14 bolt - 80 series?

[cody c]

My rear diff is on its way out.... Again.

What would be the best year 14 bolt to swap in? I'd like to find a 4.11, and something that works with discs, there is a sale on Thursday at the local Pick'n'pull, I'm thinking of starting to collect parts. Long term I'm not sure if I'll go to 6 bolt or 8 bolt and get new wheels, I'll probably try and fix it in the meanwhile though, I do have some spares.

Curious what width /year axle would be best?

Thanks for any insight.

 

[matzell]

Most any of them can work. Do you want to off-set it? You can cut and splice the tube. You can have Branik or someone make a custom shaft. You can use DRW hubs to narrow it up. Many people make disk brake kits. Later 2001 and up came with disk and parking brakes. Vans are wider in general. Lot of research to do... you can check with someone like Wide Open Design and they will build you one to specs.

 

[GW Nugget]

I have not done the research but heard you can swap tubes & it will offset the pinion for LCs. Is that true?

 

[White Stripe]

The 80 series rear axle is 63" wms to wms. According to this Their are 63" 14 bolt axles as well. While the drum brakes won't be as pretty as discs, they are big enough to easily stop a 80 series.
Pirate4x4.Com - Extreme Four Wheel Drive

 

[cody c]

Thanks, I think I'm aiming for a 2001+ 2500HD disc axle, I'm running 2" spacers right now, so the 67 should work well.

The 80 is basically a centered axle.

 

[matzell]

If I am not mistaken the 2001 up is 65" wms, older ones are srw 67", drw/cc are 63"

 

[74fj40]

It should be noted that a 2001+ 2500hd Utilizes an 11.5" AAM axle, which should not be confused with a corporate 14bolt, similar in design, but parts are not interchangeable.

 

[cjmoon]

It should be noted that a 2001+ 2500hd Utilizes an 11.5" AAM axle, which should not be confused with a corporate 14bolt, similar in design, but parts are not interchangeable.

there are 3 versions of the 14 bolt as i understand it 9.5 semi-floating, 10.5 FF (old and new mid 90's change over gears and stuff aren't interchangeable) newer have strengthening ribs in center casting larger pinion support) and the 11.5 FF . i'm not an expert but had a 2004 2500HD Gas and it had the 10.5" where the 2500 gas had the 9.5. not sure what the diesels had maybe the 11.5 like the 3500's.

you'll have to look up shaved 14 bolts i had one set up on my old jeep that was slick smooth bottom and clearance. kind of like wheeling a toyota axle no sharp edges on the bottom to grab a rock and act like an anchor

 

[cody c]

From what I understand the 14 bolt was built past 2001 (after 1999 in house by GM), up until present, the 11.5" AAM was an option and used with diesel HD trucks (may not be 100% on this) and both are utilized on trucks till late 2000's.

Although they seem similar and can be found on the same model trucks, the difference to identifying is the 14 bolts seem to have a single top and bottom bolt cover bolt, whereas the 11.5 AAM seem to have in either 1 or 2 top and bottom cover bolts. Also the ring gear is further to the right of center on the carrier on 14 bolt, the 11.5 is closer to the left from center, and more often have a fill plug on the diff cover of the 11.5 AAM

this is from what i understand, if im wrong feel free to correct me

 

[baldilocks]

I very interested in why your rear diff is on its way out "again".

 

[cody c]

I very interested in why your rear diff is on its way out "again".

Hopefully I'll have time to pull the cover tonight and find out myself. Your curious about the carnage?

On saturday last weekend I took it and my girls for a drive south of the city, on a backroad it quite suddenly had a bad vibe, a bit of a shimmy and some noise at about 60km/hr on a gravel road.

I checked fluids at the edge of some farmland, and then decided to pull the rear driveshaft. The u-joints were fine, and with the diff not under load it was better but the signs were still there, after about 60 km/hr they kind of dissapeared, but would show up at about 20km/hr and increase then dissapear after 60.

I've managed to spit out a few teeth off rings and pinions to do with large tires and improved torque on two other thirds.

