Axle info.
 

Ok Gear heads, if you wanted to replace your Eaton HO52 would you want a Dana 60, GM 14 Bolt or GM 12 bolt?? I don't know a lot about ether of them except I think the 14 bolt is larger than the Dana?.

Also what year's truck would be a direct swap? (spring perches, shock mounts) just the 71, 72?

I have a Dana 44 up front on my 72 3/4T 4X4

Thanks!

Got to figure out what to look for..

Re: Axle info.
 

i'd go 14b. really cheap, really strong, find them anywhere. dana would be nice, lots-o-money though. 12b isn't in the same class as the other 2.
the 14b is physically bigger & heavier than the 60. lots of choice for ltd's & lockers for both. splittin' hairs over which of these is better. i'd say price & availability would dictate which axle to get

Re: Axle info.
 

Thanks for the info! sounds like the 14 may be easier to get goodies for then? I don't know what ltd's are but know what lockers are.

Ok so i will keep an eye out for ether.

Back to the other question, would i be looking for something out of a 71-72 truck only? I know perch spacing is different on the 73 and up so i don't wanna mess with welding perches. any other model trucks i can look at for a direct bolt in?

Guess one more question would be what a fair price for a rear axle would be, and a front too if i found a matching set that were different ratio.

Thanks!

Re: Axle info.
 

The 14 bolt didn't come out tell 73 so you would have to weld on new mounting points.But the price of buying one and welding on the spring perches and shock mounts is worth it to me.Best bolt in would be the dana 60 but people think they are made of gold.As far as the front a believe you can get a dana 60 from a 73-87 and bolt right in.

Re: Axle info.
 

actually there's more limited slip diff., lockers & axles available for the 60, but they are pricey
perches on the 14b are 42.5" apart, so ya, they need to be moved. the 60 has been under chevy's since '64 (3/4's i belive), but as mentioned, big bucks if you can find one
for price & availability, i would still go 14b & move the pads. if you don't have a welder, i'm sure a shop could do it for $50-70

Re: Axle info.
 

Thanks again for all the info.

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One more question. are there any differences in a Dana 60 used in a 3/4T VS 1/2T other than if a 1/2T is using coil springs?

I know some of the frames are different, will the spring spacing vary as well?

Axle differences? any other ??

I think my Eaton is a full floater, gonna go check again here in a couple minutes.

Would i be better off for my 3/4T if i found a Dana 70? this is not an offroad truck but used for towing camping hauling ect.

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Per the above post, i must be tired.

I ment to ask differences from a 4X4 3/4T Vs 2X4 3/4T not a 1/2T...

Also i'm guessing a Dana 70 would be over kill?

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Who knows, at the moment I am building a D70 HD for my 3/4 ton so I can have the monster brakes 13x3.5 and the 4'' tubes. Yes 4'', the d60 axle tubes will fit inside the 70. I'm also gonna use the longhorn frame I have sitting on the side of the garage

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I'm not sure if the 2wd and 4x4 rear ends are the same or not.If you can measure both for width and worse case you might have to change the mounting points.If your going to tow/haul a lot a dana 70 isn't really over kill its designed to handle more weight then a dana 60.

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Hi Swamp Rat, in case you have not decided which diff to use yet I would go with the 14b. they are cheap and plentiful as the others have mentionned. However the best version for your application is off of a srw 1 ton 2x4 or 4x4 does not matter they are all the same. reason for the 1 ton is because the perches are correctly spaced for a bolt on installation. you will however need to cut and reweld the shock mounts. also if you're considering disk brakes its very easy to do the conversion. If you're leaning towards the dana 60 PM me i've got my D60 off of my 72 K20 it's complete.

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I went with 14blt. $300 and had a locker already and 4.10 gears. Had to pull the perches anyway to point the pinion up a bit to ease drive line angles. Perches were cheap and new shock brackets were also cheap. I see them on CL all the time for about the same $. Saw one last week for $200. Instead of paying out the wazoo for a D60 , you could spend the savings on a nice welder.

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I appreciate the info:

I have discovered that on these trucks there is a difference in the frames, many are bowed out on the sides and the spring spacing is right at 42.375 (or 42.5 not 100% sure which) the others like my truck have a straight frame and they have the perches at 40" ctr to ctr.

Do you happen to know if the 14 bolt you are referring too is 40"??? My ears are wide open.

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I have been hesitant to weld perches because i'm a little worried about holding the correct angle and also possibly putting too much heat into it.

How did you go about getting the perches aligned? In my case i have a very small area of my garage floor space, a pare if jack stands, welder and a level to work with.

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What i seen most do is jack the truck up kinda install the axle with the spring perches just sitting on the axle and u bolts installed lose.Get the axle centered and pinion angle right throw in a tach or two welds take the axle out and finish welding it.

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I just mocked it all up (like mentioned) and measured from perch to backing plate several times to make sure it was all even and welded one side of one perch and moved to the other side and welded one side and then went back to the other side etc. I left mine all bolted up as I was worried about the welding distorting the perches just as a precaution. My under bed gas tank was not in the truck at the time so I had lots of room. I borrowed a buddies Hobart mig with gas. I pointed the pinion up a bit before welding to ease the drive line angle. I wondered about the pinion starving for oil so I added a 90 degree fitting at the oil fill hole and pointed it upwards increasing the capacity of oil to the differential. The top of the 90 is about where the front of the yoke is now. Must have worked out well cause that was about ten years ago.

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Yes that is correct the 14bolt is 40 inches center pin to center pin. if your truck is a true 4x4 K20 then the frame should be straight with 40 spring width. Look up my treads, I can't seem to be able to load a pic up right now.

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72BBCK20 is correct. i measured a spare 14b i have out of a cube van (42.5), this morning i measured the 14b under my K30 crew, & it is exactly 40".

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Yes i have a straight frame and 40" ctr to ctr.