GM 14 bolt versus ford 9 inch

what are your all thoughts about the two ?

which is better applied to a XJ ?

the good?

the bad?

the ugly?

pre thanks for your input

The 14 bolt is far stronger, far larger, and far heavier, in stock form.

See my axle thread for details. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=51252

CRASH

I would suggest the 9" over the 14 bolt. The 14 bolt is bigger, heavier, stronger etc in stock form, but you can make a stock 28 or 31 spline 9" into a 40 spline Nodular cased trail hero. Truss it, build it, run it, it's light and can be made into whatever you want to an extent. It's the Chevy 350 of the axle world. It's removable 3rd member makes it a favorite of racers because you can swap out lockers, gears, and axle shafts if desired very fast even between races. The 14 bolt is dirt cheap, but very heavy and hangs really low, unless you run 38's or bigger and shave it, then I would suggest building up a full width 9".

Troy

the main reason that i sought after a ford 9 for my rear end was the ground clearance over the 14 bolt and d60 with only a minimal strength loss (comparing fully built axles)

however the 14bolt on a strength by strenght baisis will slaughter the 9" and then slap it around with its nice boat anchor

XJ_ranger said:

the main reason that i sought after a ford 9 for my rear end was the ground clearance over the 14 bolt and d60 with only a minimal strength loss (comparing fully built axles)

however the 14bolt on a strength by strenght baisis will slaughter the 9" and then slap it around with its nice boat anchor

Click to expand...

True, but run what you need and keeping your XJ as light as you can while getting things you can build to what you need are things you should shoot for. That's why the hp44/9" combo is so popular to swap into our XJs, and seen in TJ's, YJs etc. They are nice and light, have the biggest aftermarket support, and can be built from mild to wild. If your plans are 38's or bigger than go with dual 60's or a rear 14 bolt, otherwise a hp44/9" will do you good if you are serious about building a strong rig with dependable axles.

We are talking about axles for our XJs and a 14 bolt isn't doing your XJ any favors, its weight and girth could choke a horse and our 38's or bigger really necessary??? With that said go with a 9" and built it for what you will use your jeep for. If you think you want 35's or 37's 35 spline alloy shafts and a nodular case will hold up well.

Cost alone is enough incentive to run a 14B.

Shave it, gear it and lock it (if you even have to do the last two - check surplus military axles). You can get a butch axle under a rig up here for quite cheap as opposed to spending lots of money building a custom 9".

Too heavy? I dunno, seems to put the weight where you want it I'd think. Lots of guys run them successfully in SWB Jeeps and such.

r@m

I say 9" for an XJ. Seriously doubt you'll be running 40"+ tires on an XJ. I know some do, but still...

i do however run 39.5s lol

LOL, go 14 bolt, just shave it.

What axles you running right now?

Also, swapping the drums to disks on a 14B must be good for ~100 lb less - well, maybe not quite that much but better than ~60-70lbs at least.

r@m

its a poser 4x4 violation !

d30 and d35 non c clip LOL

just have to wheel it easy

sweet jesus! 39's on the 35c! I bet you carry LOTS of spare shafts for that ig:

But ya... get the 14bolt for those meats.

actually havent hurt a single axle yet

all about how you wheel it P

:lecture:

I'll have to agree, grab yourself a 14 bolt, do the disc brake swap, shave it, lock it and forget it ...

On an interesting side note, last summer I DID see a 14 bolt spit out the short side shaft, but that was after 7 or 8 years of abuse on 44's, since upgraded to 46's with about 450hp and a t-case doubler in a full size chev ;p