I know the 10 bolt axle is weak but this is going into a street truck that just sees some snow but pretty much never any dirt. I am putting an Escalade 5 link rear frame clip in an S10. The Escalade axle is open but I have a 10 bolt from a Z71 with the factory locking diff. They are both 3.73. Can I just switch carriers? Will the '03 axle shafts go in the '88 drive gears? Will the ring gears interchange (so I can keep the '03 ring gear with the '03 pinion)?
Brian

First off , with regards to sensitivities of others ,but , the '88 factory LSD is pure garbage ,junk it ,its a gov-loc ,and it is notoriously bad .

Second , the 2003 rear is no longer a "corporate 10 bolt " ,it's a AAM joint venture with Chrysler ,and not the same for the most part .You will have to talk directly with a diff wizard to find out .

Thirdly ,in '88 the rears were 28 spline and in '89 they went to 30 spline , so that answers the question right there.

Fourth , always keep ring and pinions together .

First off , with regards to sensitivities of others ,but , the '88 factory LSD is pure garbage ,junk it ,its a gov-loc ,and it is notoriously bad .

Second , the 2003 rear is no longer a "corporate 10 bolt " ,it's a AAM joint venture with Chrysler ,and not the same for the most part .You will have to talk directly with a diff wizard to find out .

Thirdly ,in '88 the rears were 28 spline and in '89 they went to 30 spline , so that answers the question right there.

Fourth , always keep ring and pinions together .

X2, Gov-lock = Gov-bomb!!

Thank you for the input. I looked on Accu Auto parts and they say that some 1988's have 30 spline. They say both axles have a 1.63 pinion shaft diameter and both use 10 7/16-20 bolts to hold the ring gear on. However, it shows 8.5" for the 88 and 8.6" for the '03 as far as ring gear diameter. I hear you say that the gov-lok is bad, but will it hold up to 180hp and 300ft-lbs. of torque on the street?
Brian

It rips in half in S-10's,V-6 Camaro's with the same rear get regular clutch posi's ,never Gov-locs .

Please ,give it up ,if you want 6-lug ,then think about a '90's light duty C2500 3/4 ton truck ,they have a semi float 9.5 inch 14 bolt with 6-lugs .

I didn't want to mention this ,I hoped you would give up on this already ,but according to Auburn ,the diffs will not interchange.

your time and money would be better spent on an aftermarket LSD. Gov-bombs explode under the weight of an s-10 with only the torque of a 4-banger.

your time and money would be better spent on an aftermarket LSD. Gov-bombs explode under the weight of an s-10 with only the torque of a 4-banger. Does the S10 have a smaller ring gear/carrier?

s-10 has a 7.5 ring gear

the axles in the newer gm trucks are still 10 bolts the only differance between the 8.5 and the 8.6 is the carrier bearings. heres a link for the bearing info you need to do the swap if you want to http://www.performancetrucks.net/forums/showthread.php?t=431886&highlight=8.5+8.625

s-10 has a 7.5 ring gear

the axles in the newer gm trucks are still 10 bolts the only differance between the 8.5 and the 8.6 is the carrier bearings. heres a link for the bearing info you need to do the swap if you want to http://www.performancetrucks.net/forums/showthread.php?t=431886&highlight=8.5+8.625

Very helpful link! Thank you very much, Black4x4. Now I know it can be done. I'll probably do it. This is not going into a rock rig so I hope it will hold up for awhile.
Brian