Rear differential replacement/swap?

2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

565,000 MILES • 6.0L • V8 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC

OLIVERERIC423

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This truck was recently gifted to me. The only thing known to be wrong with it is that the rear differential is going out on it. I've looked around and in my price range, my only option is a pull a part. I've noticed that the whole rear assembly is not much more than the differential itself, so I decided to go with that option. The biggest problem is I cannot find the right size I need for my truck. So, my question is, if I got a rear assembly with the same ratio, but different size differential, will that be a problem? I've found some 8.6 inch differentials with a 4.10 ratio but my truck calls for a 10.5 inch differential with a 4.10 ratio. Can this work and if it does what problems could it cause in the long run? Thanks

Jul 5, 2023 at 10:48 PM

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BRENDON S

AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
653 POSTS

Hello OLIVERERIC423,

The 2 axles are different on the ends so you would need different brakes at the least. The 10 inch should be a full floating axle, which means the wheels mount to hubs and the 8.6 should be a semi-floating diff where the wheels mount to the axle shafts. It is good that it is the same ratio, but I think it will cause more hassle.

I would put the one in it calls for.

I have a 2001 Suburban. I put one in from LKQ. It was remanufactured and cost me $1,400 but it's all new. It even came with fluid and a fresh coat of thick paint. This is after I got 2 separate ones from the junkyard that were making noise. After doing this job twice I decided to just get a remanufactured one. They also have used parts and can add warranties.

Here is the link to their site:
https://lkqonline.com/

There is also a site that most junkyards list parts on from everywhere in the country. It's called Car-Part.

Here is the link to their site:
https://www.car-part.com/

LKQ is more likely to work with you and they will ship it to one of their local facilities so you can go and grab it even if it is across the country. I would try them first and see what they have.

Car-Part is good, but you are limited to your local area junkyards because most of these places don't have multiple locations to leapfrog across the country. However, a local place is more likely to drop it off to you.

Take a look and see what you can find between these 2 sites and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Thank you,
Brendon

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Jul 6, 2023 at 3:23 PM