For the longest time I was thinking of selling my 318 NV4500 Dakota. Unfortunately after a very hard launch I spun my rear diff 30 degrees backwards on my axle tubes. Now I'm looking at about $400 to fix the truck keeping the same 3.55 gearing with 33's (that sucks, I know). I was thinking that instead of fixing my 8.25 with 3.55's I could swap in a 9.25 with 3.92's. I have always wanted to to a solid axle swap on it and I think that if I am doing the rear I might as well do the front too, right? So, here are my options and I would like to hear your advise on what I should do...

1. Fix the stock rear diff (by spinning it back and welding it in place) for $400 keeping the same gearing and axles.
2. Swap in a 9.25 rear with 3.92's and get a front diff with 3.92's probably costing me around $1000.
3. Swap to a Dana 44 or Ford 9 inch rear with the gear ratios I want and just drive the truck in 2wd until I have the time and money to do a SAS in the front.

Those are my options. I might have had a good idea about the solid axle swap. When you take the dana 44 from the ford bronco, why not take the radius arm and coil over set-up from it and make mounts to use that on the Dakota? Why would that not work? Are the frames too different? Otherwise I would just build a leaf spring SAS for now.

I wanted to buy an economy car, but I believe after I do all this and because my truck already has a NV4500 with NP241 I might as well swap in a VE pump 4bt and get 25 MPG. I might be able to have it all in one vehicle. What do you think?

Weren't Dakotas offered with 3.92 gears? If so, I would look for a rear diff with that gear at a pic-n-pull and go with that till you get the front figured out. A SAS is good, but so is being able to drive back and forth to work.

3.92's are the option 2. The only thing that I don't like about it is that if I ever decide to go with a SAS I would have to get a different rear axle to match the bolt pattern on the front. I might as well get the right rear axle the first time.

How does spinning your diff back down cost $400?

A bottle jack and $15 in rod and your golden. Just make sure it is staying cool and there are no wierd noises when drive it afterward, something may have tweaked.

This way you can wait until you have all the parts to do the SAS.

You know, I was wondering that too. I have it at a shop now because it happened near it. A mechanic (who also is a good friend) said it would take about 3 hours of labor to inspect all the gears and weld it back in place.

Toss the screwed axle and swap in a junkyard 9 1/4" with 3.55 gears. Around here they go for about $75.

Toss the screwed axle and swap in a junkyard 9 1/4" with 3.55 gears. Around here they go for about $75.

I wish I was there! Around SoCal the cheapest I can find a 9.25 for is $500 on car-part.com

Honestly, I feel the 8.25 is about at its comfort zone in a stock cherokee, or something like my 76 Plymouth Valiant (with 3.23 sure grip and 26 inch tires). If I were you, keep your 318, keep the 4500, dont throw a frito lay truck motor in it, and source a 9 1/4 axle from a V8 durango in it, there are thousands of 3.55 geared 91/4 axles out there ripe for the picking (I have 2 trucks with that set up in it now:shaking:. You never really break gears, but unless you have a stick and small tires those cogs bring the suck. Also go buy a econo box, it will free up so much of your time and allow you to enjoy working on your truck, not playing beat the clock to finish it for the next day. There you go VW Diesel, you get your diesel and a 48 mpg car!!!!!

I wish I was there! Around SoCal the cheapest I can find a 9.25 for is $500 on car-part.com

What is the WMS-WMS of your stock rear? Can you use an old D/W series rear? They can be found dirt cheap just about anywhere. You don't mention the year of your truck so I don't know if it needs a tone ring and all that BS but you do mention using a Frod 9" so I assume you can move some perches around and aren't worried about the tone ring.

my old 3.92 idfs front from my 90 dak went to the scrapper last summer,

sas that thing

What is the WMS-WMS of your stock rear? Can you use an old D/W series rear? They can be found dirt cheap just about anywhere. You don't mention the year of your truck so I don't know if it needs a tone ring and all that BS but you do mention using a Frod 9" so I assume you can move some perches around and aren't worried about the tone ring.

My truck is a 1997. I think I will need a WMS of 64-67 but that could be wrong. I talked to my friend and he said that the axles and front suspension out of 78-early 80's bronco or f-150 would be good. Is the dana 44 in those high pinion? What is the WMS?

What is with the rash of monkeys wanting to use that crappy Ford suspension in SAS swaps? We've done it a few times and it's a pain in the butt to deal with any sort of lift so we generally don't recommend them. Leaf springs are much easier and durable and link suspension works much better. I simply don't understand why people think the '70s Ford setup is worth messing with. My partner is a Ford nut and even he refuses to use it even though we have at least 4 parts trucks out in the field with that under the front.

My D/W series D60s are all 64" WMS-WMS and I assume the 9 1/4" rears are also though I haven't bothered to measure one before I hauled it off to the scrapyard.

There has to be a pick-a-part with a Durango somewhere within 75-100 miles of you. 9 1/4 with 3.91 gears, bolt it in and forget about it until you do your SAS swap.

I think a D60 might be a little overkill, and would cause a little loss of ground clearence. What is the WMS-WMS of a full size truck? I wish I had my truck here so I could just check. So you think I should just do leaves even if I want to use it in the desert? Does deaver make a front axle spring kit that would work?

A D/W series truck is a fullsize. D and W 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, and 350 from '72-'93. A D60 may be overkill but it's size over the 9 1/4" is minimal. As far as desert suspension, that's a 1000 miles or more from me so I can't comment on what works well there. It may be that the Ford suspension may work well there but it's outside of my experience. We generally use Rubicon Express or Alcan springs for our SAS swaps but they are intended for rocks or light mud.

