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Labor Day Putting down your wrenches or time for MORE wrenching? 
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Mod | | | Forums66 Topics128,009 Posts1,055,293 Members48,419 | | Most Online14,466 Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
Lots of work on Brad's part ... pure enjoyment (and references) for you!
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on the Internet for over 30 years! and not clogged down with Ads! Again, thanks! | | | | Joined: Aug 2004 Posts: 476 Moderator | | Moderator Joined: Aug 2004 Posts: 476 | What year truck? The ADs are narrower by something like 4 inches.
It also depends on how heavy you want it to be. A lot of cars have a rear end that is an appropriate width, but too light duty for a ton truck.
If you have the narrower truck, you may end up either looking for some reverse offset wheels or narrowing a rear end if you go to something more modern. Best thing you can do is a lot of measuring before buying anything. Chances are good you will have some fabrication involved in adapting a different rear end onto your existing suspension and driveshaft. (I'm assuming that on a 3800 you have a driveshaft rather than a torque tube.)
Couple other thoughts...
Have you looked into re-gearing the rear end you have? Are there any parts available to take it to a 3.73 or 3.55? If you can re-gear the existing you avoid all the fabrication of adapting something else.
Have you looked into an overdrive unit? Either a 5spd OD trans or a separate OD to sit behind the existing trans...
My '47 tonner (panel) is a dually, and a PO swapped a 1988 Dana 73 dually axle into it. I haven't done any measuring to compare to the original specs, but it sits under there nicely and does not protrude past the fenders at all.
Don't lose your head to save a minute, You need your head, your brains are in it. Burma-Shave (1947)
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