questions about swaping diffs.

[screamin86]

well id like to sometime swap out my front and rear diff so if i ever do any competitive pulling i dont have to worry about the 10bolt!my questions are what do i need to look for when buying axles? im assuming a 14bolt ff for the rear but im stumped on the front diff. my truck already has a 3in lift now and would i be able to just swap in the axles no questions asked? my truck has the dual shock option on the front also so i have to think about that too. help guys im just getting into the world of hotrodding a 4x4!!

[Prong]

You want a Dana 60 front. They'll take a beating, but they also beat on your wallet. Expect to drop $1000 or better for a good one...

[screamin86]

No kidding lol. What do i need to do about my dual front shocks? Will everything transfer over or will i need to cut my brakets off my axle and weld them on the new one?

[Captkaos]

Just run one shock.  the dual setup was over rated and most people end up putting the wrong shocks on them anyway.

[Blazin]

Ditch the dual shocks!

[screamin86]

Whick shock mount on the truck would i use?

[joesgarage71]

Use the one that goes through the frame.

[screamin86]

When looking at buyibng either the 14bolt or the dana 60 front what do i need to look for? Like i said im just getting into 4x4 drivetrain. The ff has bolt on axles correct?

[Donut]

My 3/4 ton came with the 14bolt ff for the rear, Dana 44 for the front.  I don't believe your going to find a 14 bolt for the front.

[screamin86]

no i know i will not find one for the front i was asking what do i need to look  at to identify the dana 60 front and a 14bolt ff.

[Donut]

I had this bookmarked as at some point I'll be going through my 14 bolt.http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/14b_bible/index.html

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/60_front/index.html

[Engineer]

The Dana60 axle that you are looking for is the one that came in any year Chevy/GMC K-30, K-3500, or V-3500 from 1977~1991. ALL GM Dana60 fronts are identical regardless of year. However, the later ones had heavier inner axleshafts. Beyond that, they remain the same and ALL parts interchange. (ain't Chevy the greatest?)

There is no black magic to swapping one in, just MAKE SURE that you get the u-bolt plates that sandwich the leaf spring to the axle. These will not interchange with the 1/2~3/4-ton axle plates. You will also need the D60's brake lines as well.

You can use your 1/2 ton sway bar, and drive shaft, although the driveshaft may need to be shortend.

Your steering drag link should drop right into the D60's steering arm. It uses the same taper.

I have a K-30 truck puller, and I DO run the dual shocks. I have the factory brackets that I ordered through the Chevy parts counter, that originally fit a 1987 Blazer. Some guys added them to stop their truck from hopping, I did it as a preventive measure. What I recommend is that you buy an inboard shock for a truck that didn't have the dual shock, and there is only one outboard shock that you can get. By doing this you get more valving action than if you just used the two dual shocks that are designed to work together.

Also, you will want a 3/4-ton 14-bolt FF axle, and not the 1-ton 14-bolt that is in the truck with the D60. If you do use the 1-ton 14-bolt you will need to cut, and move the spring perches. You wont need to move the spring perches on the 3/4-ton 14-bolt since it will have the same spring spacing as the 1/2-ton. Also, 3/4-ton 14-bolts are way more plentiful, so finding one should be a breeze.

[screamin86]

thank you this info has been the most helpful! now about the shocks you were talking about so i need to get a special shock? or is it a aftermarket braket and shock to allow me to put dual ones on the d60? also would i benifit from using the 3/4 springs too? or will my 1/2 be ok? i dont plan to do heavy mudding just pulling car trailer and eventualy a few street class truck pulls a year in the local fairs and whatnot! otherwise ill be dd it to save miles on my yukon!

[Engineer]

If you have the factory "quad shock" option, the factory shocks, and shock brackets should all work fine with the D60.

There is a spacer that goes between the bottom of the 2 factory shocks, make sure not to lose that. Otherwise it should be a straight forward bolt up type situation. The axle bracket is a little different on the factory equipped quad shock trucks. However, the D60's bracket will allow the quad shocks to work without any modifications.

As to your question, no there is nothing special as far as the shocks.

Check back later. Right now, I have to leave for church, and have a Boy Scout meeting after that, but I will get you some pics of my setup posted here later.

[Engineer]

Here are the pics that I promised:

Passenger side, With factory "quad shock" brackets:


In this shot you can see the spacer that is between the bottom of the 2 shocks.


Driver's side:


I have to correct something that was in error in my earlier post. The "quad shock" is the inboard shock.

On my truck the outboard shock is the standard 1-ton factory shock. 1-ton 4x4 K-30 trucks never came with quad shocks. The inboard shock on my truck is the correct inboard shock for the optional quad shocks.

You should notice on my truck that the original shock is fatter. If it were the factory outboard quad shock it would be skinnier like the inboard shock is on my truck.

Since I am truck pulling, this is a better set-up for me. The resulting valving is stiffer, and reduces the chance of bounce. However, if you are running the factory quad shocks, just bolt them up like mine, and you should have no problems.

Also visible in these photos is the Dana60 specific u-bolt plates, and brake lines. I do not know what the part number is for the brake lines, but they can be bought at any local parts store.

Should you buy a D60 and it not have the u-bolt plates, here are the OE part numbers for the plates:
DR: 370055
PA: 370056

These numbers have been discontinued by GM, but having the OE part number sometimes helps with a replacement parts search.