How hard would it be to 'convert' my 14 bolt to DRW? I have a frame and front end that was dually and I want to keep it. Originally the 14-bolt came out of a 3/4 ton w. SRW. I'm already working on "modifying" the perches to fit the narrower 1-ton frame I have. Body aside what do I need? I'm probably going to stay with drums since I will be towing more than wheeling.

You doing a pickup or a flatdeck?

If you are doing a pickup (i.e. want 4' between the inside fenders) you need a wider axle, or run spacers.

For a flatdeck your options are very flexible.

Just find a DRW 14 bolt, surely they can't be that hard to find in a junkyard. Either that or a find a dually with a Dana 70.

I'll be doing a flatbed so space between fenders won't matter. As far as I can see just flipping the wheels face to face should work but I don't know if this is safe or if there's something else I should do.

Yeah, I could spend more $ on another 14b or d70 but I don't want to :) This one's in good shape so if I can use it I will.

You need the clamping ring and the oversize lugnuts.

16" or 16.5" DRW wheels normally don't fit with the 13" SRW drums. 19.5" wheels might do it, 11" drums will work. You may have to revamp the brakes or run a spacer.

Just bolting the dually wheels on won't work. Even if the dually wheels did clear the brakes, you'd still have that issue of needing a different type of lugs and longer studs. Read billavista's 14B bible to see the different hubs and axle shafts that have been used. http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/14b_bible/index.html

[QUOTE=u2slow;6643901]

16" or 16.5" DRW wheels normally don't fit with the 13" SRW drums. 19.5" wheels might do it QUOTE]

Now, that would be cool for a tow rig. I've seen the 19.5's on tow rigs and they look sweet.

OK - I'm a tard. I managed to 'massage' the mating surface from axle to hub a bit today removing the studs. It's not so bad it won't seal. I don't think. With some RTV. Nothing that goes from inner to outer but... maybe hoping for too much...

I don't know how much of a challenge finding studs is going to be. Diameter doesn't seem to be the issue... I'm considering leaving it SRW but I really don't want to. With 3/4 to 1 inch of spacer the stock brakes and dually wheels would fit - it'd be tight but they'd fit. 19.5" would clear easilly unless they're much larger on the inside wheel diameter than I think they are - the stock setup almost works - it's about 1/4" too tight.

OK - I'm a tard. I managed to 'massage' the mating surface from axle to hub a bit today removing the studs. It's not so bad it won't seal. I don't think. With some RTV. Nothing that goes from inner to outer but... maybe hoping for too much...

I am courious as to what you mean by "massage"......what was massaged? The mating surface between axle and hub??? That does NOT sound to good. Did you try and shorten the hub body? That would not work anyway so I am SURE that was not it. You've got some "splaining" to do.

Heh. Too much hammer trying to take the studs out. I managed to peen over the outer edge of the mating surface in a few places.

I was surprised it peened over so easilly. My fault... :( It isn't going to matter. I'm going to get a DRW axle. It's just not worth buying perches, rewelding them, moving the shock brackets (which are also wrong) etc. I -did- for my $200 learn a lot about the axle and I have a perfectly workable center section if I need one. Too, the DRW's I'm seeing are all in the 4.+ range and I want to use the 3.73 gears I have now. So far it appears they're the same.

Sounds like a good choice going with the new axle.

I recently did just what you're talking about.

A friend has one of those old Lance peanut (crackers, stc.) trucks. The housing was shot.

I took a srw axle and turned it into a drw axle. The overall length was only 1/2" different. That was probably because of the "new" axle. I mean new as in it was from a more recent model 20??, with all the extra webbing and such. I used the old hubs, made and relocated new brake mounting flanges. The perches stayed put. One shock bracket had to be moved to the other side.
I tried convincing him of the disc brake conversion, but instead he bought $250 worth of crap revamping the ginormous drum setup.

The interesting part is that when I went to put the seals into the hubs I noticed a difference. The new axles have a rawhide type seal. I lack the vocabulary to properly explain this, but the seal does not wear into the housing. The seal has a stationary rubber seal that pinches onto the housing, then there's a double lip seal within the seal, and it presses in like a normal lip seal. Neat as shit.

After finding this out, and lots of careful housing measurments, I bought some for my 14b that came from a 1978 m1008, and sure enough they fit.


I found those seals at napa. I can't remember the part number, but I'm pretty sure it's a standard part for the new 14b's.

Hey I just wondering why you where change it from single wheel to dually If you want to make it easier on you changing Ill trade you a dually front for your single wheel

The problem is I have a frame that was built for DRW (meaning the front's dually-configured for the offset) but a SRW 14 bolt.