72 C20 Truck With Broken Axle - Advice Desired

[BrokenAxle]

I have a 72 LWB 3/4 ton truck with a Dana 60 that has a broken axle. The axle stub refuses to come out. I tried hooking it with a piece of wire which did not work. I cannot hammer it out from the other side because there is something in the way. The truck has a limited slip in it. From what I have read I think the part blocking access to the broken stub is part of the limited slip.

The differential was then removed from the truck and hung vertically from an engine hoist based on thinking gravity would make the axle stub drop out. That did not happen and tapping the axle tubes with a hammer didn't loosen anything enough to make it drop out.

Would it be safe to assume the axle stub has broken something in the limited slip and it is permanently welded or stuck in the limited slip? I considered removing the limited slip to get the axle out, but if the axle is stuck to the limited slip, won't the axle just bind on the axle tube if the limited slip end of the axle is pulled on?

I realize I could replace the entire differential, but the Dana 60 is so heavy I dread the thought of the job. Plus if a Dana 60 is so weak that the axles can break, it seems like a bad idea to put another weak Dana 60 in the truck. I read in the forums that other differentials might fit, but I don't know which ones, or if they would be a good idea.

Taking the truck to the shop is probably going to be $1000 at least.

So I am looking for advice on what to do.

(1) - Go ahead and spend $1000 on towing to the shop and professional repair? I really like the old truck, and I realize $1000 is a lot less than $15,000 for a new truck, but ouch! $1000 on a 40 year old truck........!

(2) - Install a junkyard replacement of some type while praying the junkyard replacement actually works? It would be extremely disappointing to install a junkyard differential and then find out it needed to be rebuilt.

(3) - Accept the fact I am now an old guy too weak to do heavy work on vehicles, and just sell the truck and get rid of it? I used to laugh at old guys who gave up doing their own repair work so that choice is really galling.

If the advice is to sell the truck, what would a rusty beat up old 72 LWB 3/4 ton with a broken differential sell for?

Thanks for reading if you made it this far.