Will a 4wd Silverado rear end fit in my '99 4wd?

[ravingmadman]

I actually shot a spider gear through the rear diff cover and down the road last night. It was sweet. Pictures coming.

So on CL, I found a '99 4wd Silverado rear end with newer gears, correct ratio, a posi (unclear if gov-lock or ?), and disc brakes for $reasonable. I'm wondering if it will fit? Any Ideas?

 

[992door]

NBS or OBS

 

[Bad bow tie]

I don't think it will fit if it is out of a NBS. I don't think the perches will line up. But you could grind them off and reattach them. Best way to find out is to measure it from perch to perch. You could make it fit, but doubtful it is a direct swap. Plus I am not sure how the disc brakes will work when your truck has drums out back.

 

[ravingmadman]

Pretty sure the silverado is OBS, as is mine. I wouldn't expect OBS to mate with NBS, that makes sense...

Correction: The silverado is NBS, but he bolted an OBS ('96 silverado) 14-bolt into it just fine, which is why he has this thing.

 

[Bad bow tie]

If it has discs, it is probably out of a NBS.

 

[992door]

measure everything to make sure or look for a rearend out of a 2500. 6 lug

 

[BigDaddy13440]

I blew the rearend in my '90 1500 Suburban 2wd, the outer wheel bearings disintegrated, and trashed everything internally. Swapped in a 4wd rearend from a '91 2500 series, bolted in exactly, with the exception of the u-joint, which had to be a 1/2-ton to 3/4-ton swap.

Trashed that rearend 4 months later, decided to stop screwing around. Found a '94 Chevy 1-ton van, swapped in the rearend from that. MUCH larger brakes, all it took to slide it under was cutting off and re-welding the spring perches. As an added bonus, the flange-to-flange distance was 4" wider, spacing the wheels and tires out 2" on each side.

If my current '96 Tahoe blows the rearend, I'm going to do the same thing, get one from a 3500 series van. In addition, I'll get the torsion bars from a 2500 series Tahoe or Burb, which are designed to support the weight of a big block. Should set 2-3" higher in the front - as it is, I've slipped 3 extra leaves in the rear of mine now, it sits a good 3" over stock, and with the bars turned, I clear 285/75/16's on 16x8 wheels, no problem.

 

[96ProCompTahoe]

^--- hows the ride?

 

[ravingmadman]

Answer is no. a '99 Tahoe stock rear end has 47" between the spring perches. The silverado perches are 49". With the abundance of rear ends on CL, I can't justify cutting/welding perches to make something work. Back to the drawing board. Does anyone know the total length of the rear end, end plate:end plate?