War Surplus Axles

['68OrangeSunshine]

I got a catalog from Coleman's Millitary Surplus the other day.[www.colemans.com] They list a couple of US GI Front Axle and Rear Axles for '81-'87 Chevy & GMC. These are new-in-the-crate assemblies, complete with brake drums or discs for $300 for front and $400 for rear. Rear ends are posi. What the catch -22 must be is the shipping charge, especially from PA to AZ. Other drawback is they are 3.08 ratios. They list a spring pad center to spring pad center distance of 43". Backing plate to backing plate is 56".

My question is how much hassle will I encounter to get their military rearend to work on my '71 GMC Jimmy 4x4? Currently I have a 12-bolt Corp + Eaton posi in 3.73 and it's broken. Obviously shipping will be huge, and I'll need the ring gears + pinion changed out to 3.73. What else?

[b454rat]

Those axles are nothing special. Regular plane 'ol 1/2 ton axles with a Govlock in the rear. But the front will bolt in, use your existing calipers, this way wouldn't have to bleed the brakes. Rear will need a u-joint and move the perches in. I would pass IMO.

[scottsdaleowner75]

I got a set of those from a gentleman who did work as a private contractor in Barstow ca. He got them as payment for work on forklifts on the base. Apparently he made a deal with the C.O. of the motor pool that if he got their forklifts working he could have access to all the old parts of "those junk blazers?" he wanted. Mine came with eaton lockers with new 4.10 gears. someone in the motor pool had worked on them and replaced everything, gears, diffs, seals, and even went with aftermarket axles both front and rear. I joke with my buddies that my truck is worth more in axles then the truck is itself. LOL If they are geared 3.08 i would pass but 4.10's or 4.56's i would take them. But then again they never "came" that way from the factory but they used the CUCV's for a variety of different stuff and had access to a lot of parts and plenty of time to goof off. ( i know i was at 29 palms for a bIT

[OLDCHEV4X4]

I agree, those axles arent any thing special. The gove-lock rear is know to break if you are hard on it. But if you get some rears from a M1008, now you got something.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by scottsdaleowner75

( i know i was at 29 palms for a bIT

Hey Semper Fi. I was at MCAS Yuma back in the day. I rebuilt a 292 at the base special services "hobby shop garage." Ten percent off shop fees and 20% off parts and I still spent about a grand on a heavy duty L6. It lasted 25 years and 250,000 miles though. My '68 pickup still has some Harrier hose clamps too. Nothing else to do in Yuma in the summer, anyway.
I think the shipping cost of about 600 lbs from Pennsylvania to Tucson would kill the deal.
My '71 Jimmy has 40" spacing from spring perch to spring perch, not the 43" on the later 10-bolts. Backing plate to backing plate is the same at 56".

['68OrangeSunshine]

Shipping is about $155. But the cost of changing out the ring + pinion is still a dealbreaker.

[b454rat]

How much is labor out there?? I had gears swapped for $100, $50 an hour.

I would look around more, there are alot of those axles out there from people swapping to 1 tons. Probly find some that are built, cheaper than what those surplus ones are.

[Redcap]

A D44/14bff combo is $2-300 in my area via Craigslist.

['68OrangeSunshine]

The way my finances are lately [=0], I may just cannibalize the 12 Bolt Corp 3.73 w/Auburn posi off my [longtime-down] '67 K/10 Suburban and mount it on the Jimmy. And swap the Jimmy's axle [12-bolt 3.73 w/Eaton posi] onto the dormant Sub.
I parked them next to each other and measured the spring perch distance and the backing plate distance and they were both the same. 40" spring to spring, and 56" from backing plate to backing plate. Brakes are the only glitch. The '67 has 10" brake drums, the '71 has 11" HD drums with cooling ribs. Do I need different brake shoes and wheel cylinders?
Shop labor rate in Tucson is about $70/hr.

[raycow]

Have you actually pulled the drums off the burb and found 10" brakes in there? If yes, it did not have a stock GM truck rear.

Ray

[Redcap]

What problem are you talking about with the brakes?

[silver7]

My 12 bolt housing is a war surplus item as well. It was never used and I bought it and had it delivered for less than $200. Couldn't be happier.

My axles are a different story. I went Moser for more strength.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by raycow

Have you actually pulled the drums off the burb and found 10" brakes in there? If yes, it did not have a stock GM truck rear.

Ray

Actually, I didn't measure the diameter of the old drum brakes on the '67. I know they are the same non-finned type as used all-around on my '68 C/10 Stepside. The '67 K/10 uses this type in the rear and a '67-'68 only [maybe '60 to '68 or early '69] hard-to- get drum on the Corp [pre- Dana 44] front axle. The '71 Jimmy, and a junk '72 Blazer I have, use the larger diameter finned-type drums.
I can measure one of my cast-off plain drums and get a definate diameter.
The axle on the '67 Sub I had rebuilt in the mid '90s with Moser axles [GM was on strike that month and I couldn't get stock OEM axles] and an Auburn posi.

OK. So I went out back and checked on the two different types of brake drum. There's an Old-style drum that has an inside diameter of 11" and a depth of 2-1/2" -- 6 lugs at 5.5" spacing. The Later-style with an 11" I.D. and 2-1/2" depth, but it also has extra rib-like cooling fins that extend out, making for a 3-5/8" total depth. With the extra cooling ribs, the outside diameter of the later style drum is 13-1/2". So 10 inches was a wrong estimate. I guess the brake shoes and servo cylinders will work the same on either.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Well I did it. I pulled the rear axle off the Sub and have it mounted [almost] on the Jimmy. Only noticeable difference is the connectors for the brake lines. The Jimmy is getting new brake lines.
The HD rim is the same internally as the old 'dutch oven' rim. I had 'em turned at a local brake shop -- since they had gotten rusty is storage, even though they were new-in -the- box -- Then I painted them krylon Ruddy Brown primer. Like the military units. The brakes on the Suburban had been overhauled , so I didn't need to rebuild that. Tomorrow we finish up the GMC and then put the burned-up axle under the K/10 Sub until I can rebuild it.