Rear Differential Year Differences

[Boots97]

Hi Everyone,

I have a 1997 Chevrolet K1500 ECSB Z71 with the 5.7

I'm currently looking for a heavy half (14 bolt 6 lug) rear differential for my truck. I have a 3.73 gear ratio. I've looked on eBay and found a few examples, but I know these trucks have a lot of differences year by year and was wondering if all years would fit my truck or only if some of them did.

 

[Schurkey]

Far as I know, you have to match 2WD donor to 2WD trucks, and 4WD donor to 4WD trucks because 2WD and 4WD are different widths. Other than that, the 9.5" 14-bolt semi-float 6-lug axle bolts right in. The big complication is that 2WD 1500s use five lugs, and the 2WD 2500s use six, or eight lugs so the axle shafts have to be changed to 5-lug, or you need 6-lug wheels and front hubs to match.

The SUV axles may have a sway-bar mount that the pickups don't. Which is fine when swapping into a pickup, but could suck when putting a pickup axle into an SUV.

3.73 is probably the most-popular gear ratio. I needed 3.42, and wanted Gov-Lock, took forever to find one. Gov-Lock is fragile in 8.5 and smaller axles, but reasonably durable in the 9.5" and 10.5".

 

[Boots97]

Far as I know, you have to match 2WD donor to 2WD trucks, and 4WD donor to 4WD trucks because 2WD and 4WD are different widths. Other than that, the 9.5" 14-bolt semi-float 6-lug axle bolts right in. The big complication is that 2WD 1500s use five lugs, and the 2WD 2500s use six, or eight lugs so the axle shafts have to be changed to 5-lug, or you need 6-lug wheels and front hubs to match.

The SUV axles may have a sway-bar mount that the pickups don't. Which is fine when swapping into a pickup, but could suck when putting a pickup axle into an SUV.

3.73 is probably the most-popular gear ratio. I needed 3.42, and wanted Gov-Lock, took forever to find one. Gov-Lock is fragile in 8.5 and smaller axles, but reasonably durable in the 9.5" and 10.5".

Thank You. I knew that 2WD and 4WD lugs were different, but wasn't sure about year differences.

I didn't know SUV axles had sway bar mounts. I'm surprised that they wouldn't put sway bars in the rear of pickups like they did in SUVs.

3.42 is pretty common with 5.0l a lot of rear axles on eBay are 10 bolt 3.42 rear axles. 3.42 in 14 bolt axles are far less common though in my experience.