Ring and Pinion

[Lastwagen]

i have in my posession the old rear end for my truck. The guy I bought my truck from gave it to me. He said it had "excessive play in the the pinion". It has 308s and a hop shock bracket.

I'm thinking about biulding it up with maybe 373s or something like that with a posi. Any input on what a good gear combination would be? My set up in my truck now is 410s and its not really working out for me, I just dont like it.

[Mikz86TA]

Put it back in, get new bearings and races, a new crush sleeve, find yourself a Torsen or Auburn or something, put a 3.73 in there. IMO

[Mikz86TA]

Im thinking 3.42s for me one day. I got the G80 and 3.08s stock. I wouldnt have much of a desire to put any other gears in it if GM wouldve put a 3.23 at least. But 3.42s are a nice medium. I NEED better off-line. Correcting TManagement will help but my gearing sux reguardless. 3.73s is probably OK but too much for my particular use. 4.10s I couldnt imagine to be good for anything but 60ft times

[T Man]

you have 3 08's and a 5spd? according to my book it wasnt an option in 03

[Lastwagen]

do they make the GOV LOC or any other locking differential for the 342 or 373 gear sets for the S10?

[T Man]

you bolt the ring to the gov lock unit, or center section

[Mikz86TA]

PPfftt..option? There was NO option. If you got a 4.3/5sp, you got a 3.08 and if you got a 4.3/auto, you got a 3.42. I ordered my truck new in 2003 and checked off the option list accordingly. If I saw the option, it wouldve been checked. The brocure and all Ive ever read has the same bad news. Gov-Loc is a GM exclusive according to Eatons site, Just like the E-Loc is exclusive to the Jeeps. Eaton makes a L.Slip and a Locker for the aftermarket. Auburn makes a nice L.Slip unit but I dont care for L.Slip that much. Though the TA has it. A Torsen/Zexel is the strongest IMO. As long as you get a carrier for the diff you have, a ring-pinion for the carrier you have, then they will both bolt in and work together fine. Only thing is to pay attention to which carrier you get. A 2-series carrier is genarally 3.08 ratio gears and down (ie : 2.73) and a 3-series carrier is generally 3.23 ratio and up. Aftermarket companies like Richmond make gearsets that are say a 3.42 and specifically designed for a 2-series carrier. But stock GM gears are not. Safest thing is to decide which ratio you want. Which is probably a 3.42 or 3.73 from your previous post. So search for a 3-series carrier. Do you know if the orig diff which you are going to be putting these gears/diff in is a 7.5/7.625 or a 8.5??

[White-V-6-S-Ten]

My 03 auto has the 3.42.. I dont know how my truck would run with the 3.08's but i would like to get more gear in there!
Do the 4 cyl trucks have the 3.73 and 4.10's?
And they are the same right? they would handle the 4.3 no prob right?

[Slaymanic]

I feel you on the lack of gear....Anyone know about building up the rear end?

[Mikz86TA]

To clarify a bit those I mentiond were 4.3/5sp 2WD combos. According to my sources in 2003 this was it : 2.2/M/2wd/Reg = 3.73 2.2/M/2wd/Ext = 4.10 2.2/A/2wd/Ext or Reg = 4.10 4.3/M/2wd/Reg or Ext = 3.08 4.3/A/2wd/Reg or Ext = 3.42 4.3/M/4wd/Ext non ZR2 = 3.42 and with ZR2 = 3.73 4.3/A/4wd/Ext non ZR2 = 3.42 and with ZR2 = 3.73 4.3/A/4wd/CrewCab = 3.42 or 3.73 As you can see the Crews were the only ones with an option pending the availible eng/trans combo.

[Mikz86TA]

