I am a noob. I searched to see if the topic has been here before I cannot find it. I just bought a 12 Yukon XL 4wd. It has 308 gears in it. I would like to build it and put a cam in it. I know it’s gonna require at least 342 or 373 gears. Instead of changing just the gears I was looking at swapping a complete rear end and front diff. I was wondering if all 07 to 13’s are interchangeable like sensors brakes. I am looking for a plug and play.
Easy peasy. Get a front differential out of any GMT900 that's not All Wheel Drive, Denalis and Escalades usually. Even 2008+ pickups with V8s. The older 4-speed trucks (2007-2008) will have more 3.73 geared differentials available. The 2009+ will have more 3.42 geared diffs available. Watch out for those 3.08s from 2010+!
You can buy the 9.5" 14-bolt axle with 3.42 gears that come from RWD Denali and Escalade SUVs. Bolts right up! These axles are dirt cheap, relatively speaking, from LKQ.
If you are going to stick with the 8.6" 10-bolt differential, get them from the 2008+ SUVs as the 2007s ran a 1344 universal joint and yokes out back like we do up front.
If you don't mind setting up gears, go for 3.73s or 4.10s. If you don't want to get into that, get the 3.42 equipped differentials and have fun.
You can also ditch your MP3010 single speed transfer case for the MP3023 two speed transfer case. It's a physically easy swap and may require programming and a new switch on the dash, don't remember anymore. There are lots of threads on here about that from several still active members.
In November of 2024 I finally completed my axle swap. Got a 3.73 front differential out of a 2008 Suburban and a 9.5" 14-Bolt axle out of a RWD 2011 Escalade ESV and set it up for 3.73 gears.
This modification let my 5.3 put down another 10 horsepower to the rear wheels in the quarter mile. She has a BlackBear Performance tune and a replacement Y-Pipe and Catalysts from Magnaflow and makes 325 rear wheel horsepower through the traps in the quarter mile.
Inspect your differentials before accepting them whenever possible. Salvage yard monkeys don't care and will drag them through the dirt and bend and break things and still stick it on a skid and hand it over to you. Watch for bent brackets and broken parking brake anchor blocks.
