couple of axle and tranny questions

['68 K-10]

hi,
ok first of all i'm putting a 6 in. lift on my '68 k-10 and when i went to get a steering arm for it i noticed mine was different from the ones ive ever seen mine is just straight not curved and it has 4 bolts not 3. its also a closed knuckle. my local 4x4 parts dealer told me he suggests getting a new front axle. i'm curious if anyone knows about this axle and has any advice. my next question is my truck was a manual 4 speed and i would like to make it an automatic ive been told i need a new transfer and driveshafts. is there anything else i should know about doing this what it involves and is there a good way to install a ratchet shifter? thats is easy to reach. ive had the truck a couple years and i tore it aprt about a year ago and i want to get it done right the first time i recently bought a donor 2 wheel drive so im making slow progress. any help would be great. thanks.

[breeh]

I have done everything that you mention. Check out my signature block for the mods that I did to my 68 K10. Everything that you have been told is correct. Ditch the closed knuckle front axle. You can get the later steering hardware and disc brakes at the same time if you swap in a later front axle. I put an overdrive automatic and a NP205 transfer case in. I highly recommend the 700R4 trans if you are converting to an automatic anyway. I used the same front driveshaft but did have a new rear one made. If you are going 6" lift you may want to consider a crossover steering setup. Pont, on this board, is the guru when it comes to crossover steering. Good luck and have fun! If you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask. There are lots of knowledgable people here.

[jerry moss]

you need to dump the closed knuckle front axle first, any disc brake front axle from 71-87 will work. i personally like 73 or newer dana 44s but later 10 bolt corperate axles will fit too. you'll need a ,master cylinder, prop valve from a disc brake truck--doesn't mater if it's a 2wd or 4wd unit. you need the transmission, transfer case, crossmember, linkage, cooler lines,etc. for whichever auto trans you decide on. now is also the time to add intregal power steering. use a column from a 69-72 truck with a flex joint in the lower shaft. there are a few companies that sell conversion kits to mount an intregal p-s box on your flat frame rail. you'll have to get drivelines built and use adapters to mate the brake lines but it's well worth the effort in the long run. i've done this to a few trucks over the years so if you have questions feel free to ask.

[Pont]

LOL, thanks Breeh, I wish I was a guru at anything!

Ok, I can help with any info you might need as far as swapping in a later disc brake front axle but I haven't converted from stick to auto so I can't help out much in that department. I think Jerry pretty much mentioned everything involved for the auto conversion. I can tell you that my new extended stainless front brake hoses bolted directly to my existing brake fittings at the frame so no adapters were required there. And like Breeh said, you might wanna consider crossover steering with that 6" lift. Any lift over 4" and crossover steering is a must in my opinion. I can help you with any info you will need in that department as well.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress..........

Rob

One more thing I forgot to mention. You won't find any lift manufacturer that makes a rear lift spring for your truck. You will need to either have some custom rear springs made (as I did) or you will have to relocate the rear spring hangers and use 69 and newer rear springs or you will need to add a shackle flip with lift blocks in the rear to try and reach 6 inches. If you need any help in this area as well, I'll be more than happy to help.

['68 K-10]

Hey thanks for the help and information. I bought a front axle for $120 that i need to bolt in. i already bought my 6in lift and rear leafs i got those from bds they fit just fine. I'm not real sure how i would go about putting on cross over steering. how difficult is it and how costley? thanks for the help.
JAKE NOEL

[Dan72cst]

68 K10,
You said you got 6inch rear leafs for you 68 at BDS and they fit fine. What is BDS and how can I contact them?

['68 K-10]

bds used to be called big dicks suspension but now its just bds. I have the longer rear leaf springs 56'' but i think they have the 52'' also. the lift i bought was for the newer style truck 73-80 something but it fit just fine the guy told me that the front leafs would be too long but they fit good for me. i went with bds because they have a warranty that says if anything breaks they will replace it. no matter where i break it if im off roading or anything. that doesnt include shocks and bushings and stuff just the actual hardware. you can go to there website at www.bds-suspension.com

[breeh]

If you put on 73-80 56" springs on your '68 then you are in for a surprise because the leaf locating pin is not in the same location as on a 67-8 56" spring. Your axle will not be in the right spot.

['68 K-10]

everything seems to line up the bump stops and everything line up. i have it all together and it looks like it will work. if im wrong then i wasted lots of money on my lift but i was told it would work by the dealer and it looks like it will but if you have anyway that i could see that it isnt in the right spot let me know. thanks

[breeh]

If that is the case I will be thrilled because I will go and purchase a set for my truck. So once you finish, let us know. All of the research that I did when doing my truck said that they would not work.

[Pont]

I came across the same problem in all my research. The axle centering pin on the 67-68 rear springs is centered in the spring pack (measuring from the eye on one end to the eye on the other end, the centering pin is mounted dead center between the two). On the 73-87 springs, I have found that the centering pin is moved closer to the front eye, causing the axle to NOT be centered in the wheel opeing. By all means, let us know if they work for ya. Progress pics would be nice also. If they work out for ya, good score 68 K10

['68 K-10]

Hey everyone,
thanks for the info and help. i looked at my old springs and your right the pin is in the center and my new ones are not. im not sure if its gonna be far off in the wheel well but im sure it will. i dont have the bed on so i cant tell right now but i trust that your research is right and i got screwed. Im not real sure what im going to do but the people at bds and power motor sports will be hearing from me. I made sure the people i talked to at power motor sports knew what i had and i asked a couple times this will work. they told me the only problem was in the front that the front leaf would be longer but its not much longer. so far the people at truck and van specialities have helped me out and they are a bds dealer so i will talk to them and let you guys know.

p.s. if i do end up having to talk to bds or power motor sports how many people are members of this board so i cant tell them how many people are gonna hear about the bad expirience i had.

[Pont]

Best of luck to ya 68 K-10, I hope they take care of you on their mistake. At the time I am posting this reply, there are currently 9,591 board members here.

[Yukon Jack]

If you can, definitely get us some pics so we can see what is going on. How far off is the pin from where it should be. Springs are very hard steel but a new center pin hole could be drilled in each pack if the length of the springs is okay. Would not be the easiest thing to do though.

Another option if the spring length is okay, and if the center pin location is not too far off would be to use the Zero Rate blocks from www.offroaddesign which can relocate the centerpin I think 1". Course that would make your rearl lift slightly higher than the front lift. Probably not noticeable though.

My guess is BDS and the other company haven't dealt with the 67-68 and just screwed up rather than knowing about the problem. I've heard good things about BDS so lets hope they take care of you. You put a lot of time into installing the springs so the owe it to you to go out of their way to make it right.

['68 K-10]

im not sure how far off it is it looks to be about 3 inches or so farther back. i will try and get some pictures. i dont have the bed on so i cant tell how it will look, but i put a pole across my bed and marked out where the wheel opening is and it doesnt look like it will hit the tire at all but the tire will be closer to the rear of the fender by a couple inches. i havent talked to anyone about it but i hope they will help me. im sure they dont work with this year truck but the guy that i talked to told me that this would work no problem so i feel that its his responsibility. i'll keep ya posted thanks for the input.

[NAPCO ken]

Why not just re-drill the center bolt/pin and relocate it where you need it? Or maybe just redrill the main (top) leaf and move the other leafs under the re-drilt (drilled?) hole, so that the entire spring pack locates your axle properly?