Quote:
Originally Posted by mattshea125
Hey looking for someone who has experience with a 454 swap on a K20.
My truck currently has an 8 lug GM 10 Bolt front axle and stops great with the little 350 in it, but I am worried that the front brakes and ball joints aren't going to hold up and perform well with the additional weight of the big block engine.
Also I have driven some diesel trucks that just don't seem to stop for **** and I don't want to experience that with this swap.
Is a front Dana 60 king pin axle ( CUCV style ) worth the money for the increased capacity and how much will I gain in the way of brakes ? They are also getting hard to find. Any info on this would be much appreciated. Thanks
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The 10 bolt can handle it. If you want the brakes to feel better, swap out the vacuum booster for a hydro-boost setup. That will make the brakes work better and give more solid feel than the vacuum boost setup.
I'll be dropping a 8.1 big block in my K5 and have no plans to upgrade to a 60 unless one dropped in my lap for really cheap. And while it's not my truck I've been around another truck owned by a buddy that ran a big block in his K10 with a D44 for many years without issue. Search for his truck here by his name DirtyLarry. He has been all over Colorado and the Southwest in his truck and only the last few years were with a D60 up front, the rest were with a D44. Oh and when he put the 60 in, he took the D44 and stuffed it under the Big Block in his 89 Suburban. That one is still rolling along strong.
The key to survival is making sure the ball joints are in good shape to start with and the serviceable parts are maintained. Ball joints are not that hard to change out and could be done in your driveway. Going that far will have you inspecting, repacking or replacing your wheel bearings also.
Contrary to what you would read on most forums, a D60 is not an absolute requirement. Factor in tire size and how you plan on using it and you'll know if it's going to survive or not. If you aren't doing any serious rock crawling, locking the front diff or running tires larger than 35" 10 bolt and D44 front axles are just fine.