New here and have questions.

[Wolfx]

I have a 1984 2WD longbed. Came with a 2.5 4 banger/5 speed manual tranny.



Will the factory rearend be useable? Or am I stuck replacing everything in the drive chain to swap to a V-8?

[Fergusonic]

If you drive it like there is an egg between your foot and the accelerater, it\'ll last for a while......but everyone I know here likes scrambled eggs!

[MARKYMARK]

it should be ok for awhile.look in the glove box for thr rpo codes, the one starting with a g , like gt4 is the rear gear code. g60 means limited slip

[Wolfx]

Ok, well I would have an egg under my foot, but wont be racing either so what should I put back there to be strong and reliable, with hopefully a \"bolt in\" type of change?



Is this kind of undertaking, suitable for a shadetree mechanic, or is this a big pipe dream I have taken on?

[MARKYMARK]

if its a one wheel peel you don\'t have to worry you will never hook so it will take a while to break it , 3 or 4 sets of rear tires. if you have a 3500 stahl convertor and a pair of slicks it might last 2-3 months

[Truckman91]

G80 in the RPO codes is limited slip, If it doesnt have that, itll last a long time.



I drove around everywhere on a stock peg legger for years. It even held up to the strip on occasion. I ran 13.24@ 107 on it, 2.4-2.6 60fts though http://www.s10v8.com/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif



And if you forget about your \"eggshell\" this is all that will happen www.s10v8.com/myegallery.php?&do=showpic&pid=2766&orderby= (http://www.s10v8.com/myegallery.php?&do=showpic&pid=2766&orderby=) (click on \"launch in external player\")

[Wolfx]

I will have to wait till I get off work to view that video, but I guess I would like to know if, when the time comes, will the rearend need to be rebuilt with after market axles and gears or swapped out completely?



And what about the drive shaft?? will that need to be custom built or what?

[eigthmile]

These rearends can be made fairly strong. Weld the axle tubes to the housing.Get some 28 spline axles. Look for a carrier out of a newer fbody or check out slp. Keep a fairly mild gear in it 3.73 or 3.42. The lower ratio you go the smaller the pinion gets. I have broke 2 sets of 4.56. Never broke my 3.73 have been using them 3 years cutting 1.50 60ft times. Have even cut high 1.20,s on the bottle. Get a rearend cover that will allow you to load the mains on the carrier.