Help with 3/4 ton rear axle - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

TERRYP · 12-30-2002, 05:51 AM

I just fried my rear axle in my 68 C-20, (4 bolts holding the pumpkin in were missing!) Ran it dry, and ate the pinion gear. Can someone tell me if it is a Dana or Eaton, and what should I do to get it rebuilt or should I hit the junkyards? I just put this in 4 months ago after losing my 4.56, this one is a 4.10, and I would like to go higher, maybe 3.73. I think the bearings are still good. What is the typical cost to have one rebuilt?

da-burb · 12-30-2002, 09:16 AM

Because you can drop it out like that it is an Eaton. 4.10 is the best you can do unless you buy new gears. They make a 3.90 for it. Somebody on the board did this. If I remember right, it was over a $1000 to do! It would be worth the time to find a 14 bolt and change it over to fit your truck. I think 3.73's are pretty common.

**ThreeQuarter** · 12-30-2002, 01:31 PM

Cobalt is the one who put 3.90s in his Eaton. And it was pretty expensive. Parts for these rear ends aren't cheap. Might I suggest you hit the junkyards in search of a Dana 60? You could find them with 3.54s, and if you really want 3.73s you can buy those for a D60, too. (But that ratio didn't come in D60s in these trucks.)

The Eaton is a far tougher rear end, and might be worth a rebuild if you need it, but the Dana is no slouch. Good luck.

**COBALT** · 12-30-2002, 04:25 PM

Yep, that was me.

I had 4.10 gears with a perfect ring and pinion, but the spiders were destroyed and the carrier bearings were shot. I got new 3.90s, and had a detroit locker put in (spiders and eaton posi aren't made any more unless you can find them used and in good shape).

Here's the break-down:

Carrier Bearings - $500 (they're monsters)
Detroit locker - $550
3.90s - $300 new
Labor - $250
------------------
Total - $1600

There's no point in replacing the ring and pinion without replacing the carrier bearings. Chances are they're in bad shape anyway, so you're looking at least $800 + however much you want to spend on a ring and pinion set.

My 4.10 gears are still in good shape with a good wear pattern and no chipping, and are sitting on my shelf since I had this done over a year ago. I'll give them to you for $75 if you want them.

12-30-2002, 05:51 AM	#1
TERRYP GYRO GEARLOOSE Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Nevada City, CAEverett, WA Posts: 361	Help with 3/4 ton rear axle I just fried my rear axle in my 68 C-20, (4 bolts holding the pumpkin in were missing!) Ran it dry, and ate the pinion gear. Can someone tell me if it is a Dana or Eaton, and what should I do to get it rebuilt or should I hit the junkyards? I just put this in 4 months ago after losing my 4.56, this one is a 4.10, and I would like to go higher, maybe 3.73. I think the bearings are still good. What is the typical cost to have one rebuilt? Attached Images __________________ Nevada City, CA Everett, Washington 57 3/4 rat, 235, 3spd 66 C-10 Panel, SWB. 350 from '68, 200R4 tranny, 3.07 rear ratio, restoring 68 C10 LWB 350 4spd, 4.56 rear dump runner 82 Camaro, 305, THM-200-R4 84 Monte Carlo 305 TH350, land tuna 85 Tercel SW, snow runner DISGRACED OUTLAW MEMBER OF THE DRUM BRAKE CLUB

12-30-2002, 09:16 AM	#2
da-burb "Ochre Ogre" Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Springfield, MN Posts: 3,558	Because you can drop it out like that it is an Eaton. 4.10 is the best you can do unless you buy new gears. They make a 3.90 for it. Somebody on the board did this. If I remember right, it was over a $1000 to do! It would be worth the time to find a 14 bolt and change it over to fit your truck. I think 3.73's are pretty common. __________________ Bowtie Truck Stop Inc. Mid-West GM Truck Restoration Parts Supplier Your Key Parts, Auto Metal Direct, Dynacorn, and Goodmark dealer. like us @ www.facebook.com/BowtieTruckStop 1971 C-10 Suburban (Ochre) 1971 K-10 Suburban (Ochre) 1972 C-10 Suburban (Ochre) 1972 K-20 Suburban (Yellow- that just aint right!) Springfield, Minnesota 56087

12-30-2002, 01:31 PM	#3
ThreeQuarter Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Texan in Iowa Posts: 2,522	Cobalt is the one who put 3.90s in his Eaton. And it was pretty expensive. Parts for these rear ends aren't cheap. Might I suggest you hit the junkyards in search of a Dana 60? You could find them with 3.54s, and if you really want 3.73s you can buy those for a D60, too. (But that ratio didn't come in D60s in these trucks.) The Eaton is a far tougher rear end, and might be worth a rebuild if you need it, but the Dana is no slouch. Good luck. __________________ Ben '68 Chevy C10 Custom LWB 327/TH400 2nd owner '16 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE Dblcab 4wd 5.3

12-30-2002, 04:25 PM	#4
COBALT Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Seattle, WA, USA Posts: 5,817	Yep, that was me. I had 4.10 gears with a perfect ring and pinion, but the spiders were destroyed and the carrier bearings were shot. I got new 3.90s, and had a detroit locker put in (spiders and eaton posi aren't made any more unless you can find them used and in good shape). Here's the break-down: Carrier Bearings - $500 (they're monsters) Detroit locker - $550 3.90s - $300 new Labor - $250 ------------------ Total - $1600 There's no point in replacing the ring and pinion without replacing the carrier bearings. Chances are they're in bad shape anyway, so you're looking at least $800 + however much you want to spend on a ring and pinion set. My 4.10 gears are still in good shape with a good wear pattern and no chipping, and are sitting on my shelf since I had this done over a year ago. I'll give them to you for $75 if you want them. __________________ '69 3/4 ton C20 2wd-350ci/TH400 '69 3/4 ton Custom 20 2wd-350ci/4sp Manual '99 2wd 5.7 Chevy Tahoe Seattle, WA.

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