cosmick

Been researching for another project I'm helping with, there's something stronger than a Dana 60, stronger than a F150 9.75", stronger than a GM 9.5", stronger than a Toyota 9.5", stronger than a Mitsubishi Montero SR 9.5", and isn't a full-floater. You can get one from Pick-N-Pull for well under $200 complete, but the catch is there's only one gear ratio: 4.30:1
It's the '98-up Isuzu Trooper 12-bolt.
The smallest neck-down of the shafts is still 1.51", and they're a huge 23-spline, so only ARB for a traction diff.
But if you're on a tight budget, and can figure out how to make the 4.30:1 work for you, and the 6-lugs, then grab one, demand is low, and if you were to weld the spiders then you'd probably never break it on street radials.
Oh, and they come with disc brakes, but they're internal-drum for the parking brake.
The ring gear is 9.61", the tubes are 3.5" Width is 63", shafts are 6-lug on a 5.5" bolt circle.
If you can break one of these, then you need a full-floater with a ring gear diameter of at least 10.5"

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

Hmm me and my buddy have been 1.2x 60 foot, 1200 whp and 7.9-8.2's in 1/4 on gm 12 bolts. Hes 3400 lbs i was 3750. I dont see a need for much more than a 9" to be honest.

cosmick

Sure, a "built", max-effort 12-bolt or 9" can come close, but you won't find a GM car 12-bolt at PNP for $150, and even if you did, the stock 30-spline shafts would never hold 800 HP. Even a F100 31-spline 9" won't.
Anyone with deep pockets can go fast, I say us poor guys can go fast too, if we use our brains. When $200 will get me a rear axle stronger than your $2500 S60, well, I'm all about that. Rich guys need to be humbled.
And when guys in 3500# street cars are breaking the aftermarket 12-bolts with 1000 RWHP on drag radials, your claims of going faster at more weight with more HP on stickier tires with GM housings looks like exaggeration.
If you're gonna swap, do it once, do it overkill, and never worry again.
Checking Summit for cheap 16x8s that'd fit this under our cars, in less than 5 minutes I found steel BlackRocks with 5" BS for $157 / pr. in 2 different styles, an 8-hole and a 5-star.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

You arent just gonna bolt that axle in lol how you going to fab mounts and torque arm?
Even if you got it for free, then what?

cosmick

Cutting the brackets off the stock axles and welding the GM brackets to the Isuzu axle is essentially free, no more than $10; $5 for the cutting disc for the angle grinder, the other $5 for the welding rod. Toss the lame torque arm and fab an adjustable third link likewise, there's another $50 or less. Add another $30 for a conversion U-Joint, it's still $2000 less than an S60, with equal or greater strength. That's enough savings to cover a T56 to cut that 4.30 gear down to a 2.15:1, about perfect for MPG on 25.7" tires.

Orr89RocZ

iTrader: (20)

Same thing can and has been done to ford 8.8-9" rears. The torque arm system however is far from lame and works exceptionally well. And there are many more parts/gear ratios available for 8.8 and 9" rears

I just dont see the benefits of this swap

cosmick

It's not for everyone, ok, fine. But once you try a good 3-link, you'll never tolerate a torque arm again. Why the torque tube from the 1940s got revived as a torque arm is explainable only from GM's desire to end hot-rodding of these cars, that's the rear reason why the front subframe rails taper, to prevent replacing the heat stove butterfly with headers and the single 2.25" pellet cat with true duals. That's also why the torque arm attached to the trans rather than the crossmember. So, 3-link works better, if you can switch to it, do it.
To all the poor guys reading, who don't dare to chime in, but who have hopes and desires of a turbo LSx with 1000 RWHP, this is a good way to reduce the risk of ever breaking a "built" 8.8, which gets costly as you build it up, and even "built" is still no stronger than this starts out. Do it once, be done with it. Never wonder again.

cosmick

Anyone following my Baja build in member's Camaros will know why I'm after such cheap beefy overkill, it isn't for 100 HP, and I got a few spreadsheets done today. The Isuzu axle has big 12.3" discs, in 16x7" wheels, and comes on 245/70R16s. Great. Based on my test-fit of 23/75R15s, a 245/70R16 is pushing my luck, but an SM465 has no OD, so a 4.30:1 just wont work for me.
In much the same way that the Isuzu axle is available and cheap and low-demand and virtually unbreakable, so the SM465 also. Except that I already have one.
So I won't be trying the Isuzu myself, I'll be looking for something else.