SAS parts suppliers..... 14BFF Swap, Info and pics!

[LPG PWRD]

I want to start a thread to help each other out with letting everyone know of offroad parts suppliers. Some aren't as well known as others yet they have really good products, prices and services. This will hopefully help the difficult parts collection for the SAS process. Post up whatever places you have dealt with, I would like to find some more options for my build as well. Please do not rate/bash any that are listed, just inform each other who all is out there. Here are a few I have come across….

Pirate4x4 Tech:

-Good Dana 60 info, axle lists, Parts.

-14BFF Bible

-14B Gear setup


Solid Axle Swap kit suppliers:

-Offroad Unlimited: SAS kits (bolt-on), crossover steering, wheels, tires, lift kits, bumpers, brake parts, gears

-Off-Road Direct: SAS kits (bolt-on), crossover steering

-SKY-Manufacturing: SAS kits (weld-on), crossover steering, shackle flip, brake parts

-FABRITECH Motorsports : SAS kits, ladder bars, axle trusses

-Cage offroad : SAS kits (coil kit)


Axle parts suppliers:

-Extreme Axle Sales: practically any axle part you may need for almost every axle, gears

-Parts Mike: High steer kits, D60 spring-less kits, advance adapters, axles parts

-Randy’s Ring & Pinion: Axle parts, gears, lockers

-Performance Off Road Center : own brand of gears, lockers, axle parts, wheels, tires, winches

-Great Lake Offroad - Indestructible Differential Covers, Pinion guards, spring perches, DIY Beadlocks, formed sheetmetal parts.


Suspension parts suppliers:

-Offroad Design: Shackle flip, zero rate, crossover and high steer kits, steering braces, brake parts

-DIY4X: Custom Fabricated parts, HD shackles, shackle flips, brake brackets, fab tabs and gussets, drivetrain trusses, anti-wrap systems

-Tellico 4x4: Lift kits, winches, bumpers, gears, general offroad retailer

-Shaffers Offroad : Axles Shafts & U-joints, Complete Axles, Diablo Chassis, Diff Protection, Fabrication Parts, Gears & Lockers, Limit Straps, Rod Ends and Flex Joints, Transfer Cases & Gears, Wheels and Bead Locks, Winches

-PSC Motorsports: Hydraulic assist, Full hydraulic, steering kits, cylinders, pumps, reservoirs, tie rod kits & parts

-Discount Hydraulic Hose: Any hydraulic part you could need, hose, fittings, crimpers, filters

-Speedway Motors - Suspension & Race parts [FAST Shipping!]

-Southwest Speed Shop - Suspension & Race parts, Brake parts, fittings, etc.


Fabrication parts suppliers:
(for custom building your own suspension)

-Poly Performance: wheels, tires, winches, gears, drivetrain, lockers, general off road retailer, tubing and link material

-Ruff Stuff Specialties : Tons of fabrication materials, axle trusses, shock towers, axle swap kits, fab tabs & gussets

-Blue Torch Fabworks : almost any and every fabrication material you could think of, Rockwell axle fabed parts, rod ends, gussets, trusses

-AtoZ Fabrication : Tons of DIY Fabrication Parts

-AA-Manufacturing : Chrome-moly 4130, gussets, heims, nuts and spacer bushings, shock mounts, tabs, gussets

-Ballistic Fabrication: all kinds of fab parts to make your own 4 or 3 link setup and coils

-Copperhead Fabrication - Plasma cut tabs, gussets, beadlocks, sheetmetal parts.


Driveline suppliers:

-High Angle Driveline: Driveline brakes, custom driveshafts, high angle CVs

-J.E. Reel Drive Line Specialists: 1350 C.V. Drivelines


Please post any I do not have listed as there are so many out there that I have never heard of.



14B U-joint info:

Universal joints:
Swapping a 14 bolt in place of a 10 bolt can get a little tricky to some because of the possible need for a conversion U joint. All 14 bolts that i have seen, both SF and FF, use a Spicer 1350 U joint. With this said, GM doesn't commonly use a Spicer 1350 joint on 1/2 ton trucks, most commonly they use a Saginaw S44 joint. I have however seen Spicer 1310 joints, and the occasional Spicer 1330.

