Sorry if this has been covered, but I couldn't find a thread dealing with this situation...

I bought a 2003 4x4 which I believe has a 3.55 open rear end. (The truck is not yet back in my possession so I can't check the tags, but ETIS says this is what it has.)

My blown-motor '99 has a 3.73 LSD rear.

I'd like to know if I can simply swap carriers from the '99 into the '03 and vice-versa, with a minimum of work, or if it's more involved than that. The '99 has 270K on it, and clutches were re-done at about 220K, so I'll likely replace them just because. I'm not sure if the bearings were done at the same time, so those will likely get freshened, as well. Swapping ring gears will be required, but is there anything else I'm missing? Should the gear setup stay the same, or will it need to be re-shimmed/adjusted?

Of course, I'll have the same issue going the other way ('03 open into the '99 rear end).

Given all this, would I be better off to simply save my pennies, and buy a new LSD unit to install down the road?

Thanks in advance,

Andy

 

I think they will swap out fairly easy. Just check the backlash with a dial indicator on the 03 before disassembling. Leave the pinion undisturbed. Remove the ring gear from the 03 and install it on the 99 carrier. Reinstall the carrier making sure the backlash is the same. Piece of cake. Well, rarely anything is a piece of cake. But, not that bad since you do not disturb the pinion.

Of course, check the backlash on the 99 too and reinstall the ring gear on the 03 carrier making sure the backlash stays the same if you want that one to work afterwards.