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Chev 14 Bolt

W

Whitelight

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,Canada
I was wondering, what is the proper process to shaving a 14 Bolt Diff. I have seen pictures, but I would like to know of other peoples opinions before I dig in.. I wondered if you use a torch for the basic cut then clean it up with the grinder. What is the whole process?
 
Whitelight said:
I was wondering, what is the proper process to shaving a 14 Bolt Diff. I have seen pictures, but I would like to know of other peoples opinions before I dig in.. I wondered if you use a torch for the basic cut then clean it up with the grinder. What is the whole process?
Click to expand...

Do you have access to a mill? That'd be the best way. Then you'd have a true surface to work with.
 
The amount of work involved isn't worth the benefits.

Driver skill will take you much further than an extra inch or two of clearance at the rear diff.
 
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Thank you for helping me with the info. Yes I agree, drivers skill is number one. I am very confadent in my abbilities. But there is a pretty decent lip on the bottom of a 14 Bolt. in mudd and loose stuff it wouldn't be to much of a prob but logs and rocks, it might cause a bit of grief, so I fugure why not. No I don't have access to a milling machine. I'm not really woried about doing it, just curious to know of the best way for me with the tools I have access to. Plasma???
 
That lip can be safely cut off with a sawzall. Anything more than that is a waste IMO.
 
waxer said:
The amount of work involved isn't worth the benefits.

Driver skill will take you much further than an extra inch or two of clearance at the rear diff.
Click to expand...


Seriously? If thats true what size tire do you run? and why don't you go 1" smaller?

gain 1/2" in dif clearance = 1" taller tire if I remember correctly.

For someone crawling rocks draggin your dif, or hanging it on a boulder is sometimes not something you can 'drive' past.
Driver skill is one thing, mother nature putting tonnes of rock a certain way is another.
 
beakie said:
Seriously? If thats true what size tire do you run? and why don't you go 1" smaller?

gain 1/2" in dif clearance = 1" taller tire if I remember correctly.

For someone crawling rocks draggin your dif, or hanging it on a boulder is sometimes not something you can 'drive' past.
Driver skill is one thing, mother nature putting tonnes of rock a certain way is another.
Click to expand...

Yes seriously. I've wheeled with a 14 bolt, both shaved and non shaved. Have you? I learned where my rear diff was and could pick any line to avoid that diff dragging.

If it's that much of a problem for you, then perhaps you should pick a hobby other than rock crawling, cause driver skill is 99% of it.
 
waxer said:
Yes seriously. I've wheeled with a 14 bolt, both shaved and non shaved. Have you? I learned where my rear diff was and could pick any line to avoid that diff dragging.

If it's that much of a problem for you, then perhaps you should pick a hobby other than rock crawling, cause driver skill is 99% of it.
Click to expand...

B.S.

If you run a 14b un shaved you will get hung up period. If you don't then there are much harder lines you should be trying or you don't really need that 14 bolt in the first place. And yes I run a 14 bolt and ran it for a year before its shave and I can tell a difference after its shave.
 
waxer said:
Yes seriously. I've wheeled with a 14 bolt, both shaved and non shaved. Have you? I learned where my rear diff was and could pick any line to avoid that diff dragging.

If it's that much of a problem for you, then perhaps you should pick a hobby other than rock crawling, cause driver skill is 99% of it.
Click to expand...


x2 on what Brian said.
Sorry but if driver skill is 99% than why are so many rigs on here modified other than long arms lockers and tires? Why is there such a large $$ market for aftermarket axles with better clearance than stock, and why are there so many threads on people wanting to gain that extra 1/2" even from the bottom of an 8.25, let alone a 14b?

Unfortunately you can NOT always pick the perfect line, if you can, again as stated above, your not wheeling all that hard. Yes yes you'll come back with countless names and places, fine you've wheeled mad hard.
Sadly I have dragged my sickly old 8.25 on rocks logs and such, sometimes there just is no perfect line. So if I can mod a 14b with as much clearance as an 8.25 why the heck wouldn't I? I could run a bigger tire without worry of breakage, and still have all the clearance when that 'perfect line' is mother nature having a good laugh.

