98 K1500 rear end swap ???

tanman34 · April 10, 2018

I have a 98 k1500 with almost 300,000 on it. The rear end has slowly gotten a whine over time that is getting worse. I don't really want to rebuild it due to not having the calibration tools that are needed. I have a neighbor that has one out of a 2000 1500 and one that is in a 2002 escalade. They both have my gear ratio and they both have disc brakes, I have drum. Can anyone tell me if either one of these would work for me as a direct bolt up, brakes included. Or do I have to switch my drums over? Thanks for any info you can offer!!

Squirrely · April 10, 2018

My guess is, if they are all 10 bolt rearends, is that it will bolt on. The brakes lines probably need to be modified. I doubt brake lines for a cylinder will bolt up to the caliper.

Grab a tape and mesure your spring perches, shock mounts. Any frame and axle shop can move these in needed.

Also check track width.

How much for the axle assembly?

tanman34 · April 11, 2018

I have just started this thinking so I haven't had a chance to check anything yet. Your right the end on the brake line would have to be changed to fit. I know there was some changes in 99 and 2000. Someone told me they thought that they widened the axle somewhere in them years... but I don't know about that for sure. The axle is pretty much free we do favors back and forth he wont take my money.

Logan Lanfear · April 11, 2018

Different axles from different platforms. The spring perches are probably different. Your master cylinder wont run the disc brakes as well. It would be a pretty decent deal to get a different rear end in the truck. Go to a junkyard and pickup a rear out of a junk truck. Change the fluid and itll be fine.

tanman34 · April 12, 2018

Went over today and looked a little closer today. The escalade rearend that is definetly a match in gears part. Will not work it has coil springs and some torsion arm that I don't want to fool with. The 2000 1500 rearend looks like a match except for the disc brakes. I am going to drop the cover soon and count the teeth to figure the ratio. Suprisingly the way the brake system is made I will be able to hook my lines right up to the brakes.

Logan I wondered the same thing about the master cylinder and such. If you you tube drum to disc conversion I haven't seen them change anything there unless it was old cars without power brakes. Then they had to change the cylinder so it would bolt to a booster. Still researching that though before I dive into this. I also think it has different E brake cable that I will have to change because I think the end is different. They are still on the frame I hope.

It would be nice to have disc on the back, them drums are a PIA.