Low budget limited slip for 28 spline

[MountainGoat1966]

I need to replace the front differential on my 84 K10 with the 8.5" carrier and 28 spline axles, and I want to go with limited slip to help get me through the muddy roads here better.
I am working on a low budget (low fixed income), and would like to know what you guys would suggest for me. I can't afford to drop 500 bucks on a carrier plus the bearings.
From all I have read and heard, a Gov Lock is out of the question.
There are two wrecking yards here, about 50 miles each way, and they never get any 4x4 stuff.

[mrolds88]

IIRC the carrier goes from 2.73 and numerically up. You should be able to pull one out of any 8.5 10 bolt (read that as car or truck) and use it. You do have to be careful on the cars as there are several 10 bolt rears throughout the GM line. Also I agree on the "Gov-lock". My favorite nickname for it is "Whizz-bang". Had one in an Astro van and it made it completely worthless in any traction limited event. I would look at Nova's, Camaro's, Impala's, Monte Carlo's, Chevelle's.

[D13]

Nothing wrong with a gov-loc, only with nailing the throttle and popping it. Mine has 200K on it, and the one in my 9 1/2' farm truck withstood many years of use (regular use thru mud and snow with a severely overloaded truck). Not sure I would put one in the front because when it's on you get NO differential slip (ie steering becomes iffy...).
If you check out the carrier and axle breaks you need an 81-87 posi, car and truck all the same. Other option is to watch for a K5 or Burb 88-91 front from someone building a pounder, it wil be 31 spline but those posi's can be less expensive (fits all the way up to about 1998 when they increased the bearings size). I picked up my spare 28 spline gov-lock for $70 on fleabay.
Only bad thing is, used posi's are always a risk.

[mrolds88]

Interesting. What is different with the pre 81 carriers? It was my understanding that there wasn't any differences.

[D13]

12 bolts in trucks until somewhere in 1980 IIRC.
Not sure when the cars went from 8.2 to 8.5 and didn't want to give bad advice. Think it differed on division and model.
I've found a lot of lower priced 31 spline units on the bay. Wasn't until last week I had the 31 spline axles - right after I picked up the 28 spline gov-loc.

[mrolds88]

Understand. Pretty sure that all the 8.5 Chevy carriers are the same then. I think the switch from the 8.2 to the 8.5 occurred in 71 in the cars. Just do your research on this as far as the junkyarding goes. Might be wise to gather a few numbers for ring & pinions and or carriers, just in case. (Pun intended!!)