Quote:
Originally Posted by Asshat
Would this work on my truck?
Looks like a 14 bolt, 8 lug with disc brakes.
|
*That looks to be a AAM 14. Later model 2005 ish out of a 2500hd maybe. Pretty much same axle I have in the '63 that replaced a Dana 60 that came out of a '73 Dodge van.
Both the D60 and the 14B were full float - the axles only turn the hub which rides on the ends of the axle tubes instead of the axle supporting the load of the vehicle as well as turning the wheels. Just a heavier duty axle.
I think that the 14B will be easier to source than a D60 and parts may be more available as well.
Disc brakes "might" be better than the drums depending on who you talk to. My drum brake 60 stopped as good or better than the 14B that's in it now. The 14B was a good deal though and I thought having rear discs would be "cool"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asshat
So there seems to be a multitude of possible configurations for the rear ends that would fit my truck. Is there some sort of cheat sheet or spreadsheet that shows which ones would work?
How do you tell the difference between all these different rear axles?
Eaton, 10-bolt and Dana 14-bolt?
*Eaton - HO52 and HO72 are round in the center or "banjo" and have a drop out 3rd member - poor man's quick change
*GM or AAM 14B full float are very angular, and have a removable pinion carrier.
Note; there is also a semi float 14B used in vans I think and a later 14B HD version without a pinion carrier. The 14B FF with the removable pinion is the one that I generally think about when someone says 14B. I have seen them in a 3.73 from time to time.
Dana 70 rear end?
The only GMs that Ive seen with a D70 have been duallies. Had one in a 77 CC dually that I converted to 4wd years ago. If you have to move it around out of the truck, be prepared to lose a few years off of your back. They're heavy.
Pretty sure Dodge used them in their single rear wheel trucks a lot.
Are all 8-lug rear ends geared low? The lowest I have seen in ads is 4:10.
*A lot of the time yes.
Are all 8-lug Dana rear ends capable of changing out the differential for a taller gear, like 3:73 or 3:08?
*Im not sure if there is a carrier break for the 14B as Ive never swapped gears in one but pretty sure that gears can be swapped to 3.73 and pretty sure Ive seen 3.73s before. Taller than that, someone else here may be better able to answer.
How the heck can you figure out what to buy without getting a degree in this stuff? I started reading through the posts, but it's difficult sifting thorugh all the information and what everyone is talkking about. Geez - frustrating.
Take your time and keep on asking questions. I would start by getting the drum face to drum face measurement from your existing axle. Nothing worse than having your front and rear wheel track be way different. I personally would stick with the 14B as they came almost exclusively in GM trucks from '73 up to '05+ and although the mounting might be different, the width didn't change much over time. Theres a lot of aftermarket support, tons of parts, they are generally cheap and virtually bulletproof.
There's a guy on Facebook that has a disk brake Dana 70 with 3.73 for $550. What exactly is a Dana 70? And, what is full-float?
|
*I wonder what that 70 came out of? IMO, It'd be overkill and even more difficult to get down into the 3.08 range that you're thinking of.