K5 Rear End

I have a ’84 K-5 with a serious noise from the Rear Differential. I have removed a couple of small broken gear teeth and it quieted down for a while. None of the obvious stuff has worked, so its time to replace it. The problem is: I don’t know what I have. The truck was in one family until 1999 when I bought it. They had replaced the small V-8 with a 350 CID engine.

How do I determine the Gear Ratio, without opening it up and counting teeth??

I see nothing in the VIN that would lead me to the Rear End Ratio.
I have been told that there should be a “stamped code” on the rear axle casting, however I don’t see anything obvious. The shocks are mounted forward on the right side and aft on the left side.

AND, does anyone have a solid Drum-to-Drum Rear End for sale??

Thanks
Richard Williams
[email protected]