14b sf swap into 1/2 k5

80chevy_shortman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Location
siler city, nc
first 3/4 ton swap so not sure all what ive gotten into here. i got a 76 k5 with a 12b rear. purchased a 14b sf 8 lug rear from a 87 4x4 truck. now i am pretty sure my 1/2 tons are 3'' tubes and the 3/4 are 3.375 tubes. spring perch widths measured the same roughly when i measured but i aint 100% on it. ebrake connections i have not looked at yet......... so my question is what should be a direct fit and what will need fab. i assuming i need different u bolts and i believe like a 1310-1350 ujoint conversion, a way to hook up ebrake, possible weld in perches. any help would be nice before i start the tear down
 
Honesty, that is not a swap I would put any time or effort into. When you are done, you have an axle that is barely any stronger than the one it replaced, still have C-clips to deal with, and less aftermarket support than the axle that came out. The 12B is a great axle and stronger than the D44 or 10B. If you are going 8-lug I would just go with a 14B FF, shave the lip off the bottom, swap some discs on and run it.

I think the perches are slightly off, you may need wedges or cut/rotate the perches to get the pinion angle you need. You are correct on the tube diameters. ORD sells a nice reversal kit for the U-bolts with plates that would one-stop shop that part: http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/uboltreversal.htm
 
Considering the cost and effort to put one in versus the other is negligible? Sure, the 9.5 splits the difference between an 8.875 12B and a 10.5 when you look at the physical dimensions of the parts. Changing broken c-clip axle shafts with a traction aid on the trail sucks (I have done that on two D35s for others) and if it were mine I wouldn't keep that "feature" if I were upgrading an axle. Then there are obvious advantages with easy gear setup, rear pinion support, and full-float shafts on the 10.5.
 
OnlyOneDR said:
Considering the cost and effort to put one in versus the other is negligible? Sure, the 9.5 splits the difference between an 8.875 12B and a 10.5 when you look at the physical dimensions of the parts. Changing broken c-clip axle shafts with a traction aid on the trail sucks (I have done that on two D35s for others) and if it were mine I wouldn't keep that "feature" if I were upgrading an axle. Then there are obvious advantages with easy gear setup, rear pinion support, and full-float shafts on the 10.5.
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Yeah but the 14b sf is not as bad as it seems. It not weak by any means, and is a cheap alternative to having a big heavy 14FF plow under your rig. If your running 35's should be damn near bulletproof and ORD has chromo shafts for cheapish.
 
i run one in a heavy j10 with 37's and a 360 for a good while before going tons. it took a beating and i do mean a hard beating without any problems.
yes they are c clip axles but their huge 33 spline axles. i dont see that it would be a big deal getting one into a k5 may even be a bolt in deal if the perches are the same width. most of them have 1350 yokes but 8.5 10 bolt yokes will also fit if you want to run a saginaw style joint. also lot of 88-98 light duty 2500's had 6 lug 14b's in them so if you find one of those you would not need to change the front or get new wheels.
 
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