GMC Burbalade
Busy slacking
Before I start, this is not the ultimate SAS information source and swap guide. This a generic parts list starting point to help get the beginners going. Being it's now after 1 am here, you should consider this in it's current form a rough draft. I'll add a few more details as needed later, and correct anything I see that's wrong.
"What springs should I use for ____ amount of lift?"
Most brackets offer 3" of lift just due to the fact that our frames hang lower than the frames on solid axle trucks. Some brackets add more, so make sure you know how much lift is in your brackets before ordering springs. The recommendations below assume ~3" brackets.
0-2" lift - Pretty much impossible without building a new portion of frame to replace the factory frame section up front.
3-4" lift - Very low clearance, limited travel and flex, you'll definitely want to add bump stops to the below list. Stock 47" springs.
5-6" lift - The lowest I would recommend going. Small lift 47" springs.
7-8" lift - Larger lift (3-4") 47" springs, or stock 52" springs.
9+" - I recommend 52" springs simply due to the fact that they require less arch to achieve the same lift, and will generally ride better and allow more flex.
Basically, 52s flex better, ride better, and give you more lift. A lot of people find them too soft for street use without a sway bar though.
"What axle should I go with?"
Ford axles are for the most part all driver side drop and high pinion with reverse cut gears. For a front axle, the reverse cut gears are a little stronger, and the driver side drop should let you keep your transfer case. For that reason, people generally ask a lot of money for these axles. If you go with a Ford 44 and want to keep your six lug wheels, you'll want to swap to GM outers.
GM and 1st gen Dodge axles are passenger drop, and will require a new transfer case.
2nd gen Dodge axles are driver side drop, but are coil sprung, have unit bearings, and lack manual locking hubs.
One thing to take into consideration is spring perch width. 78-79 Ford and all the GMs have a relatively narrow spring perch width. This is good for running 40"+ tires, offers a little more flex, but also increases body roll.
Dually/DRW front axles
If you have a SRW axle and want DRW, you will need DRW hubs that match the axle.
If you have a DRW axle and want SRW, you can either find SRW hubs, or machine the DRW hubs.
For Ford Dana 60s, you can use Dana 50 TTB hubs as they are the same as solid axle SRW Dana 60 hubs.
94+ Dodge D60 and 99+ Ford D50/60
As noted below, the Dodge axles for these years have unit bearings and lack lockouts. The Ford axles for these years have unit bearings and the 8x170 lug pattern.
There are various "free spin" or similar kits that get rid of unit bearings and change lug pattern if need be, with most ranging from $1500 to $2500.
For a lower cost, you could do the conversion with factory parts. 92-97 Ford Dana 60s are ball joint, 8x6.5, and have standard lockouts. That makes the outters very desirable for other ball joint axles. The hubs, spindles, and rotors from a common TTB Dana 50 are the same as the Dana 60 parts of the same year, so those are all very easy to find at junk yards. Axles shafts and knuckles from a TTB Dana 50 will not work however. The axle shafts are very easy to find new, but the knuckles you will need to find used.
I'm currently in the middle of this conversion on my own Dana 50. When done, I'll create a topic for the conversion and place a link to it here.
Needed for any leaf sprung swap:
-Front axle
-Front and rear spring hangers
-Shackles
-U bolts
-U bolt plates
-Crossover steering arm
-Drag link with TREs or heims
-Drop pitman arm for new drag link setup
-Shock hoops/upper mounts
-Lower shock mounts
-Shocks (best measured and ordered after everything else is done)
-Front driveshaft (again, best measured and ordered after everything else is done)
If needed:
-Regear
-Brake lines
-Steering stabilizer(s) or ram assist
In addition to the items listed above, you will also need the following depending on your specific setup.