If you want to see some places where the perfect line sometimes just isn't there have a look here. The ones on their sides, teetering on belly pans, dented body panels, and the need for roll cages must be crappy drivers that couldn't find that perfect line.

Currently I run a pig of an 8.8, when I have a garage that will fit a 14b, mod #1 will be shaving it, as I am apparently not a good driver.
 
Last edited:
waxer said:
Yes seriously. I've wheeled with a 14 bolt, both shaved and non shaved. Have you? I learned where my rear diff was and could pick any line to avoid that diff dragging.

If it's that much of a problem for you, then perhaps you should pick a hobby other than rock crawling, cause driver skill is 99% of it.
Click to expand...

Riiiiight.

waxer said:
My attempt at Rocker Replacement w/sliders
...I could have gone with the bolt on option that causes you to lose some ground clearance, so instead I opted to go with the cut out sheet metal rockers and replace with rec tubing method....
Click to expand...


hsugh.gif

Billy
 
I've run a 14 bolt for a while and it does get hung up once in a while. I'm by no means the best driver but IMO the work to shave the diff isn't to bad compared to the cost increasing tire size 2"-4".
 
BRIANHO13 said:
B.S.

And yes I run a 14 bolt and ran it for a year before its shave and I can tell a difference after its shave.
Click to expand...

Just a year? So you didn't even give yourself a chance to learn how to drive w/o dragging it then. :)
 
beakie said:
x2 on what Brian said.
Sorry but if driver skill is 99% than why are so many rigs on here modified other than long arms lockers and tires? Why is there such a large $$ market for aftermarket axles with better clearance than stock, and why are there so many threads on people wanting to gain that extra 1/2" even from the bottom of an 8.25, let alone a 14b?

Unfortunately you can NOT always pick the perfect line, if you can, again as stated above, your not wheeling all that hard. Yes yes you'll come back with countless names and places, fine you've wheeled mad hard.
Sadly I have dragged my sickly old 8.25 on rocks logs and such, sometimes there just is no perfect line. So if I can mod a 14b with as much clearance as an 8.25 why the heck wouldn't I? I could run a bigger tire without worry of breakage, and still have all the clearance when that 'perfect line' is mother nature having a good laugh.

If you want to see some places where the perfect line sometimes just isn't there have a look here. The ones on their sides, teetering on belly pans, dented body panels, and the need for roll cages must be crappy drivers that couldn't find that perfect line.

Currently I run a pig of an 8.8, when I have a garage that will fit a 14b, mod #1 will be shaving it, as I am apparently not a good driver.
Click to expand...

So from your response it appears that you have NO experience running a 14 bolt whether shaved or not. Very helpful to THIS thread. Thanks!!!
 
JeepFreak21 said:
Riiiiight.




hsugh.gif

Billy
Click to expand...

We are talking about the Corporate 14 Bolt FF and whether or not shaving it to gain ground clearnance is worth it, not about gaining clearance with rockers! Thanks for your reply tho :)
 
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jmop said:
I've run a 14 bolt for a while and it does get hung up once in a while. I'm by no means the best driver but IMO the work to shave the diff isn't to bad compared to the cost increasing tire size 2"-4".
Click to expand...

It all depends on what you mean by shaving it. If by shaving you mean cutting that lip off of the bottom, then yeah that's so easy to do.

If you're talking about cutting the bottom of the housing off, welding up some plate to reseal it back up, etc.. Then that is a waste IMO.

I ran a 14B FF for close to 8 years total. The first 6 were w/o shaving it and I learned how to pick a line very well to avoid that pig of a pumpkin. I shaved mine in the effort to built a slider for it since the pinion has bolts on the front of the housing you can utilize. I wanted to keep the ground clearance the same at the time. After another 2 years of running it that way, I came to the conclusion that all the hours spent trying to modify it was a waste, as the skill I learned made the slider pointless.

I'm sorry boys and girls, but I'm not asking anyone to believe what I'm saying. I honestly don't care if you do or not. I'm simply passing on my experiences and opinion on something I've dealt with for almost a decade.

Have a safe and happy holiday every one!
 
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