Thank you for the response. For some reason when I initially looked up how to do it most people said I needed to replace the whole housing for the front, if that was the case it would be a tough call. It sounds simple enough, I will have to find some time to get this done. Plus I want new differential covers down there.
That's just a how to on swapping the housing itself,lol. If you go looking for a front diff,make sure you get the later ZF diff,the earlier 8.25AAM diff is way more difficult to install,it needs the front driveshaft/a drivers side motor mount swap etc.
After you've pulled out your original,it's a piece of cake putting the replacement back in if you have a helper.I've done mine by myself twice now using a floorjack on my driveway,and it can be a bit of an ordeal running the floorjack with your leg,while you guide it back up into place,if you're a muscle bound guy you might be able to do it by hand,as the diff weigh's roughly 80lbs,me i'm to old to do it that way,lol.
Forgot to add my truck has long tubes,and it's still an easy swap,although they do make it tougher to get at the top 3 bolts.If you have stock manifolds,the top 3 bolts are a lot easier to get at.