i have a 9.25 under the rear of my ram charger and i was wondering if it was junk or not.

DUDE! I can tell ya from my experience that the 9.25 is NOT junk. In fact, its about the only factory component left on my 98 Ram that hasnt been replaced or modified.

Sure its a C-clip, but that is only an issue if you snap a shaft and dont have a spare on the trail. The shafts are about the same dia. at the splines as a Dana 60, and they gradually taper out getting bigger at the flange to almost 2" diameter :eek: I just checked, I have 9.25 and 60 shafts in the garage.

I will put up some pics comparing the 2 for ya after I find my camera.

Here ya go.
http://www.axlesnappers.com/members/Images/Kevin/925VS60A.jpg
http://www.axlesnappers.com/members/Images/Kevin/925VS60b.jpg
http://www.axlesnappers.com/members/Images/Kevin/925VS60c.jpg
http://www.axlesnappers.com/members/Images/Kevin/925VS60d.jpg

thanks for the info. i was thinking about changing it to a dana 60 if it was crap. but since it is not I am going to invest in a detroit locker. Thanks again.

Glad to here someone other than me thinks the 9.25" isnt junk!

I like mine. Like Ramstein said, the axle shaft itself is big. I have a spare shaft in my garage and it is beefy.

That said, the only thing I don't like about it is that it limits you to 4.56's. You can not get anything lower (there used to be a 5.13 around, but not made anymore I hear). Also my Detroit cost me about $100 over most other applications.

The 9.25 is a good quality part, as stated by the other guys here. :)
I would put it equivalent to a Ford 9" which is viewed by most everyone as a very respectable and durable part. I'd also put the 9.25 just under the strength of a D60, and Kevin has proof as to why!

I dont know Adam, I just got done fixing ANOTHER broken 60 shaft in my buggie a little while ago.:mad3:

Time to switch to titanium shafts Kevin?
hehe

of course the D 60 axle isn't supporting the weight of the vehicle, just the twist. and tapered axles only torsion at the thinnest spot, ever notice how you break short sides up front almost 2-1. they taper to reduce flex at the end where the wheel put side load on them. a 60 the 9-1/4 is not. the 9-1/4 is strong, just not a 60. and 60s are for girls, get a 70!:flipoff2:

I beat the crap out of a 9 1/4 for 3 years. Not one complaint out of it until I had a flat on the way home from Clear Lake. I put my spare on. It was the same size and brand of tire, but had quite a bit less tread. When I got home, the posi was damaged and the truck would do a one-legger around a corner which it never had done before. Not long after that at Hollister, I broke a short side axle on the front 44. I kept playing in 2wd, of course hitting things faster and with more throttle. Well, the pinion shaft broke right behind the yolk on a big hop. Had my friend drag me to the gate and called the hook for a ride back to San Jose. I put in d60's front and rear and all was good for another 6 years until I broke a Detroit. I put in a new one and broke it the next year when I broke an axle. Now I run a 14 bolt. Huge r and p, huge axles, full floater, easy discs and easy detroit. Plentiful in the junk yard too. I would suggest running the 9 1/4 as is, and throwing a 14 bolt in when the 9 1/4 gives you any trouble, which probably won't be for a while. A detroit will put a lot more strain on everything. For the price of having a detroit put in a 9 1/4, you could go a long way into getting a Detroited, disc brake 14 bolt. Just my rambling 2 cents, I hope it made everything as clear as mud.

I think I also have a 9 1/4 axle on my 74, but the axle is stamped with just a large 9? (located toward the inside above the yoke) I had always thought that this axle was a 9 1/4, did they make a 9 also?

If the cover looks like a stop sign, it is a 9 1/4.

JUNK

i think they're a great 1500 axle, only weak point being the c-clips... that opinion despite the fact i just recently tore mine up for the 2nd tim in less than a year!:rolleyes:

I was given what I believe is a 9.25 rear head out of a v8 durango. The person said that it needs a new pinion bearing. I am currently building a Ford Ranger with a solid axle on the front (currently a dana 30, but I am in the search for a 44). It'll be powered by a mild 302. Now, should I buy the master rebuild and gears for this axle? I plan on running 35 when all said and done. what is my best bet for running a mopar rear to a ford tranny? This will be a mild trail vehicle, and a daily driver. Will this axle be satisfactory for my application?

