rear axle questions

[eran tomer]

hello
car is 95 suburban 8600GW. the axle is 14 bolt 9.5 with 4.10:1 ratio.
it has an air locker that is gone, so i'm gonna look for another axle.

-i'm not hauling anything, so can i install a 8.5" axle with the same ratio?
-how can you identify the final ratio of the axle?

 

[JOHNGAAA1]

The drive shaft won't bolt up directly. To find out the gear ratio, there is a tag on the rear. If there is no tag, open up the cover and count the teeth on the ring gear, and divide them by the number of teeth on the pinion gear. That will give you the gear ratio. It would be easier to just look for another 14 bolt rear. I have not seen a 8.5 rear with the 8 lug axles?

 

[stutaeng]

I was going to say that the 14 bolt axles are all across the country, but then I saw you are in Israel?!

What do you mean the air locker is gone? You bought the truck like that? Or you bought the axle like that?

IIRC, the only air locker for the 14 bolt 9.5" is made by ARB. Maybe you can order a replacement ARB carrier for your axle? Or try to get an OEM carrier... either the open or the G80.

 

[eran tomer]

I bought the car like that. The carrier is cracked, and the pinion shaft bolt snapped so the carrier can’t even be removed easily.

 

[Nad_Yvalhosert]

Dont put in an 8.5.
Dont downgrade the capacity.
Dont downgrade the brakes.

 

[Turbo4whl]

I bought the car like that. The carrier is cracked, and the pinion shaft bolt snapped so the carrier can’t even be removed easily.

Usually if you remove the one side bearing cap, there is clearance to drill the pinion shaft bolt out. Take you time and drill slow with a carbide tip drill bit. With a cutting torch, just cut out the pinion shaft.

 

[RichLo]

As long as the differential housing and axle tubes are not damaged you are much better off repairing that 9.5 axle. You can order anything you need online as long as you can wait for the shipping.

Technically yes, you can put an 8.5 under your burb but a few questions come to mind. Do you have 8-bolt or 6-bolt wheels? If 8-bolt then you would be better off looking for a 10.5 14b FF out of a single rear wheel 1-ton truck as a real upgrade. If 6-bolt then just repair your current axle if the housing isn't damaged. Many people look for those as upgrades to their 8.5 here in the states.

If your dead set on putting an 8.5 under it then you will need a conversion U-Joint and you may need to move the spring perches. Also, 4.10 is not a common ratio for 8.5's they were used in light duty trucks where 3.42 is the most common. To find out the ratio, rotate the pinion and count the rotations of the drums. just over 4 rotation of the pinion for 1 revolution of the brake drum is 4.10. Just under 3.5 rotations of the pinion to 1 is 3.42, etc.

 

[stutaeng]

The yoke nut snapped off?

You can remove the carrier without removing the pinion gear... actually you have to first.

That carrier I believe has the rotating preload adjusters. Remove the caps, then you rotate the adjusters. One side turns the opposite to loosen. Count the number of holes for reinstallation to keep the same preload. Watch a video.

After removing the carrier you can remove the pinion.

Ditto what @RichLo said about the 14 bolt 10.5" SRW axle swap. Or all parts are available to rebuild that axle.

 

[eran tomer]

As long as the differential housing and axle tubes are not damaged you are much better off repairing that 9.5 axle. You can order anything you need online as long as you can wait for the shipping.

Technically yes, you can put an 8.5 under your burb but a few questions come to mind. Do you have 8-bolt or 6-bolt wheels? If 8-bolt then you would be better off looking for a 10.5 14b FF out of a single rear wheel 1-ton truck as a real upgrade. If 6-bolt then just repair your current axle if the housing isn't damaged. Many people look for those as upgrades to their 8.5 here in the states.

If your dead set on putting an 8.5 under it then you will need a conversion U-Joint and you may need to move the spring perches. Also, 4.10 is not a common ratio for 8.5's they were used in light duty trucks where 3.42 is the most common. To find out the ratio, rotate the pinion and count the rotations of the drums. just over 4 rotation of the pinion for 1 revolution of the brake drum is 4.10. Just under 3.5 rotations of the pinion to 1 is 3.42, etc.

it's 8 bolt wheels.
what's involved in full float axle upgrade regarding brakes, shocks etc.?
i thought of 8.5 axle only in case i wouldn't find the same axle as mine.

The yoke nut snapped off?

You can remove the carrier without removing the pinion gear... actually you have to first.

That carrier I believe has the rotating preload adjusters. Remove the caps, then you rotate the adjusters. One side turns the opposite to loosen. Count the number of holes for reinstallation to keep the same preload. Watch a video.

After removing the carrier you can remove the pinion.

Ditto what @RichLo said about the 14 bolt 10.5" SRW axle swap. Or all parts are available to rebuild that axle.

it's the bolt of the carrier's pinion shaft that snapped off. not the drive pinion.

 

[smdk2500]

it's 8 bolt wheels.
what's involved in full float axle upgrade regarding brakes, shocks etc.?
i thought of 8.5 axle only in case i wouldn't find the same axle as mine.

As long as you get a Full float from a suburban shocks will hook up in the same place, the brake hose coming from frame to axle should be the same. Drums and shoes will probably be different but that won't matter the master cylinder is the same for both axles. U-joints I believe are the same. So in theory it should be remove old axle. Install new axle reverse of removal with new u-bolts. Bleed/adjust the brakes and enjoy the rig.