Gearstix

My truck has the same rear end as whats in these cars. Same bolt pattern too.
It I remember right the rear end does not come with a posi, its an open carrier.

I will be putting a V8 in my truck if everything goes as planned, do you guys have any issues with the stock rear ends? I don't think I will exceed 300hp but I may, we'll see what motor I go with.

I seen a Trans Am diff girdle (I think it was a Trans am one, said T/A)
on one of these trucks, is it possible to fabricate one at home?

big gear head

TA is for TA Performance, not the Trans Am car. TA Performance makes these covers for several companies like Moser and DTS. They do add a little strength to the rear end.

Check the RPO decal in the glove box and see if the G80 code is on it. This is the code for the limited slip differential (posi). The 7.5 10 bolt is known for being weak, so don't try to put too much power to it. The most important thing in the trucks is to eliminate wheel hop when doing burnouts. Wheel hop will break even the best rear ends.

Gearstix

No G80 code. I've done all the codes inthe glovebox.
I know the Ford Explorer 8.8 rear will fit without too much grief.. and should be good for the amount of power I'm going to make..

big gear head

Some of the S10 trucks had the 8.5 rear end. It has 30 spline axles and should be able to handle quite a bit of power. I think the 4.3 5 speed trucks had the 8.5. You might see if you can find one of them. There is more information on them here. http://www.syty.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=33