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Fred Heath Galavan axle swap questions


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I know you have a detailed post somewhere on this forum but I have not been able to find it.  All I am finding is the one I included.  A few questions even though you likely answer them in the post I cannot find.

Did you have to narrow the axle you used? If not, what did it come out of?

Did you make any attempts to make the front wheels match the rear?

The reason I am asking is not for a Toyota.  I am building another Chinook but on to a 1998 Chevy S10.  I've been wanting to try this for a long time.  The Chevy has a 2.2 liter engine but with more horse and torque then the original Toyota 2.2.  With the higher tech, I want to see how it does with fuel mileage.  It also comes with power-steering which I want.  I am going to cut the frame and lengthen the truck by 6" so it fits the Chinook.  Main hurdle right now (at least in my mind) is finding a better rear-axle for it.  The original rear-axle is even less durable then the one Toyota quit using in 1974.  So the 5 bolt axle like your Galavan had when new would be an "upgrade" over what this S10 has.  So, I am exploring possibilities.  There are many Websites and forums that discuss beefing up S10 rear-axles for V8 swaps but the focus is on handling power, not weight.  

A full-floater would be great, but not necessary.  A good semi-floater with stronger axles would also work.   The catch is - I'd like to find something narrow enough to fit properly.  A BIG plus would be to find something with the OEM wheel-bolt-pattern.   Tiger and Aerolite made RV on Chevy Astrovans and I wonder if they did anything to beef up the rears?

Just exploring possibilities. I know one person on this forum who has an S10 mini-micro wound up putting a Toyota full-floater in his.

Do you still have 8 lug wheels on your rear? I heard some companies sell new axles with the end flanges not drilled - for full-floaters like Dana 60s.  This way you can drill for near any wheel-bolt pattern you want.  They are also very expensive, and I am cheap.

 

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JD,

Axle is off a 1977 GM 2500. The track is approximately 74" with singles. Same as my galavan with the foolies.

Right now I'm running 8 lug in the rear with 15" steel wheels. Regular Toyota 5 lug in the front.

I believe the 6 lug semi-float GM axle is the same width. (not sure).

The Jeep wheel adapters would work as they're 5 x 4.5. The problem is they're about 2" thick. Tried them on the front, but made the wheels stick out too far.

Eventually going to have some custom adapters made out of 1/2" steel. They will transition the 5 lug to 8 lug. For now, I'm carrying 2 spares.

The axle required no modifications other than moving the spring perch(s). E-brake cable and rear drive shaft had to be fabricated. Toyota has a weird drive shaft diameter and standard adapters will not work. With the S-10 you may not have the same issues.

Edited by fred heath
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Thanks Fred and Back East Don.   I thought maybe you found a narrow axle. I see now you went wide since the outside distance between tires worked out the same as when you had duallies.  I'm not sure if doing that has any effect on handling or not (when single tire track is much wider in the rear).  I guess since you have done it, you know.   I have a FF sitting here from a Ford F250 HD.  Center of tire to center of tire is 65 3/4"   The S10 is 54 3/4" .  Toyota FF dually is 62 1/2".     Toyota dually measurement from the outside of the tires is 77 1/2".  Ford F250 is 75".    The S10 is 64 1/2".

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JD,

If anything, it's tighter than the duel wheels. You just have to be sure your tires have heavy duty sidewalls.

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Hey, maybe better in fresh snow?  I know, not a big selling point.  But I bet if you drive in fresh snow, the rear tires don't hardly fall into the front tire tracks.

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20 minutes ago, jdemaris said:

Hey, maybe better in fresh snow?  I know, not a big selling point.  But I bet if you drive in fresh snow, the rear tires don't hardly fall into the front tire tracks.

???

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  • 3 years later...

