converting e-series full float axle bolt pattern, is it possible?

shenrie · 11-14-2016, 06:50 PM

searched around but didnt see any threads that really addressed this. i am not a 4x4 expert by any means and the googles are where i find out most my info. generally from you gents

a little insight as to where im going with this question first as i may need rerouted from the word go. my 03 quigley is heavy, 9k before motorbikes go on the back and any real buildout inside. van currently has semi float rear axle and its made some crazy noises lately and i fear the lsd needs rebuilt at the minimum. i picked up a full float to swap out for better weight ratings and ease of axle swap when/if i ever find myself in that position. my plan was to rebuild the lsd and pull all the internals out of my semi and install in the ff replacing seals, bearings, etc along the way...

well then i discovered my left front hub unit needs replaced. according to quigley the van has a full front axle setup from a 00-04 f350. the hub unit is drilled out and lugs with a larger shank are installed to convert it to 8x165 so it matches the stocker rear axle. ive pulled it apart and confirmed what quigley told me having a 03 f350 to compare notes with.

heres where im going with this thread. is it possible to convert the 2000 e350 full floater rear axle from 8x165 to a 8x170 bolt pattern by replacing the hub assembly from a 00-04 f350? im thinking instead of having to modify the f350 front unit to 8x165 whenever they go bad it would be easier to change the rear hub to 8x170 and be done with it. it would also be a really good excuse to buy new wheels

is this possible or am i barking up the wrong tree?

TheLetterJ · 11-14-2016, 07:41 PM

Are you opposed to selling your FF d60 and using a Sterling 10.5" instead? That would get you the 8x170 pattern and an even higher load rating, but they are fairly wide.

JoeH · 11-14-2016, 07:42 PM

I have no idea what the wms-wms is on a Quigley but more than likely you have spacers on your rear SF dana 60. If your FF axle is also a D60 your going to need the same spacers to match the track width. Unless you found a relatively rare D70 which is a bit wider.

Anyhow, not sure if it helps but Ujoint has a sweet spacer that converts the bolt pattern to 8x170mm. 4x4 van conversion parts

BMWBILO · 11-14-2016, 07:47 PM

You could do what I did to my van. I had a Salem Kroger front axle and the hub and rotors were drilled out to 8 on 6.5 to match the back axle. I drove out the studs and bought new ones and installed them in the 8x170 holes, then I bought spacers for the back axle that bolt up to the 8 on 6.5 and have studs that are 8 on 170. doing that also makes the rear axle the same width as the front.

shenrie · 11-14-2016, 08:14 PM

^^^ quigley didnt drill different holes, they off center drilled the 8x170 holes

plus i was told it would be better not to have the extra material missing as it could make it weaker.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

Are you opposed to selling your FF d60 and using a Sterling 10.5" instead? That would get you the 8x170 pattern and an even higher load rating, but they are fairly wide.

if it was cost effective, most definitely, but i doubt im going to find a sterling locally for what i paid for this ff axle. the extra width interests me as i would like flares as well. already looked around, but the cost around here is considerably more than what ive got into the ff unfortunately.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeH

I have no idea what the wms-wms is on a Quigley but more than likely you have spacers on your rear SF dana 60. If your FF axle is also a D60 your going to need the same spacers to match the track width. Unless you found a relatively rare D70 which is a bit wider.

Anyhow, not sure if it helps but Ujoint has a sweet spacer that converts the bolt pattern to 8x170mm.

i currently have no spacers at all and the track widths are close enough that the rear wheels dont look sunk in, which i couldnt handle that if it was. i really dont care for that look.

ive been ordering spacers for various vehicles for years. with the weight this pig is going to be im not interested in the extra tress on the bearings. im really not a fan of the spacers...

if ive been led wrong on any of my answers, please advise. like i say, im no expert here.

JoeH · 11-14-2016, 08:29 PM

I'm no expert either but with the vehicle weight supported by the spindle, spacers are not part of an axle shaft that is possibly being bent like on a semi-float. The load is torsional and the axle shaft simply floats inside the spindle. I re-used my spacers when I did a FF axle swap so that's my theory and I'm sticking with it

Anyhoo, you probably know this but the axle shafts are not the same between the SF and FF. (full-floater has 1.37" 32spline and the SF 35spline 1.5"). You may need 35spline to work with the differential internals you wish to swap over. Something to check anyway.

shenrie · 11-14-2016, 09:43 PM

I'm pickin up what your puttin down, but isn't the spacer moving the load outward however wide the spacer is? that has to put more load on the outer race, right? the closer the seat of the wheel is to the bearings the closer the load of the wheel is to center. in this case the 9" wide wheel I'm looking at has a 4.5 backspace which means the load is perfectly centered on the rim. the closer the seat of the wheel is to being centered on those bearings the longer they will last.

that said most of the issues I've seen with spacers were failure from lateral g's. so doesn't really apply, but a lot of those spacers aren't made with the highest quality materials. Plus it's an added cost which my broke ass is trying to avoid in the first place. just looking for the cheapest route here. machining expensive hubs in front or replacing hubs on a axle I'm rebuilding anyway. however spline count was not accounted for. that will needed to be sorted, so thanks for pointing that out. my gearing will swap over I believe, but the lsd probably won't.

saline · 11-14-2016, 09:57 PM

There are many SMB's running spacers on both FF and SemiFloat axles. It does put the force further out on the hub assembly but I imagine it doesn't affect the FF like it does a semi float.
I have a 2010 F350 D60 up front with 8x170mm and a E series D60 FF rear with spacers that change the pattern from 8x6.5 to 8x170. Just make sure you get good quality hub centric spacers.

TexGX · 11-15-2016, 05:51 AM

shenrie,

You rear axial may need some friction additive. Mine was making a really bad noise when turning at low speeds. Added the friction additive and it is gone. The semi floats need this added every once and a while. If you have not changed the diff fluid in awhile, I would do that at the same time.

TexGX

boywonder · 11-15-2016, 07:07 AM

...a couple of thoughts......

When I put bushwackers on the van the rear wheels looked really tucked in....so I picked up a pair of used 2" aluminum spacers from someone on expedition portal......so far so good....my rear axle is a FF and the van weighs around 8200#.......you are at 9000+ lbs and you haven't built out your interior?

....with the spacers my track width is pretty close F/R....

If you move to 8 x 170 and buy new wheels, this opens up more options for opening your wallet up even further, like for bigger brakes

The common brake upgrade rotors are F-250/350/450..these are all 8 x 170 so no need to drill for 8 x 6.5 (I have to drill 8 x 6.5 lug holes in my F-450 rotors)

The bigger brakes above fit comfortably (but are shoehorned in there) with 17" wheels.....with 18" wheels you could toss the brakes on from across the room....

..and one more thought.....some years have the rear ABS sensor on the diff pumpkin (I think)....my 2008 has RSC so it has sensors on each wheel....don't know if there is any compatibility issues there.