1996 K1500 GMC Suburban

[justcuz]

I bet that square tube welded to the shock mount is to mount a conventional eye mount shock.
Those axles came stock with pin mount shocks, there should be a hole in the bottom of the factory shock bracket.

How cheap are 14 bolt FF in your neck of the woods?

Option A can be upgraded with nicer brakes, check out cyclic and his square body. He got brackets and H3 calipers.
He has pictures and a write up.

I would repair the Ford brakes and go 14 bolt FF, Dana 60 or even a Ford Sterling rear axle. All off the shelf repair parts, nothing exotic. Find some GM, Pre 99 Ford or Dodge 16" take offs and swap your tires over. Ford vans had 8 x 6.5 bolt patterns long after the trucks went to the metric pattern.

Maybe find a set of later model bolt on calipers and bracket instead of the wedge style. Kinda looks like those aluminum wedges are the bolt in style. Do the caliper brackets have broken off bolts in them?

Your front output looks like it has a bolt in yoke with a single u joint. Mine has a different output flange. I don't remember if it has a double cardan joint or not. I'll get a picture later for you.

See the 44 cast in the web of the axle? It may be 44 6F, either way that is a Dana 44 HP.
Perfect axle for the swap, only a 60 is better and they are $.

 

[Flyboat]

yes the hole is still in the shock mount. Should I use them or fab up something else?
14ff are 300-700 in my area, none that I have found with 4.56 gears. I think only m1009 cucv came factory with this ratio but I don't think they came in GMT400.
I'll check out cyclic's brakes, thanks!!
I find myself asking this:
If I use a 4.56 ratio, I will have to regear both axles. The front dana is toast so it is getting new gears no matter what. I have 14sf that will have to regeared as well to 4.56, if I go with option A. Then I will have to spring for aftermarket knuckles for high steer unless I get lucky and find a dana 44 with flat top knuckles whole. In that case I will buy it and swap over everything but the wear parts.

My burb is almost 7000 lbs. and the plan is to have 35" tires. I have run the calculations a few times and come up just shy of 4.56. I would like to run down the highway still without screaming RPM's and having the tranny shift correctly for long life.

The brakes are wedge style and yes the wedge retention bolt is broke off in the caliper and the calipers have been ground down for clearance by the previous owner.
Is my front output replaceable without splitting the case? I was hoping to have a shaft built with built in slip and just match up the joints. I guess it is not that easy.

a front dana 60 of the appropriate lineage is 1500 plus, if you can even find one.

 

[justcuz]

Here are my front drive flanges, first 3 my 93 Suburban, #4 is the 92 K5 Blazer, #5 my Suburban again. A little different than yours but still not double cardan joint.

 

[justcuz]

I would find original spring clamps somewhere, then use Ford F-250 TTB lower shock mounts and Super Duty upper shock mounts. The TTB lower shock mount is sandwiched between the unbolts above the spring out of the way. I am going back to the wrecking yard tomorrow, I can get a picture for you if you'd like one.

The 14 bolts here are $150 bucks at pick and pulls. I am not sure about carrier breaks for the 4.56 in the 44 or the 14 but they have them. I can look it up in my book if you want. I would go Detroit locker out back and LSD up front. The guy probably ground the calipers to run 15" wheels, they came factory with 16.5 wheels and in 80 when Ford went TTB, used 16" wheels with the same brakes I believe. Try to drill and easy out the broken caliper bolts and get new wedges and bolts.

I'm pretty sure you can replace the front output yoke without splitting the case, but splitting it to install an improved aftermarket oil pump housing is common, see Jacks 2007 build. I see no advantage to the longer snout of my front output flange, in fact I think you are better off staying with what you have and looking for an early GM leaf spring front drive shaft with a double cardan joint at the front transfer case output. Only if the double cardon joint does not clear the shift motor would I switch front out put flanges.

Pre 80 44's on GM trucks all had flat top knuckles I believe. Maybe even 10 bolts too but this is old tech and I don't remember for sure. I do know 10 bolt outers will bolt up to a 44 also. So look for old junk laying around in someones back yard! Many times you can score it for the cost of hauling it off. Craigslist freebies!

You could put it together as a 6 lug for now and slowly gather parts for the 8 lug conversion, or just go whole hog.

The 14 bolt semi float has no carrier breaks so any gear that is available will bolt to your present carrier.

I think that covers most everything so far.

 

[Flyboat]

The joint looks the same except yours is a flange. I bet a drive shaft shop can make me something that will work and be tough.

 

[justcuz]

Agreed, read my much edited post about the leaf spring driveshaft.

 

[justcuz]

Ok buddy, more show and tell! Ford shock mount I was trying to explain and the rest are a square body Suburban front drive shaft with that double cardan joint at the t-case I was talking about. You can use this or the stock Chevy one modified for length if needed. Also the double cardan joint needs to have the ears ground off to allow it full flexibility.

 

[justcuz]

Sorry they are rotated wrong, but they are phone pictures and were squared up in my photo library before I attached them to the post.

A Ford F-150 or Bronco TTB driveshaft may work for you too!

 

[Flyboat]

Yes on the shock mount. I have seen one that is similar but is for flipped U bolts, I just can't remember who makes it.

And yes, I just need to make sure it has some sort of slip built in for the front shaft. I get a shop to help me pick whether I need a double carden shaft or if I would be okay without it. Or try the cheap way first then go the other if it doesn't work out.

Ok buddy, more show and tell! Ford shock mount I was trying to explain and the rest are a square body Suburban front drive shaft with that double cardan joint at the t-case I was talking about. You can use this or the stock Chevy one modified for length if needed. Also the double cardan joint needs to have the ears ground off to allow it full flexibility.

 

[justcuz]

The slip joint is in the last picture at the pinion end of the driveshaft.

That lower shock mount plate could be welded to a flipped u bolt plate. The u bolt plates are common on Ford truck rear springs.

 

[justcuz]

Just thought I would check in and see how you are progressing on your project.

 

[Flyboat]

No progress at all. I've been to the instructors conference in Indy. Last week I just got back from some swift water rescue school. I have 13 days to finish a class I'm taking on industrial hygiene. I have two bath rooms and a kitchen to remodel. Hahaha it's on the lists just way down there. Thanks for checking on me.

 

[justcuz]

Where did you do your swift water training? We used to do ours with L A City at the Sepulvada basin. We actually did our live bait rescues in the water supply cement washes. I had a leaky wet suit once in about 38 degree water, I was freezing.

 

[Flyboat]

Tarrant county college has a channel they built with all kinds of challenges to expose you to a lot of different things. That's where I went. It is an hour from my house. Water was about 60 degrees, not too bad in a suit, but the course is definitely one of the most physically challenging ones I've been to. But I did shred by suit by the end of the week. It is just rough on them. I came home with strained biceps and hip flexors, rope burns on my hands, bumps and bruises. But I am a lot better in the water than I have ever been. If you are watching the news, the flooding has been pretty regular in Texas this year.

 

[Flyboat]

I went over the low head dam one time,....that's all it took for me realize that's a load of suck.