Rear end advice

[Gussie]

Hello All...looking for opinion on what I should do to my 14 bolt semi float rear-end for my resto. I have no idea about the co dition of it however the former owner said it drove well before he parked in barn for 20 years. I was planning g on changing the wheel bearing/seals and pinion seal but do u think I should do more since the rear-end is currently off the truck? I want to do on a budget but also be smart too. Thanks

 

[PrairieDrifter]

Inspect. Do seals and axle bearings and run it.

 

[ali_c20]

Inspect. Do seals and axle bearings and run it.

And clean it. I would add a drain plug to the diff cover.

 

[Blue Ox]

Is it leaking? If it isn't I'd probably just clean it, paint it and run it. Maybe do an oil change. That way you can see what kind of shape the innards are in, and whether it has a gov-bomb or not. Just so you're prepared. BTW, they like synthetic oil.

 

[Grit dog]

I wouldn’t do anything except new oil and paint it unless it needed it….
I guess you could do new pinion and axle seals but if it’s not leaking it might not for another 20 years.
Everyone seems to want the FF axles real bad. Unless hauling 3klbs + of payload around, regularly, the SF axle is very stout.

 

[JT58]

Yep, just clean around it, pop the cover off, change the fluid, new gasket, refill. I did that on my 87 and had extra work- the re-fill plug hex was stripped. Fluid was never changed in I don't know how many miles. I had to drill it out. Fluid was so bad I had to change it, clean the diff out drive it for a awhile, then change it again. No issues though, all is fine. Very stout rear diff!

 

[PrairieDrifter]

I wouldn’t do anything except new oil and paint it unless it needed it….
I guess you could do new pinion and axle seals but if it’s not leaking it might not for another 20 years.
Everyone seems to want the FF axles real bad. Unless hauling 3klbs + of payload around, regularly, the SF axle is very stout.

I believe the main reason is the c-clips. I know I sure as hell don't want to chunk an entire wheel and axle shaft off my truck and take out the bedside and axle.

 

[Grit dog]

I believe the main reason is the c-clips. I know I sure as hell don't want to chunk an entire wheel and axle shaft off my truck and take out the bedside and axle.

Agree, not as bulletproof as a FF axle, but I can’t think of the last time I saw a 14bolt SF blow a clip and spit an axle/wheel out.
Like never. Even when I worked for an outfit they thought anything with an 8’ bed could carry 3 cy of dirt or gravel…every day.

 

[Bextreme04]

Agree, not as bulletproof as a FF axle, but I can’t think of the last time I saw a 14bolt SF blow a clip and spit an axle/wheel out.
Like never. Even when I worked for an outfit they thought anything with an 8’ bed could carry 3 cy of dirt or gravel…every day.

Its not really about blowing the clip. Its the fact that the clip is the only thing holding it in and the axle itself is riding on the bearing at the end of the axle tube. This puts a load on the middle of the axle while it is rotating, so if you have big power or are shock loading the axle, it can twist the axle in the middle. If the axle twists and breaks in the middle, it now has no retention and the half attached to the wheel will exit the axle.

I agree that the 14SF is a pretty stout axle and you don't really see this happen with them. It is fairly common to see happen in drag racing or rock crawlers with 10 bolts though.

 

[Grit dog]

^Exactly. That was my point.
No, they aren’t as stout as a FF axle but they are very reliable and strong.
But depending on what I’m working on or building, sometimes I’m a make it bulletproof, belt and suspenders guy, but I’ve come to learn a lot of things don’t “need” to be done if they’re good enough for the application.
Tends to save a few (hundreds, thousands of tens of thousands) bucks as well.

 

[SquareRoot]

I put dana 60/14FF, 13"x 3" drums, 1350 series custom shafts, nv4500, ORD shock braces, ORD 1.5 Tie Rods, Steering Box Brace Kit and a whole slew of overbuilt parts on my truck. Did I actually need any of it for a mostly daily driver? Nope! But when I do offroad, I like the fact that my stout 350 is the weak link in the chain.

 

[CalSgt]

I wouldn’t do anything except new oil and paint it unless it needed it….
I guess you could do new pinion and axle seals but if it’s not leaking it might not for another 20 years.
Everyone seems to want the FF axles real bad. Unless hauling 3klbs + of payload around, regularly, the SF axle is very stout.

^^^^ This

Axle seals are a fairly straight forward but I'd leave the pinion seal alone if it isn't leaking, and R&P have good wear pattern. Pulling the carrier and pinion to replace a pinion seal can open a can of worms if you don't set pinion bearing preload correctly or don't get shims back in correctly.

 

[Gussie]

Well after inspection the spider gears were shot so rebuilt it. Feel good for doing and it was nice to see it all done and painted hooked back up under the frame...finally!

 

[GTX63]

Speaking as someone who worked on these trucks back when they were still being sold new, I never, repeat, never saw an axle come out of a reasonably driven and maintained squarebody.
I have driven K10s with no bearing at all and the c clip did it's job.

The 10 bolt and 12 bolt semi floating axles are strong and dependable units. It the guy before you was rock climbing, mugg bogging and gear slamming then yeah, most anything like that will show abuse.

As has already been stated multiple times, if a rear end has been sitting for 20 years, it is cheap maintenance to drain the gear oil, flush the tubes and the carrier, replace the bearings and seals and then send it.