1968 Suburban 4X4 front axle swap ?

[Mt Man Chad]

Looking to swap out closed kunckle front axle with drums to open knuckle with disk. Does anybody know what year axles will bolt in place on stock 1968 4X4 suburban.
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[polishspy]

So I have a 70' K30 4x4 burb and I used a 85' K20 front axle since it had front disc brakes. And it fit with no issues.

[Mt Man Chad]

Thanks!!!! Appreciated

[pwdcougar]

Why are you looking to swap to disks? Not happy with the drums up front? I tried to locate an front axle with disks and had a rough time finding one here in NJ.

[Mt Man Chad]

Open knuckle have a tighter turning radius and finding parts for newer disk axle will be way easier than dealing with the leaks from a old close knuckle system.
I’ll keep original axle to go with rig when I sell it but coming down big mountain roads drums up front suck with getting to hot and fade vs disk.

[regan wilson]

That's a cool Burb...

[kwmech]

Any chevy straight axle up to 86 -- blazer and suburban will go up to up to 91

[60sIron]

I just put discs on my closed knuckle 44. To me it was much easier than swapping axels. JMO.

[Mt Man Chad]

60sIron where did you find a disk brake conversion for a close knuckle 44 axle? Thanks in advance. I’m still looking for a complete front and maybe front and rear if the have lower gearing than the 4.11 like 3.42 or something in that range.

[60sIron]

Unfortunately there is no kit. I had a Dana 44 out of a 72 with disc breaks. I swapped out everything from the knuckles out. The only thing that isn’t a direct fit is the original axles from the closed knuckle need to be turned down slightly to fit the new bearings. It was easy for me as I have a friend with a lathe. You also must change the Master. If you search this sight you’ll find more information. That’s where I found it. Just for your information the breaks for a 14 bolt can be installed on an HO. Backing plates on out. Good Luck.

[52napco]

Are those Alcans on there ??

[60sIron]

No Americans. Unfortunately they were 16.5’s. I needed tires and the selection for that size is extremely limited. It now has 16” steelies with hub caps. When it’s time for tires again it will be 17” US Mag slots. I love the look.

[adzints7]

Love the Burb. I was really close to picking up one very similar to this a few years ago in Tacoma WA area.
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[Mt Man Chad]

The steel rims on the 68 Burb are off a old blazer 15 X 8’s

[Mt Man Chad]

Picked up a front axle out of 1990 1500 suburban for $250 that bolts right in. 3.73 gear ratio matches existing and pinion and ring gears are in excellent condition. Lucked out I’ll
Post pics of the swap on my Burb thread. Thanks for the reply’s get me going in the right direction for the swap.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Great score.
I have a '67 K/10 Suburban I want to resurrect. I put it up in '98 after an engine fire.
I intend on a '69 or later Dana 44 that will give me P/S + P/B.
An earlier attempt at putting a P/S gearbox off a '69 C/10 was a goatf#$%. Totally screwed up the turning radius and steering geometry. Went back to the cracked-case manual gearbox and it was still AFU.
Then there's the brakes -- can you say Fred Flintstone? It was almost a case of Select Alternate Target for collision.
Disc brakes will be a much needed improvement.