47-55.1 52 rear axle swap

[custom10nut]

My current (and forever) truck is a 70 C-10, but have a complete 52 sitting in a yard near me. Every time I drive by, it screams “Take me home”.
I have a question on the rear axle.
Is there a newer axle that is the correct width for this truck?
I understand I’ll have to move spring perches and shock mounts.
The end goal would be the modernization of the rear end, to something with Disc brakes.
BTW, I’ve found Front Disc conversion kits for these trucks
Thanks it advance

[jweb]

There are several axles that can work but there are a lot of factors to determine which is best for you. You will see S10 4x4, S10 Zr2, Ford Explorer 8.8, Mustang 8.8 and a few others.

Knowing what gear ratio you want and which wheels you plan to use would help make your choice.

[custom10nut]

This is the kind of advice I was lookin for. Thanks
I’ve got to get a few other thing finished and situated before I can “bring this one home” but I’m one that explores the options before diving into something

[mr48chev]

Anything under 60 inches is going to take a reverse offset wheel or mini tubs to clear the bed sides.

61/62 inches work good unless you go wild on the wheels.

Before we went to disk brakes and 5 lug guys swapped in 55/59 Chevy truck rear axles to get open drive. I've been involved in doing several of those over the years but gear selection isn't much better. Great for the guy who wants a 235 and a full syncro 3 speed in an otherwise stock AD truck though.

The Explorer axles are nice, have good gear choices and aren't expensive but you are either stuck with the FORD 5 on 4-1/2 bolt pattern or have to have the axles and rotors redrilled and that means added expense. Tough as an old combat boot though.

Things to ponder:

Wheel choice, If you don't have wheels you can buy them with offsets to fit but if you already have your wheels of choice you are stuck with the lug bolt pattern and pretty much a specific wheel mount surface to wheel mount surface distance aka WMS.

Backing plate to backing plate doesn't mean squat and is a useless measurement unless you have spring clearance issues. = the narrow S 10 rear might not have much space between the backing plates and stock springs.

Axle with lug pattern that matches your front hubs of choice.
If you get front disks for the I beam with 5 on 4-3/4 you most likely want a rear axle with the same bolt pattern to be able to just carry one spare. Or hunt down a dual pattern universal spare.

Gear ratio, My suggestion is to pay a premium if you have to and buy a good rear axle with the correct gear ratio and posi/limited slip if you want it rather than spending $$$$$ to change the gears on one that you settled for.

Same thing goes for disk brakes if you want disk. Get an axle with the disk setup on it rather than paying extra to do it later.