Anyone know if I would be able to take the internals from a 95 4x4 differential and use it in an 89 2 wheel drive?

 

The parts will work, but setting up a differential is a specialty.

 

Why not just get an entire 2wd rear end from a donor truck and avoid all the potential headaches setting up a the replacement internals into another housing? It's very difficult to do and have a noise free differential especially with used gears that have a wear pattern already established.

 

they make it look so easy with the add in parts that cam be bought to lock the rear end

 

I guess that depends on what's being replaced in the rear end. If you're just doing spider gear replacement, the tolerances of the different gears and bearings may not change, but when you get into bearings and pinion gears, it gets more in depth.
When you say "internals", what are you referring to?

 

I want to have a locked or limited slip differential

 

I would read the installation instructions of whichever locker or limited slip product you're looking at. If those instructions include checking tolerances, you need to find out what to do if the tolerances are off.
Or read a service manual for whatever year of truck you're using to get the parts from.

 

Here's some good reading on the topic https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/fo...-swap.2231369/

 

You will definitely need to re-set up the gearset to run a posi
The locker, tru track or track lok, will be a different carrier and you will be swapping or replacing the gears and bearings at that time
Familiarize yourself with a pinion depth gauge and a dial indicator on a magnetic base
It is easy if you have the tools
It is doable if you don't have all the special tools, but experience and pattern checking come into play

 

I watched a YouTube video of one being done with just replacing what looked like 4 gears in the housing only. I can't remember the name of the drop in. I think it was to only lock both wheels. I was hoping to be able to do something similar from a donor that has a locked rear end or limited slip but sounds pretty complicated. I'll eventually just find and buy that drop in set.
are there more disadvantages to that than one wheel?