KPC

i have a 1994 k1500 work truck 4x4
today the rear diff started making a gear mesh noise. I was only a few blocks from home, so I returned back, pulled the diff cover, full of gear oil, no metal shavings, i think i caught whatever is wrong before it had a chance to do any major damage, possibly just a bad bearing, there is no wear or other damage to the gears.

rather than rebuilding, i was wondering if anyone knows of a fairly direct swap rear end that would have come with a locker

I know you would need to know the gear ratio, but i don't have that info right now. If it helps, it has the v6 with overdrive auto transmission.

See, I have a newer colorado with the factory locker and it is a really nice feature.
I'd like to have the feature of a locker in this 94 1500 but only if I can do it on the cheap, after all it is a 94 wt that is just used as that, a work truck.

Something else to note, is that just last month, this 1500 just had all new back brakes put on, everything from new steel lines, to shoes, new springs, hardware, new parking brake cables, new drums, etc..

So I don't know if it is worth just fixing the existing 1500 diff since it has a couple hundred just dropped into all new brakes, or if there is possibly another chevy axle that would have come with a factory locker that I could take the brakes off this axle and put on the other axle that has the locker?

any help is appreciated.

KPC

been doing some research and it seems the k1500's came with the option of the g80, it seems the gear ratio and optional g80 is posted on a sticker in the glovebox.

so if I'm right, all i have to do is check the glovebox for the gear ratio, then scour the local junkyard for other 1500 truck glove boxes to match the same gear ratio and make sure it has the optional g80, get the axle home, pull the new brakes off my original 1500 axle, swap the junkyard axle with the g80 and new brakes into the truck and be on the road

sound right?