Obtaining a positive ID on the joint isn't hard at all, just pull the joint, and measure it. If by chance you have stock U joints, you'll have to take a torch, and heat the caps up until all of the nylon melts out of the driveshaft and oozes out of the holes. Rather than using a retainer clip like the replacement joints do, GM uses an injected nylon retainer. Now that you've got the U joint out, you can measure it and see what it actually is. Here are the specs of the 4 above joints:

Saginaw S44: Cap diameter- 1.125", Lockup - Internal (clips inside the yoke) 2.556"
Spicer 1310: Cap diameter - 1.063", Lockup - External (clips outside the yoke) 3.219"
Spicer 1330: Cap diameter - 1.063", lockup - External 3.622"
Spicer 1350: Cap diameter - 1.188", Lockup - External 3.622"

Now that you have determined the stock U joint, you can find which conversion joint you need:

Straight Size Joints:
S44 Neapco PN: 2-3011
1310 Neapco PN: 1-0153
1330 Neapco PN: 2-4800
1350 Neapco PN: 2-0053

Conversion Joints:
S44 to 1350 is Neapco PN 2-1153
1310 to 1350 is Neapco PN 3-3140
1330 to 1350 is Neapco PN 2-3050

If by chance you have any other combination, which would be an extremely rare case, you can look up the joints by size here: http://www.aawheel.com/SiteResources...oUniversal.pdf Dimensional listings start on page 260.

Info thanks to GreaseDog

[BigRed05]

I had to write a Instruction Manual for my Technical Writing class that is required in my major, and I wrote about how to swap in a 14 bolt. So Just Ignore any of the stupid *warnings* in the paper. I had to do it for full credit. So here is my junk.






- Must be a qualified welder to take on this project
- If not qualified have a certified welder complete all welding task
- Vehicle handling may change as a result of modifications; use caution when driving
- Author of article is in no way responsible for injury or malfunction of vehicle due to one’s choice to modify his/her own vehicle.
- Make sure vehicle is securely lifted and sturdy before starting to work underneath it.
- Must be confident in using a plasma/cutting torch
- Must have allotted time period, as project could take up to two weekends.
- DO NOT attempt project if one does not have access to the following: vehicle jack stands, or funds to fully complete project.








Required Tool List

- Assortment of SAE and Metric sockets
- Assortment of SAE and Metric wrenches
- Breaker bar
- Ft/lb Torque wrench
- In/lb Torque wrench
- Stick welding machine
- Proper welding clothing
- Welding helmet
- 6011 1/8” welding rod (for 14 bolt grey iron, if you weld the tubes)
- Plasma cutter
- Torch
- Sawzall
- Grinding/cutting wheel
- Extra grinding and cutting wheels (trust me you need a good bit) 3 grinding, 8 cutting should be plenty
- Assortment of Philips and flathead screwdrivers
- Snap ring pliers
- Pliers
- Zip Ties
- Crescent wrenches
- Air hammer
- Compressor
- At least 5 jack stands
- Floor jack
- 14 bolt hub socket
- Dial caliper
- Backlash indicator
- Assortment of hammers
- Oil pan






Materials List

- 14 bolt full floating axle 10.5” ring gear
- Ring and pinion gear set of your choice (I run 5.38s with 41” tires)
- Master gear install kit
- Locker of your choice
- Disk brake kit from Tangent design
- New hub seals and bearings from Napa
- Shock tabs from Ruff Stuff Specialties
- Spring pad perches from Ruff Stuff Specialties
- U-Bolts from Ruff Stuff Specialties
- Pinion Guard from Blue Torch Fab
- 6” Lonestar shackle from Diy4x.com
- Shackle flip from Off Road Design
- 1350 driveshaft U-joint
- 1350 Yolk
- 14 bolt differential cover (I run one from Solid.com)
- 28” stainless steel brake line
- Axle hard brake lines 20” passenger side, 18” driver side
- Zero rate from Off Road Design
- Case of Royal Purple gear oil
- Pair of shocks, (I run 12” travel Bilstiens)
- Pair of Alcan custom leaf springs
- Black RTV sealant


Step 1: Find a 14 bolt full floating axle at your local junkyard. You will be able to find them in a full size GM heavy duty ¾ ton or in any 1 ton pickup. A 14 full floater is easily identified by its housing shape and bolt in axle shafts.







STEP 2: Now that you have your 14 bolt axle, its time to clean it up and completely rebuild it. First remove all the old brake lines and breather tubes. Then take a wire wheel to the axle and grind off the dirt, rust, and grease.




Step 3: Drain old gear oil and remove axle shafts







STEP 4: Now comes the fun part, removing the old spring perches and shock mounts. This will take a good amount of time, so break out the grinder, cutting wheels and sawzall. You must grind the axle smooth.





Be prepared for a long night of grinding!!