For 47" springs:
-Front lift springs for 73-87 GM truck
For 52" springs:
-Rear springs for 73-87 GM 1/2 ton truck
Basic 78/79 8 lug Ford Dana 44
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
Basic 78/79 6 lug Ford Dana 44
-GM outers from a 10 bolt front axle
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
Basic 78-91 Ford Dana 60 (king pin)
-Longer studs to mount crossover steering arm
92-98 Ford Dana 60 (ball joint)
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
GM 10 bolt/Dana 44
-Transfer case (may require additional parts/adapters to get everything working)
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
GM Dana 60
-Transfer case (may require additional parts/adapters to get everything working)
-Longer studs to mount crossover steering arm
99+ Ford Super Duty Dana 50/60
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
-Move passenger spring perch
-Fill in driver side spring locator, drill new hole, grind housing to clear U bolts
-8x170 wheels or adapters
Axles
GM 10 bolt - Low pinion, passenger side drop, ball joint, 32" spring perch width, will require a flat top knuckle for crossover steering if it doesn't already have one.
Found in 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks and SUVs. Easily recognizable by it's more rounded shape.
GM Dana 44 - Low pinion, passenger side drop, ball joint, 32" spring perch width, will require a flat top knuckle for crossover steering if it doesn't already have one.
Found in 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks and SUVs. Not as round as the 10 bolt.
GM Dana 60 - Low pinion, passenger side drop, king pin, 32" spring perch width
Found in 1 ton trucks. Looks similar to the GM Dana 44, but larger. Most easily recognized by the single passenger side U bolt.
Ford Dana 44 - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint Leaf sprung 31.5" spring perch width under F-250s, coil sprung under F-150s, will require a flat top knuckle for crossover steering if it doesn't already have one.
Coil sprung variant found in 1/2 ton trucks, leaf sprung variant found in 3/4 ton trucks. Years to look for are 77.5-79. For 1980, Ford switched to the TTB front suspension system.
Ford Dana 60 KP - High pinion, driver side drop, king pin. 77.5-79 models used 31.5" spring perch width, 85-92 models used 36.5" spring perch width. TTB was used years 80-84.
Probably the most desirable of the axles listed here. Dana 60 strength with reverse cut gears, driver side drop, king pins which simplify crossover steering, and the early model's narrow spring perch width allows more clearance to turn 40"+ tires without rubbing the springs.
Ford Dana 60 BJ - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint, 36.5" spring perch width
Very similar to the earlier Ford Dana 60s, but ball joints can complicate crossover steering. New knuckles can be ordered or factory knuckles can be machined, drilled, and tapped for a steering arm. For very small amounts of lift, Factory Ford inverted T steering can sometimes be reused, though crossover steering usually results in better geometry.
SD Ford Dana 50 - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint, 37.5" spring perch width, unit bearings
Found under 98-02 F-250 Super Duty, SRW F-350 Super Duty, and Excusrions. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT a 44 with 60 outers, nor is it identical to the comparable Dana 60. That will be gone over later. This axle, along with all of the below axles use Ford's new 8x170 metric bolt pattern. The unit bearings make these a lot less desirable than the older axles, but that combined with them being more common makes them fairly cheap.
98-04 SD Ford Dana 60 - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint, 37.5" spring perch width, unit bearings
Found under 98-02 DRW F-350s and 03/04 F-250/350. For the most part, these are very similar to the Dana 50 also offered under the early Super Duty. Easiest way to tell them apart is the top of the differential housing.
05+ SD Ford Dana 60/Super 60 - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint, coil sprung, unit bearings
Due to the unit bearings, ball joints, metric lug pattern, and coil springs, these aren't terrible popular for solid axle swaps but it has been done.
10 bolt/D44 crossover steering:
Flat top knuckles will be needed for crossover steering on these axles, as there isn't enough meat on the round top knuckles to machine them down for a steering arm. If you can't find OE flat top knuckles, you can order them from multiple places. For more info on which axles came with flat top knuckles, check the "steering research" link.
Links
P4x4 Steering Research
P4x4 Dana 60 Bible
Mr.N Dana Articles
ORD SAS Kits & axle info
ORD D44/10B Crossover Steering
ORD D60 Crossover Steering
Reid Racing Off Road Products
SKY Off Road Manufacturing
I probably missed a few things, but this should give you a general idea of what you need. I can always update it later on.
Offroad Design has a TON of information on their site if you want to read up on some more of the specifics.
"What springs should I use for ____ amount of lift?"
