[Asshat]

Originally Posted by hatzie

The mid aughts GMT800 6.0L Silverado 2500HD axles are plentiful and very easy to install. 2001ish through 2005 at least. I think they went back to drums in 2006 or 2007 to save money.
They're the same 10.5" GM Corporate 14bolt full floater as your truck but manufactured by AAM using the GM design.
The discs are massive with two piston calipers bone stock.
The parking brakes on those axles are rock solid. The parking brake drum is the inside of the hat of the rotor. The parking brake shoes are essentially slightly scaled down, and I do mean slightly, good old fashioned drum brakes. Probably about the same diameter drum as a 4 banger S10 but the shoes are quite a lot wider.

Originally Posted by kipps

Hatzie's post is entirely accurate, as far as I know. I'm working with a 2005 2500hd axle myself, and will be installing it on my squarebody. The spring perches need to be moved. I'm using a driveshaft from the same donor truck, and will have it shortened a few inches to fit. The slip yoke is the same exact size as the original 1987 driveshaft, so it will fit the same np208/np241 transfer cases.

The main thing I wanted was 4.10 gears. It was going to be very expensive to regear my original 14bsf axle, so I started looking at different options. A parking brake on my manual transmission truck was a non-negotiable-- I had to have one. The '05 axle seemed to be the best way to get a solid parking brake, a strong axle, 4.10 factory gears, and the lower unsprung weight of disk brakes all wrapped in the same package. As a bonus, I don't have to keep track of a lot of different vehicles when ordering parts for my rear axle. Everything is factory correct for a 2005 2500hd with a 6.0 engine.

You guys are probably right, that would be a good option. Right now, I don't know if I am up to it.
Not sure if I could even find one.Maybe something I will do in the future; it's just right now, I have almost all of the parts. for just the brake conversion.
I'll think about it.