i paid $300 for a 4.88 diff from a junkyard over the net, sight unseen. however, it was out of a '95 4runner with 38,000 miles! i could still see a faint bit of the factory red gear paint on the ring gear!

the 4.88 factory diffs are strong, but the gearsets are expensive as nobody makes a replacement besides toyota. the main difference is the 3rd member itself, it offsets the carrier(which should be a standard V6 carrier) differently than a standard V6 3rd, which allowed them to use a thin ring gear and big pinion.

'79 sport 4x4 longbed <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
20/22R hybrid with EB's OS valves, 268c cam, offy intake, weber 32/36, thorley header, 5 speed swap, 34" LTBs, downey 3" springs, marlin hysteer, 4.88s and locked

'91 4x4 shortbed
22R-E, W56, the dd!