full floating pickup rear ends

[Big Rat Attack]

Probably not going to have $2,000.00 + to just order a new rearend to the specs i would like to have.

The weight or brand of rear would not matter to me only a lot of strength. still end up a street strip car

Can i go to the salvage yard find an eight lug full floater pick up rear. I would want to narrow it be able to get shorter axles and a hub to mount five lug 4 1/2 bolt pattern. Drum brakes or disc would be fine no anti skid wanted.

Would like to start out with at least a 4.11 posi type rear. Something probably easy to find out of one ton pickups. Lowering gearing then that would even be better.

Any thoughts to advantages of different brand verisions.

I'm going to want to cut stuff off the housing mount coil overs and a 4 bar, not a four link. something i should be able to do to any of them

Have worked on 18 wheelers for yrs but my knowledge on car or pickup rear ends is next to nothing.

[Big Rat Attack]

Well there may be no way to go to a 4 1/2 bolt pattern and come up with shorter axles.

14 bolt full floater GM corporate looks interesting.

This some idea can't be made to work ?

[Bob Hollinshead]

Dana 60, 61, 70, Corporate 14, they would all work. Strange, Currie, Moser, or any of the axle suppliers can cut axles for your application. Knock the floater ends off and weld on large ford bearing housings, choose the brakes you want to run, then call the axle supplier and order up your axles. You'll need to make a jig to hold it all straight during the welding.

[PackardV8]

The 8-lug hubs/bearings are way too large in diameter for your 4.5" 5-bolt pattern.

The strongest commonly available axle for the money is the 5-bolt Dana 60 found under earlier Ford 1/2t pickups. The pik'n pull yards are full of them for $50-60. It has all the strength of the Dana 60 center section but still with a 5-bolt wheel pattern. IIRC, they're 5 on 5" bolt pattern, so it won't be 4.5" bolt pattern, but that's a wimpy/weak bolt pattern anyway.

jack vines

[Big Rat Attack]

The 8-lug hubs/bearings are way too large in diameter for your 4.5" 5-bolt pattern.

The strongest commonly available axle for the money is the 5-bolt Dana 60 found under earlier Ford 1/2t pickups. The pik'n pull yards are full of them for $50-60. It has all the strength of the Dana 60 center section but still with a 5-bolt wheel pattern. IIRC, they're 5 on 5" bolt pattern, so it won't be 4.5" bolt pattern, but that's a wimpy/weak bolt pattern anyway.

jack vines

Sounds like a good plan. Wheels im interested in are all in the 4.5 to 4 3/4.

That could happen with the new axles i will need. But what you say the bigger pattern would have to be stronger.

What got me going on this thought was an episode of 4 x 4 where they were modifying a full floater 14 bolt and watching another show using a dana 60 in car.

Are these 60s 70s pickups ?

[Big Rat Attack]

Dana 60, 61, 70, Corporate 14, they would all work. Strange, Currie, Moser, or any of the axle suppliers can cut axles for your application. Knock the floater ends off and weld on large ford bearing housings, choose the brakes you want to run, then call the axle supplier and order up your axles. You'll need to make a jig to hold it all straight during the welding.

Was liking the full floater, axle only having to do one job the housing supporting the weight of the car. Its not any absolute need with a car.

Many yrs ago i watched someone shorten a housing.

One of these shows i think it was the 14 corporate full floater they were able to buy different hubs for it.

I guess you can tell i like the idea of not turning lose of the full floater.

I'm finding out 4.10 to 4.56s are fairly common in them. Up to 5.13 can be put in them something i would not need.

[Big Rat Attack]

Dana 60, 61, 70, Corporate 14, they would all work. Strange, Currie, Moser, or any of the axle suppliers can cut axles for your application. Knock the floater ends off and weld on large ford bearing housings, choose the brakes you want to run, then call the axle supplier and order up your axles. You'll need to make a jig to hold it all straight during the welding.

Was liking the full floater, axle only having to do one job the housing supporting the weight of the car. Its not any absolute need with a car.

Many yrs ago i watched someone shorten a housing.

[PackardV8]

Was liking the full floater, axle only having to do one job the housing supporting the weight of the car. Its not any absolute need with a car.

Yes, for a 3/4-ton and up truck, they're the way to go. I just built a Dana 60 with Timken hubs and drums, 4.10 gears and Powr-lok for my Studebaker.

No, for a street car, they're heavier than the hubs of hell, require a big bolt circle wheel and are way overkill. That's why Ford used the regular axles and bearings in the 1/2t trucks.

