jimmy axles

[papastork]

ok boys and girls, i have a quick or maybe not so quick technical question: with my trusty "eugene the jeep" i have a dana 30 front (3.07) and a dana 35 (posi: 3.07) rear. i'm running 10.50 x 31 x15's and was wondering if anybody had any experience with a 1985 gmc "jimmy". it looks like an '85 blazer, but it says: "jimmy 4x4" on it. what i would like to know is: are the chevy (or gmc as it were) axles any better? if so, how hard is the swap? thanks for the help...

papastork

[jtdesigns]

Ive ripped a s10/s15 rear axle in half once with a blazer with a 4.3l engine in it. I don't think it'll be as strong as a Explorer rear to be honest. Plus by using the Explorer axle you keep your wheel bolt pattern, and gain rear discs...

[86FUBAR]

there is going to be real no benifit to the swap as far as i can see , the bolt patern / still have C-clips / spring perches / and wms to wms distance is different (narrower), they have a 7.5" ring gear (some had the 8.5")and 28 spline axels and IMO is not worth the time .

mason

[papastork]

now that was quick. thanks guys.... sure made my job easier... now if i just hadn't given that '77 scout away. it had 44's in it, posi

AND 4.10's. sheesh, talk about making a mistake...... almost as bad as when i gave my '75 harley away. and i did give it away.....sigh. maybe i'll learn someday. :dunno:

[86FUBAR]

now if i just hadn't given that '77 scout away. it had 44's in it, posi

AND 4.10's. sheesh, talk about making a mistake...... :dunno:

well don't kick ur self just yet , as the scout axles wile better than the s10 axles aint a bolt in deal either , they r wider and still have a different bolt patern but at least the scout 5 lug is more common than the s10 patern and the front has no caster built in to it and would require cuting the C's and rotating them or shims that would mess up the pinion angle .IIRC

[mvusse]

Chevy Blazer and GMC Jimmy are generally the same vehicle. GMC usually have a nicer interior and more comfort options. There's also a rumor that GMC vehicles are only made Tue through Thu. Anything done one Monday or Friday will be Chevy only,

 

But are you talking about the full size (K5) or compact (S10/S15) version?

[Wildman]

There's also a rumor that GMC vehicles are only made Tue through Thu. Anything done one Monday or Friday will be Chevy only,

 

 

 

:rotf:

[BLHTAZ]

But are you talking about the full size (K5) or compact (S10/S15) version?

That's what I was wondering too. If it's the full-size Jimmy, then it would have decent axles to swap, but the front is going to have the diff on the wrong side.

[FxRacing282]

85 was full size. the front axles are floaters. rear are c- clip. ring gear is 8.5'' shoudl be 28 spline shafts. its comparable to the D44. i think the front is a little tougher. but remember that the front axle on a full size C/K is a few inches wider. and the differential is on the passenger side.

[jtdesigns]

85 was full size.

Wrong again... S-10's started production in 1983 for the Blazer and extended cabs, a year after the pick-up trucks came to showroom floors. I'm sure if papastork meant the full size, I'd hope he'd known the difference between the s-10 and K5. But then again I was ASSuME'n he was talking about the smaller one.

[mvusse]

The K5 Jimmy was released in 1970 and lasted until 1992. Actually, it lived on until 1999 as the 2 door Yukon. The S-15 (T-15) Jimmy was released in 1983 and lasted through 2005.

 

So from 1983 through 1992 it could be either size unless specified.