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swapping rear axle from drums to disc

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Old 09-14-2013, 05:50 PM
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Default swapping rear axle from drums to disc

I did a search and was surprised I didn't see this addressed. I have a 98 S10 2wd pick-up with a 4 banger and rear drum brakes. Today I found a 2000 2 wd Blazer in the bone yard with disc brakes front and rear. What would be involved in swapping this axle into my truck? (1) are they the same width? (2) will I need a new master cylinder? (3) Will I need to get all the E brake cables and brackets all the way back to the handle? (4) will my drive shaft work with the Blazer rear? (5) Most important is this a bolt in deal, or is some fabrication going to be required? Thanks guys! Alan
 
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Old 09-16-2013, 10:17 AM
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1) If they are both 2wd then they should be the same width.
2) I did not need a new master cylinder when I swapped my drum axle for a disc axle.
3) You will need to replace the park brake cable. The drum one is not compatible with the disc brake hookups.
4) Your drive shaft should work fine. The u-joint should bolt right up. Be careful that the bearing caps don't fall off the u-joint when you separate it from the rear axle. You will probably want to wrap them in tape to hold them in place while you're working.
5) This is basically a bolt in job. I did an axle swap by myself in my driveway with hand tools. The one difference you will notice is that the Blazer spring perches on the axle will have little cups on the back that probably won't be on your S10 axle. The cups are for where the rubber bump stop sits when the suspension bottoms out. It won't affect anything and you can just leave them alone.
 
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Old 09-16-2013, 11:29 AM
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also,some of them where the driveshafts bolt up had plates instead of the u joints sliding in to caps. make sure your driveshafts match. vise versa.
 
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