Do I have a van 14 bolt?

[Grantshire]

Not much luck with the search function so will someone answer a couple of questions?

From my search I understand the following about the stock Dana 70 axle:

Backing plate to backing plate measurement = 55.5"

Perches are 52.5" apart (cralwed under Big Cheese and got 50.5"

WMS/WMS = 72.5" (have not measured mine)

I have a 14 bolt in the garage that a friend gave me; no idea what it is from and it will need a complete rebuild and gear swap. By my measurements it has:

Backing plate to backing plate = 56"

perches are 50" apart

WMS/WMS is 70"

Is this a standard 14 bolt or the van 14 bolt? With these measurement is this the axle width "that almost fits" but needs to be converted to discks? Who has the best deal on good quality disck conversions? I need the one without the e-brake system. Looking at them on ebay I see prices ranging from $275 to $500 for a complete setup.

I just got offered a completely rebuilt Dodge Dana 70 (everything replaced, new 3" brake shoes, 3/4" studs, etc.) with 4.10 gears and a limited slip in it for $200. The guy where my daughter keeps her horse bought it and rebuilt it to swap under his Dodge 1 ton dually horse hauler only to find out it was a single wheel axle and his duelly stuff won't fit. The measurements I made tonight on it are:

Backing plate to backing plate - 55.5"

perches are 43.5" apart

WMS/WMS is 64.5"

The Dodge 70 is 8" narrower than the stock 70 but I think the stock rims have about 5.5" of back spacing. My "new" Dana 60 front axle is also a Dodge and has 4.88 gearing but I don't know it's WMS/WMS measurement offhand. I think the 4.88 ratio is a good choice for the 6.2 and NV4500 with 38-40" tires (38's on it now). Should I/would you:

1. Rebuild the 70" 14 bolt with 4.88's and disc brakes;

2. Buy the rebuilt Dodge 70 and run it with drum brakes;

3. Buy a CUCV 14 bolt with the Detroit and 4.56 gears and regear the front Dodge 60 to 4.56 gears;

4. Do something else.

Lastly, does anyone have the backing plate to backing plate, perch width, and WMS/WMS specs for the CUCV and van 14 bolt axles?

As always, thank you for sharing your knowledge, experience and opinions.

[ryanroo]

my sort of intelligent answer is yes, you have a van rear end. the dodge d60 should have a WMS-WMS of around 67.5 i think. so they would be pretty close to the same, but you would be able to see a difference. if it were mine to do i would sell the dodge dana 60 and buy a chevy dana 60 that will have a WMS-WMS of 69.5" then i would rebuild them to the proper gearset and run the van rear end. with a diesel i would consider 4.56s and if you did that you could try to score a CUCV front and save a re-gear on the front. the 14b FF rear is one of the simpler rears to swap gears on too, so that is good.

if i was you i would wash my hands of the entire deal, drag that orange truck to Bayfield CO and drop it off at avalanche engineering. i know a guy there that will take care of it. just make sure you sign the title
Ryan

[guswheels]

I Had Just Sold A Single Wheel Dodge Dana 60 Frontend.that One Had A W.m.s To W.m.s Of 63".it Was Out Of A Mid 80s Truck.check The 14 Bolt Bible On Pirate 4x4.pretty Much Everything There Is To Know About Gm 14 Bolts. As Far As The 14b Disc Conversion.i Got Everything At My Local Napa And It Was Less Than 125 $$ In Parts.thats Calipers And All! It Cost Me Less Than 200.00 For My Rear Disc Conversion. Like Ryan Said I Would Keep Your Rear And Just Pick Up A Gm 60 Front. Mike

[Grantshire]

I Had Just Sold A Single Wheel Dodge Dana 60 Frontend.that One Had A W.m.s To W.m.s Of 63".it Was Out Of A Mid 80s Truck.check The 14 Bolt Bible On Pirate 4x4.pretty Much Everything There Is To Know About Gm 14 Bolts. As Far As The 14b Disc Conversion.i Got Everything At My Local Napa And It Was Less Than 125 $$ In Parts.thats Calipers And All! It Cost Me Less Than 200.00 For My Rear Disc Conversion. Like Ryan Said I Would Keep Your Rear And Just Pick Up A Gm 60 Front. Mike

Thanks, I forgot about Pirate. I stopped visiting the site because I find the flaming distracting. The 14 bolt and Dana 60 bibles will answer a lot of my questions.

Is there a parts list somewhere of all the necessary conversion parts? Is this a bolt-on or will there be welding required?

[guswheels]

Yeah Im Pretty Sure The Bible Lists The Exact Years To Get The Rotors And Calipers Off Of.i Used Rotors And Calipers From A 78 K20 Frontend.i Used Bolt On Brackets But Weld On Are Available To If You Would Rather.a Whole Bunch Of People Make The Bolt On Brackets,blue Torch Fab Works,great Lakes Offroad,diy4x To Name A Few.the Brackets Only Cost Me Like 60ish I Belive. Mike