Shredded the pinion gears and cracked the pinion housing. I managed to stop before the ring gear was damaged.

I actually thought about finding a complete rear end out of an 05 or newer Silverado because they upgraded the ring gear from 8.6 to 9.5. Or would it be better to go aftermarket because my other option was to go with the Eaton setup with a 3.73 gear.

Another thing one of my buddies recommended was to go with that Powertrax limited slip unit. I don't know much about them though.

What do you guys recommend for replacement/rebuild?

 

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. At least it gives you a reason to upgrade. I was not aware of 2005+ trucks getting 9.5 rears. Is this for HD trucks? Can someone confirm this? Anyways, I would just get a Detroit TruTrac LSD with OEM (company name is AAM) ring and pinion. I've heard many times that OEM gears are actually the strongest and quietest gears available.

 

I think the SS's and the VHO are the ones with the 9.5s in '05.

 

yup, only the 6.0L trucks got the beefed-up rear to my knowledge. In '05 they went back to drum brakes, but didn't change the diff size.

 

I thought if you ordered the light duty power package after 2005, which most dealers did, it came with the 9.5" locking differential.

But back to the point of this thread...

What do you guys think about the Eaton posi unit? I was thinking about just having one of those and some 3.73 gears installed. Or what about the Powertrax unit?

 

Light duty power pkg does not get you the 9" rear, sorry, only the VHO, SS, and Max get the larger rearend. Sorry about your luck on the rear though.

 

After blowing a few G-80's I just installed a Tru Trac. I looked at the Eaton, but I do know someone that has blown one of those too. The main reason I chose the True trac over the eaton was the geared setup. Its simple and pretty much will never wear out whereas the eaton has clutches. They will probably last quite a while for most people, but I just figured Id go with the Detroit instead. There is absolutely NO slippage. Im loving it so far.

 

i have an eaton, i liked the ability to change the spring pressure and rebuild the clutches

oh yeah had it in for about 60k miles and not a single problem with it

-erik

 

Where's the best place to look for a Tru Trac at?

 

Can anyone help me? I've talked to a few shops. One's charging $1500 out the door for a complete rebuild with whatever gear I choose. They are using the Auburn carrier setup. Another shop is wanting to charge me between $800 and $1000 depending on what I go with, eaton or auburn, and choice of gear I choose.

Another option is to find a newer rear end out of a wrecked truck. I would look for a 3.73 with a locker, but from which truck should I get it from. Should I try to get something from something like an SS truck or an HD truck?

Keep in mind that I have a rebuilt tranny that shifts HARRRD! So I really need something that's a lot stronger than stock.

I don't know what to do!