Okay, how would I know if it isn't factory?

 

Factory isn't necessarily bad. If it's an 8.5" you'll probably be ok. Start at the cover to tell if it's a 7.625 or an 8.5. A 7.625 cover looks more square and an 8.5 cover looks more round. Google images for identification.
If it's a 95, with larger tires, and 162,000 miles, the original 7.625 has acted up already. Not to offend anyone, I'm a chevy guy. But I've turned more than my share of 10 bolts into maracas.
To make a long answer short. You need to learn differentials to put that added power to the ground. It's a whole other science all unto itself.


More importantly. I want to encourage a young man to get dirty, have fun, and be careful. I know. Some old guy saying "be careful". To me he was an old man running a junkyard. He gave me a deal on parts that came with a puff of cigar smoke in the face, a hard poke in the chest, and "Use your head kid. Don't lose it". That's going to be quite the ride when you finish it. We are here for you. No smoke or poke.

 

And I appreciate everything I have been given so far, advice wise and physical help. I can't tell you how much fun I've been having as this is my first project of this size, and well, so far it's going very well. Thank you all

 

We need, crave pictures!

 

I'm actually in the middle of documenting everything with pictures, I'm in the process of rebuilding and cleaning the motor and engine bay, after I'm finished I'll post everything up here

 

One more question; does anyone know how to remove the lower part of the motor mount? I obviously already have the rubber part off, but I need to remove the all steel part that the rubber mount bolts to. I can see the bolts and I can feel the nuts under them, but it doesn't look like there's any way to hold the nuts whiles I'm loosening the bolts

 

Comments withdrawn - don't know about 4WD but 2WD you have to remove lower control arms for access.

 

Bigger gov-lock 10 bolts suck just like the smaller ones. Gov lock rears throw a pin and lock up the rears when one wheel spins a specific amount more than the other. Throwing that pin into place under big power/wheelspin on a dry road with big tires is not a good thing.

I have a hard to find bonafide 8.5" 10-bolt 30-spline-axle 2WD S10 rear fitted with an Eaton Posi in my 1989 V8 S10 shortbox, but again this is a 2WD. The narrow rears to use for 2WD only came with 2WD S10s with 4.3 and manual trans primarily in early 2000's. 8.5" 4WD housings for rear (a little wider than 2WD ) are a bit more common. I personally don't know anythng about the front 4WD diff size.

Point is the set up rear alone for 2WD cost $1600. Before it had a gov-lock 7.5 and it survived a racing season with slicks (never failed) (but it also wasn't spinning a tire enough to throw the gov lock in). Problem is when you put all your power through the spider gears with one wheel spinning and in the case of a gov-lock, then lock everthing up all of a sudden - if you have both power and traction then instant rear death. Gov-locks are made for traction on slick roads where wheels spin easily - other than that they are truly less than worthless. True posi rears have clutch plates that control relative wheelspin. Exceptions are Detroit lockers and others but I don't want to get into that.

I think you should not worry about the diffs at this point and just concentrate on getting the engine in. The stock 4L60E trans or transfer case will fail first with a V8.

 

Front diffs are usually 7.25". That's pretty good to have a Gov-bomb last an entire racing season.

 

I appreciate all of that information. I'm changing the input shaft seal on my transfer case right now, and I can't seem to get that plate, that holds the input shaft in, off. Does anyone know what the name of this plate is? Two of the allen head screws stripped out, so I plan on using a die grinder and cutting it so I can use a flathead to pull them out, then just replacing the bolts and plate, but I can't seem to find what that plate is called to buy the new one before I ruin this one.