60 AXLES UNDER a 70

[SURVEYOR CRUISER]

Has anyone done this? put 60 series axles under a 70. From what I have read they are only 50 mm wider than 70 axles. If anyone has done this are they a direct bolt as in width of spring perches with that of 70 axles? The other thought is 80 series axles but they bring large dollars. The goal is a wider wheelbase. Suggestions?

 

[prado t]

IF ITS JUST A BIT OF WIDTH YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ie stance UNLESS YOU HAVE LOTS OF MONEY FOR THE SWAP , WHY DONT YOU GET SOME WHEEL ADAPTERS. DEPENDING ON WHAT 70 AXLES YOU HAVE,

 

[SURVEYOR CRUISER]

I am not a fan of wheel spacers, they scare me and I think the concept is unsafe.

 

[prado t]

well then a 60 axle swap is pretty straight forward then

 

[Welby]

Has anyone done this? put 60 series axles under a 70. From what I have read they are only 50 mm wider than 70 axles. If anyone has done this are they a direct bolt as in width of spring perches with that of 70 axles? The other thought is 80 series axles but they bring large dollars. The goal is a wider wheelbase. Suggestions?

How about some wider rims with a different offset, and some flares to keep all the mucky stuff in? The disadvantage is that it can load up the wheel bearings, especially if you are in ruts that a normal stance 70 series has set. The 70 series may look unstable, but they are actually pretty good. I would suggest you would give up before the truck did.

 

[ridgerunner]

What year 70? This is all theorhetical for me since I don't have any access to 70 series, but have swapped axles under 55s (a little narrower than 70s).

I don't think the swap is necessarily a big deal. On the rear you'll need to move the spring perches on the rear axle and modify the e brake cable on the 60 to fit the 70.

In the front the easiest approach (IMHO) is to outboard the front spring mounts. I'm not sure how the steering is setup on the 60 front, but if the TRE on the drag link is the same as the 70, I'd just shorten the 60 drag link. Depending on whether the truck is a high or low pinion you might have driveshaft bind/length issues.

Does your 70 have a swaybar?

 

[SURVEYOR CRUISER]

Thanks for the feedback, It appears the 60 series axle swap would be close to a direct bolt in. I really do not want to move my springs as I have already done a shackle reverseral in the front, and switched to 63" chevy springs in the rear with new spring hangers. Supposedly the width between 70 series and 60 series axles is only 2 inches. I dont know if it is worth the effort and $$ for 2 inches of width. I think 80 series axles with coils would be best but it would sure be expensive.

 

[lowenbrau]

I think its more like 70mm. All the extra width is on the long side (i.e. they have the same size short shafts) That generally means trouble getting the leaf close enough to the pumpkin. Its nothing like 'bolt in'. The answer for me is to outboard the leafs while I am doing the springover. I'm willing to sacrifice a minuscule amount of flex for the tiny bit of stability.

 

[BJ-44]

Like lowenbrau said all the length of the 60 axle is on one side and the width between the 70 and 60 springs is less. Without outboarding your springs it would mean the right side perch would be on top of the center section to make it equal. On Landcrusher80's BJ-74 we are almost finished putting 60 series cable lockers in it. Using the whole 60 axle in the rear is no problem to modify and fit. For the front he ordered the 70 series diff lock shaft and is going to modify the 70 series housing to fit the 60 diff lock in there. We didn't use the 60 axle in the front (would be nice because of extra width) because the perch mounted up on the center section would be unacceptable and we didn't want to outboard the springs. He is using spacers so it has enough width to match. As for spacers I have never had any issues with them ( I run 2in spacer on my 44 for years) but I would be leary if I could run 80 mph down the freeway 80 to 100 kph no problem.