I kinda skipped past an intermediate step: my first axle swap in the Blazer. This happened in October 2006. I wanted to eventually run 37" tires and I figured the 10 bolt rear wouldn't appreciate it too much. I found a 6 lug 9.5" 14 bolt for a reasonable price, stripped it completely apart, and got it ready to swap:
After re-gearing, new bearings, and paint it got swapped in:
Now, I know what you're thinking: Big f**kin' deal, right? As far as the axle itself you'd be right as it's nothing special. However, this swap marked the beginning of The Slippery Slope
Sometime around mid-January of 07 I found a pair of 10b E-Lockers for sale on Ebay for a smokin' price
Since I got such a good deal on them (one for my truck, one for my friend Todd's Jeep) I figured why not get some traction aids for the 14b with the savings. Todd, who also decided to run a 6-lug 14b in his Jeep, agreed. A few days later a pair of these arrived:
A couple months later I added comms gear in the form of an Icom 2720H dual band ham transceiver and a Rat Shack TRC-485 CB radio along with a Larsen dual band antenna for the ham rig and a Wilson 1000 for the CB:
With newfound traction and comms I was able to tackle harder trails, and more body damage ensued
i really, REALLY needed bigger tires, and to fit them I needed a lift.....