If you want to use the truck in the desert, I'm assuming you mean at speed, pre run style. If this is the case, the D-60 is Way overkill, and mostl importantly way heavy.

If you are set on a SAS, I'd look into D44s from a wide track Cherokee/Wagoneer. They are stout D44's, and through the years were both driver and passenger side drop up front. I'm thinking that a fullsize axle might be a tad wide on a Dak, but I do not know for certain. The Waggy/Cherokee were a little narrower than other fullsize rigs, and may be a better fit. If the axle is too wide, you could always go with some 'Glass fenders and bedsides pre-run style.

http://www.varsisstudio.com/forumimages/DSCN7944.JPG

full size axles with 36mm offset on the rims.

Where in socal are you located? I might be able to help you out..

fullwidth axles with stock H1 wheels worked nicely with 35x12.50s to keep track width near stock.

if you want to run fast in the desert don't even think about leaves, you want coilovers.

I will never swap a D44 into anything if it isn't cheap or free. You can make a 30 just as strong as a 44 with less weight and the same strength for a similar price; you're throwing good money after bad trying to make a 44 as strong as a 60. Truss a 30 and there's no housing difference. Run CJ outers and unless it's an HD 44 you're on par for strength. 760x ujoints in both. R&P is stronger in the 44 but until you're running 4.88s the problems almost always seem to be further out than the diff.

I strongly suggest running a 60 under any V8 powered rig. I wasted money beefing my 44 since I was so much smarter than everyone who was telling me otherwise and I flushed a lot of money down the toilet for a collection of broken parts when I started running 38s+

Ford radius arms are okay in a stock setup. I would not swap them into anything. They aren't super flexible, you'll always be beating the piss out of the bushings, and you have a funny axle that's not as easy to put brackets on for a normal link suspension.




If your Dak is your daily driver, spin the axle back down, burn new perches on it, get new ubolts and spring plates, fix your driveshaft and replace your bent shocks and run it (shaft, yoke, joint, straps, ubolts, spring pads and plates plus probably bent shocks along with labor make that an easy $400 at a shop....). You're probably looking at about $5000 to do a SAS from start to finish, maybe a bit more now that steel is so much more expensive. If you can't even find a 9.25 for under $200, maybe count on a bit more for axles too.....

Are you sure you don't have a 9.25 already? manual trans behind a v8 got the 9.25" in most cases. towing package may have been needed to get it as well and that might be the difference if you really do have a 8.25".



Good luck with it.

fullwidth axles with stock H1 wheels worked nicely with 35x12.50s to keep track width near stock.

if you want to run fast in the desert don't even think about leaves, you want coilovers.

I will never swap a D44 into anything if it isn't cheap or free. You can make a 30 just as strong as a 44 with less weight and the same strength for a similar price; you're throwing good money after bad trying to make a 44 as strong as a 60. Truss a 30 and there's no housing difference. Run CJ outers and unless it's an HD 44 you're on par for strength. 760x ujoints in both. R&P is stronger in the 44 but until you're running 4.88s the problems almost always seem to be further out than the diff.

I strongly suggest running a 60 under any V8 powered rig. I wasted money beefing my 44 since I was so much smarter than everyone who was telling me otherwise and I flushed a lot of money down the toilet for a collection of broken parts when I started running 38s+

Ford radius arms are okay in a stock setup. I would not swap them into anything. They aren't super flexible, you'll always be beating the piss out of the bushings, and you have a funny axle that's not as easy to put brackets on for a normal link suspension.




If your Dak is your daily driver, spin the axle back down, burn new perches on it, get new ubolts and spring plates, fix your driveshaft and replace your bent shocks and run it (shaft, yoke, joint, straps, ubolts, spring pads and plates plus probably bent shocks along with labor make that an easy $400 at a shop....). You're probably looking at about $5000 to do a SAS from start to finish, maybe a bit more now that steel is so much more expensive. If you can't even find a 9.25 for under $200, maybe count on a bit more for axles too.....

Are you sure you don't have a 9.25 already? manual trans behind a v8 got the 9.25" in most cases. towing package may have been needed to get it as well and that might be the difference if you really do have a 8.25".



Good luck with it.

If he wants to run in the desert (At Speed) the D60 is too heavy. Up to 37" tires the Waggy D44's will hold up well. There is no D-30 that I am aware of that would be wide enough for a Dakota application. The Waggy D-44s are pretty easy to come by, and will be a decent comprimise of weight/strength.

If he is looking to run 38's or 40's then it is a no-brainer, the Dana 60 is the way to go.

If the Diff broke free and spun on the tubes, I'd imagine the shocks are fine, they are mounted to the tube, not the pig. 400.00 sounds like the shop is going to swap in a Junkyard rear axle to me.

I was thinking the whole housing spun under the truck not the center letting loose from the tubes but you're probably right in your assumption. More likely than factory u bolts or spring perch welds failing.

Toss the screwed axle and swap in a junkyard 9 1/4" with 3.55 gears. Around here they go for about $75.

I want to shop where you are shopping! I was quoted $750 for a JY 9 1/4. Weak input bearings keep up the demand for them. It was cheaper to have mine rebuilt

You guys must be looking for Dakota, Durango or newer Ram axles. I can't give away a D/W series 9 1/4" as no one wants them and I despise them. Learn to move perches and weld, it will save you lots of money.

It also helps if you have self-serve junk yards in your area. The price for an axle assy is the same for a dana 70 or an 8.25". The only thing is you are limited to what is in the yard at any given time.
Travis..

Good advice Elwenil. I see you post alot on here and you definitely know your shit! Its nice to have someone as knowledgeable as you around, along with a lot of others..:grinpimp:

Who me? I'm just a well of normally useless information. :D