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I believe the pin did both. Also this happened during a blizzard. In my mind the shifter bushing exploded kicking the truck into reverse while it was traveling forward. Thats my guess. the shifter bushing was pulverized. Its jacked tho. the pin is mangled and i cant fully pull it out and i cant get that bolt un wedged. Think I found a perfect swap at the junkyard.He has a limited slip. His pictures have the trac-lock S spring and I can see the tabs of a clutch pack peeking out... it's a limited slip.
As for the reason this happened: My guess is that the cross pin bolt loosened up and fell out, which caused the cross pin to fall out, and the spider gears followed.. Lack of thread locker? Age? Who knows.
I still wouldn't write off that axle - I don't see any gear damage, but check the cross pin hole very closely, like I said if it's egged out, it's junk. If the cross pin hit the pinion gear and damaged it, it's junk. Either of those scenarios would lead me to suggest a junkyard axle.
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Any thoughts on seeing if the axle is twisted like you mentioned?You don't want to remove the pinion and yoke or you will have to redo the shims
If the axle bearings in the "new" one feel OK and seals are not leaking then leave it alone
You can pull the cover off and drain the oil and look for metal filings, then button it up and refill with oil