9 inch vs. 60 vs. 14 bolt

[NTRoffroad]

I know this has been gone over a thousand times, but.... I want to know what people think. This will be for a leafsprung fullsize K5 Blazer that will be beat hard (chase, prerun, race???). It weighs around 5600 lbs, just under 400 hp, and running 37" tires. What are your real world experiences with each? Why would you choose one over another? Thanks in advance.

[SPONSOR]

Membership in the largest desert racing community has its advantages - Participate in Forum Discussions - Send and Receive Private Messages - Maintain Public Photo Albums - Access to Groups - User Profile in our Social Network - Increased Access to more Sub Forums - Reduced Online Advertisements Join our community today

[Superfab]

The 9" wins hands down. The tubes on he dana are thick but soft material. They can't be readily changed, the center takes lots of work and skill to properly brace and its heavy. You can build a 9" thats way stronger and lighter, will last longer and there are tons of quality reasonable parts to fit it. We straighten housings every day and build race housings. If you plan on running hard don't skimp out on the rear end. It's hard to drive home with it broken. Running 37" tires puts a ton of load on the axles. Scott Douglass had a Bronco that he raced in BITD. They broke 40 spline MW axles in it with 37" project tires on it. If it were me I'd go with a floater 9". 35 spline would live because the tire load is on the spindle and the axle only carries the drive line load. Bust an axle and at least the tire stays put.

[Ramsey_ElWardani]

9" is a good option if you are willing to spend $3,000 to $8,000 or more on one. The 9" never came in a stock Full Floater configuration like the Dana 60 or The GM Corporate 10.5" Ring Gear 14 Bolt. Full Floating Hubs are the single most significant strength adding feature you should be looking for in these three axles as they are all strong enough in the “Center Section” components. In stock configuration the 14BFF is by far the strongest with its 10.5” R&P, three bearing pinion dropout support and beefy axles. It is really a question of your budget. If you can afford a $6,000 4130 axle housing with snouts, aluminum hubs, nodular third member, 35 or 40 spline axles and truss and tab work, you won’t go wrong with a 9”. If you are on a working stiff’s budget, the 14BFF is a direct bolt-in to your Blazer and about as close to free as you can get. There are several options for converting to disk brakes and from 8 on 6.5” lug pattern to 5 on 5.5” or 6 on 6.5”, none of which are too costly. There is a ton of info here on this site about this subject, try a search. Try http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/sho...217#post124217

[scottm]

I like the 14 bolt option. Can they be narrowed easily? I will need 64" for my 7 open s-10. What will be the weight difference of a trussed production 14b with discs verses a $3-4,000 9"?

[PBR]

tom - step up and get a crisman!!!

[scottm]

I knew this came up here before, so I tracked down this thread:
http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/sho...6&page=1&pp=10

I want to avoid a 9.5" and semi floating versions, so what vehicles came with the 10.5" and full floating?

[jeff]

Without knowing your budget it's like asking what sort of motor should I build. How much can you spend? What's more important, a lighter housing with more ground clearance or inexpensive "junk yard" brute force? You can build a nearly bulletproof 60 for pretty cheap... not so for the Ford 9".

PBR - wait until you see the new Tubeworks TT rear end. It'll blow you away. Super uber duper. Crisman has some new competition!

Aloha

[ntsqd]

I knew this came up here before, so I tracked down this thread:
http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/sho...6&page=1&pp=10

I want to avoid a 9.5" and semi floating versions, so what vehicles came with the 10.5" and full floating?

Just about every 3/4t and 1t GM pick-up from the 70's into the 80's EXCEPT those with dual rears. ID is easy, look for a removable pinion carrier like the 9" has. If it doesn't have that, it's not the 14bff rear axle. Later models came with more ribs on the center housing and the latest have discs. Would expect so, but no info on whether the later housings are lighter than the early housings. Otherwise why all the ribs?

The axle in the DuraMax's are not the same and are even bigger.

[scottm]

Thanks ntsqd. What about shortening the tubes and axle shafts? Are any prod axles splined at both ends?

[Ramsey_ElWardani]

Scott, as big a fan of the 14bff as I am, I don't think it is the correct option for a S10. Weight and size (ground clearance) are best suited for a fullsized truck with 37" tires and HP. If your building a 7 Open with enough HP and suspension to run 37’s and a 14bff, then you can afford a full race 9”. If your not, go with the lighter 9”.