I know its a chevy, but he has an 86 chevy, and hes looking into doing an axle swap.

Hes got a 10 bolt or a D44, and the chevy front axles are less than reputable for strength. So he wants a new one

12 bolt for ease of instalation, or D60 for strength? How much do you think this would cost?

To relate this to ford, Im trying to get him to put aFord 10.25" in the rear...

 

Hey Raw are you talking about the rear or the front? I assume your talking about the front, I would go the stoutest he can go. Get a dana 60 front and a corporate 14 bolt for the rear.

 

to do 4.88s locked front and rear with a D60 Front and a FF14 rear can cost you as much as $2000. i personally would go with a FF14 Bolt with stock 4.56 and a gove lock. and a matching D44 front from the same. the front D44 will be the HD unit with larger brakes and such......this is what i am going to do.

Idio

 

the 10.25 are very strong and hold up well but there are few upgrade options. i would go with a D60 front and sterling rear or D70/80 rear. if it seems it is gonna be too expensive then just go with my dream and get a set of rockwells!

-cutts-

 

Hey cutts, how abut the availabity of axles with the 5 on 5.5 for the D70/D80 and Sterling rear? I'm not sure if this is the same pattern for a chebby, but for us Ford and chebby guys wanting to do those types of upgrades, do you have any links for those conversions and the nessasary accessories? Thanks
Kevin

 

with these axles being 3/4 and 1 ton rated they are all pretty much 8 lug. the newer versions are in metric size (8x135mm or something like that) but i have never seen a 5 lug sterling...although I am sure they are out there.

what do you mean accessories? i have quite a few links and a lot of friends with lots of links so to nalrrow it down, i need to know what you are looking for!

-cutts-

 

What I was referring to was, I was wondering if you had any links of upgrades for the D60/70's and the Sterlings, including any mfg of a 5 on 5.5 for these larger axles. I'm just trying to compile information for upgrading my F150 axles. I might try to keep the 15's is why I'm interested in the five lug, but I'm open to suggestions on this. I'm considering the solid axle upgrade for the front. ( I know, I know, I should have just started with a F250 )

 

Doesn't exist for the 70/80. Don't know about the 10.25 Sterling...doubtfull, but you never know. I don't know of any mfg making conversion kits for the D70/80 either.

 

Hey Pro, they do make the conversion kits for the D60 thought, dont they? Any links to these would be appriciated. And advice from one who has also scattered many drivetrain parts iss always the best. recommendations are for the front and rear in my F150. I will put on 37's with the new axles. The stroker that is almost installed is around 400 HP/470 TQ, so any suggestions as to axles, and all related parts beyond the tranny is appriciated. I would rather do this once and pay the price than scatter parts in the middle of nowhere. Thanks

Kevin

 

Theres several ways to convert a front 60 to a five lug, but they involve allot of parts swapping and all involve machining. Nothing that is simply bolt on. Sunray, Dynatrac, and probably currie offer their 60s in a five lug configuration, so they might offer kits. The thing is, none of these options are cheap. It sounds like you haven't bought the mtr's yet. If thats the case, why are you so concerned with swapping to 5 lug? Even if you already had the tires and rims, you could re-sell them at loss, buy new ones, and still be ahead of the game with the money you saved not doing the conversion. My opinion is to just stick with 8 lug.

My advice on drivetrain is a high pinion D60 front, with A D70 rear. Both should be easy enough to find, and will be up to your needs. Detroit locker in the rear, and a Powr-lok in the front, or a selectable (arb) in the front if you can afford it. What tranny will you be running?

 

I agree with Pro on this one. If you don't have expensive Welds just buy the 8 lug rims.

 

12 bolts aint no stronger than a 10 bolt, just find a 14 bolt for 100 bucks or less and bolt it int htere

 

Hey pro, 95, yeah you guys are right, why waste the $$ on conversion stuff for 5 lug. I was hoping that the 5 lug for those wasent strictly specialty parts, oh well. I'll probably stuff the 15" Americans with the 35' on them in the garage when I go to the new axles.

Sticking with the 8 lug is a good idea, I know the rental yards wont rent a tractor on a flatbed and let me tow it behind the F150, if you dont have any emblems on the truck they determine the truck rating by the # of lug nuts.

Is the D70 available with the control ring inside? What do you guys think about braking for those axles, whats the best set-up?

I'll probably run a ARB in both the front and rear, I do some long trips on unplowed remote fire trails in the winter and would prefer the selectable diffs, and I'm a little tired of the Detroit on the road too.

The tranny in the F150 now is the E4OD that camo out of my Bronco, it's actin a little strange though, its got a hiccup in 1st between 2800-3000 rpm. Hows the job of converting to manual? The truck will have the stroker in it in about 2 weeks, so I guess now is the time to deceide if I want to switch or not. I have a new Precision Industries triple clutch TC sittin here waiting, heck for what that cost I could probably almost buy a maunual tranny!

 

I wouldn't go with a Dana 70 rear. I would get a 10.25 Sterling out of junked Superduty/Excursion and make sure it has rear disk breaks. It will probably be hard to find but would be a gem of an axle if you do find one. Then that way you have the controls on the axle to run your speedo as well.

As for the manual tranny that would take a donor vehicle and a ton of work. I would just find a good tranny shop and have them rebuild your E40D as stout as they can make it. Or you can go with a C-6 but you will lose that overdrive which will kill your gas mileage.

 

the new sterlings are 10.50 and have a metric bolt pattern. won't work. althoguht they do have the desired disc brakes!

-cutts-