Diff Switch

awdvkd · January 17, 2003

Well. last night my son finally did it, he blew the spider gears out of his 10 bolt playing in the snow. I have found front and rear diff's out of a 1980 3/4 ton Dodge Powerwagon, how hard would it be to put them in a 1987 1/2 ton Chevy that presently has GM 10 bolts. I know Chevy's but I know nothing about Dodge. Is a Dana 60 a Dana 60, I know Chevrolet used to use the Dana 60 years ago in the 1ton and 3/4 ton trucks. Ant help would be greatly appreciated before I jump in!!! Thanks in advance. ???

maggot · January 17, 2003

If you have not dished out the bucks yet, why not look at some bone yards for a rear end out of a 2500. A good 12 bolt should be cheap and easy to find and will hold up dang good. Pretty sure they bolt up the same. Be much less cussing and knuckle busting than trying to force another brand in it. Get the same gear ratio as he has now and you won't need to mess with the front end. Just my .02. Might save you from inventing some new strand of cuss words and a possible trip to the ER to attach a body part.

Not sure about the dodge stuff bolting on to a GM. I know it has been and can be done.

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95 Silverado · January 18, 2003

You might want to go over to www.coloradok5.com and ask about this, maybe do some research, I know GM used a dana 60 front in the one ton trucks and they are generally hard to find and not inexpensive when you do find them. If dodge units would work I would think they would use them.

The Gm 14 bolt rear is easy to find and easy to swap in, then you convert your 10 bolt front 6 lug to 8 bolt hubs and your good to go. You'll find all the info you need over there.

awdvkd · January 22, 2003

Thanks for the replies, found 77 3/4 ton w/ 14 bolt rear and 10 bolt front w/ 8 bolt hubs, neighbor had it sitting in his field and gave to son for free. Went ahead and had 10 bolt fixed to get him back on the road. Found out a 10 bolt 3.42 is very much in demand around here (500-600). Figured I would sell 10 bolt after swap to pay for the fix and then buy 8 bolts wheels. Thanks again for the suggestions.