[slaveforthewave]

Well, in my undying quest for automobile knowledge this site comes up very frequently so I figured my question is most likely to be answered CORRECTLY here. Anyways, I have a 96 V6 S-10 that I drove home about 10 minutes as it was making a bit of noise from the rear end. Now when I drive during acceleration and deceleration it grinds horribly. I stopped driving it and showed it to a mechanic who works on my property and he said basically new gears for it isnt worth it. I was looking for a new rear end to bolt on, it looks pretty self explanitory, and I was wondering what rear could bolt up. My friend has a rear from his 89 V6 Camaro that he took out and upgraded to a V8 so he took the rear end off and upgraded that too. Anyways he said 75 bucks and its mine. It seems like a good deal. So with all of that said, will the 89 Camaro rear end bolt on to a 96 S-10? If not, what will?

Thanks In Advance,
David

[badknuckles]

if he said getting new ring and pinion isn't worth replacing and its a 96 i would get a new mechanic what did he recommend?

i don't think it will work plus your s10 probably had a higher gear ratio id get a new ring and pinion

[slaveforthewave]

Ok. Well my mechanic told me four things that lead him to say just get a new rear end.
1) The kid before me rounded off every nut on the differential cover and 4 of them are either snapped off or just won’t come out.
2) There is too much play in the driveshaft, he said the bearings in the differential are shot.
3) The wheel bearing are moving a whole lot and he said those are shot.
4) The gears are grinded inside the differential.
5) My rear end has thrown out the carrier bearing like 5 times, and the back tires wobble. (And I'm not "easy" on it)

So from what I have read, a 96 S-10 and an 89 Camaro both have a 7.5 inch 10 bolt rear end. And for 75 dollars it is mine. And the gearing just changes my speedometer, correct? I think it said I have a 3.08 and he has a 3.73? It seems as though I might need to have my speedometer recalibrated and I will have a working truck! If not, could you all tell me some specific instances on why this will not work out, and what will not be compatible.

Thanks,
David

[poncho62]

Your S10 rear is mounted on leaf springs, the Camaro, I believe is coil springs. If you don;t mind welding and cutting, you probably could make it fit.
I would be shopping around at the wrecking yards. A lot less hassle.

[lakota]

Slave,

The rears on the S-10's are weak if you like to stomp on it. The best rear for you might be an 8.8 Ford Explorer. It's a direct bolt on, has twice the strength of the S-10, and sits about an inch wider than the S-10. The only problem is the hub bolt pattern, and the differential yoke. But that can be changed. If you want a direct replacement with no hassles, go with an 89 or newer S-10 rearend. It will have 28 spline axles instead of 26, and it will be a 7.625 instead of a 7.50. Get it from a truck with a 4.3 V6 and you'll have a good ratio 3.08 or 3.42. Don't waste your money on a 3.73 or 4.11 UNLESS you have a TH700 4R 4 speed overdrive transmission. Without the overdrive the 3.73 or 4.11 will give you neck snapping take-offs, and lousy highway speeds and lousy fuel economy. Word to the wise...Keep your foot out of it, S-10's were not designed to do burn-outs, dough-nuts, or wheelies. Otherwise, get out your tools, torch, and your wallet. Drop in a big V8, a strong trans and a cut down Ford 9" rearend.

[Triaged]

The Camaro rear end will be about a foot too wide.

Your mechanic was right...it wouldn't be worth it to replace all the parts and only keep the housing. A used j/y axle would cost a bunch less than all new parts.

The rear end you already have was the 7.63" axle with 28-splines. Obviously you wouldn't want the older weaker one.

The 8.8" is a good option. They are strong, easy to find, can be had with disc brakes, etc... Personally I went with a 8.5" 10-bolt from an S10 but they are VERY HARD to find.

[M&M CUSTOM]

The 8.8 is a darn near drop in and go swap from an Explorer.
Clicky HERE for the Explorer axle swap info.

[Triaged]

Using some IROC wheels would help out with the wide axle. Late 3rd gens used more backspacing in the rear and the wheels are marked front or rear because of this.

http://www.tacreationsusa.com/camaro.htm