I also suggest having someone else do it. I'll rebuild a 350, or a Cummins motor, I've even rebuilt a trans before, but I won't touch gears on a truck that will see the road at all.

 

i've set up rear gears before, it's not necessarily hard, but the shimming and spacing of the ring and pinion is a must. it takes a lot of patience, putting together, pulling apart. there's a process for all this, and again, if not done right, it will shatter the new gear set.

 

i got my ol man in on the deal. hes been doin this **** yrs. hes actually a heavy duty machine mechanic for and excavation company in turner maine.. but who would i talk to about the gears from and older chev axle to my 2000?

 

i would call Randy's Ring and Pinion. these guys know everything. gave ya a link at the beginning of this thread to their website. get the number, give em a call. i'm pretty sure they are not interchangeable, but Randy's will know. that's all he deals in.

 

wow!!!!!.. thanks for the refferal.. those guys at randys ring and pinion are amazing! very helpful and new EXACTLY what they were talking about.. got my part ordered, should have them in a few days. thnaks again guys for all your help!

 

they are great guys. went to school with one of them. extremely knowledgeable. glad they could help you.

 

just to give you some idea what is invoved in a gear change, I did a set in a 2000 Silverado a couple of years ago. Here is a link to the write up I did on the job. It was my first gear swap.
http://jimscampingforums.com/forums/...hp?topic=149.0
Bob