Front axle change for Moab

[Oldsouthernboy]

I am trying to get my M1009 ready for Moab in a year or so. All the writtings on Moab recomends a front locker axle.. What I am looking for is a way to do this fairly easy if there is such a way. The option I have are : 1. call summit race and see if they sella front chunk to make mine a Locker. 2. find a old M1008 and install the axles on my M1009. My M1009 is a daily driver and do not want to go the low driveine speed of the M1008 axle. Any suggestions for me?

 

[Cucvnut]

you have a ten bolt front axle 308 gears are not the bext for wheeling. people on here do it but its slow and it does not help that the 6.2 is not the best wheeling motor out there. i woud not run a locker but rather a posi unit it puts less wear and tear on the motor and more street friendly. yukon gear sells them GM / GMC / Chevrolet Blazer Front Differentials GM 8.5 Positractions Auto Parts: YDGGM8.5-3-28-1, YDGGM8.5-3-30-1,

the rear axle has a factory posi unit called a gov lock they dont work some times so befor you deal with your front axle you might want to make sure your rear posi unit is working.

or you can go with a M1008 set of axles and they have a locker in the rear and are open in the front but you can install a posi or a locker or weld the front together. to make the m1008 axles work you would need to re mount the spring perches on the rear axle to match the spring on the m1009. a guy posted his m1009 build where he went to M1008 axles.

 

[choll]

Speaking from experience I bought my first M1009 in June of 2000 as soon as I got it I put a detroit locker in the front and left the gov lock in the rear. I ran 31 inch tires daily but when I ran trails I put on a set of 33s. I ran this combo until 2004 and I ran almost all the trails in Moab, except the very hardest, a few times a year. I ran just about every trail in the Las Vegas area. Both motor and axles NEVER FAILED. It all depends on driver finess. That blazer is still running trails but now has a Dana 60 and a 14 bolt, same motor with over a 120,000 miles on it.

 

[jimmy-90]

If you can afford it then I'd say go ahead and get ahold of http://www.boyceequipment.com/ and have them send you a set of locked 1ton's with the pearches relocated for a M1009. They will weld pearches on the rear for you if you tell them it's for a M1009. Im not an expert on the gm 10bolt front but I don't think you can just drop in a whole new 3rd member like with a ford 9" or toyota 8" axle. Im guessing it will take more work than that. But anyhow If you plan to get into a bunch of rock gardens and stuff You wont get very far with a limited slip of some sort. Limited slips,half lockers ect will only push the rocks around they will not make the tires go up and over them.

 

[Cucvnut]

you can just buy a M1008 and use the axles our of that

 

[wkbrdngsnw]

They make a fairly cheap locker that just replaces the spider gears. I forget what the technical term is but its basically 2 side gears that over run a center section. I think you can get them from summit still. That is the easiest way since you don't have to remove the carrier and re-setup the gears. Not that fun on a GM axle since it has to be done under the truck or to remove the whole axle.

I think that a limited is better in the front since it allows you to turn better under power. I do know that a welded front doesn't work on anything other then mud. A friend of mine tried that on a toyota and it was pretty funny. A locker will act the same way when turning under power. The instructions even say not to have the front engaged on snow packed roads.

Something I've read about people doing is taking a gov lock and putting it in the front with mixed results. Those you could probably get for free.

Any way you look at the 10 bolt your still left with the 3.08's. Which with the diesel isn't that bad but its wasn't designed to be a rock crawler so if its just an occasional 4-wheeler then your fine but for anything serious 1008 axles are where your headed anyway.

 

[gwag]

We just swapped out a front posi on a M1028 for a detroit. When you got the posi in a bind it would slip, pretty aggravating when you have to bump an obstacle you should be able to crawl.
I would not waste the $ on the 10 bolt with 3.08s, like others have mentioned find some 1008 or 1028 axles to swap 7 do it right the first time. The 4.56s are not that bad especially if you go with bigger rubber. 4.56s with a detroit rear from a 1008 would be lightyears ahead of what you have now, then you could lock the front 60 later.
If you can't afford axles right now put a lockright in the front and make sure the govlock in the rear is working then start looking for a 14 bolt and a 60 preferably out of a cucv so you at least get a detroit in the rear.
I drove the detroit'd 60 around town a little today to check for leaks and will get it out in the rough in a day or two, can't wait! I literally have 4wd now!

Edit- Everyone bashes the 6.2 for wheeling but I have to disagree. They have decent power in low range for crawlin' plus run forever on 20 gallons of fuel at any angle. I won't be swappin mine out till it won't go no more!

 

[WyoDeuce]

I have been to Moab several times and wheeled lots of it. The real trouble is that daily drivers and extreme trail rigs are not the same thing. The cool trails you see in the 4 wheeling mags are not for the truck you drive every day. Those trails do require purpose built rigs with front/rear lockers, gearing, large lifts, 35" minimum tires etc. Now don't let this make you cancel your trip. There are endless trails to explore and most of them do not require extreme rigs. You can't go run hells revenge or heldorado and expect to drive across the country home. It just won't work. I have had some of the best wheeling in my life in Moab in stock jeeps with knobby tires. The scenery of the area is spectacular and exploring is endless. You don't need to tackle trails above your ability to have a great time. Forget the locker and put the $ into geting your truck ready to drive across the country. Jacksonville Al to Moab UT is 1,679 miles each way. Thats a long trip in any vehicle.