The 2.2s all had the 7.5 diff along with every other S-series. As most know the ZR2s and select 4.3/M had the beefier 8.5s which are the exception. The gears from one 7.5 is exchangable to a degree to each other. Keeping in mind there are 2 different carriers. The 3.08s and lower numerically (like 2.73) use a 2-series carrier. The 3.23s and up numerically (like 3.42s) use a 3 series carrier. Aftermarket gear companies DO make a say 3.42 that is designed for an orig 2-series carrier. But IMO its best to keep the carrier and size gear in order. Im my truck I have a 4.3/5sp and therefore a 8.5 diff. I have to look at the C/Ks for the mostpart to get a used good GM gearset. But since I have a 3.08, Im stuck with exchanginf the entire G80 out. Or get an aftermatrket gearset. If youre looking to get a gear to replace the 3.08s, there are planty of options. Finding a G80 auto with 3.42s is easy pickings these days. Also check Blazer/Jimmy gearsets. They are mostly 3.42s and all but the ZR2s a 7.5. G80 equipped ones is just as random as a truck. Alot of people seek gears from other makes that share the 7.5 like Astro, F-Body and G-Body. Thats all good ig the gears is all your after, but if you find a locker in one of those cars and want to swap it in, think again and do some research. The axle spline count on the F-body is 26 and the S-series is 28. Another hurdle. My situation is either loose the G80 and get a aftermarket unit ($200-500) OR I can get an aftermarket gearset designed for a 2-series carrier ($150-300). So money Vs. strength. Is the G80 and a hybird gear going to last? Is it worth $500 or more to do a whole new unit? See my delima?

[Lastwagen]

my current rear end is origianlly from a 4 cyl.

I have the one that came on the truck from factory....so those are different sizr carriers?

[Mikz86TA]

The 4cyl is definately a 7.5 diff. Your orig 4.3/5sp could be either a 7.5 or a 8.5 diff. If you get a pic of the back center (cover) I could tell you indefinately.

[badasS10]

I bought a G8O from Hammer Head and paired it with my 3.42's and I like the way it feels off the line. It's an auto, but with the corvette servo to firm up the shifts, and the G80, it really feels like it gets up and goes. I would prefer a 3.73 gear, but I enjoy what I have.

[Blazer69]

i wanna stay with 3.42 but get a locker or posi....

[962dr]

Have you checked the S10 warehouse? you might find a complete setup on there like you want.

The 2.2s all had the 7.5 diff along with every other S-series. As most know the ZR2s and select 4.3/M had the beefier 8.5s which are the exception. The gears from one 7.5 is exchangable to a degree to each other. Keeping in mind there are 2 different carriers. The 3.08s and lower numerically (like 2.73) use a 2-series carrier. The 3.23s and up numerically (like 3.42s) use a 3 series carrier. Aftermarket gear companies DO make a say 3.42 that is designed for an orig 2-series carrier. But IMO its best to keep the carrier and size gear in order. Im my truck I have a 4.3/5sp and therefore a 8.5 diff. I have to look at the C/Ks for the mostpart to get a used good GM gearset. But since I have a 3.08, Im stuck with exchanginf the entire G80 out. Or get an aftermatrket gearset. If youre looking to get a gear to replace the 3.08s, there are planty of options. Finding a G80 auto with 3.42s is easy pickings these days. Also check Blazer/Jimmy gearsets. They are mostly 3.42s and all but the ZR2s a 7.5. G80 equipped ones is just as random as a truck. Alot of people seek gears from other makes that share the 7.5 like Astro, F-Body and G-Body. Thats all good ig the gears is all your after, but if you find a locker in one of those cars and want to swap it in, think again and do some research. The axle spline count on the F-body is 26 and the S-series is 28. Another hurdle. My situation is either loose the G80 and get a aftermarket unit ($200-500) OR I can get an aftermarket gearset designed for a 2-series carrier ($150-300). So money Vs. strength. Is the G80 and a hybird gear going to last? Is it worth $500 or more to do a whole new unit? See my delima?

[962dr]

I feel you on the lack of gear....Anyone know about building up the rear end?Do you mean having one set up? HI Tymes on new providence will set up a rear end for you and they used to be cheap,but its been a while since I've been in there.

[stock97S10]

im guessing all this discussion is based on 2 wheel drives because i have 3.73 ride at 2100 rpms @ 70 mph due to my larger wheels. 4.10's would be great and i could even live with higher.

[Mikz86TA]

I actually found out some good info and will be corecting a previous statement a few post back. On the 8.5 differental, the split between a 2-series and a 3-series carrier is 2.73-down (2-series) and 3.08-up (3-series). Good news for me. I have a 3.08...I can get a 3.42...and keep my perfect stock G80. YAY!!! But the 7.5/7.625 diff splits at 3.08-down and 3.23-up.

[04silveradomykk]

I love my 4.10s, however I couldn't imagine running anything short of a 30" wheel. Wich is exactly what my new 265/40-22s come in at.