Why is my shop so reluctant to do a 10 bolt to 14 bolt swap?

[GrimsterGMC]

Jacks and timbers and you can do anything, just make sure the vehicle is secured so you don't end up trapped underneath it.

 

[GMC_YA_L8R]

Honestly, a lot of dealers nowadays don't seem to be interested in doing what I would consider basic maintenance items anymore. I called my local GM dealer a couple years back to get a quote on replacing all four U joints on my Duramax. They told me they don't do that.

Incredible.

 

[Pro439]

Dealers are getting so they only want to do warranty work on new vehicles

 

[Boots97]

Can't seem to edit the original post I made, so I'm commenting on it instead.

Update #1 on the truck: The rear axle came in to the shop a couple days ago. The service manager and the tech who's working on my truck seem FAR less apprehensive than they originally were. I showed the tech all the parts I had and I was also able to source a driveshaft #15004110 on eBay. I told the tech that it was up to him on however he wanted to go at it whether or not to do a conversion U joint or install the new driveshaft. He also told me that the rear axle that I bought was WAY nicer than anything their shop usually buys in terms of used parts. He said he'll try to get on it by Monday bc he's got other things rn.

 

[Caman96]

Can't seem to edit the original post I made, so I'm commenting on it instead.

Update #1 on the truck: The rear axle came in to the shop a couple days ago. The service manager and the tech who's working on my truck seem FAR less apprehensive than they originally were. I showed the tech all the parts I had and I was also able to source a driveshaft #15004110 on eBay. I told the tech that it was up to him on however he wanted to go at it whether or not to do a conversion U joint or install the new driveshaft. He also told me that the rear axle that I bought was WAY nicer than anything their shop usually buys in terms of used parts. He said he'll try to get on it by Monday bc he's got other things rn.

…still possible to teach an old dog new tricks.

 

[Boots97]

Update #2 on the truck: The rear axle is in rn. The tech who's working on my truck said that my "new" axle fit perfectly fine. He had to reuse my old U Bolts bc the 2500/3500 U bolts were too long and he ran out of thread. Idc bc those U bolts are less than a year old.

The problem is with the U jolts. My old driveshaft is nearly shot. The U joint fell out once the tech removed the clips and obviously that's not supposed to happen. All my U joints that I bought fit the rear axle's end of my truck, but won't fit the driveshaft end. They have a NAPA account and have bought and test fitted a bunch of U joints but none have worked so far. They offered me to send it out to a machine shop to get it looked over for a U joint and I said yes. The tech is taking time off until next Tuesday so I'll see what happens.

 

[RichLo]

I know you bought a few kinds of U-joints but what all did you end up with? A 447?

This definitely does not need to be spec-ed out by a machine shop. A simple hand caliper could get you the right dimensions.

 

[df2x4]

The problem is with the U jolts. My old driveshaft is nearly shot. The U joint fell out once the tech removed the clips and obviously that's not supposed to happen. All my U joints that I bought fit the rear axle's end of my truck, but won't fit the driveshaft end. They have a NAPA account and have bought and test fitted a bunch of U joints but none have worked so far. They offered me to send it out to a machine shop to get it looked over for a U joint and I said yes. The tech is taking time off until next Tuesday so I'll see what happens.

Good luck Boots, hope this doesn't turn into a very expensive headache. It sounds like they don't know what they're doing regarding conversion joints and are farming the problem out to someone else as a solution.

 

[Boots97]

Good luck Boots, hope this doesn't turn into a very expensive headache. It sounds like they don't know what they're doing regarding conversion joints and are farming the problem out to someone else as a solution.

Thank You. The tech that's doing this work has said that what this conversion shouldn't take this many steps. He's just as in tune as I am. He believes that the driveshaft wasn't machined correctly so that's why they're sending it out. He said that the hole in the driveshaft isn't spec'd for any GM truck he's seen.

 

[Boots97]

I know you bought a few kinds of U-joints but what all did you end up with? A 447?

This definitely does not need to be spec-ed out by a machine shop. A simple hand caliper could get you the right dimensions.

They've already measured the hole in the driveshaft for my U joint and it's not anything that GM would've used on their trucks. He believes that the hole was machined incorrectly which is why they're sending it out.