[jesse01]

i know this is the tranny & rearend forum but i think it still belongs here considering........

anyway i want to convert my 4x4 blazer over to all 1 ton axles and i know the basics for i.d'ing the rear to look for the 8 lug and the 14 bolt diff. cover, but what about the front does it have 14 bolts too on the diff. cover?

also, what vechicles came with all 1 ton 4wd running gear? so i know what to keep an eye out for?

thanx, J

[matt167]

1 ton 4x4's in the late 70's and early 80's, most came with 454's, I think they were called 454 specials if I'm not mistaken. a kid I know has a '80 1 ton 4x4 it did have a 454 but he blew it up smoking all 4's on the pavement ( it was a pulling truck @ tractor pulls, it was tuned up to say the least ), it now has a 400 SB.

[Rob Keller]

Jessi
I worked for a welder that had a 72 C/30 4X4 with a flat bed & a crane on the back it was 8 lug with BUD wheels. But it was the size of a P/U .

I hope this helps some

R

[56Maynard]

Shaved Dana 60s with 35 spline axles everywhere, F450 king pin type steering knuckles and forget about it. Dodge, Ford etc.etc. , Google up Dana 60 and get an idea on widths and brake choices and also which side drops.

I'd confirm with Gear vendors that they will have your intended gear set available also.....Its my understanding that your choices are a little limited when comparing a 14 bolt to a 60 or a 9 inch. A 9 inch could be made to work real good in a blazer also with the shorter pinion snout or even raised pinions if driveline length or angle become a concern.

[M&M CUSTOM]

ALL front axles from 73 on up in the 10-/-3500 series had 10 bolts for the cover, THE axle of choice would be a non dual rear wheel Dana 60, and this will be your best choice to be able to find, it will also be a bolt in swap.

Dodge would be the only choice other than Chevy/GMC for the passenger side differential, or you could work on gutting and pieceing back together a ford transfer case that is the same model as yours and using custom steering components to utilize the hybrid driver side diff found in fords of the day.

I am not sure of what else would be easily adaptable or available for 1-ton front axles, but they still used the same for the rest of the drivetrain, they were available with MORE than just the 454, they had all the way down to the 292 straight 6 engine.

[jesse01]

thanx guys

i dunno yet i might just go 3/4 ton cause i can find that & 1/2 ton all day long where i'm at. chevy 1 ton front 4x4 axle is getting to be a rare comonity around here it seems like, but i can find a 1 ton rear axle all day long. go figure!

i don't know, i'm going to one of the BIG boneyards tomorrow hopefully i can stumble across one

wish me luck and thanx for the advice thus far

later, J

[jesse01]

1 more thing, before i ask this keep in mind i'm new at this 4x4 thing {axles and all}

anyway is all dana 60 front 4x4 axles considered 1 ton?

sorry if it's kinda dumb but i don't know this stuff but theres only 1 good way to learn that i know of, and thats to ask questions

thanx again, J

[NorthStar]

The 1 ton rear end has spring perchs that are at a different width than 1/2 and 3/4 ton. Slightly narrower I think. Will have to put new ones on to get it to fit.

http://diy4x.com/suspension.htm

[56Maynard]

Originally Posted by jesse01

1 more thing, before i ask this keep in mind i'm new at this 4x4 thing {axles and all}

anyway is all dana 60 front 4x4 axles considered 1 ton?

sorry if it's kinda dumb but i don't know this stuff but theres only 1 good way to learn that i know of, and thats to ask questions

thanx again, J

No.....I believe (I didnt look it up) that the 60s came in the heavy duty 3/4 tons (Over 8400#?) also.

If you start looking into 3/4 ton stuff, stay away from a 44 series front end. A 44 would be fine for a low power Jeep but H.P. plus air will grenade the ring gear in a blazer.

60s are very nice but they are heavy and the pinion is low and long ( I believe the 14 bolt is even lower). What exactly are you trying to build and what is the intended use? It could be that you really need 2 1/2 ton Rockwells with front and rear full hydro steer for that Monster Truck competition at the arena? Rock Crawling? Trails? Mud Bogs? Hill climbs? Daily Driver? All/none of the above? What tire size and gears?

[curtis73]

Here's the scoop as far as I know on 14-bolts if you go that route for the rear. I'm not too keen on the front so I don't know.

There are a few 14-bolt assemblies out there. The two basic families are the partial floating and the full floating. The partial floaters are a 9.5" ring gear. The full floaters are a 10.5" ring gear. 9.5" PF axles came in 6 and 8 lug. The 6 wasn't common, but look to the years that chevy did the "light" 3/4 ton trucks. If its a 3/4 truck with 6 lugs, most likely its a 9.5 PF. The 10.5 FF came in two basic configurations; the single rear 8 lug and the dual rear 8 lug. The main difference between the two is the brakes. The dually axle has taller "hats" on the drums for the wheel offsets, but its basically the same axle. GM danced around with their 9600 GVW trucks. Some years they were a heavy 3/4 and some years they were a light, non-dually 1-ton. Basically any heavy 3/4 or non-dually 1-ton is a great source for a single-wheel 10.5" 14-bolt. Commercial resources are plentiful, too. Step vans, panel vans, UPS trucks, delivery vans, 1-ton vans, and light ClassC motorhomes are good sources for the single-wheel 10.5 as well. I got mine from a Frito Lay delivery van.

I'm not too well-versed on the 9.5 since I always go 10.5, but here's all I know in a nutshell. The 10.5 is a darn strong axle with plenty of aftermarket support. GM made them with 3.42 and lower gears. Richmond makes a 3.23 and 3.21 set for them, but you won't go any higher. Not really much to worry about with a truck, but I have one in a car that sorta made that an issue.

There is nothing wrong with the 9.5, but if you're converting you might as well go all the way and do a 10.5. Another thing to consider is the Ford/Sterling version. The 8-lug pattern is the same (prior to a certain year... before they went metric), but the benefits are much higher gearset options, about 7/8" more ground clearance, and you don't have to remove axles to pull the drums for a brake job. If I had known that at the time I would have gone that route.

Measure the spring pads, but if I recall correctly, all the GM offerings (except the HD trucks) had the same width between them. The Ford/Sterling is close but not exact I think.

A trip to the junkyard with a tape measure will answer a lot of those questions if someone here doesn't get you numbers first.

[Triaged]

The axles you want will ONLY come from a 77-91 1-ton 4x4 GM truck with single rear wheels. GM never made a 3/4-ton with a Dana 60 up front.

Around here people normally want from $1200-$1600 for the pair
http://scbd.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php...ee8744517a0be9
http://www.recycler.com/asp/AdDetail...iC=150&iSC=150

The 14FF's you can get anywhere. The front 60 will be the hard one to find. Sometimes it is cheaper/easier to buy the whole truck, swap axles (and engine, trans, t-case, etc) from your truck, and sell the now neutered 1-ton.

If you want to look for just the front axle this might help you find one

[jesse01]

well fellers it was a bust, but atleast i can tell myself i tried

anyway thanx for the new links and the new info

triaged, now thats an axle! that would look way better under my truck you can go ahead and ship it to 32780 titusville, FL.

thanx for everything guys

later, J

[Triaged]

That isn't my axle...mine isn't that purdy ...I just found that pic on google...

I payed $750 for my front axle out of a military truck...I thought it was a good deal. No nice paint on it but there wasn't any rust on it at all.