Why is my shop so reluctant to do a 10 bolt to 14 bolt swap?

[Hipster]

This is not an ovrly complex jod to do in the driveway on a saturday

That's what they told me already. I have to pay and there's no guarantee that it'll work (I'm positive it will, they're more worried than I am). I'm willing to take the chance though bc so may others here have done it before.

The only reason why I'm not doing this myself is bc I can barely fit my truck in the driveway as is. Every salvage yard I've called also won't ship to residential addresses either so I'm kind of stuck with hope, prayers, and anxiety.

be clear here, if the rear end is not good and doesn't work is a different statement than it won't work because it didn't fit. they are basically telling you if the rear end is NFG you will have to pay for a second replacement to go in it, more fluids. another new set of u-bolts, more shop supplies, more disposal fees, and whatever else is involved. A salvage yard will keep sending parts till you get a good one, but that's the end of their involvement/warrantee. I have watched people supply their own salvage engines for an engine R&R and it turns into several thousands of dollars by time you're on the third one and get a good one. Engines are a different story but an example of how doing things this way can get away from you.

Not a complex job to do in the driveway, rent a pick up from lowes/ home depot and pick up a rear locally.

 

[MIHELA]

Yea, if it was a locally owned shop they might be more willing to do it depending on how busy they are with other jobs. No matter what you'll still probably have to sign the right waiver to void the shop of any liabilities since its 'custom' with used parts and customer supplied parts.

Why not just do it yourself? Its literally one of the easiest upgrades you can do unless your doing it in the rain on a Tuesday after work in an apartment complex parking jot.

I literally did mine in my unheated garage in the middle of a blizzard in December.

 

[Caman96]

It definitely can be done in your driveway BUT it probably needs all new brake parts, brake lines(maybe), as mentioned great time for axle seals, new fluid and maybe new e-brake cables. OP may not be prepared to do all that, but I agree with @df2x4 if someone else we’re to do it.

 

[fancyTBI]

My rear axle tube rusted out (I live in MN). This is the 2nd one to rust out bc the other one rusted out last year. I figured now is the best time to get a sturdier 14 bolt rear axle installed bc I have a bad taste in my mouth for 10 bolts. Others on this forum have complaints of these axles blowing up for no reason, but mine have all rotted away.

A guy local to me (Northern Illinois) had this same issue with rusty axle tubes. He found a new rear end and drove to the dealership (they agreed to do it without issue) and on his way there the differential locked up and he had to have it towed. I saw the truck while it was on a lift. 500K miles on a RCLB C1500. 92-93 model year truck. It was tired to say the least.

My dealer wouldn’t blink an eye at this sort of thing. It’s why I go to them for parts and jobs I can’t do.

 

[Boots97]

My best friend, behind a wire wheel-

Cosmoline Black (Rust-Veto 344)

COSMOLINE BLACK (Rust-Veto 344) is a fast drying, ultra-tough, long-term, rust & corrosion preventative designed to protect steel, iron and metals (equipment) stored outdoors and/or shipped overseas.

www.cosmolinedirect.com

My "new" rear axle was coated with something black. Not sure if it was paint or rust-veto like that, but even last year I could tell it was very pitted and I wasn't going to get much life out of it. Too bad my assumptions were right. I'll give that a try once I get my truck back.

 

[Boots97]

Dealerships don't really know how to work on 25 year old vehicles, let alone do anything custom.

Yeah I'm slowly finding that out. I'm surprised they wouldn't knowing how well these trucks sold. IIRC I remember watching a Youtube video of an old salesman pitch for these trucks when they were brand new. The video was never meant to be seen by the public and was only meant for dealer salesman. In that video, 1/4 of all GM sales were for the PICKUPS alone in 1997. IIRC I also remember seeing sales figures for these trucks and GM sold over 500,000 Chevrolet branded pickups alone (not including GMC Sierras, Yukons/Tahoes, or Suburbans).

In terms of "custom" @Caman96 and others would agree that this is BARELY custom. The hardest part is finding the right U joint bc GM was so inconsistent with U joint sizes for these trucks.

 

[Boots97]

thinking after 2 rusted out rear ends some sort of corrosion protection is well worth the effort. paint or epoxy prime, the cosmoline, there are other rust inhibiting products out there as well. Something is certainly better than nothing to give it a fighting chance at survival.

Yeah it definitely would help. My "new" rear axle was coated in something black. Not sure if it was paint or rust-veto like that. The axle was still fairly pitted and that always concerned me that it would rot like the last one. Unfortunately, my concerns came true.

 

[Boots97]

This is not an ovrly complex jod to do in the driveway on a saturday

be clear here, if the rear end is not good and doesn't work is a different statement than it won't work because it didn't fit. they are basically telling you if the rear end is NFG you will have to pay for a second replacement to go in it, more fluids. another new set of u-bolts, more shop supplies, more disposal fees, and whatever else is involved. A salvage yard will keep sending parts till you get a good one, but that's the end of their involvement/warrantee. I have watched people supply their own salvage engines for an engine R&R and it turns into several thousands of dollars by time you're on the third one and get a good one. Engines are a different story but an example of how doing things this way can get away from you.

Not a complex job to do in the driveway, rent a pick up from lowes/ home depot and pick up a rear locally.

What I mean is that they're worried that it won't fit. The "new" rear axle they replaced last year was a used one and I have a used transmission in my truck rn that they installed. I'm almost certain that this rear axle will work mechanically. The salvage yard I'm supplying this from has a 30 day warranty on all their parts if this doesn't work mechanically. This rear end has just below 183K miles (my truck has a bit over 240K) and is not nearly as rotted out looking as my rear end. I've told them that I understand that if this fails, it's my fault and I made that clear as day. The people at this shop tend to underpromise on what they can do and overdeliver on service/workmanship so it's why I keep coming back to them.

And yes, it's not hard, but it takes space that I don't have. I can BARELY get all 4 wheels of my truck on the level part of my driveway and I have about a foot on each side of me between the ground that slopes down and my house. When I did my ball joints, I was either sitting right on the ground or slav squatting and that was not fun in the 85F-90F weather in late May-early June.

If this were a Tahoe/Yukon, I could totally do this myself. The Tahoes/Yukons have the same wheelbase and length of a RCSB pickup. I like the looks of the pickup better, but if I had to start over and buy another GMT400, I'd buy a Tahoe or Yukon.

 

[Boots97]

It definitely can be done in your driveway BUT it probably needs all new brake parts, brake lines(maybe), as mentioned great time for axle seals, new fluid and maybe new e-brake cables. OP may not be prepared to do all that, but I agree with @df2x4 if someone else we’re to do it.

I looked at the drums of my "new" rear axle and they still had a ton of pad life left on them. This 14 bolt rear axle is below 183K miles and I know that drums don't need new pads that often. Hopefully I get lucky.

I also plan on redoing all the brake lines anyways. No big deal and these trucks have enough stock lift to where I don't need to jack them up to do that kind of work.

 

[boy&hisdogs]

I did mine in a 1 car wide, truck barely fits, no garage driveway. Back the truck in leaving a little extra room and everything comes in and out the back of the truck, nothing on the sides except you to tighten some bolts.

I even did a shackle flip, spring swap, and shocks while I was in there.