1985 k10 4x4 front axle

[rroeder96]

does anybody know what axles i should go with on my 85 k10 it has the 3.08 rear and 3.07 front its stock with the truck i would like to know what would be a better upgrade for me if anybody can help it would be great and if there is a web site where i can get the parts would help to thanks...

[fitz]

What are your plans for the truck?
Are you having problems with your 10 bolt.
A Dana 60 is a great upgrade but they cost about $1000, and even then you may have to rebuild it. They are not cheap.

[rroeder96]

i plan on driving it everyday and some off road use but nothing serious off road maybe just some riding around in the creeks but nothing to deep just a little off roading

[bake74]

  the 10 bolt should be fine for what your are describing, my 74 k10 has a dana 44 in the front.  I am not sure if one is better than the other, but from what I hear they are about equal.  If you don't think the 10 bolt is strong enough you could upgrade to 3/4 ton running gear, but to me for what you said you use it for is overkill.  My 81 I upgraded to corporate 14 in rear and 12 in front, 8 lugs 3/4 ton, but i use the truck for towing boats and campers, so I needed heaver running gear.  Keep what you got, it is pretty strong.

[rroeder96]

thanks for the info some people say its not a good setup that they dont like it but i never took into thought that they dont drive a 4wd either but thanks it was helpfull...

[beastie_3]

if your not trying to power over rocks, then your setup should be fine. I use my truck in the snow, sand, and dirt roads. Guess it depends on one's definition of "off road" On the other hand, you need to make sure everything is golden and keep up with the maintenance. That is what will kill your axles, same goes for anything. Ive just rebuilt my 10 bolt in my driveway. All new steering, shaft u joints, seals, wheel bearings, etc.

Those creeks are going to hurt your axles, not only because water WILL get inside your diff, but because there are no seals at the ends of the axle tubes. When I rebuilt mine, there was weeds, dirt and sand in the tubes up to the inner seals, and it was about 1/4 in thick.

[Irish_Alley]

The week points on a 10 bolt or 44 is the axle shafts and they are the same if its 1/2 or 3/4 ton so that’s not a problem that I see. The only thing I see is the 3.08 is really low gear for any tires bigger than stock I think that will hurt the trans more since it has to work harder to push those tires so take offs might hurt you more but once she gets up to speed you will be fine. So if you’re not mudding and you aint going to be racing in it than I think you should be good
With 35s you should have a 4.10 to be about near factory ratio with a 1:1 ratio at 65 with 4.10 you will be running about 2.5k with 3.08 im thinking about 1.8k so i would be looking at higher ratio than diffrent axles

[82gmc3/4ton]

If I'm not mistaking, they do make seals you can install at the end of the axle tubes to help keep the water, sand, etc out. I would get manual hubs if you have the auto hub

[beastie_3]

82gmc, If you can find them, please provide us with the info.

[76 k10]

i have 4.11s in the rear and 4.10 in front works fine for me

[rroeder96]

i have the manuel hubs which i like i dont plan on any racing or heavy mudding just creek crawling next chance i get to go to a junk yard i will look into finding some 4.11 4.10 axles for it any info on what they might be on would help out alot..thanks

[fitz]

The only 4.11 1/2 ton 6 lug axles I have come across were in a 79ish straight 6/SM465 equipped truck.
The front axle won't be a problem as there are lots on 3/4 ton trucks out there with 4.11 gears. You can just convert it over to 6 lug (I'm sure thats been covered here before)
Finding a rear 1/2 ton axle with 4.11's may be tough. They are out there, but I have only personally seen 1 (it was a 12 bolt).
If your not in love with your tires and rims now might be a good time to step up to 3/4 ton axles.

[rroeder96]

i really dont care for the tires and rims i would like to go to 15" steel rims yeah they look great but i would rather go with something that can take a beating and not be scared to hurt them thanks for the info...