I need your opinion

[bosco200]

Ok I have the HO52 rearend in my 72 C20 with 4.57s....I love how low it is because it is just a haus....but I cant go over 50mph without it screaming....and the gas mileage is horrible....so what do you guys think about switching gears and how hard is it.....My dad has an old C10 that just sits in the woods.....I am almost positive it has 3.73s not for sure though....but the rearend isnt the same....so im not sure if it would work....what do you think I should do?

[dmack91]

I am in the same boat. The easiest solution would be to find the same rear end with a different gear set and swap the entire rear end. If it was from a 67-72 with the same suspension (leaf or coil), it should be a straight bolt in (not sure on the driveshaft u-joint though).

Unless it is a unit construction (HO52, Ford 9" type), there is a lot involved in setting up a rear end correctly.

The C10 probably has a different rear end in it. You could swap it complete, but would end up with different bolt patterns front to rear, and the u-joint may not bolt up from the driveshaft to the rear end.

[kwmech]

You are not going to find a 3.73 ratio for your HO rear axle. If you want to get the rpms down you can either go to an overdrive trans or swap the axle assy out for a dana 60 and gear that. With the 60 you can go down as low as a 3.54. Swapping out the rear axle out of the 10 series creates a whole slew of different problems such as strength, wheel bolt patterns, etc.