4wd to 2wd

[nortex]

Can the diff be welded on? The bracket at the top is what broke.

 

[BoxerPitMix]

You could probably have the bracket welded back... I'm no expert on welding by no means, but I'd be scared of it breaking again. Not to mention by the time you pull all that out and go through the expense of having it welded - you could probably just find a junkyard diff to stick back in it.

 

[nortex]

Prob right

 

[Triplel40]

Had the same thing happen to my front diff, but it broke off 3 of the four mounts. I was thinking about getting the mounts welded back on, but then further inspection revealed small cracks all over the case so I figured I'd just replace it. Eventually, I ended up getting a whole 1ton frame and axles dirt cheap, and I wanted to upgrade my rear too, so the cheapest route for me was to just swap my body onto my new 1ton frame.

For your situation, I would say replace it with a junk yard front diff. If you have the 8.25 (k1500 and k2500), you have to replace it with another 8.25, and if you have the 9.25 (k2500HD, and k3500), you have to replace it with another 9.25, because the two diff's don't mount up the same. They are reasonably easy to install, and if you ever sell the truck later down the road it would probably be easier to sell having all of the parts in it.

If you decide to tear it all out, unbolt the axles and driveshaft from the axle and drop it down and out, and remove the driveline by unbolting it from the T-case. As someone else stated before, you have to leave the axle stubs in the spindles to hold the bearings out. Depending on the axle, under the CV boot they will either have an external C-ring you can see against the joint, which are easy to remove and slide the axle out of the stub, or they will have an internal snap ring that fits into a groove in the middle of the joint, which you can't get to. With this style you have to pull the shaft out hard enough to overcome the force of the spring clip in the groove.

I had to drive mine home 300+ miles before I could do the drivetrain swap, so I initially stripped mine in this way.
This was my drivers side, it had the external c clip, so I was easily able to remove the shaft and reinstall the stub.

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This was my passenger side, it had the internal ring, and we tried for hours but were unsuccessful in getting it pulled loose. Ended up taking a torch and melting the whole cage/joint out of the cup, then reinstalling the stub.

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And remember to put the nut back on the outside of the stub and torque it.

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