Edit: I have enough diffs and parts around my garage that I should be able to repair things to continue on for the time being, I have a hunting trip planned early October, and not enough budget or time to build a 14 bolt to work with what I have between now and then.

After purchasing a couple diffs and having them shipped the costs have added up, but yet I still only have an open diff SF axle that isn't as strong or reliable as I need, i don't want to spend more money on something that has been unreliable.

I was hesitant to go the a 14 earlier, I believe the benefits for ride quality, of lower unsprung weight would be substantial for the long pot-holed roads we take in and out of ghost Valley west of Calgary, mostly bringing in ice climbers or summer camping or climbing, but I guess the trade off is reliability.

A really nice offer from one of the club members was to offer up an old SF axle for me to use the brackets. I will have to figure out a pinion flange and figure out what I want to upgrade the front axle to, it makes more sense to run 8 bolt wheels front and rear.

 

[baldilocks]

I'm interested because I recently went up to 37's on my FZJ. It's ARB'd and part timed. We do trails like Rubicon a lot so I was wondering how big of a tire you run and how you use your rig.

Perhaps trying a toyota full floater might work for ride comfort as well as durability.

 

[cody c]

I'm interested because I recently went up to 37's on my FZJ. It's ARB'd and part timed. We do trails like Rubicon a lot so I was wondering how big of a tire you run and how you use your rig.

Perhaps trying a toyota full floater might work for ride comfort as well as durability.

Yeah, the full floater would be a decent upgrade too, though I suspect the strength of the R&P are no greater, but would be more reliable than the SF.

I've only broken birfs and R&P's, no problems with U-joints, driveshafts or axleshafts... (knocking on wood)

Actually also a few problems with the AA adapter and split case, and toyota flex plates due to a poorly built trans adapter, long gone now. I'd like to bolt up the 80 series T-case I have where the split case is, I may start a new thread to see if anyone has put an HF2A behind a 60 series trans.

 

[baldilocks]

Yeah, the full floater would be a decent upgrade too, though I suspect the strength of the R&P are no greater, but would be more reliable than the SF.

I've only broken birfs and R&P's, no problems with U-joints, driveshafts or axleshafts... (knocking on wood)

Actually also a few problems with the AA adapter and split case, and toyota flex plates due to a poorly built trans adapter, long gone now. I'd like to bolt up the 80 series T-case I have where the split case is, I may start a new thread to see if anyone has put an HF2A behind a 60 series trans.

I just read your signature. The answer Tommy query was right there. Cummins+38's=14ff. Lucky for you 14 bolts are dirt cheap and don't break.

 

[cody c]

I just pulled the cover 15 minutes ago, pinion spit out some teeth, got some big chunks of metal on the counter, it's strange cause I haven't really been hard on it since the last time, and I wasn't driving hard when it started shedding large pieces of pinion on that backroad.

 

[baldilocks]

Is the 6bt stock? No matter Stock torque pushing on 38's makes a tough job for the diff.

 

[cody c]

Is the 6bt stock? No matter Stock torque pushing on 38's makes a tough job for the diff.

Stock, but with the Denny T fuel pin, I'm about to intercooler it in the next month or two, and I plan on swapping the turbo for an HX35 at some point, oh yeah the head was ported and polished

 

[cruisedeisel]

Maybe get rid of the split case too because that will be you r next weak link. I would install a 203/205 doubler. If your doing the rear axle well.... Why not do the front with a dana 60.

 

[cody c]

Maybe get rid of the split case too because that will be you r next weak link. I would install a 203/205 doubler. If your doing the rear axle well.... Why not do the front with a dana 60.

I'd actually like to go to a full time case, I have a HF2A sitting on my garage floor. The split case is loud, mine seems to leak around the AA adapter a bit.

Front axle will get upgraded to, but one thing at a time for me, I have two young girls and the wife works one or two days on the weekends, and we have friends dropping by all the time, small house renos, hunting seeason coming up, my spare time is very limited, I pulled the cover at about 9:30 last night, after my oldest had passed out finally.

 

[baldilocks]

The hf2av, now part timed, makes plenty of gear whine too. Recently I added sound deadener and more insulation under the carpet. This helped quite a bit but i can still hear it.