'86 K10 Corp 10bolt front end rebuild

[epfatboy]

So it's been a long time since I rebuilt a 4WD front end (like 20 years!) and I'd like a few suggestions about what I should replace. I'm pretty confident the ball joints need to be done and since I'm going this deep I figured I might as well freshen up the front end so I don't need to peel it apart again anytime soon.

The common parts I was going to replace:
- Rotors/pads and a caliper rebuild.
- Wheel bearings inner/outer bearings and inner seals
- Ball joints upper/lower
- Drag link
- Tie rods inner/outer
- Axle universal joint
- Axle Seals (I forgot these front ends don't have c-clips and I already dropped the diff cover and dropped the center pin before I realized what I did so I'll pop the carrier out and get this done too)

Is there anything else I should be doing while I'm in here AND/OR any helpful tips/tools/tricks I should know?

The locking hubs are smooth and work great so I'll just re-grease and run them.

The spindle bearing seems smooth, and really I have no idea how you even get at that bearing out of there... if it's easy I'll probably just do it as well since it's cheap enough.

[epfatboy]

OH and how do I know if I have a GM or Spicer front axle? Did the Spicer only come in the D44's?

I noticed the inner hub seal differs between these two on Rock Auto.

[THI]

1986 would be the GM 10-bolt, they used the Dana 44 through 1979 but also started using the 10-bolt in 1977. If you had a 1977-1979 you would need to double check. My 1978 K25 has the Dana 44 and I had a 1977 K20 with the Dana 44. My 1985 K20 and 1988 V20 Suburban both came with the 10-bolt.

[epfatboy]

Thanks for that.

I decided to do the spindle bearings as well.