The first indication that my rear end wasn't stock was last month when I was taking the truck for a test spin in a gravel lot. The inside rear wheel would slip in tight circles, I'm a newbie but it seemed obvious that the rear differential was welded or had a locker installed. I asked the previous owner about it, he bought the truck when it was about 5 years old, says he thought it was all stock. How do you drive a truck for 20 years and not know this?

Anyway, today I go to put some fresh pads on the rear. Nothing telling me it was necessary but the truck had 126,xxx miles, so I figured it might be a good time. I beat the drums off and the guts looked nothing like what's in my manual. So I accept this as my lot in life, nothing is ever easy or goes the way it should.

While waiting for a buddy to arrive I go to change the rear diff. oil. and my shiny new 30mm socket is far too big. I measure the nuts on the rear diff., they're 15/16", I guess about 23/24mm. wth?

So, I take pics and post here, can anyone tell me if this is a stock rear on my '85?

 

Looks stock to me.

:wabbit2:

 

I obviously have the 4cyl/8" housing but I read everywhere that the nuts should be 30mm.

 

Brakes too? Shouldn't the nuts be 30mm?

 

where did you see it's supposed to be 30mm? that sounds more like the size the axle nut is supposed to me not the drain and fill plugs on the diff housing. What your describing is not an axle nut they are the diff drain and fill plugs.

 

Drain/fill plugs are typically 24/25mm.

Pinion nuts are 30mm.

That's a stock rear axle by those pictures.

:wabbit2:

 

Yea, that's what I meant. I've read that the drain & fill plugs were 30mm.

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_TechInfo.shtml

 

I think I ran into the small problem you did. Mine were not the same size as described in 4crawlers write up. I don't remember if they were bigger or smaller. I also have a 85.

 

Ok, thanks guys, I can calm down from panic mode....I still haven't settled down from all the excite of the game...

bamaLSU

 

Hey LSUfan71, wasn't that win over Bama SWEET!? And how about that traffic in BR on Sat? Hey man I have an 85 too, and that rear end looks just like mine...

 

is that the coach that eats grass?

 

Great game, the Tigers finally put some offense together. Time to pull for the dawgs.

I slightly panicked when I saw that my rear brakes looked different than what was in the manual and then the differential drain plug was different than what I expected (it's definitely 24mm). Turns out I later found my brakes in the manual and the plug was normal. I'm just glad they have patience here with the newbies.

 

Yea, the hat. It'll be nice to put to rest all the non-sense about the LSU/Saban thing. We'll be in Tuscaloosa next year for the game, I'll drop in and visit with wabbit.

 

This started out with my rear brakes not looking right. I bought new brake cylinders at my nearby AutoZone store and later took off the old stuff, that's where my problems began. In this pic, the new cylinder on the left is the one I just bought, supposed to be for a 4x4 .5-ton. The cylinder on the right is the one I took off my truck. The guy at AutoZone says the cylinder that came off my truck is intended for a 1-ton. He swapped my two for the two 1-ton cylinders and I got it all back together. Was this something done in the factory or was it done by a previous owner?