I was driving my suburban home today when it started to grind (sounded like something in the drive line) before I could get it slowed down, the rear end locked up and I slid to a stop. I had to pull it onto a trailer. The front wheels turn but the rear tires won't. I'm guessing the pinion gear is scrap metal.

Has anyone rebuilt a Chevy rear end? How much of a hassle is it? Is it better just to buy a full rear end out of a salvage vehicle rather than trying to rebuild it?

I tow a lot, and I've had to have the rear ends replaced on the various Suburbans I've owned four different times . all the previous ones have been under warranty. This is the first non-warranty rear end I've had to fix, so I'll probably do it myself. Unless it is more work than its worth