Ok, new to the forum and I have just one question- I'm on somewhat of a budget and the time has come to swap out my rear axle(not by choice) and I need to know if a SF 14 bolt will hold up just fine or should I just shell out a couple more bucks and go with a 14b FF? My truck is a 95 z71, I attached a pic of it below, sorry about the crappy quality- Started out stock with the 350tbi/4l60e/np241c/ifs/10b rear. It currently sits with a mildly modded 350/sm465 granny tranny/np241/dana 44 sas(all work done from scratch iron by me) in front and the rear just grenaded its 3rd 10b. It's currently on 40"x17.5" ground hawgs but I plan to end up with 46"s After the third auto tranny, i decided to go with granny tranny stickshift, works like a champ- love that low gear :D I've been reading and am coming up on a lot of conflicting info for SF or FF- I dont do any rock crawling(no rocks to crawl on here in South Texas), mainly sand mud, and pulling stuck vehicles out of either one. I wanted to go with the SF because the one that I found is cheaper and because I get to stay with the 6x5.5 lug pattern but if it's not gonna hack it, i'd rather shell for the FF- so, with this combo and the 46's I have planned will the SF survive or should i go with the FF?:confused:
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8760/mybabyi.jpg

Well the SF 14 with a 9 1/2 ring gear is a C-clip axle and can hold up to some shit. But the 14 FF is a 10 1/2 ring gear and with your setup i bet you will never hurt it.. And even if you do then i bet it would only be a shaft. And there so easy to find there just about free where i am from. I dont even wheel my Chevy and i put a FF in the rear. I mean i did a gear swap and i got both axles for $300 But i wanted a ff anyways. :)

The full float more than likely will be cheaper to purchase than the semi-float

Around here the 14FF axles are a dime-a-dozen, but the 14SF 6-lug axles are much harder to find and usually go for more money (8-lug 14SF are the same as 14FF's in regards to price and availability).

The 14SF is substantially stronger than the 10-bolt and would probably hold up okay for your use the truck for in it's current form. I say that because you didn't mention having issues with the front D44 and the 14SF should hold up a lot better than the front axle. However you mention bigger tires down the road and in that case I would just get the 14FF. But again, you should also start looking at front axle upgrades if you want bigger tires because regardless of what rear axle you have I think the front will by far be the weak spot.

Overall I would say go ahead and get the 14FF and deal with converting the front axle to 8-lug and getting new rims (you can get 15" 8-lug rims but only in steel).

Like the 2 previous posters a 6 lug 14 SF will cost more than a 14FF. You can have your hubs, and shafts machined an redrilled for the 6-5.5 pattern. We just did this swap on my Buddy's Tahoe with IFS still up front.

that front 44 isnt gonna hold up to 46s i bet either so get ready to start going through those as well. if i were you i would start looking for a FF and dana 60

yep, I thought so- I'm pretty sure the d44 up front wont last but my first problem is the broken rear right now, so... i guess ill be going with the ff- need to start looking for some 15x12 steel rims for 8 lug- thanks for the info guys

full floaters are way more common too. Go to any junkyard and you can find them under the "short bus" GMC school buses, bread vans, vans, 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, both 2 and 4wd

yep, I thought so- I'm pretty sure the d44 up front wont last but my first problem is the broken rear right now, so... i guess ill be going with the ff- need to start looking for some 15x12 steel rims for 8 lug- thanks for the info guys

You can also 8 lug the front with parts from an 8 lug D44 or 10 bolt front. then upgrade to a 60 later when the 44 keeps having problems.

if your going with disk on the back and upgrading the front be aware of clearance issues with 15" rims

I got my FF for 125. Fairly cheap and strong. Its not quite done yet, but someones post brings up a ? I have the disc conversion done and have 15x10 rims. Is there gonna be any rubbing issues? i dont know the backspacing. Im looking for a 8 to 6 lug adapter giving me good clearance, if not or cost too much I may go with new rims. Thanks!

There is minimal to no clearance issues between 15" rims and the standard rear disc brake conversion on a 14FF using 1/2 or 3/4 ton calipers (same physical size) and 3/4 ton front rotors. The reason is that the caliper sit further inboard than on a front axle, so basically the same as wheels with less backspacing on the front. Some say very light touch-up with a grinder on the calipers, some say no issue at all.

The front axle is the place to be concerned with. 10-bolt or D44 in 3/4 ton (8-lug) form will require grinding with a rim within the standard 4-ish" BS. The less BS = less grinding, up to the point where no grinding is needed. Wheels with 2.5-2.75" BS are fairly common and should bolt right on.

Dana 60 fronts have more of a clearance issue and thus require a LOT of grinding for 15's in the 4-ish" BS range, but it can be done. I personally run 2.75" BS wheels and it required about 30 seconds with the grinder on each front caliper to make them fit, basically just cleaning off the casting flash.

I will say that my rims are only 8" wide (running 15.5" wide TSL's) because I didn't want the truck super wide. You probably aren't that concerned by the looks of your truck, but a 15x12 rims with 2.5" BS will stick out a lot.