95 sport , D35 to GM 8.6 rear swap ???
 

Wondering if I should swap rears before I order the SYE and drive shaft from Adams . So I’m currently in a 95 sport with stock D35 with drums. That has 321,863 miles on it . However though, I have some GM 10 and 12 bolts laying around here also that I’m debating on still and haven’t really saw anything anywhere about this GM 8.6 10 bolt out of a 2002 S-10 that already has disc brakes and a LS Diff . It’s also leaf under I believe but my rear needs a little drop anyway so any info on this swap would be great if anyone has tried this swap before. Or should I just buy this D35 a medal and keep it lol ? I’m on about 5.5” of lift with 33” tires thanks for any input

The GM 10 bolt is probably stronger than the Dana 35 but is still a weak axle, and I believe the s10 has a 5 on 4.75 bolt pattern instead of a 5 on 4.5 like the Jeep, so you would need different wheels or adapters in the rear. The easiest thing to do would be to find a Chrysler 8.25 out of another XJ and swap it in.

What benefits would come from a GM 12 bolt other than giving me a wider trac , it’s probably a lot stronger than the previous mentioned D35 and 10 bolts isn’t it ? It’s off of a 1960 sumthin full size long bed truck that as far as I can tell is positraction too