14 bolt ff

[77chevyshortbox]

just bought a gm 14bolt full floating, needs clutch packs, it is a posi. curious on where to look or any other solutions thanks

[4x4orbust]

are you sure it's a posi?   i thought the 14 FF came with gov loc's?    (i'm probably wrong)   

look into a lock right or other locker of some sort. 

[K20Wulf]

The 14 bolt FF came either open, limited slip (posi) or gov-lock. If it's got a gov-lock they are prone to grenade after awhile with heavy use. The military versions came with a Detroit locker.

As far as parts: https://www.4wdfactory.com/store/categories.php?category=Axle-Parts-{47}-Gears-{47}--Differentials-/General-Motor-Axles/GM-14-Bolt-Full-Floater

There are other sites, I found that one through Google.

[77chevyshortbox]

okay so, the gears have been changed to a full posi. it came out of a truck at my work that came in and i never got a chance to check it, one of the other guys did it for me. anyways im not sure where the gears came from, but there newer just need to replace the clutch packs. so here i am again, curious where to look. or mayb should i just throw a locker in there?

[77chevyshortbox]

also if the lockers worth it, where should i go. the trucks a daily driver but a weekend bagger. im looking at running probably 38x14.50-16.5 superswampers. wont be alot of highway driving mostly from work and home and mayb a half hour on the highway on weekends depending. anyways any input will help this is my first 4x4 project so im sorta making er up as i go hah.

[K20Wulf]

also if the lockers worth it, where should i go. the trucks a daily driver but a weekend bagger. im looking at running probably 38x14.50-16.5 superswampers. wont be alot of highway driving mostly from work and home and mayb a half hour on the highway on weekends depending. anyways any input will help this is my first 4x4 project so im sorta making er up as i go hah.

A locker is definitely worth it. I would put a Detroit in there for sure. You will need to re-gear for those 38's. I would recommend a minimum of 4.88's. If you don't re-gear you'll lose way too much low end. As a side note, if you're not going to be seeing a lot of mud I would go with a more narrow tire, 12.5 or 13.5.

Summit Racing carry's Detroits, so does Jeg's, 4wheelparts.com etc...

[Da67goatman]

It sounds as though it would be ideal to just buy a surplus military 14 bolt.  Usually around $800-1200 comes with 4.56 gears and detroit locker already installed, along with good brakes.  If your lucky you can find spares brand new, never used.

[77chevyshortbox]

i was looking into military diffs for a while actually, but this came in and i got it for a steal so i couldnt pass it up. now if i buy a detroit locker will that eliminate having to change the clutch packs? ive never really worked on a rear diff before not like this anyways. so im just curious on what the best way to go would be. and another thing i know dana 44's arent as strong as some people let them on to be, or so ive heard anyways. would 38's be to big? should i invest in some tougher axles mayb? and i probably will end up going to a 12.5 or 13.5 tire aposed to 14.5 it makes sence, the trucks gonna be beaten on, but it'll be driven daily also. i have a never ending suply of parts, and a decent budget. plus i have all the time in the world, im in no real rush to finish the truck, i wanna build it some what right so i dont have to worry about it falling apart first time out, ive seen enough guys build trucks around here and they last 2 weeks or so before their being band-aided up again.

[4x4orbust]

i was looking into military diffs for a while actually, but this came in and i got it for a steal so i couldnt pass it up. now if i buy a detroit locker will that eliminate having to change the clutch packs? ive never really worked on a rear diff before not like this anyways. so im just curious on what the best way to go would be. and another thing i know dana 44's arent as strong as some people let them on to be, or so ive heard anyways. would 38's be to big? should i invest in some tougher axles mayb? and i probably will end up going to a 12.5 or 13.5 tire aposed to 14.5 it makes sence, the trucks gonna be beaten on, but it'll be driven daily also. i have a never ending suply of parts, and a decent budget. plus i have all the time in the world, im in no real rush to finish the truck, i wanna build it some what right so i dont have to worry about it falling apart first time out, ive seen enough guys build trucks around here and they last 2 weeks or so before their being band-aided up again.

if you are doing any offroad, a locker would be beneficial.   you should be able to get a rear 14bolt FF for around 200 with a gov lok in it.   gears could vary from 3.73's-4.56's.  pending on donor vehicle.   the dana 44's will hold up to 38's so long as you are not a throttle happy kinda guy.   

[K20Wulf]

You're going to break the 44 if you run 38's. No question about it. They really can't handle more than a 35" tire with moderate abuse.

P.S. There is a reason that the gov-lock is referred to as the gov-bomb, stay away from them... lol

[Irish_Alley]

what trans are you using? as far as 4.88 that’s not comply true as a mater of fact I would live to have 3.73 with my 38s I have 4.10 in her now but with the 465 im pushing 2k at 50 that’s a little high I would like to see that number at 60 or above. and about the Dana 44 its ok, never had one break that shouldn’t have had broke if that makes any sense. had them break only when I pushed them to far like said as long as you don’t go where you should be buried up to your rockers you will be ok

[77chevyshortbox]

i've got a th400 with a np205 bolted onto it. i looked at the diff some more, it is a factory gm posi with 4:10's what its from tho im not to sure. kinda the problem of getting used stuff hah. anyways what could i do to the d44 to toughen er up? axles mayb? oh and i had another question has anyone ever used or heard of square tubing driveshafts? buddy of mine used to run one on his old 78 super shortbox (blazer converted to pickup) he said it was one of his best investments. curious on your guys' take on them.and thanks again for all the input boys

[Irish_Alley]

The only square shafts ive seen are on a tractors PTO I could see it working but idk how true it will be. Blazin just upgraded his axle shafts on his d44 think it was somewhere between 4-600. But for some more money you can upgrade to a d60. what I would do is use it till it breaks then think about upgrades cause you might not have to upgrade it all depends on how much you do with it. I mean look at my pic on the bottom those are my 38/16/16s and I didn’t break then, just when I was stuck in a ditch the tires was spinning then at caught traction and snapped the joint on the axle shaft

[K20Wulf]

I've seen square drivelines. Some of the rock crawling guys use them. Not sure how popular they are, but if they're made right I think they would be hard to twist.

[77chevyshortbox]

well snows almost gone here, which means time for drivetrain and diff swap, but been looking for a dana60 and it seems pretty hard to find? i mean for fords and dodges, there a dime a dozen, and i know a buddy of mine chopped a dodge dana60 down and fit it into his 77 blazer. but i really dont feel like doing that much work,ive looked around quite a bit but mayb im just not looking in the right places. so any input on where to look would help hahah as stupid as that sounds