up it in 2wd. My 4wd 95 Yukon can't go up it in 4wd.

I can't speak about a traction device in the front axle.

[special-K]

Lockers in rear are great.You have to get in the habit of drifting through sharper turns.Or,if power is needed to start off or get up a grade,go light.It`s alot chraper than any air or electric locker.Up front,I like the tru-trac.That`s all I`ve experienced.An air locker(or electric)can give you full-locking,but sometimes you don`t want that and with it off you just have open.You can switch back`n`forth,but what a pia.Never tried an Auburn unit in front,just the rear of my street `90 Blazer.I really like it.I don`t think they`re good for over33",though.I had the Tru-Trac in a`71 Blazer with 37"Swampers/Locker in rear.I can only imagine with a doubler how unstoppable it would have been.`Cause it was unstoppable w/o one.And I had a TH400.
Did you ever see the crappy picture of it on about the 5th page(11/04)of the 4wd Blazer sticky?

[tornado_tech]

If you have the 10.5" 14-bolt, you will need an open carrier in order to put in a Detroit Locker. If you have the 9.5" 14-bolt (which I doubt), it's just a differential swap. For the front, Dana's factory Power-Lok was a good differential and should be fairly easy to find. If you want to put in 35 spline axles in the front for added insurance., you will need the Dana 70 side gears

[crew70]

I have a 85 chevy frame with front dana 60 and 14 bolt rear its from a diesel
I dont have it home yet. I dont know what gears either.it is from a 1 ton single rear wheels.so it DOES NOT HAVE BUD WHEEL SPACERS ON IT.I would like 1400

[tnblazerk5]

Originally Posted by crew70

I have a 85 chevy frame with front dana 60 and 14 bolt rear its from a diesel
I dont have it home yet. I dont know what gears either.it is from a 1 ton single rear wheels.so it DOES NOT HAVE BUD WHEEL SPACERS ON IT.I would like 1400

he cant use the d60 front you have inless he changes the back (he has 2 t cases ) t case

[tnblazerk5]

Originally Posted by vtblazer

Need to upgrade my axles, big time.

What I have:
79 Ford F350 up front - stock and open
98 3/4 ton chevy in the rear - stock gov-lok
5:13's in both w/37" tires. Have a doubler also.

What I want/need:
To be able to wheel the truck into some fairly gnarly places.
So any info or personnel experience with different options or brands of parts would be great.


I'm thinking for drivability issue's about using a Detroit in the rear and a limited up front.
Cha-Ching...

i have got sum questions for ya
have you broke anything yet on the truck ?
do you plan on driving the truck on the road alot after the mods ?
the resion i ask these questions is theres a fine line from street driveing and 4x4 ing rigs the best 4x4 rigs suck when driving them on the street and the street rigs suck off road
the off road rigs mostly run lockers front and rear , thats good off road but sucks on the street also sucks in the snow and on a snow trail even sucks worse
most rigs running lockers up front dont use lock out hubs cause the will brake
what tires are you running ?
well theres tons of questions and tons of ancwers to be ask here

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by tnblazerk5

i have got sum questions for ya
have you broke anything yet on the truck ?
do you plan on driving the truck on the road alot after the mods ?
the resion i ask these questions is theres a fine line from street driveing and 4x4 ing rigs the best 4x4 rigs suck when driving them on the street and the street rigs suck off road
the off road rigs mostly run lockers front and rear , thats good off road but sucks on the street also sucks in the snow and on a snow trail even sucks worse
most rigs running lockers up front dont use lock out hubs cause the will brake
what tires are you running ?
well theres tons of questions and tons of ancwers to be ask here

Thanks tn, all good questions/issues.

It's primarily a trail use vehicle that will see only limited street time.
I acquired this K5 solely to wheel it, the bigger focus is on trail performance.
No interest in running a locker up front for all the reasons you brought up.
Drive train specs are:
350/th-400/203-205 w/triple sticks/5:13's w/37x12.5 SSR's on Weld wheels.

[BOSS]

it is moved for you sir,have a great day.

[special-K]

Hey Crew70,He already has a D60 Ford in there.I`d go for that stuff if you were closer.Hae you listed it in parts yet?
The Loc-Rite is another great upgrade for the f/e.They are still made by Detoit Gear.

[tnblazerk5]

Originally Posted by vtblazer

Thanks tn, all good questions/issues.