Most brackets offer 3" of lift just due to the fact that our frames hang lower than the frames on solid axle trucks. Some brackets add more, so make sure you know how much lift is in your brackets before ordering springs. The recommendations below assume ~3" brackets.
0-2" lift - Pretty much impossible without building a new portion of frame to replace the factory frame section up front.
3-4" lift - Very low clearance, limited travel and flex, you'll definitely want to add bump stops to the below list. Stock 47" springs.
5-6" lift - The lowest I would recommend going. Small lift 47" springs.
7-8" lift - Larger lift (3-4") 47" springs, or stock 52" springs.
9+" - I recommend 52" springs simply due to the fact that they require less arch to achieve the same lift, and will generally ride better and allow more flex.
Basically, 52s flex better, ride better, and give you more lift. A lot of people find them too soft for street use without a sway bar though.
"What axle should I go with?"
Ford axles are for the most part all driver side drop and high pinion with reverse cut gears. For a front axle, the reverse cut gears are a little stronger, and the driver side drop should let you keep your transfer case. For that reason, people generally ask a lot of money for these axles. If you go with a Ford 44 and want to keep your six lug wheels, you'll want to swap to GM outers.
GM and 1st gen Dodge axles are passenger drop, and will require a new transfer case.
2nd gen Dodge axles are driver side drop, but are coil sprung, have unit bearings, and lack manual locking hubs.
One thing to take into consideration is spring perch width. 78-79 Ford and all the GMs have a relatively narrow spring perch width. This is good for running 40"+ tires, offers a little more flex, but also increases body roll.
Dually/DRW front axles
If you have a SRW axle and want DRW, you will need DRW hubs that match the axle.
If you have a DRW axle and want SRW, you can either find SRW hubs, or machine the DRW hubs.
For Ford Dana 60s, you can use Dana 50 TTB hubs as they are the same as solid axle SRW Dana 60 hubs.
94+ Dodge D60 and 99+ Ford D50/60
As noted below, the Dodge axles for these years have unit bearings and lack lockouts. The Ford axles for these years have unit bearings and the 8x170 lug pattern.
There are various "free spin" or similar kits that get rid of unit bearings and change lug pattern if need be, with most ranging from $1500 to $2500.
For a lower cost, you could do the conversion with factory parts. 92-97 Ford Dana 60s are ball joint, 8x6.5, and have standard lockouts. That makes the outters very desirable for other ball joint axles. The hubs, spindles, and rotors from a common TTB Dana 50 are the same as the Dana 60 parts of the same year, so those are all very easy to find at junk yards. Axles shafts and knuckles from a TTB Dana 50 will not work however. The axle shafts are very easy to find new, but the knuckles you will need to find used.
I'm currently in the middle of this conversion on my own Dana 50. When done, I'll create a topic for the conversion and place a link to it here.
Needed for any leaf sprung swap:
-Front axle
-Front and rear spring hangers
-Shackles
-U bolts
-U bolt plates
-Crossover steering arm
-Drag link with TREs or heims
-Drop pitman arm for new drag link setup
-Shock hoops/upper mounts
-Lower shock mounts
-Shocks (best measured and ordered after everything else is done)
-Front driveshaft (again, best measured and ordered after everything else is done)
If needed:
-Regear
-Brake lines
-Steering stabilizer(s) or ram assist
In addition to the items listed above, you will also need the following depending on your specific setup.
For 47" springs:
-Front lift springs for 73-87 GM truck
For 52" springs:
-Rear springs for 73-87 GM 1/2 ton truck
Basic 78/79 8 lug Ford Dana 44
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
Basic 78/79 6 lug Ford Dana 44
-GM outers from a 10 bolt front axle
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
Basic 78-91 Ford Dana 60 (king pin)
-Longer studs to mount crossover steering arm
92-98 Ford Dana 60 (ball joint)
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
GM 10 bolt/Dana 44
-Transfer case (may require additional parts/adapters to get everything working)
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
GM Dana 60
-Transfer case (may require additional parts/adapters to get everything working)
-Longer studs to mount crossover steering arm
99+ Ford Super Duty Dana 50/60
-Passenger knuckle prepped for crossover steering arm
-Move passenger spring perch
-Fill in driver side spring locator, drill new hole, grind housing to clear U bolts
-8x170 wheels or adapters
Axles
GM 10 bolt - Low pinion, passenger side drop, ball joint, 32" spring perch width, will require a flat top knuckle for crossover steering if it doesn't already have one.
