anyone ran a sterling 10.25 or dana70 rear on a chevy??

[southern gator]

has anyone every ran a sterling 10.25 or a dana 70 rear in the rear of there chevy? I have a 76 chevy 1/2 4x4. I know it can be done, but i want to know is it worth it. And the sterling or dana70 would have 4.10 gears. What do yall think about this???

[1969 GMC]

some 73+ 1 ton pickups had the dana 70 rear from the factory.
it would be worthwhile if you needed to upgrade to something that strong. if not, there is no real reason to upgrade. I am not too familiar with the Sterling rear, but it has 10.25 ring gear and 35 spline axleshafts.

the dana 70 and 14 bolt are about neck and neck in the strength department. the 14 bolt is readily available, cheap, strong, and there werent that many versions of it made, and all are desireable. the dana 70 is not as readily available, although it is common in a lot of different applications. it can command a bit higher of a price than a 14 bolt, but not always. IMO, it is stronger than the 14 bolt. it also has more gear ratios available than the 14. however, the 70 came in about six or seven different varieties, and not all are desireable. you need to become familiar with the differences before you go looking for one. also, all 70's made before 1975 or so have 23 spline 1.5" axleshafts, and newer than that estimated date have 35 spline 1.5" shafts which are stronger. i would suggest searching the pirate4x4.com bulletin board, alot of good info there.

if it were me, i would choose a dana 70 rear axle. i would choose a dana 70HD srw from a late 70's/early 80's Ford E350 ambulance.
the reason i'd choose this particular axle are: it is approx 67" wms-wms, so it is close to a stock GM rearend width. it has thick 4" axletubes, and 35 spline axleshafts. it also has a 2 piece carrier, so the detroit locker for it is less expensive than a regular detroit locker. it has dana 80 carrier bearings, and all other bearings are the largest possible size.

[GMC71k20]

wow, im amazed you know so much

[b454rat]

I would go with the 14 bolt. If you get one out of a pre 80s 3/4 ton truck, it will bolt in less the u joint, just get a conversion joint. The one tons have a different spring pad width. Not a big deal to cut and weld new ones, but if you don't have to, then why?? Alot of trucks in the 3/4 and 1 ton range have 4:10s, so finding one won't be hard.

[1FaastC10]

Originally Posted by GMC71k20

wow, im amazed you know so much

[77gmcjoe]

Sorry, off topic, but 1969 GMC, I preferred the pic of the hottie!
(No disrespect!)

Joe

[1969 GMC]

Originally Posted by GMC71k20

wow, im amazed you know so much

All I really know, besides how to turn a wrench, is how to search the internet, books, and other sources to find out info on stuff that interests me. 4x4's and trucks interest me. Occasionally I regurgitate

Oh, and sorry gmcjoe...maybe I can get a better pic, that one was a little old.