Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
Also, if you're thinking of pulling an axle at a junkyard, the trickiest part is lifting the back of the truck enough to remove the axle without dropping the truck on yourself. On one axle I pulled, the truck was sitting on the side of a hill(reality in Virginia salvage yards!). I was lifting the truck with a handyman jack under the rear bumper. The whole truck kept scooching sideways, and threatening to pin me under it.
The disconnect procedure is simple enough. On mine, the u-bolt nuts came right off with a large breaker bar. The driveshaft unbolts easily, and the shocks come loose easily as well. The brake lines and parking brake cables need a good sharp bolt cutters. A cable cutter would be better, but I didn't have one. Once everything is disconnected, then lift the truck, and roll the axle out from under it. Take the driveshaft and the spring u-bolts along with the axle. They can all be reused to one degree or another. Remove the spring perches and shock mounts, and clean up the axle tube. Purchase new perches and mounts from OffRoadDesign. Loosely assemble the perches on the axle, and bolt them to the leaf springs. Don't weld anything yet. Adjust the pinion angle until it's correct, then tack weld it in place. Get the new driveshaft shortened to fit(the driveshaft shop can tell you how to take the measurements), and install that. Drive the truck gently up to speed to check for driveline vibration, and if all is correct, have a skilled welder lock the perches to the axle. There is some risk of warping the axle tubes when welding on the spring perches, so make sure the welder takes proper precautions. |
Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
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I make sure it's supported underneath with some kind of cribbing so you can disconnect the propshaft and parking brake cables. At least one of the yards I frequent has a double A Frame on wheels with an I beam between the A frames and a chain fall hoist. It's for lifting engines and transmissions out of a rig and into a cart. You can attach it to the frame with your own chains or straps and lift the whole shebang after you have the axle is free of the springs, propshaft, cables, and brake line. Then you pull it out using chains or straps without getting underneath. Quote:
You can keep the T800 parking brake cables in one piece by disconnecting from the frame and the pedal cable. I usually nip the sheet metal disconnect cage in two and then pull the rear cables out of the brackets and wire tie them onto the axle tubes. You can usually slide a box-end wrench over the cable and turn slightly to fold in the ears to get the cables out of the holes in the brackets/frame. It's more work but those cables aren't cheap. Quote:
They'll ding you at the counter for the propshaft but it's probably worth getting as long as they didn't bend it with the forks on the loader. Bring some tape to wrap around the Universal joint caps to hold them on assuming it's serviceable. Assuming the U-joint yoke straps or U-bolts are in good shape, put em back in the yoke on your axle. Quote:
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Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
One other thing that I wanted on a gmt800 10.5 14bff axle is the infamous 'gov-lock' differential. These are usually considered a detriment, but most folks who hate on them are doing stupid stuff that the truck wasn't designed for. Burnouts and severe offroading aren't very kind to the gov-lock design.
I'm building a daily driver truck, and not something that I'll be beating on. Because of this, the gov-lock should last a long time for me, and actually be quite useful in low-speed slippery conditions. This gov-lock comes with a "G80" code on the glovebox sticker. |
Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
I'm not sure the T800 G80 code diff is an Eaton Gov Loc.
It may be an actual limited slip diff. |
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The Axle Quick Req I scanned is useful as well. It shows where to find the axle Ident numbers on the corporate 14 bolt axles. Look in the manuals thread. |
Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
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Help!
The rotors I purchased won’t fit over the axle. Does anyone know the part number of the correct rotor for converting this 14 bolt? Do I need to pull the axles and mount the rotors on the inside?? That means, every time I need to change rotors, I gotta pull the axles? |
Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
Supposedly the Dana 44 8lug front rotors will work but i haven't tried it.
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Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
So, my issue seems to be wheel studs now.
The axle flange has holes for .61 knurl studs, the rotors have holes for .65 knurl studs. So, I need to find a stud with a .65 knurl, but a short shoulder (1/2" or less). This is due to the fact that the rotor will sit behind the axle flange. I guess there was no other way to do this... to have the caliper fit behind the wheel without hitting the inside of the rim. I did not realize this. I guess no one here has ever used a semi float 8-lug axle before. Hoping I can be the first to be successful. I sent an email to the guy at TuffStuff, hopefully he will have some answers for me. Thought I would save some money by buying the parts myself - not always that easy. I already have the parking brake calipers (76 Eldorado) and rotors and brake hoses; hoping I don't have to try and return this stuff or sell it on eBay. Such a major pain to replace the whole axle, especially now that I don't have a truck to get one with. Anyone have a good source for wheel studs? |
Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
lugnut4x4.com might be a resource. I think he sells kits for the semi-float axles. I've purchased parts for my full float conversion from him and he seems to be a pretty good guy (I think he'd sell you just the parts you need vs an up-sell).
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Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
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I think I have a few things figured out.
Got the correct wheel studs and the brake calipers have arrived. Just got to find the time to get things assembled. |
Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
Has anyone replaced the bearings in a semi float rear axle?
Special tools required? |
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Axle bearings, carrier bearings, or pinion bearings?
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Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
If it were me, I wouldn't bother trying to pull those bearings, but would cut them out instead. A die grinder would take a while, but would be reasonably controlled, and likely less frustrating than trying to pull them.
Slice the cage with the die grinder, and remove the rollers. Cut through the outer race, trying to minimize contact with the axle housing. Once you've cut the outer race completely through, it should practically fall out. But I've never done this on that particular axle. I only speak from experience with other bearings that need to be extracted from blind holes. |
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I'm on the fence about replacing the bearings, I just thought that since I was this deep in, I should maybe change them out. That puller set from Harbor Freight still requires a slide hammer, so I still have to get one of those. Geez - nothing is ever easy. |
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If you're pulling the pumpkin anyway, it opens up another option. With the pumpkin out of the way, you could square the end of a piece of 1/2" rebar, and drive each bearing out from the opposite end of the axle. I doubt it's possible to do this with the pumpkin in place, but it might be. This diagram shows one possible method using rebar. You'll need a second person to hold the rebar in place against the bearing with a large screwdriver. |
Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
So those Cadillac calipers are supposed to stop a 3/4 ton? Oh my. The internet is flooded with threads about those Cadillac calipers. I hate them on my Caddys and wish I had drum brakes. I would always buy a kit from a reputable company before trying to make those Cadillac calipers work. I'm not seeing a happy ending here. I'll wish you better luck than other people have had.
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There are tools similar to toggle bolts to remove axle bearings when you aren't pulling the diff out of the pumpkin.
You can rent a slide hammer for $0 plus a deposit from The Borg (O'Riley AutoZone etc) Attachment 2137392 Quote:
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Re: 14 bolt conversion to disc questions/options
Anyone have a part number for a proportioning valve?
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I purchased a complete line kit from inline tube before deciding to go with disk brakes. Because I already had lines, I wanted a proportioning valve that would fit in the stock location. I purchased this one, but haven't installed it yet. It's a factory-correct unit for the 1970's Corvettes with four-wheel disk brakes. https://www.inlinetube.com/products/pr101 If I were starting from scratch with my brake system, I'd either mount that proportioning valve up beside the master cylinder like the gmt400 trucks did, or better yet, I'd install an adjustable proportioning valve up there. |
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On most master cylinders, the front brake port is on the rear of master cylinder, correct? |
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Calipers are mounted.
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