Lost my rear end.

[DoubleDingo]

We need some detailed photos of this carnage so we can better see what is going on. I'm on board with the others, I bet it's repairable, but it'll be a rebuild with new ring and pinion and axles from what you described in your last post.

I've seen many a thread on here where a complete novice or someone's first crack at doing an axle, and they pulled it off. I am with you, I haven't done it, and it does seem daunting, but it is totally doable with some time, the right tools, and patience. Plenty of knowledge on here to help you through to being back on the road.

Post up some detailed pics so we can get this project started.

 

[GTX63]

I had an 85 K10 with a rear end that was trashed. No bearings, and chunks of the pinion gear laying at the bottom of the housing.
I bought another junk K10 for 1K and swapped out the rear end, so the motor and transmission, fenders, radiator and made my money back, plus I had the rest for spare parts as I needed them.

 

[bucket]

Yeah, we need pictures! It's good internet etiquette to post pictures of mechanical carnage! Lol.

 

[plumtruckerd]

I can find several rear ends that figments say are for 1988 GMC Sierra 1500, but online they all say will not fit 1987. What is the difference? Wheel base? They are same gearing 3.42.

Wheel base is the distance between the front and rear wheels. Track is side to side. Every CSI show on TV, and most others, get that wrong.

 

[Fat 454]

As the truck is your daily, I would suggest finding another used axle and swapping it in just to keep you going. Changing axles and wheel bearings is no big deal, however getting the crush / wear pattern / spacing correct on the pinion to ring gear is much more involved. There are plenty of videos showing how to do this, however it will take time, and require special tools, especially if this is your first time.
As you said you don't use this for off road, you could dis-connect your front diff, to make the truck 2wd. That way, as long as the replacement axle you get has the same measurements on the spring perches, is the same track ( centre to centre on the tyre width ) and has a matching yoke ( although there are adaptor / cross overs ), a different ratio will get you down the road in a short time. All you will need is to clean it, replace the diff fluid and possibly the brake assemblies.
This will give you time to strip the old axle, maybe get a shop to see if it is saveable ( straight, not gouged at bearing lands etc. ) and decide what you want to do with it. It's always a risk on a daily when you strip it with the best intentions, and then it ends up sitting there ... This way you could be back on the road over a weekend.
Good luck - post pics.

 

[59840Surfer]

After many years of abuse and not being nice to my 3.08:1 Gov-Lock rear end, I blew a spider and there are no parts available in the free world of which I am aware.

If I hadn't ripped some teeth off the spiders, this would have been a lot easier and cheaper. I have the loader for the Gov-Lock, but this time it wasn't needed.

So - I ordered a new Eaton 28 spline, 8.5" 10-bolt Truetrac "Worm-Gear" type carrier, a new 3.08:1 ring and pinion set & bearing kit with shims, crush sleeve & companion flange nut and seals.

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To the OP ---> know that there are a few numbers that have to match to make it all work --- the axle splines is one such metric --- the 28 splines will not be interchangeable with 30s or vice-versa because of the size of the carrier bearing bosses and that it takes bigger bearings for a 30 spline than the 28s plus different spiders & side gears - and - it gets complicated from there.

Since this is an outside-the-carrier-bearings shim system, just don't even bother taking the old bearings off (unless you can reuse the carrier again) and drop the heated new ones on the new carrier.

Shimming takes place between the bearings and the differential housing - so you can do it all without having to press the bearings on and off a 1/2 dozen times.

As far as the pinion --- it IS a "set and reset" because establishing tooth contact patterns and the dimensions are not like the carrier.

This is when I carefully take the old bearings off, split the inner races with a thin cutoff wheel from my Dremel, reassemble the bearings and use them to set the clearances until I get the tooth pattern I want and then drop the heated new bearings on and you'll be good.

Bearings are bearings and the tolerences are so small from one manufacturer to another that it doesn't even count.

If you have a good bottle jack - 2 ton is enough - I can tell you how to "flex" the case to get a snug fit for the carrier bearings.

If you shy away from DIY - I can understand - but it really is a simple process.

I have my differential apart already - perhaps I'll take a video or so going back togther.

Snow is forecast and this K5 job won't fit in my shop --- so with a diesel-fired torpedo heater, some cardboard and my greasy snow suit --- I'll see what I can accomplish in the next few days.

 

[59840Surfer]

It's a few days past my self-induce deadline to put this together --- and I've had two trips to Nampa Idaho and the snow and the almost Zero temps --- which sorta-kinda has put the stopper on this project until it ....
1. Stops snowing
2. Get's considerably warmer
3. I don't have to go to Nampa again -- almost a 1,000-mile rough trip.