would a 14 bolt be worth it?

[dirtridinz71]

I have never had any problems with my 9.5" 14b SF with 35's, 4.56 gears and a lock-rite. A much better option then the 10 bolt for larger tires. Here is a good picture of what the SF axle looks like,

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[BoominSVX]

I just did a 14 bolt sf conversion yesterday, and it's not bad. My brother had a few dead framed plow trucks that were heading to the boneyard, so we pulled the good stuff. As far as plug and play, you'll need quite a bit of adjustment to the stock e-brake to allow for the larger drums, so make sure you can get the adjustment bolt free. If using drum, the stock cables will work fine. Can't tell you much about the disc brake conversion. The yoke may be interchangable, but I didn't even check. Precision makes a U-joint (Part #447) to convert from half ton to 3/4 ton. That takes care of driveshaft. I believe NAPA carries them. Seeing it now, I would have rather gone with a u-bolt flip. It looks much neater and less chance of catching things like rocks and small children offroad. Shocks bolt on fine. If you have a rear sway bar, you'll have to either lose it or weld the mounting perches onto the 14 bolt. I just pulled mine.

Both trucks that we pulled the 14 bolt rears from were early 90's 2500's. Unless it's a heavy duty 2500, they will most likely be 6 lug 14's. Sounds like your hardest part is going to be disc conversion (if you do it) and re-gearing. Just take your time.

 

[xtreme.97]

im running leafs. coils are great for ride comfort and articulation but the leafs are more solid and you dont get the major lean in corners and on ramps. i do little wheeling here and there and it handles fine. what tires are you running? i have about 10k or so left on mine so i want to start getting some ideas.

yeah i hate that lean! i'm running 37x13.50x17 nitto mud grapplers (they say 13.50 but even nittos web site lists them as 14.50) and i really like them. i've always used bfgs on my trucks but i wanted something a little more agressive on this truck. they actually run pretty smooth over 10mph and they look really mean. they don't last long and they're pretty expensive, but i manage a tire store for a nationwide retailer so its not as bad for me cuz i get the tires at cost and have an employee charge account. i actually use my truck to sell tires pretty often! all i do for a living is tires and wheels so let me know if you have any questions about your next set, i might be able to answer some questions for you guys for a change!

 

[xtreme.97]

thanks dirt for the pic, gives me a visual of what i'm lookin for. now i just gotta find one!

boomin, doesn't sound too bad. the gears are what i've been worried about the whole time, thats why i still haven't done anything with it. can't decide if i wanna risk it and do it myself or just pay a pro. $1800 for 4.88s in both axles isn't too bad but its still a lot of money considering i could probly do a 14 bolt with all the extras i want and gear the front for the same amount. and i see what you mean about the u bolt flip. for me clearance isn't a huge issue since i don't wheel much and really the bolts are still above the bottom of the diff, so if u were gonna get hung on a rock it would still be on the diff, but i would def look cleaner. the rear end of a lifted truck is SO visible so i wouldn't mind cleaning it up a little. when i do start wheeling more, i'd like to use a kit i saw a while back. i'm sure you guys have seen it. i think ballistic fab makes it but its a shave kit for the 14 bolt and it removes a good bit of the bottom of the diff to give you more clearance. looks kinda funny the first time you see it but its pretty cool...

 

[Solid94]

yeah i hate that lean! i'm running 37x13.50x17 nitto mud grapplers (they say 13.50 but even nittos web site lists them as 14.50) and i really like them. i've always used bfgs on my trucks but i wanted something a little more agressive on this truck. they actually run pretty smooth over 10mph and they look really mean. they don't last long and they're pretty expensive, but i manage a tire store for a nationwide retailer so its not as bad for me cuz i get the tires at cost and have an employee charge account. i actually use my truck to sell tires pretty often! all i do for a living is tires and wheels so let me know if you have any questions about your next set, i might be able to answer some questions for you guys for a change!

im looking at the same set up. i too have a 17 inch rim and im looking at either toyo mt or the nitto mud grappler. i want some decent tread life and good offroad handling. the bfg km2s look good but way out of my price range

 

[xtreme.97]

yeah the km2s are pretty pricey, but they actually work for what they're designed for. one of the best things about them are the krawler-tec sidewall. instead of dropping to 4-5 psi to get good traction, they work best at about 10-12 psi. since you don't have to drop the air so much, beadlocks are not so necessary. as far as the other 2, toyo and nitto are made by the same company so quality and price-wise they are usually close to the same. if you look at the tread design on the toyo a/t and the nitto terra grappler, they are VERY similar. the m/ts used to be miles apart, but since the nitto mud grappler was so aggressive, they introduced the trail grappler. the trail grappler is now considered nitto's m/t and looks pretty similar to the toyo m/t, and the mud grappler is now classed as an "extreme terrain". personally i like the trail grappler better than the toyo m/t, but with the trail grappler they are catering to the newer lifted trucks running 18s or 20s. they have all of these oddball sizes and don't make them in the normal sizes. they don't make it in my size and only make a couple of sizes for a 17. i'm actually considering getting some 18 or 20 kmc addicts next time around just so i can use the trail grapplers...

 

[Solid94]

Yeah I knew Toyo and nitto were the same company and I too like the trail grappler but I don't want to get too flashy with rims. So it may be Toyo mts for me. Thanks for all the knowledge though