rear end axle swap

[griepp06]

i have a 1996 chevy C1500 and i started hearing a grinding from the rear a few weeks ago and just thought it was the driveshaft carier bearing. was so much worse as the mechanic says the pinion seal went out which dried the system causing damage to the bing, ring and pinion with a $1400 rebuild bill. i got a used 10 bolt rear end from a lower milage junkyard truck of the same gear ratio and need a step by step of what i should remember when dropping the old one and putting the new one in for those who have taken on this project.

[CamGTP]

There should be a rubber brake line that goes down to the rear end, you will want to pinch that with a vise grips or something. Put some hose or cardboard around the jaws so it can cut into the hose.

 

Disconnect the brake line from the rear axle . Remove the two lower shock bolts to let the shocks just hang there. Put a jack under the rear axle pumpkin and unbolt the u-bolts holding the axle to the leaf springs. Once they are off you should be able to slowly lower the axle down to the ground and wheel it out. It helps to have two people when doing it on the garage floor.

 

It's the reverse to install. Once the new axle is in place you need to crack the bleeders open at each drum to let the brake fluid flow to them. Keep the master cylinder full of fluid and see if you can let it gravity bleed for a while. Close them up and do the normal bleed procedure, pump them up, hold them down and crack the bleeder open to get all the air out.

 

It's pretty straight forward once you get into it.

[davester]

Is the axle from the same generation truck, as different generations can have different widths and mounts, while keeping the same carrier...

Edited August 8, 2020 by davester

[griepp06]

Same generation mine is a 96 and it was pulled out of a 97 same gear ratio

[griepp06]

CamGTP thanks for the tip I was able to get the old axle out but I broke the parking brake cable when I was doing so. It never worked anyway so I’m just going to ignore that for now but will fix it in the near future. The U-bolts had to be cut as they were not coming off with all the rust. The replacement axle will go in tomorrow once I pick up the new bolts up at the parts store. One of the brake cables broke while removing it from the junkyard truck. If I have to custom bend the brake lines is it flared or double Flared and at what angle?

[KINGENGINEMAINTENANCE]

Wouldn't hurt to throw a new pinion seal on the replacement. Just put the new brake fitting on it hold the end of the line with a vise grip and smack it with a hammer a few times. Kidding but it works in a pinch. Peace!