I personally do not like the 9.25 because of the crush sleeve preload issues and the resulting pinion bearing problems. This is what causes the drivetrain slack you hear clunking in just about every automatic Dodge out there. I have never broken anything in a 9.25" except for spider gears and limited slip units, but it is a total pain in the ass to tear it down and redo the pinion preload all the time if you run it hard. Some people are not concerned about it, I personally despise the clunking and odd wear patterns. Go for the D60, it's less trouble and more upgradable in the future.

I personally do not like the 9.25 because of the crush sleeve preload issues and the resulting pinion bearing problems. This is what causes the drivetrain slack you hear clunking in just about every automatic Dodge out there. I have never broken anything in a 9.25" except for spider gears and limited slip units, but it is a total pain in the ass to tear it down and redo the pinion preload all the time if you run it hard. Some people are not concerned about it, I personally despise the clunking and odd wear patterns. Go for the D60, it's less trouble and more upgradable in the future.


Ya know, the clunking may be a problem, but I have known many 9.25 rear axles to go for years and many miles without any issues while clunking. I guess I personally wouldn't be scared of buying one that clunks or having a 9.25 break on me because it clunks unless it is really high mileage.

The biggest thing that sucks about the 9.25 is the lack of good gear selections.

IMO it's NOT a bad diff, just as strong as the D44, 8 3/4 or ford 9" but harder to work on. Not as strong as a D60, but has more ground clearance... for what you are doing I would use it

Great thanks for the replys! I figured it'd be better then using my ford 7.5 and cheaper then finding an alternative, I also have an Ford 8.8 out of a Crown Vic, but that would need completely overalhauled anyway, but it has smaller breaks and just would be a lot more work. I think that this 9.25 will work good for my application, but does anybody know of a complany who makes a conversion u joint? Thanks for the replies!

~Joe

heres a good comparison chart

Now what is a common problem with this axle? Why would it most likely have been replaced off of a new durango? There seems to be no slop in the pinion, spins nicely. Could it have been the "clunk." The person who gave it to me claimed that it had a bad pinion bearing. I could spend to money now and rebuild it or I could just say fuck it throw it one for now, buy a d44 for the front and rebuilt this axle later. What would be a better option, rebuild it and keep a d30 in front or say fuck it and replace the d30 in front? I'm only trying to get this thing rolling again because the transmission went out on my bronco and I need a vehicle to get my to work, I would rather invest into this, it wont be wheeled any time soon. Opinions?

I hope I'm not high jacking this thread?

Thanks

I ran a 9.25 rear on 2 different ramchargers. I welded both rear ends:eek:

I ran 40 inch tires and never broke anything!!! I feel like I beat the crap out of those axles and never had any issue!!!

here is the chart I meant to put up http://xj.no-ip.org/axle.html

here is the chart I meant to put up http://xj.no-ip.org/axle.html

Thanks nice chart! YA I am going to throw it on there as is until I get the money to rebuild it.

I like my 9.25, it has seen some junk and still runs strong...except for that damn clunking noise. Do you guys know what it most likely is? 98 ram 1500, 115,000 miles and it clunks from the rear end.

You know, 3000lb loads, driven by anyone, real abuse day in and day out.....

I think the axle is fine, the longevity will be limited by the availability or aftermarket parts but it is close to a D60 all the way around. Close enough that we will be making real diff covers for them too. Really not a bad axle, if thats what you have, use it, when it breaks reconsider about an upgrade...

You know, 3000lb loads, driven by anyone, real abuse day in and day out.....

I think the axle is fine, the longevity will be limited by the availability or aftermarket parts but it is close to a D60 all the way around. Close enough that we will be making real diff covers for them too. Really not a bad axle, if thats what you have, use it, when it breaks reconsider about an upgrade...

Let me know when you start making diff covers for them

I raced my 9 rear end in my Baja Bee Sand race Ramcharger and it never gave me any trouble.

The only problem I had with the 9.25 in my rig was with the wheel bearings. I went to a few of them. At the time I was running 36" TSL's and it was a daily driver. It was also a mud truck so that may have had a bunch to do with it.

