Rear End width questions

[bucannon]

okay i know the 89-99 rear ends are wider than the 73-87's but how much?


im using newer 08 silverado rims and i wondering if i can use a wider rear instead of spacers


what is the width drum to drum of a 73-87?
what is the width drum to drum of a 89-98?


i imagine i will need to weld new spring perches and shock mounts as well

[INSIDIOUS '86]

i beleive that the 88 up rears are a half inch wider on both sides and that the stock width backing plate to backing plate on a 73-87 is 56ish inches and yeas new perches/shock mounts are required

[Restrorob]

TTT


Anyone else have any input on this ?

Thanks

[bucannon]

okay i know i will need 2.5 inch spacers on the 73-87 rear end so....

what truck rear end is 5 inches wider than the 73-87?




what would be the toughest?

[Mr. 250r]

what rear end exactly are we talking about a 14 bolt or what my 06 full floater is i think.... could be wrong 1.5 inches wider on each side then my 91 semi floater, in terms of strength the full floater is great there's also the D60 and 70 and so on but the FF is cheap and easy to find and to me has the most aftermarket availability

[bucannon]

honestly i dont understand what a floater does compared to a non floater. but i dont care what it is as long as its a straight axle with the chevy 6 bolt pattern.

[Mr. 250r]

semi floaters are c-clipped in so if you break one lets say magically while going down the highway or before you leave for the highway they can come out, full floaters are bolted in from the outside by the lug nuts so if you break it they are still bolted in but i was asking you what your axle was

[nekkidhillbilly]

ive not measured the truck at work vs mine but it seemed just .5 inch on each side. this is the aam 11.5.

[bucannon]

Originally Posted by Mr. 250r

semi floaters are c-clipped in so if you break one lets say magically while going down the highway or before you leave for the highway they can come out, full floaters are bolted in from the outside by the lug nuts so if you break it they are still bolted in but i was asking you what your axle was

okay thanks. im not worried about breaking axles as ive got a 200 hp 305 haha. but right now i have a original 1986 10 bolt with 2.73 open.

i want 3.73 to 4.10 gov loc or posi

and it needs to be 5 inches wider than my stock rear end with chevy 6 lug

[Pyrotechnic]

Look at a rear end from a 99-06 or 07-present truck. No idea on the width, but they are an option you can look in to.

In both those years groups, there's a 9.5" 14 bolt rear with 6 lugs that was an option on some trucks. It's a very strong rear and would be a great swap if it fits but it is more rare. The 8.5" 10 bolt is what you will find under most trucks, but it is still an upgrade over what you have because it has larger axles.

As far as the 10 bolt goes, it's a mix of disc brakes and drum brakes. I believe 99-04 is disc and 05+ is drums. If you get a disc rear, you will want to change your master cylinder as the fluid requirements of disc and drum brakes is very different. A drum brake rear would probably be easier to swap in.

[bucannon]

Thanks ill start looking around the junkyards and see what is available in my price range haha.


but does anyone have a list or someway i can find the widths of different rear ends without having to go measure them?

88-98:
99-06:
07-11: