Whee!!! No more 1 wheel burnouts!!! Found a Desert Runner rear end! questions..

[hessianben]

Well, I finally found a rear end assembly from the supercharged big brother of my 2wd Fronty... I initially was only going to grab the rear anti-sway bar assembly, but when I saw a sticker on the pumpkin' that said "LSD GEAR OIL ONLY" I quickly asked if I could buy the whole rear end! Just wondering- this is a '00 Desert Runner model V6 S/C'ed ; is the rear diff a viscous LSD or maybe a newer style helical LSD? Either way I'm stoked! Just need to get a custom drive shaft... $$$....Thanks for any info!

[Desert Rat]

It's a friction LSD and you're going to be disappointed. Breakaway torque is only 40-50 lb ft with these and they're not much better than an open diff.

The LSD's found in 4x4 Hardbodies are much better with something like a 200lb ft breakaway (I don't have the exact specs for either - this is from memory)

I've done this swap before on a buddy's truck - it will bolt into your truck, but you're going to need some additional parts, starting with the end of the driveshaft that bolts to the pinion, as the H233B has a larger bolt pattern than the H190 your truck probably has now. You'll also need to get creative with the e-brake cable because I recall it being too short.

Also, the spring perches are set about 1-2" wider. It'll work, but it spreads out your leaf springs, and it's not ideal. They should be cut off and new ones welded slightly inboard of where the old ones were. Also, it's wider. Your rear wheels will stick out past the fenders.

Lastly, the DR axle will have much deeper gears than you have, and unless you run a significantly larger tire, you'll be turning a lot more rpms at highway speed than you do now. Your current gearing is probably around 3.7:1 (if axle code is HG37). The Desert runner rear will likely have 4.625 or 4.636 gearing.

[hessianben]

THanks Desert Rat! That was what I needed to know! I may just keep the sway bar assembly and weld the diff I have.

[nismopu]

ummm why not the 2wd v6 pickups, theyre WAY more common and will bolt right in. The desert rat is spring over and would require new perch welding, which if thats not a problem then the pathy LSD is even more commonly found. I have done both swaps in 2wd pickups and one into a 4wd. The 2wd's are the easiest since the drivelines are the same length pretty much. peace.