I personally do not like the 9.25 because of the crush sleeve preload issues and the resulting pinion bearing problems. This is what causes the drivetrain slack you hear clunking in just about every automatic Dodge out there. I have never broken anything in a 9.25" except for spider gears and limited slip units, but it is a total pain in the ass to tear it down and redo the pinion preload all the time if you run it hard. Some people are not concerned about it, I personally despise the clunking and odd wear patterns. Go for the D60, it's less trouble and more upgradable in the future.

When I rebuild my truck's 9.25 I'm planning on axing the crush sleeve in favor of shims.

As long as I can dig up some shims the right diameter to park behind the bearing races I see no reason why that wouldn't work.

It's been done and years ago when I was having issues with my lifted '88 W150's 9.25, Reider Racing mentioned that someone was supposed to be working on a crush sleeve eliminator kit but to my knowledge it never hit the market. The way I have seen it done was to machine a spacer that takes up most of the space and then use pinion shims from a small Dana axle, though I don't remember which one.

For the record, I know people have had success with the 9.25, but I still feel it is a poor substitute to the 8.75 it replaced in 1975. When I bought my '88 4 speed Ramcharger I drove it home about 3 miles and it never left my driveway until I had the front and rear Dana 60s swapped over. I will never own another 9.25 equipped truck, at least not for long, lol.

Yeah I've never had any problems with them, I just tried staying away from them. My buddy had one in his '75 with 39in cut boggers with the spider gears welded up, and it still lives to this day. I don't wanna say the 8 3/4 is a much more superior axle, I've seen plenty of them get blown up on cars with pretty much stock engines, but it is a good axle.

We have been discussing the 9.25 over at RCC for a while and this link to a 9.25 (as well as 7.25, 8.25, and the 8.75) crush sleeve eliminator kit was posted up this evening:

http://www.ratechmfg.com/chryslerspbs.htm


Props go to RCC member KThaxton for posting.

I ran my stock 9.25" locked for about 75 000 miles. Broke one shaft with 37"s, (bouncy up hill in Illinois, started to climb a root bounced back under throttle and snap)..

Only issue I ever had. I broke 3 or 4 70 shafts after I swapped it on the same trails with the same tires as the 9 1/4" Of course, I stopped breaking Dana 44 parts so maybe thats why. :D

i've been happy with mine. It is presently being swapped for a 70 as well. although I am a bit said I wasn't able to use RamV's spare shaft... pity

if I had somewhere to store this axle I would absolutely use it under my toyota. They seem to be good axles, but C'clips suck and that is the main reason to ditch it

i swapped out my stock 9 1/4 in my 88 w100 for one from an 02. did a compleat rebuild and have the luxury of a old school sure grip and oem disc brakes.
best part is the track width identical to the front.
had to do allot of grinding on the calipers because the 02 rams have 17's and ive got 16's on the truck. i also had to run wheel spacers on the rear so my rims would clear.

if I had somewhere to store this axle I would absolutely use it under my toyota. They seem to be good axles, but C'clips suck and that is the main reason to ditch it

Are there any 31 spline Ford 9" axle shafts that are about the same length as your stock 9.25 ones? If so, you could just use 9" housing ends and junkyard shafts in your 9.25 if you wanted to eliminate the c-clips and it should be fairly reasonable that way. Otherwise, you could just get some custom axles made if there isn't any off the shelf 9" shafts that would work.

just picked up a 90 ramcharger thats already lifted w/ 35's and i would like to throw in new gears and a lunchbox locker. im wondering what would be the ideal gear ratio to run...the 10mpg's are a bit steep on the wallet.

What's in it now?

Probabaly 3.23s. 4.10s would put you pretty close to the stock RPMs at speed. Nothing is going to help your gas mileage really. 12 MPG with a tailwind is generally the best you can expect.

I have 4.56s with my 35s on my RC, and it keeps the RPMs decent. A little higher than stock gear vs tire, but the extra umph over the 410s is nice in the rocks. Best I can figure is about 12-13 mpg (no GPS, so its a guesstimate off of my Dads tow rig odometer.)

Duane

I have 4.56s with my 35s on my RC, and it keeps the RPMs decent. A little higher than stock gear vs tire, but the extra umph over the 410s is nice in the rocks. Best I can figure is about 12-13 mpg (no GPS, so its a guesstimate off of my Dads tow rig odometer.)

Duane

thanks for all the input, the 13mpg range is what im aimin for so ill look into get some 4.56's

I run 4.88 and 35's and on the highway I get 13.5