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'81 and '82 4x4 6 lug rear end

Assuming they are both original they should both be 12 bolt rears and should have no problems swapping them.

Any axle from '73-87/'91 1/2 ton 4x4 should bolt right up, the biggest changes during these years are the e-brake setup (changed around '84) and the u-joint (changed from 1310 to s44, I believe when they changed to the 10 bolt rear in '83). If the u-joints are different sizes, you should be able to find a conversion u-joint.
 
Thanks nerfherder78 ...that is the info I was needing. Thinking about installing one in a '53 and was told up to an '81 would not be to wide and I found an '82 so here we go.:)
 
Rear Ends.....

My trucks , not hers :rolleyes: .

Is there a tag or bulge etc. to tell me what ratio and if it's a limited slip rear axle in these trucks ? .

My '76 Jimmy's 8 lug rear end is fine but leaks at the pinion and we have SO many in Pick-A-Part here , I was thinking (dreaming really) : if I could find the same ratio one with limited slip , it'd be a good thing to change out complete , cheap too .
 
The only way to know for certain would be to pull the cover and check. You can estimate the ratio by jacking up one rear tire, put the truck in neutral, and spin the tire while counting the rotations of the driveshaft. As long as the tire spins freely it should be an open differential.

Is it leaking from the pinion, or (if its a 14 bolt) is it leaking from the pinion support that bolts into the axle housing? If its the latter, you can unbolt the support, clean it up and apply a little rtv gasket maker, then bolt it back up. Its not the proper way, but I did this to mine and have put about 40k miles on it with no problems. Much easier than hauling an axle out of a junkyard and swapping it out.;)
 
Thanx !

It's leaking from the pinion seal and yes , I do know how to mark it and take it apart , replace the seal and re assemble , line up the marks *perfectly* (dealer trick) , I just don't want to do it like that ....
 
well back to the search...the '82 turned out to be an '87 and had to high a ratio for my needs and ended up wider than 62" as well ... may need to go older to get at least as low as 3:70... gonna hook it up to a manual 3 speed overdrive.
Chris
 
I'm pretty sure both the 10b and 12b rears from K10s are 64" wms to wms. Maybe they were refering to the Chevy Luv? That truck was replaced by the S-10 in '82, other than that I dont know much about it.
 
73-87 1/2 ton -3/4 ton, I believe are wider than the older diffs. But as said by nerfherder78 1/4 ton S-10 style diffs are not as wide.
Best thing is to measure the diff have get measurements of the others. Then you will know what would be better. I believe the S-10 style diffs work better in the older frames.
 
My trucks , not hers .

Is there a tag or bulge etc. to tell me what ratio and if it's a limited slip rear axle in these trucks ? .
Click to expand...
Some might still have the tag that says limited slip. But as said it would be eaiser open it up get #'s see if it is limited slip.
 
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