So i bought my truck with a bad rear end. Pinion bearing was going bad and the pinion and ring gear had significant damage to them. The truck had this weird grinding/whining sound.

So i went to a junkyard and found another sport and took its rear end. By the looks of it it was the same as what was in my truck. Turned out it was. I took the springs shocks and pretty much everything that i needed with it.

With a whole weekend of work and limited tools we managed to pull my rear end out and place the new one in. Downside was after a missing part in the brake assembly that the truck sits im guessing 3 to 4 inches lower in the back.

My truck is 4x4 so its higher than the two wheel. I didnt put any real thought into the setup difference of the two rear ends and now it hits on the frame almost everytime i hit a large bump. I put a 2wd diff in a 4x4. Good thing is i just need to lift it.

I know nothing of lifting anything. So any suggestions or help would be much appreciated.

 

If you just want to lift the rear you can do what's called an add-a-leaf. Basically all you're doing is adding 2 more leafs on each side raising it by the thickness of the leaf. It makes it sit higher and it beefs up the back so you can haul something a little heaver, but it makes it ride stiffer.

You can a set of blocks and new ubolts and go that method.

Or, you can flip your leaf shackles -this gives it a 2-3" lift.

Don't ask me where to get these just look around - I'm Canadian and can't seem to find any decent shipping methods from the states... and they sure as hell don't sell em in Canada I've looked everywhere.

 

im trying to do what im capable of. my trucks a 4x4 and the rear came out of a 2x4 so it sits im guessing 3ish inches different at the rear end.

I need to get the axle up and away from the frame. Cant put blocks on a top mounted axle to raise it. I already have the sport suspension so its beefy enough and i have no plans at all to tow with this truck.

Im not having much luck with finding anything about the shackles. From the look of it if i just flip it it will be generally the same height. Maybe Some lowering shackles could work if i flipped the hanger though.

 

I thought the only difference between the 2 and 4wd rear ends was that the 4wd had the leafs mounted on top of the axle and the 2wd has them mounted underneath. Just flip the shackles and it should be the same. I'm not positive if that's the only difference but it's my understanding that it is. Maybe someone else can confirm this or prove me otherwise.

 

I''l probably have an answer by the end of the weekend but i dont want to do it and find out i need new parts to get it where i need it before i drop the bed back on. The diff on the 2 and 4wd is that the 2 is top mounted and the 4 is bottom on the springs.

I dont want to go through the hassle of dropping the axle and having to move it to the bottom. Its more complicated than it seems. But I think i can get away with cutting the leaf spring shackle mount and fliping it. Looking at the bolt pattern and where the shackle sits in the mount i doubt it will change the ride height any. However if i take a lowering shackle and replace the already weak shackles i have i think that migh get me close to the right height.

 

My mistake I didn't read that its a 2WD rear end.

 

Well needless to say next time i will be taking pictures of everything and more thoroughly checking what i'm pulling parts off of so i don't make any more screw ups like this. the trucks driveable and the new rear end solved my noise issue. i can now enjoy my magnaflow exhaust. Downside is because of the peice where the shock absorber my axle sits 2 inches off the frame. Im affraid that the bed alone is going to cause it to be even lower plus driving the truck at that angle sucks. Already dragged my tailpipe a couple of times because of the extremity of the angle.

 

Yeah, I just had a pinion bearing go in my truck. I drove with it humming for way too long. I forgot how nice my truck sounded without any noise.

 

Honestly, easiest route would be to grind the axle tubes clean of the leaf mounts, redneck remount (no tube-side mount), take it to a backwoods alignment shop have them square up the rear axle with the fronts, then pay them to drop a few small beads around the U-bolts and axle tubes.

 

Yeah grinding 8 bolts flip a bracket and new shackle mounts that i already need. Hmmmm. Think i'll stick with that rather than trying get the truck to a shop so i can cut and weld on my axle.