I have an 05 Silverado 5.3 CC SB 2wd, and was thinking about upgrading the rear end to a unit out of a 3/4 ton or 1 ton, leaf springs and all. Has anyone done this, and if so, is it a direct bolt in? If not, what is required to to do the work? I am also in the process of installing a 4l80 tranny. The reason for this insanity, is I like overkill, and I will be doing lots of hauling my show car cross country and want the extra durabilty of the heavier duty units. Because in the near future, the 5.3 will give way to a modded N/A 6.0 or a turbocharged 5.3. I just made a haul from Houston to St. Louis and back, and this truck S****. No power at all, and had to haul in third gear. That just will not fly with me. I know it would be easier to buy a 3/4 or 1 ton, but I just got the truck brandnew 6 months ago, and getting rid of it now is just not cost effective. So, does the 3/4 ton 1 ton stuff bolt in, or do I need to make some changes first????? Thnaks!!

 

you talkin springs for more payload capacity, or axle too? i would suggest helper springs if it is low in the back when you haul or tow. but power will not increase with a heavier duty rear end. in fact the extra weight will slow it down

 

No I am wanting the extra BEEF that comes with the heavier duty rear out of the 3/4 1 ton trucks. Not concerned with going fast, jsut hauling my show car/trailer/tools/etc.... Would the 3/4 ton 1 ton rear end bolt in the in the stock location on my 1/2 ton truck? And then I could add helper springs, that is a good idea. I was just REAL disappointed in the hauling capabilites of this truck after I made a haul from Hoouston to St Louis and back. I need to change the 3.23 gear set in the truck, I know that, but I thought if I could find a 3/4 1 ton rear with a 3.73 or 4.10 unit already in, I would jsut install it, and now that you mention it, just add the helper springs. Did not think abou that. I need to make this truck more heavy duty since I do ALOT of traveling with this truck/trailer combo, and I should have NEVER got rid of my 03 Powerstroke, but once again, thought the 5.3 would be more than enough for what I am doing....WRONG!!!! So, I want to upgrade the drivetrain to make it more user friendly for me. I know the 4l60 is a weak link, and if I thorw more power at it, with the weight and hauling, it will give out real quick. The rear, like I said, I thought if it blted right i my truck, I would go that route since I need to change the gear anyway....Anymore input guys? Thanks!!!

 

well my first suggestion would be that you should have gone with the duramax/allison 2500HD, but you are insistant on keeping what you have sooo....

switching to a heavier rear end would be more headache, why not just re-gear? if you are not overloading the trucks rated capacity, there is no reason to go with a heavier rear-end. Re-gear + helper springs is the most you should be considering, if you really need more than that then you have too small of a truck.

 

i agree, if you're adding more spring, bigger rear diff, and trans just to tow with, you bought the wrong truck. the half ton frames don't take too well to overloading before bending occurs. the brake's are still for a half ton. the cooling system is still for a half ton. you should look into the rest of the truck's abilities before going into this. why add all the beef when you could have just bought it in the first place...

 

Well, I had an 03 Powerstroke Dually before this truck, and it was to big for my wife to drive around. And since all I haul is a single car trailer with my car and tools, I THOUGHT the 1/2 tone with 5.3 would be enough....WRONG!!! This truck is a pig and I have to haul in 3rd to gear to keep it going 70 MPH on FLAT GROUND. So, I planned on a gear change, and thought IF the 3/4 1 ton stuff bolted right in, I would go that route. BECAUSE on my last 1/2 ton Z71, the crappy A** rear gave out...diff blew up, destroying ring and pinion, metal grooved the axles....EVERYTHING but the housing was destroyed. And that was hauling the same load I have now, so I am worried at having just the ring and pinon changed out, that the CRAPPY A** rear in this truck will blow up as well. Make sense now???

 

Your bolt patterns would be different, 8 lug out back then youd have the 6 lug up front. You could find a 14 bolt SF (9.5") out of an OBS, do a disc brake conversion and then it would all bolt up and you'd have 6 lugs out back. Oh yeah, it has to come off a 4wd, the 2wd's are shorter.

 

Yep, forgot about the 8 lug stuff. I had another thread about it as well, and was told about that....I totally forgot about that. So I am throwing that idea out the window, and going to run some 4.10's in the stock rear end and see what happens. I also bought a 6.0L shortblock this weekend, so the 5.3 is coming out, but I am going to go throught the 6.0L first, and stroke it and get some real torque going, which of course will blow up the 4l60, so I will cross that bridge when I get there. I am also going to throw some overload springs on it to help out. I really thought this truck would handle the load that I am throwing at it, but I have been disappointed up to this point to say the least. Maybe coming from a Powerstroke that was modded and put 320 HP and 639 Lbs feet of torque to the tires got me spoiled. With only owning this truck for 7-8 months now, I would be to upside down to get rid of it, so I have to make do, and see what happens. Man, I am only throwing around 6000 LBS (3500 for the car 2000 for the trailer and 500 worth of tools and stuff)at it, and it kicks it's A**. So, we will see what happens......

 

if you're just looking to upgrade the rear try to get the 9.5" rear that the VHO and 2wd SS have. within a couple of months they should be in the junkyards from accidents and stuff. the 9.5" rear (05' and up only) in them should handle all the weight you'll likely throw at it.

 

OK, now we are getting somwhere. First, maybe a stupid question, but what is the VHO? Second, how can I identify the rear in a junkyard? Thanks for your help.