Drop in full float upgrade?

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Tachyon

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I guess I had always associated these with lift blocks as you usually flip when you add lift blocks.
 

magimerlin

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^^^ in case anyone is wondering, keeps the saddle plate from collecting mud and rusting out your u-bolts.

Richard
You mean rusting out like this....lol.. this was on a customer's truck... only noticed it cause the axle was sitting weird... customer was VERY thankfull as he pulls ALOT of trailers with the truck.... wanna say it was a 93 or 94 k2500.
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someotherguy

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Exact same, on an '88 C2500LD I was parting out back in '06. And you know it just like I do, trucks down in this area do not rust. The truck itself had no rust at all, anywhere else. This is 100% just from crud collecting in the plate and retaining moisture. Not good!

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Tachyon

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This seems like a simple driveway job. Am I wrong in thinking that you just jack up enough to take the load off the springs without lifting the tires off the ground, and doing one at a time?
Maybe use a chain to lock the axle in place.
 

magimerlin

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This seems like a simple driveway job. Am I wrong in thinking that you just jack up enough to take the load off the springs without lifting the tires off the ground, and doing one at a time?
Maybe use a chain to lock the axle in place.
You do not even unload the suspension... just do one at a time as it sits under it's own weight....

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Zx1000hd

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I used a lugnut4x4.com kit on my 14b full float srw 8 lug. Not sure what rotors but it says in the kit. Took some light Fab work to make thier kit fit just right but I still have the park brake..using 78 caddilac cailpers. I know it's not the big drums but with the horrible design of the wheel cylinders I needed something a little more reliable and less mantiance.
 

Tachyon

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I used a lugnut4x4.com kit on my 14b full float srw 8 lug. Not sure what rotors but it says in the kit. Took some light Fab work to make thier kit fit just right but I still have the park brake..using 78 caddilac cailpers. I know it's not the big drums but with the horrible design of the wheel cylinders I needed something a little more reliable and less mantiance.

Hey that looks like a great site. Thx.
 

John Cunningham

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From what I can tell all single rear wheel 3500s had full float axles, and on 2500 trucks they were behind 6.5s and 454 trucks.

The 2wd rear axle is 2" narrower than a 4wd axle.

As far as U joints go, you'd probably have good luck with either the 447 or 448 u joint.
I have a K3500 with a smei float...which I am surprised at
 

John Cunningham

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Stick with a GMT400 rear and drums. Drum brakes work great (especially those BIG ol' drums on a full floater 10.5") and you won't have the issues some of those disc rear GMT800 trucks had.

Also FYI in the 2500's it was more typical to find a full float in the 96-up trucks; a lot of the earlier 2500's got semi float.

Richard
Interesting as I have a like brand new unmolested K3500 with a semi float...I dont want it for what I am going to use it for..
 
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