12valve@heart

Limped the '98, 12 valve, 5 spd, 4x4, cab and chassis, home this evening with what sounds like a pinion bearing out on the rear end. Haven't had time to verify yet but I know that it's been starting to leak at the axle seals as well as at the pinion seal.

Here's the question, should I rebuild the stock anti-spin Dana 80 and just upgrade to GM wheel cylinders or upgrade to a disc brake D80? I see an ad for one locally from a '02 with 161K and limited slip for $1300. Supposed to be C&C width. What are the pros or cons of one vs the other?

Thanks in advance for any insights you can share.

12valve@heart

Poked around underneath for a bit when I got home tonight and it appears that part of the problem is that the pinion nut backed off allowing the yoke to work loose. How long it's been loose and how much damage is done are unknowns but it only started trying to bind up in about the last 10 miles yesterday. It started making noise last week. Guess I'll be looking for information on the pinion nut tonight to see what the odds are of fixing it without a full rebuild.