okay, as many of you have done, I have a 66 3/4 ton 8 lug pickup that I need to make 6 lug. the rear end is an Eaton HO52 which NO ONE makes a ring and pinion for. Had I known that I might have waited for a 1/2 ton. It is currently a 4:56 ring/pinion. Not going to work as a daily commuter. I purchased a 12 bolt rearend from a 70 Chevy pickup with 3:07 rear end I am going to swap in soon.
first question, this looks like a direct bolt in, with exception of the panhand and driveshaft. Do I need to lengthen the driveshaft, if so how much? What will this swap entail?
second question and more importantly, what does it take to convert the front end to 6 lug? I do not want disc brakes. I was told that the easy thing is to swap out the whole front member, but I just dropped in a engine and tranny and do NOT want to pull it back out. Can I just run 1/2 ton spindles? Will my 3/4 ton ball joints work?
ANY info regarding the rear end swap or front end swap would be greatly appreciated! Any tips or time savers for me? Have a baby coming in 6 weeks and am trying to button this thing up. If nothing else, I am going to get the rear end in so I can drive it to work and back, and still keep the front 8 lug.
Thanks again fellas!
