fred heath Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 (edited) Finally got the chance to update my axle swap. My 1979 Galavan on 1978 chassis came equipped with the 5 lug, semi-float foolie axle. My toy is only 16' long, with a deck extension bring my total weight to 4200# with me in it.The rear dual wheels were unsafe, not to mention the increase in tolls while traveling. Wanting to get away from the duals and being a GM truck guy, I decided to install a 14 bolt 10.5 ring gear 8 lug full floating 1 ton axle. The axle width o/s tire to o/s tire was 74" on the "foolie" dual , and 74" on the single wheel GM. A perfect swap. The GM also came standard with 4.10.1 gearing, same as the Toyota. I did have to upgrade to15" rear wheels as there are no 8 lug 14" GM rear wheels made. I installed 195/70R15 load range D tires which are close in diameter to my 195/75R14 Hankook tires currently installed. I will attempt to upload, in chronological order, the pictures from start to finish. Trying to organize in order. First to last. Edited June 11, 2023 by fred heath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapaFred Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 That is one sharp looking rig! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 That is one sharp looking rig! Thank you. She's my baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 fantastic job. Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 fantastic job. Linda Thanks, Linda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Thanks for taking the time to post the pics. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 That ought to buy you some peace of mind. That corporate GM axle is probably one of the best things GM ever did. Nice looking little RV. I saw a few Dana 60s get put into Toyota RVs back in the early 80s. Never a GM corporate though. I think those Dana 60s had to be narrowed which created a lot of extra work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 That should work Fred now you can put the piano you always wanted in the back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrel Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Very nice looking rig. Like the Mercedes hub caps. Thanks for posting the pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 That should work Fred now you can put the piano you always wanted in the back! Haha Tim. If I'm going to do a project, I'm going to do it right the first time. Hmmm where to find a piano. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 Very nice looking rig. Like the Mercedes hub caps. Thanks for posting the pictures. I have 5, 14" ss hubcaps if you have any interest. PM me for more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 If you mean GM "SS" 14" hubcaps, I've got five of them here too. They don't seem to be worth much anymore. At least not on Craigslist. I had them advertised twice for $10 each, and no takers. I've seen them bring $50 each at shows 15-20 years ago. These either came off my 64 Chevelle SS or my 65 Impala SS (can't remember). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 Sorry JD, I was using ss for stainless steel. My hubcaps are 14" off a late 70's Mercedes . They look really "retro" on the older homes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I like your rear bumper setup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted September 29, 2015 Author Share Posted September 29, 2015 I like your rear bumper setup! Thanks. It came equipped when I purchased the MH. I did a lot of modifications to get it to look the way is does now. Originally it had a swinging gate in front of the rear door. The spare was mounted to the gate. Only problem was getting out with the gate closed. Not enough swing room for the rear door. That and it had some funky 1970's trailer lights attached to a sheet metal wrap around panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigersRreal Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 On 9/29/2015 at 10:23 AM, fred heath said: Thanks. It came equipped when I purchased the MH. I did a lot of modifications to get it to look the way is does now. Originally it had a swinging gate in front of the rear door. The spare was mounted to the gate. Only problem was getting out with the gate closed. Not enough swing room for the rear door. That and it had some funky 1970's trailer lights attached to a sheet metal wrap around panel. Anyone else think this is the best axle swap thread on this forum? Great job, Fred... if you're around... -Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ketch32 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Hi Fred. Thanks so much for posting the photos. A big help. I'm about to tackle the same project. Can you give me a bit of insight on the driveshaft modification please? I'm a bit confused as to what you did there. Thanks, Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny78 Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 I am preparing to make this swap on my ‘78 Sunrader which currently has the G082 axle. Can anyone give me some more info on what the cost of getting the driveshaft made was? Also, is there noticeable difference in clearance at the diff housing? I’ve read that the 14bolt axle has a super huge pumpkin... I have not sourced an axle yet, so anyone who may have something laying around that would work for me, please let me know! I am not set on which route to take yet, but being as my rig is small like Fred’s Galavan, I think this is the right move. For the record, I don’t mind not having disc brakes but SRW is ideal. I do like the idea of keeping the same tire width that the foolies have (or close to it). thanks guys & gals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jtlynch74 Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Thankyou for posting this. I olan on doing the same swap with an extra axle. Only consideration is if there is a bad clearance issue with the 14 bolt differential housing and the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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