It's primarily a trail use vehicle that will see only limited street time.
I acquired this K5 solely to wheel it, the bigger focus is on trail performance.
No interest in running a locker up front for all the reasons you brought up.
Drive train specs are:
350/th-400/203-205 w/triple sticks/5:13's w/37x12.5 SSR's on Weld wheels.

ok now that we know a little about the truck itself we need to know sum things about the trails you going to be rideing on
is there lots of mud?
is there lots of rocks?i am talkin bolder size stuff
lots of deep ruts ? i am talkin 3 feet and deeper here
is it just old login roads type thing ?
is there deep water at times ? as in 3 feet or deeper
whats your drivin style ? wfo? crawling ? just trail ridin use what ya go when ya need it , oh by the way with the w/triple sticks it will take sum time to find out what they need to be in to get the hang of what you need it to be in
does the rig have a winch ?


the resion i ask these questions is
theres differant 4wheelin in differant parts of the country
all drivers have a differant driving style
all rigs work differant in differant terrain<sp? what works good in one type may suck in a differant type terrain


you didnt say if you had broke anything parts yet ? if not you not trying hard enough j/kin with ya but that kinda true in a way . if nothings broke and you have been fairly happy with the way its doing why change anything in less you wanting to take the rig on harder trails

[1969 GMC]

I would recommend Detroit in the back and ARB up front. Having gone on a few trail rides with CK5 guys, the ARB is great. Expensive, but great. And when you are on the road, you can turn it off and its just an open diff.

I was looking at a Power-Lock for the front, but they get too expensive too quick. You can buy a brand new one, but they cost about the same as a Detroit. You can make one using a conglomeration of D60 and D70 powerlock parts, but it's still not cheap.

[tnblazerk5]

here a few other things you may want to do too before ya go to changing alot of stuff
get a spare axles (yes both front axles compleat ones theres 2 differant lenghts short side and long side ) and one rear axle (they sould be the same lenght in the rear so ya only need one extra ) security strap them in the blazer sumwhere out of harms way get extra front lock outs pack them in the blazer too . extra u joints for every place there is a u joint (you may have differant sizes and you may not, most older 4wheelers have changed all the ujoint to the same size and only carry one or 2 extra u joints with them ) have ya got a high lift jack ? if not gat one you will need it sumwhere along the line even if you have a winch you will still ne the high lift jack . for tools get ya sum kinda box to put them in and bolt the box in the blazer sum where try to carry all the tools you may think you need to change all of the above stuff plus sum now for a few extra tips allways air the tires down ,how much you ask , well that depend on tires rims and the way ya drive and the terrain your in .so now ya need sumsort of air to fill the ties back up with when ya get to the end of the trail .there a few differant ways to do that too
like a air compresser under the hood or a air tank straped in the blazer sumwhere is ya opt for the air under the hood you can run air tools and a arb locker and few other things just remember if ya run the arb off the compresser you will need a regulater of the arb . i dont think i would go to changing a bunch of stuff on the blazer till ya know what to change hince why i ask ya what all you had been brakeing while 4wheelin
they to go 4wheelin is kinda like the boy scouts go prepared and go in groups of at leat 2 rigs, perfribly more that way when ya get stuck you got more help to get out and if ya 4wheel hard you will get stuck and you will roll it sumwhere along the line

[tnblazerk5]

Originally Posted by 1969 GMC

I would recommend Detroit in the back and ARB up front. Having gone on a few trail rides with CK5 guys, the ARB is great. Expensive, but great. And when you are on the road, you can turn it off and its just an open diff.

I was looking at a Power-Lock for the front, but they get too expensive too quick. You can buy a brand new one, but they cost about the same as a Detroit. You can make one using a conglomeration of D60 and D70 powerlock parts, but it's still not cheap.

there is other ways to lock the front end in besides the ARB , like the OX locker( its cable acuwated<sp? so ya dont need air or the air line running to the front end just a OX locker cable ) and theres anouther new one out (cant think of the name at the moment ) but it has yet to prove itself yet .
there are a few people 4wheelin here with open fronts and just locked down in the rear and they seam to do just fine but there are times when the locked front really come in handy (i have a open front end in my 78 blazer and there have been times i wish i had a locked front end )

what i hear and read you just need to go 4wheelin more and get use to the blazer ya got try to have all the spare parts that ya can fit in the blazer and have fun once you start seeing things brake consistantly then you need to look at what ya need to change till then just go have fun after all thats what it is all about anyway !!!!!!!!!

[masterbeavis]

that truck drives very smooth on the road. (aside from the swampers that pounded the snot out of ya while cold) Aside from that, that rig needs serious help in the traction dept. That thing got spanked in my driveway trying to climb up the ledge. Gov locks suck bigtime.