Found in 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks and SUVs. Easily recognizable by it's more rounded shape.
You must be registered for see images attach
GM Dana 44 - Low pinion, passenger side drop, ball joint, 32" spring perch width, will require a flat top knuckle for crossover steering if it doesn't already have one.
Found in 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks and SUVs. Not as round as the 10 bolt.
You must be registered for see images attach
GM Dana 60 - Low pinion, passenger side drop, king pin, 32" spring perch width
Found in 1 ton trucks. Looks similar to the GM Dana 44, but larger. Most easily recognized by the single passenger side U bolt.
You must be registered for see images attach
Ford Dana 44 - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint Leaf sprung 31.5" spring perch width under F-250s, coil sprung under F-150s, will require a flat top knuckle for crossover steering if it doesn't already have one.
Coil sprung variant found in 1/2 ton trucks, leaf sprung variant found in 3/4 ton trucks. Years to look for are 77.5-79. For 1980, Ford switched to the TTB front suspension system.
You must be registered for see images attach
Ford Dana 60 KP - High pinion, driver side drop, king pin. 77.5-79 models used 31.5" spring perch width, 85-92 models used 36.5" spring perch width. TTB was used years 80-84.
Probably the most desirable of the axles listed here. Dana 60 strength with reverse cut gears, driver side drop, king pins which simplify crossover steering, and the early model's narrow spring perch width allows more clearance to turn 40"+ tires without rubbing the springs.
You must be registered for see images attach
Ford Dana 60 BJ - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint, 36.5" spring perch width
Very similar to the earlier Ford Dana 60s, but ball joints can complicate crossover steering. New knuckles can be ordered or factory knuckles can be machined, drilled, and tapped for a steering arm. For very small amounts of lift, Factory Ford inverted T steering can sometimes be reused, though crossover steering usually results in better geometry.
You must be registered for see images attach
SD Ford Dana 50 - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint, 37.5" spring perch width, unit bearings
Found under 98-02 F-250 Super Duty, SRW F-350 Super Duty, and Excusrions. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT a 44 with 60 outers, nor is it identical to the comparable Dana 60. That will be gone over later. This axle, along with all of the below axles use Ford's new 8x170 metric bolt pattern. The unit bearings make these a lot less desirable than the older axles, but that combined with them being more common makes them fairly cheap.
You must be registered for see images attach
98-04 SD Ford Dana 60 - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint, 37.5" spring perch width, unit bearings
Found under 98-02 DRW F-350s and 03/04 F-250/350. For the most part, these are very similar to the Dana 50 also offered under the early Super Duty. Easiest way to tell them apart is the top of the differential housing.
You must be registered for see images attach
05+ SD Ford Dana 60/Super 60 - High pinion, driver side drop, ball joint, coil sprung, unit bearings
Due to the unit bearings, ball joints, metric lug pattern, and coil springs, these aren't terrible popular for solid axle swaps but it has been done.
You must be registered for see images attach
10 bolt/D44 crossover steering:
Flat top knuckles will be needed for crossover steering on these axles, as there isn't enough meat on the round top knuckles to machine them down for a steering arm. If you can't find OE flat top knuckles, you can order them from multiple places. For more info on which axles came with flat top knuckles, check the "steering research" link.
You must be registered for see images attach
Links
P4x4 Steering Research
P4x4 Dana 60 Bible
Mr.N Dana Articles
ORD SAS Kits & axle info
ORD D44/10B Crossover Steering
ORD D60 Crossover Steering
Reid Racing Off Road Products
SKY Off Road Manufacturing
I probably missed a few things, but this should give you a general idea of what you need. I can always update it later on.
Offroad Design has a TON of information on their site if you want to read up on some more of the specifics.
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