Stock Rear 8.5 to 9.5

[FrankU]

Well it has started. Now with the L9H conversion the 8.5 rear I have noticed has lots of play in it. The 8.5 rear end was marginal in strength before the engine conversion , IMO the 8.5 is a weak little rear to start with. So it begins........

Two questions if I may.
From checking the Forum archives the upgrade is using a 9.5 AXN 14 bolt rear with GU6 3:42 and a G80 posi am I correct ?
This may be a direct swap except the rear axle driveshaft length ?

 

[OR VietVet]

Yes, @Dantheman1540 did this swap. He can help with questions. Is your existing gear ratio 3:42?

 

[Dantheman1540]

Yep direct bolt in swap. there are 2 ways to solve the drive shaft issue.

1) Get a conversion U joint that is 3R on the drive shaft side and 1350 on the rear end side

2) Take the Yoke off the 8.6 rear and install it on the 9.5

 

[Dantheman1540]

Heres a link to the thread I did documenting my swap. https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/9-5sf-swap.117878/page-14

 

[Foggy]

Heres a link to the thread I did documenting my swap. https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/9-5sf-swap.117878/page-14

I am thinking of doing this with my power level and towing in my 14 AWD.
did you start out by finding a 'used' 9.5 from a 2wd and then rebuilding it??
Or what would be a good strategy to find a complete rear? Also, can
the Z55 suspension and all that good stuff be transfered over to it???
I'm Ok with keeping 3.42 gears, so that's not an issue

 

[Dantheman1540]

I bought 9.5 AXN from a 2011 Denali 2wd off of Usedcarparts.com which is another name for LKQ. I didn't rebuild anything on it except for a bling bling diff cover, panhard bar, sway bar and lower control arms. However none of that is necessary except the QA1 Panhard bar with the curve in it to clear giant pumpkin.

the reason I didn't rebuild it is that it looked nearly new when I opened it up. The oil was still clear even. I'm not a huge fan of the G80 as it can be unpredictable especially with my manual trans but in an AWD truck it should be great.

 

[FrankU]

That was a long and good read Dan. Thank you

 

[Dantheman1540]

That was a long and good read Dan. Thank you

Anything to help the community .

I tried to do a condensed version at the end because there was considerable fluff in the 14 pages Haha.

 

[67RS427]

I’m not against upgrading by any means as I probably will at some point in the future but for reference, I’m making 1,000hp and have had zero issues with my 10 bolt running a TruTrac with original ring and pinion. I beat the crap out of my ride too. Just sayin, might not be needed for a light build if you replace the G80.

 

[Dantheman1540]

I also have a 10bolt in a silverado that has survived 4 years of clutch dumps withs 33s and 500ish hp. But I did kill 2 10bolts before I got the suspension setup just right.

I swapped to a 9.5 because the impact and sudden load from a clutch wrecks havoc on drivetrain parts. In an auto especially awd a truetrac is probably good enough.