STEP 5: At this time, if you wish, you can “shave” your 14 bolt. Even though they are known as one of the strongest and most reliable rear axles, they do suffer from low ground clearance. Simply flip your housing upside down and go to town with a grinding wheel. I took about 1-1/8” off of mine.
(some people go extreme and cut and reweld a new bottom on the 14 bolt, search pirate)

[BigRed05]

STEP 6: Now it is time to remove your old 10 bolt ½ ton axle, leaf springs, and stock leaf spring hangers. Here is a picture demonstrating why I changed to a 1 ton rear end. I kept breaking the ring and pinion.





STEP 7: Now it is time to install ORD shackle flip and custom Alcan leaf springs. First, you must use a grinder to grind the rivets and an air hammer to knock out the old rivets on the compression shackle. Next bolt up the ORD shackle flip, and 6” lonestar shackle. Then install your new leaf springs.

Stock compression shackle



Shackle flip with lonestar shackle






New Alcan leaf springs



Step 8: Now install a zero rate to move the axle 1.5” backwards, as the shackle flip moves the axle forward .

[BigRed05]

STEP 9: Now with your new rear suspension setup installed; it is time to mock up your axle. At this point you will find your pinion angle by rotating the axle on your leaf spring perches. Jack up the axle so that the weight of the truck is on the axle. This will allow you to find the Pinion angle at ride height. You will need to find the angle by having a linear line to your transfer case output. At this time, tack weld on the leaf spring perches. With the weight of the truck still on the axle, find your shock mount positions, also tack weld them into place. Next remove axle housing from vehicle and fully weld leaf spring and shock mounts.

*Optional* Looking at the picture below you can see I welded the axle tubes into the housing itself and plug weld all the press joints. This is done because under extreme situations the axle tubes can twist out of the housing. (Unlikely) Warning- Use caution when welding axle center section. It is made of grey iron and must be pre-heated to 500 degrees, welded with a high nickel welding rod, and post heated. It is recommended to use a stick rod for deep penetration







Note: the cover is not bolted on, just a few bolts threaded in to protect the guts





My Welds on the perches





STEP 10: Now that everything is welded, paint the axle with a final coat of primer. Tape off spindles so no paint gets on the spindle.

Kind of a cool picture I thought




STEP 11: Time to paint with your two part paint from POR15. Allow at least two full days for paint to fully harden. Read POR HARDNOSE instructions WARNING Do not get this paint on your hands



STEP 12: At this point, once the axle is dry, install your gears and locker of your choice.
WARNING If you are not confident in checking backlash, pinion depth, pinion preload, or gear pattern, have an experienced mechanic do the gear installation. ( I didnt write how to do gears in my paper, because it was to long already, If you need help go to the Pirate Tech section and read 14 bolt gear insatll. No need for me to re invent the wheel)

STEP 13: Install differential cover and pinion guard





STEP 14: Now install axle in truck, and attach driveshaft. My truck already had a 1350 joint in it, So there was no need for a conversion joint.



STEP 15: With everything bolted up, install the disk brake kit







The DOM tubing is a spacer used with the kit to offset the caliper brackets from the axle for alignment in the rotor.


STEP 16: Now mount your shocks to the axle, and tighten U-bolts to U-bolt plates above leaf springs.



Pictured is my old 14" shocks, they were to long and I am running the 11.5" travel bilstiens now.

[BigRed05]

STEP 17: Now bolt up your wheels and tires, and fill the axle with gear oil. You are ready to enjoy the durability and great ride from your new improvement on your truck!! Enjoy!!







I didnt take pictures of some important things. The hubs should be tottally rebuilt. And can be a PITA. You must remove the snap ring inside the hub and then remove the races and bearings (have fun). Then pound in the new ones. Make sure you put everything in the right way. Then press in a new seal. I pressed in both seals the exact same way, and for some reason one leaked. Before investing into a speedy sleeve I slide hammered out the old seal and installed a new one. No more leaks.

I wanted to post a few pictures of the hubs going back on and suck so here are some other random pictures I took.

Note Spindle nuts torque to 50 ft/lbs
Axle shaft bolts to 115
Pinion assembly 65





Parts from Ruff Stuff specialties


Here is the 14 bolt Bible for any questions I wansnt clear on
http://pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista...ble/index.html

[RnuovZ71]

If you guys Have more links for SAS parts suppliers or any good tech write ups, Please PM them to me! and I'll put them in the 1st post.

Thanks to all that have helped with suppliers, And write ups.