That ford 60 has 35spline outers in it, very beef The inners, I dont remeber, I want to say stock non neck down shafts??

for a serious trail rig, the best way to go is spool in the rear, and detroit or selectable in the front. IIRC, that t-case is modified so you can run 2wd low range and not have to get out and unlock a hub for sharp turns (assuming you lock the front) A locked front end does not turn very well, supposedly if you dont apply power to it, it will?? If your heart is set on running a limited slip for the front, go with either powerlock shimmed to within an inch of its life, or a good torque baising unit. Avoid the trac lock, that isn't much better than being open. Limited slips are nice for extra traction, but if you get one wheel in the air, all the power will wind up going there, unless you have a good tight unit
If snow driving is an issue, keep a hub unlocked

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by masterbeavis

that truck drives very smooth on the road. (aside from the swampers that pounded the snot out of ya while cold) Aside from that, that rig needs serious help in the traction dept. That thing got spanked in my driveway trying to climb up the ledge. Gov locks suck bigtime.



That ford 60 has 35spline outers in it, very beef The inners, I dont remeber, I want to say stock non neck down shafts??

for a serious trail rig, the best way to go is spool in the rear, and detroit or selectable in the front. IIRC, that t-case is modified so you can run 2wd low range and not have to get out and unlock a hub for sharp turns (assuming you lock the front) A locked front end does not turn very well, supposedly if you dont apply power to it, it will?? If your heart is set on running a limited slip for the front, go with either powerlock shimmed to within an inch of its life, or a good torque baising unit. Avoid the trac lock, that isn't much better than being open. Limited slips are nice for extra traction, but if you get one wheel in the air, all the power will wind up going there, unless you have a good tight unit
If snow driving is an issue, keep a hub unlocked

Thanks m/b a very usable bit of info.

[FormerMember]

Kurt, FYI: Tony (Masterbeavis) is a friend of mine and did alot of the work on the blue blazer. He's driven it way more than I have in it's current incarnation.

[masterbeavis]

I no nawtsing....

Hey John, do you still have that pintel reciever? I went to tow a big compressor, thought i had that guy sitting around, and scratched my head for at least an hour wondering what I did with it.....

[edit] I have a line on a detroit that will fit an open carrier too, but I cant post it cuz I dont subscribe :P

[FormerMember]

Yes, I do. It was on the back of the blazer from your Pismo trip and is now on the back of my Ram for towing a 1 and 3/4ton trailer.

[masterbeavis]

Originally Posted by grendel

Yes, I do. It was on the back of the blazer from your Pismo trip and is now on the back of my Ram for towing a 1 and 3/4ton trailer.

RATS!!
:flipoff2:

[69TowRig]

The Gov-Loc is but a ticking time-bomb. I like the Detroit I put in my Nissan, I need to get one for my K5... Like Yukon Jack said you can wheel in 2wd where lesser 4wds can't.

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by 69TowRig

The Gov-Loc is but a ticking time-bomb. I like the Detroit I put in my Nissan, I need to get one for my K5... Like Yukon Jack said you can wheel in 2wd where lesser 4wds can't.

Yep...
It's going to be a Detroit in the rear for sure pending funds...

Not sure about the front just yet.
Would really like to go "selectable" but might just end up installing a limited.

[masterbeavis]

I thought i posted this already, maybe I didnt. A lunchbox locker (one that fits inside the stock open carrer, similar to a 14Bolt can be had for less than $400, and does not require you to mess with your ring and pinion, or paying $400 for somebody to reset it for you. If you dont like it, you can uninstall it and go back to open. THEY ARE VERY TOUGH. A friend of mine has a serious rock crawling rig, his has survived with 38's for over 8 years now. It has survived 3 busted shafts too. When this ford was new, it was in showroom condition, all original, all purdy. Now there isnt a straight piece of metal on it anywhere.



(this is the $440 one)
Get locker-equiped traction with limited slip smoothness!
The Powertrax No-Slip Traction Systems are the latest design in traction-adding differential technology. They combine the smooth operation of a limited-slip differential with the traction performance of a locking differential. A precise synchronization mechanism eliminates the ratcheting sounds typical of other locking differentials. Special gear and spring designs reduce the backlash, and, therefore, the driveline windup. Only ultra-strength material that is 67 percent stronger than titanium is used. Installation is simple because no ring and pinion setup is required. In addition, no special tools or oils are needed. Step-by-step, model-specific instructions are provided with every kit.


ONe that will work just fine @$380http://store.summitracing.com/partde...=KeywordSearch

Does the same thing, cept is quieter, and more $$$ @440 http://store.summitracing.com/partde...=KeywordSearch

Here is for the rear http://store.summitracing.com/partde...=KeywordSearch

SHOP AROUND!! You can find this stuff cheaper new if you look, and get smokin deals on it used if you are carefull. I found the 14B detroit for $250, barely used, no wear on it at all.

[masterbeavis]

I killed this thread...