what axles came with 78 k10 4x4 sb?

[lucki17]

am am tring to find out what axles my truck has and if they are stock, the front says 44-9 and the rear just says gm-83. anybody know anything more  about these? i think my rear might be going out so im looking for a replacement, should i just get a 44 in the rear? anybody know what gear ratios i MIGHT have? and do the front and rear ratios have to be the same?

[Grim 82]

If it's a 1/2 ton it most likely would have came with a Dana 44 front and a Corporate 12-bolt rear. If you want to use your 4 wheel drive the ratios absolutely must be the same. The sure fire way to determine the ratio is to pull the cover and count the teeth. Divide the number of teeth on the pinion into the number of teeth on the ring gear. That number to 1 is the ratio. Why do you think the rear end is going out?

[Captkaos]

I would replace it with what came out of it.  If the cover has 12 bolts well it is a 12bolt...  D44's were only offered in the front of trucks so if you get a rear axle it needs to have the correct center placment but none of the perches will probably work.

An exact replacement will bolt up, but you need to match front and rear ratios.  What do you thing is wrong with it?

[VileZambonie]

Yes, what is wrong with yours? Why not pull the cover off and check your ratios and see what's going on?

[lucki17]

well i think its going out because i keep getting a weird sound and some clanking, if i am driving down the road doing about 40-50 when i get off the gas it makes a really weird sound almost like when semis down shift or something, plus everything vibrates really bad and the shifter vibrates like crazy, i hope its my rear end and not the tranny, i already checked the u joints and they all seem good, no slack. but the driveshaft does have some play coming from the axle, i dont know if its wore out or normal or what but the vibration is making me worry. it doesnt do it all the time but it seems to be more often now.

[bgctrading]

A u joint would not necessarilly have play if it was dry or going bad. I would start there.

[VileZambonie]

It could be the driveshaft U-joints as bgct said. I would check remove it and inspect. If the yoke is bouncing around then you need to inspect the rear end.

[lucki17]

yeah its the yoke that has all the play, it moves maybe an 1/8 of an inch or so, is that normal?

[VileZambonie]

Moves up and down or twists left and right?

[lucki17]

hey guys sorry for the long reply but i figured i would post the final one for anyone that had the same problem i had, so i was driving down the road on my way home, heard a loud boom, then had non power, turns out the problem was the u-joint, as you guys said, lol. i was checking the rear one thinking it was that but it was actually the one that connects the tranny to the drive shaft, also found out my front u-joints were totally shot. now that are all replaced and it is totally smooth. i should have been more thorough in by checking.... haha.