So I am looking into a single wheel solution for my original 5 lug dually. - have a 18 ft Sunrader that weighs 4500 lbs with full tanks but no people or gear. GVWR is 4600 lbs , although it was sprung for 5800. I believe the brakes are the limiting factor on the weight rating. Regardless,  I will be more confident with a new axle setup and a brake upgrade. Toyota 1 ton dually axles are very rare up here in Canada so a single wheel solution is the most practical route. I want to maintain the wider track of the original set and was wondering what measurements folks might have. My rig currently has wider tiers that the 185R14s that were stock so I'm guessing at the original width. I think it would be around 72 inches (outer rim edge to outer rim edge). Any numbers out there? I am looking at  various widths and would like to know what my target should be. 

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And also. Have four axles on my list of substitutes. In order of preference, they are ...

1. T100 '93 - 98  66" center diff. 4.08 ratio 11"+ drums. 

2. Tacoma 2004+, 65", center, 4.10, Discs

3. Tacoma/4runner/Prerunner, '96 - 2004, 60.75" center, 4.10, drums

4. Ford F150/E150 9", 74 - 86, 65 or 68" center, 4.10, drums. (Same bolt pattern as Toyota Pickup) 

All of these will require changes to spring mounted and/or shock mounts. The Ford le will need a drive shaft mod as well. Likely going to 15 x 6 inch wheels with Plus 1 tire match. 

Larger full floater axles - most I have seen are heavier and reduce clearance. Will be using old man emu springs. 

Any comments or suggestions? 

Edited by akwcanoe
Missed words and additional clarification.
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13 hours ago, akwcanoe said:

And also. Have four axles on my list of substitutes. In order of preference, they are ...

1. T100 '93 - 98  66" center diff. 4.08 ratio 11"+ drums. 

2. Tacoma 2004+, 65", center, 4.10, Discs

3. Tacoma/4runner/Prerunner, '96 - 2004, 60.75" center, 4.10, drums

4. Ford F150/E150 9", 74 - 86, 65 or 68" center, 4.10, drums. (Same bolt pattern as Toyota Pickup) 

All of these will require changes to spring mounted and/or shock mounts. The Ford le will need a drive shaft mod as well. Likely going to 15 x 6 inch wheels with Plus 1 tire match. 

Larger full floater axles - most I have seen are heavier and reduce clearance. Will be using old man emu springs. 

Any comments or suggestions? 

What you want to do is measure the width of your current duelly from outside tire face to outside tire face. Then subtract approximately 7” (the offset of 2 wheels). Whatever is left is the approximate  width your replacement axle should be (drum face to drum face). This allows you to keep the same stance as the old duelly setup. Even better, if your donar axle comes with tires attached, just use your tape measure for comparison. You want your finished width to be the same (or as close as possible) to the original duelly setup.

I used a GM 14 bolt and found that axle to be the exact size I needed. Any gm full size pickup (70’s- early 80’)should have a similar width.

Edited by fred heath
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Hi Derek. Thanks. Yes I know but the original 'foolies' complicate that because the outer wheel was just an add on. The WMS to WMS on the pickup was 55 or 56 inches. Add a set of outer rims (5.5+5.5 = 11) and two half wheel widths (5.5) and that's 72 inches. If I'm switching to 6" rims I need to get my WMS to WMS up to 66"  if the tires are going to be essentially the same place. Tire width can vary depending on the combination I choose. The replacement  1 tons are more conventional and the 61.5 is a useful comparison. If I put a 6" wide wheel with no offset on an axle that wide, I think I'm still going to have a narrower track than the original 5 lug set up. 

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Fred heath. Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately the previous owner was running incorrect tires so my current measurement is off and I don't know by how much. The GM axles are fairly common. Did you have trouble matching the driveshaft? Also what. Brakes did you go with?

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I found the gm axle to be a perfect width for my foolies. Check out my build info at the beginning of this thread. Most of your questions are answered there.

I went with early drum brakes. This allows the use of 15” wheels. Later drums were much larger, and required 16” wheels.

 

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After all your help and patience, I have possibly found a 6 lug 1 ton off an 87 toyhome!!! Will be picking it up Thursday. Here's hoping. No wheels/rims. That's the next hunt. Is there a thread here on alternatives? 

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