Rearend Mod Question

kennyaustin · December 31, 2010

I have a 2000 Z71, with 3.73's in a 10 bolt. I have aquired another rearend, that supposedly came out of a 99' model. Its a disk brake rear like my original, but the 12 bolt has the calipers on the opposite side as my original, and instead of a typical U-bolt type pinion yoke, it has a flange that the driveshaft bolts to. The rotors seem to be larger than the 10 bolts also. Everything else is pretty much the same(spring perch, shock mounts. etc) but the driveshaft is whats got me stuck. I dont have the original driveshaft that came with the 12 bolt, all I have is the flange end of the driveshaft where they cut it with a torch, and my driveshaft u-joint cups arent the same size as the u-joint cups in the flange. The flange end of the shaft is steel, and my shaft is aluminum, so cutting and rewelding isnt an option. Does anyone know if theres a bastard joint on the market, or is there even such a creature. If I need to, I can add pics tomorrow, for easier reference. This is my daily driver, and im down at the moment. Any advice would be much appreciated!!! Thanks!

jim brock · December 31, 2010

I would try the salvage yards for a drive shaft with the correct flange first. Just be sure what you are trying is cost effective if that's a concern. My experience is one problem often leads to another in the conversion process. Research which models and years have the transmission and rear end combination you need first. That might help. If you can locate the correct yoke and input shaft of the same material (steel or aluminum), making the tube is a minor issue. Good Luck...