Maybe, your car, your money, your decision. Anything can be made to fit anything if you have enough money and talent.

jack vines

[Big Rat Attack]

Was liking the full floater, axle only having to do one job the housing supporting the weight of the car. Its not any absolute need with a car.

Yes, for a 3/4-ton and up truck, they're the way to go. I just built a Dana 60 with Timken hubs and drums, 4.10 gears and Powr-lok for my Studebaker.

No, for a street car, they're heavier than the hubs of hell, require a big bolt circle wheel and are way overkill. That's why Ford used the regular axles and bearings in the 1/2t trucks.

Maybe, your car, your money, your decision. Anything can be made to fit anything if you have enough money and talent. Money is in short supply i do have reasonably good fabrication skill.

jack vines

[Big Rat Attack]

Was liking the full floater, axle only having to do one job the housing supporting the weight of the car. Its not any absolute need with a car.

Yes, for a 3/4-ton and up truck, they're the way to go. I just built a Dana 60 with Timken hubs and drums, 4.10 gears and Powr-lok for my Studebaker.

No, for a street car, they're heavier than the hubs of hell, require a big bolt circle wheel and are way overkill. That's why Ford used the regular axles and bearings in the 1/2t trucks.

Maybe, your car, your money, your decision. Anything can be made to fit anything if you have enough money and talent.

jack vines

The full floater only makes best sense on say a one ton pickup thats really hauling some weight. Far as i know the dana 60 has always been a good rear end. Will see if i can find one. I assume they don't have some damn clip holding the axles in ? Money is in short supply i do have some reasonably good fabrication skill.

[Supershafts]

When you watch those tv shows and think you can do it also.....

You are better off spending the money at strange, everyone that watches these leaving steps out tv shows always winds up with more problems.
I have fixed more or peoples "i watched it on extreme off-road" or "watched them hammer a motor together on hot rod tv" just to have them spend 2 times more then it would have cost once. . .

every weld you do will move the tubes, without a good welding table or strong table to hold truing fixture and a good diff truing fixture you're going to have a performance robbing rear, and even then it could move and you may need to adjust it

[flyingwedge]

Probably not going to have $2,000.00 + to just order a new rearend to the specs i would like to have.

The weight or brand of rear would not matter to me only a lot of strength. still end up a street strip car

Can i go to the salvage yard find an eight lug full floater pick up rear. I would want to narrow it be able to get shorter axles and a hub to mount five lug 4 1/2 bolt pattern. Drum brakes or disc would be fine no anti skid wanted.

Would like to start out with at least a 4.11 posi type rear. Something probably easy to find out of one ton pickups. Lowering gearing then that would even be better.

Any thoughts to advantages of different brand verisions.

I'm going to want to cut stuff off the housing mount coil overs and a 4 bar, not a four link. something i should be able to do to any of them

Have worked on 18 wheelers for yrs but my knowledge on car or pickup rear ends is next to nothing.

>>Good news with Dana 60 is they will swallow Mopar 8 3/4 semi floating axles,(same spline). Grab used axles of the right length, new aftermarket housing ends, be skilled about your welding, and away you go ! Good Luck, flyingwedge.

[MONZAZ]

What car is the application your working with?

Is this an all out DRAG race application?

That will help determine the size of the rear you will need.

We race a 2725# car and with a 10 bolt 8.5 we can do 10.50's all day and night BUT a 4000# vehicle will be quite a different deal. Not to say the rear will not hold BUT up grading other parts would be necessary.

a 14 BOLT 10.5 FF rear will add Sooo much weight you will actually be Losing ET in a race application and put more strain on the motor and trans just to move these parts Quickly. You will loose the feel for the road with a LARGE hulk of soild stell mass in the rear throwing the balance of the car all off too.

Really find your application and build to to the top of what you need. No more no less.

Trying to help

If your just asking if it can be done....That would be YES we do it all the time - We use the 14 bolt semi floater rear to make Camaro and nova rear out of all the time for the 800+ hP cars around here. When they want it be all GM - DAna 60 also is a good rear...

Problem with the 10.5 is they are usually more money as all the Off Roader want them - No one wants the semi floater 14 bolt 9.5 rears which are HUGE compared to all car rears. We put Moser billet end on and fill that rear with race alloy axles 33 35 or more depending on thew applications...Most of the tiime we can stay in the 2000.00 range with NEW parts.

Jim
JD