Crane Hi Clearance 14bolt FF steering axle

[mrjohnwayne]

Have any of y'all heard of this? :cough: 75??:cough:

I was watching a recorded episode of Extreme 4x4 last night and saw a bit where they are doing their "budget build" extreme TJ. they took a gm corporate FF 14 bolt and with a kit from Crane Hi Clearance converted it to a steering axle with some chromo inner c's and kingpin style knuckles.

Would this be a better axle than a D60? For the price of a well built D60 you could do the same with a 14Bolt


That would the pro's and cons be?

I can get 14bolts all day long down here for cheap.

[2.5chevy]

dana 60 axles are overpriced. 1000 dollars buys a stocker in **** poor shape. lol! i bought four rockwell axles for 600 bucks, two steers and two rears.

this axle would be way better than a 60, as long as the proper axle joints were used. the strength of a steer axle is ultimately decided be the strength of the joint wich, in most cases/axles, is the weak link.

the carrier in the 14 bolt ff is at least twice as big and strong as the dana 60 as well as the size of the bearings and races.

the ring gear and pinion are also much beefier and the pinion bearing support design is much better than the dana 60 axle as it has a more evenly distributed load bearing surface due to the placement of the bearings themselves.

all of this makes the 14 bolt ff stronger by design and the only downside is the clearance of the diff housing due to the 10.5 inch ring gear, which can be easily dealt with.

these features along with the abundance and affordability of the parts and the ease with wich the 14 bolt can be tore down and set up due to the removable 3rd member, threaded backlash adjusters, and crush sleeve pinion preload setting make it a much more user friendly axle than dana series axles.

with chromo kingpin outers, chromo shafts, and a good sized steeering joint this thing would be a ******* beast, compared to a dana 60, and with more desirable features to boot. the only questions i would be asking is where do i get one and how much.

i like the sound of this build! do it!

[junior3382]

You know I saw that same project. although what interested me was the make shift drive shafts they made out of square tubing.... thought that was great...lol.... However on the axles, I think I missed that part, but from I have read here on these two posts that they took a solid straight axle and converted it into a steering axle? Sounds simple enough, and cool. Is this for a front axle, or for rear steering? cause 4 wheel steering would be awesome. But seriously, the square tubing for the drive shafts was awesome...

[2.5chevy]

i have a bud with a B A jeep and he runs 2-2.5 inch square .250 wall driveshaft and the are tough as ****! ive seen him grind rocks down with em and keep goin! he builds em himself!

[junior3382]

Yeah, from what i saw, thay look simple to build, the only downside I have seen on them is that they are almost impossible to balance and therefore no good for street driving, only off roading, but from the looks of the parts i am getting for my truck, and the way this project is begginign to pan out, it may never be street legal again.... so I may just try it! LOL

[mrjohnwayne]

My intent is to use it as a front axle.

[75K30]

Here is the way I see this application. Using a rear axle up front has some disadvantages. The gears will be running / pullingon the coast side of the gear, and this is not quite as strong as it was designed to do. This is why the high pinion fron axle is desireable. You kill about 20 percent of the strength by doing this.
The other problem I see is that a rear axle lacks inner axle seals, and the tubes are "wet" so this might be a problem with a front axle application.
I have seen this becoming more and more poular, and am just a little sceptical.
I love the 14B axle, (oh the center section is not removable as indicated above), but would think twice about making use of one up front.
Now a high 9 40 spline unit might be an option, and perhaps some crazy custom knuckles like this:


Would be killer. Believe it or not, the 9 inch ring and pinion in the hi-9 is actually stronger, much stronger than the D60, and might rival some 1 ton axles. All with a small package so ground clearance is no longer an issue.
Breaking D60's F's is not an easy thing to do (though I have broken several and have a busted one now) you have to have some real beans to bust a built one.
Cost might become a real issue with hybrid style axles.
Finding parts while on the trail can present problems too.
Dynatrac has a D80 front,,,,,,hmmmmm.

[2.5chevy]

6 bolts removes the housing that holds the pinion and all the bearings as a complete unit w/o having to reset anything.

thats what i am referring to as a third member but perhaps i use the wrong terminology.

your right though, i would think that a reverse cut gearset would have to be used if you would run it in the front. i didnt know you wanted it in the front. thought you just wanted 4 wheel steer.

the dana 80 is so **** expensive!

if you start spending that kinda money and the axle weight starts pushing 600 lbs why not run a rockwell? cheap and strong great driveline angles and my driveshafts never hit anything. cant beat em. (but you can break em with 49s)

[75K30]

I am not even sure that the OP was refering to a front axle application. I have seen these in rear steer applications, and only sharing some concerns if it was used in the front.
I am still not sure what was refered to when the term Third member is used. This to me represents a complete center section that can be removed like a 9 inch. While the 14B is similar to the 9 inch, its "carrier" still installs like a conventional Dana axle.
The main caps are still the only thing that holds the carrier in. The last two bolts hold the lash adjusters retaining bolts. The carrier removes just like any conventional carrier.



I have nothing againts "rockies" an really like them, but they require quite a bit of work to make right and run in a street driven vehicle. 4 wheel disc brakes are not cheap, and buying new wheels because of the 6 lug pattern can get spendy. Most fellas have 8 lug wheels already, and perhaps 8 lug hubs can be made for the rockwell, but again this adds to the cost.
Clearance is another big issue when using these things, and uptravel is limited just because of its sheer size. Many trucks have to be lifted quite a bit to clear the front crossmember and oil pan.
Total axle width is also a draw back if keeping a vehicle street legal. These axles are a bit too wide, and have to be cut down so two short side axles can be used.
More work than meets the eye to get these to work well in a vehicle that can retain street manners and keep a license plate.
I make lots of stuff for the rockwell axle and I am a fan, but this axle has its place, and more times than not, in a street driven vehicle, it is not its best arena.
Here is a diff cover that I make for this axle;

[mrjohnwayne]

I still don't know what I want to do. aint got the money anyways, just trying to get some ideas and research.

Thanks!