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axle swap help

8K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  Trail Whale 
#1 ·
ok guys im really on the fence here... not sure if i wanna trade my truck in for a 2500 diesel or just do the axle swaps and gears on the truck i have now. from my research so far it seems that the front axle just bolts right in place and the rear needs a little modification. anybody wanna chime in on this?

my next question is how much are used axles worth..how much is a reasonable price for me to pay and what gears would i need?

there is a one ton dana 60 front axle on craigslist here with 3:55 gears but they want $450 and its off a 1997... will that bolt right up to my 1999? is that too much to pay? plus then i would have to get all new rims :/

another find i found is a skyjacker traction bar for up to 7"lift for $200, if i offered $150 for it would that be a good deal or what brand would i be best to go with? trying to find the parts used so its cheaper(think the skyjacker is brand new tho)

any help would be great!
thanks guys :smileup:
 
#2 ·
Are you referring to the Skyjacker traction bar or track bar(pan hard bar)? If you're talking about the pan hard bar DON'T get it! It's a piece of $h!t. I have one I'll give you if you pay for shipping. I bought it when I first started wheeling with my truck and there was no way it would've worked with the lift I had at the time( Skyjacker 5" lift). Sorry, I'm a Skyjacker fan but not when it comes to the 2nd gen track bar kit.:smiledown:
 
#3 ·
ya i think its the track bar... what is wrong with it?? here is the link: http://columbiamo.craigslist.org/pts/4222124887.html

would it be ok for somebody that just wants it lifted and goes thru mud every now and then? i dont do any of the crazy rock climbing stuff you do lol

how much would it cost to ship to the states or what track bar should i be looking for?
 
#4 · (Edited)
The front axle is a direct swap between the 1500 and the 2500-3500's, for the back, you need to either cut off the spring perches from your old axle so you can use your old springs, or you need to get new spring hangers to accept the wider 3/4 ton springs. 450 bucks seams like a fair price, last one ton axle I bought was for a Ford Diesel and it cost me 1500 shipped.

For gears, if you plan on wheeling, I would look for a set of 4.10's, but the biggest thing is make sure both front and rear gear ratios match. Also if I were to be spending the money to swap over a set of axles, I would be looking at beefing up the axles before installing them, especially the fronts.

You really need to be a member over on www.Pirate4x4.com Check out the dodge sections, there are lots of second gen Ram builds, along with lots of technical stuff covering exactly what you are looking to do.
 
#5 ·
If you're buying axles, you might as well get a Dana 60 and Dana 70 from a 2500 that already comes with 4.10's. You can slap a rebuild kit in it, but at least you won't have to pay for a new ring and pinion (unless the old set is screwed up).
 
#6 ·
ok thanks guys! il check out that website slim. and brad how much does a rebuild kit cost and what all does it do for me? is 4.10 the gears i wanna go with?? and does front and back have to be exactly the same? if i swap out axles il be doing a bigger lift kit which means prolly 37-40" tires down the road so what gears should i be looking for?
 
#8 ·
A rebuild kit will be $100-200 per axle, but you'll have all the shims, washers, gaskets, etc. While you have the axles out, it'd be easier to rebuild and make sure you're not gonna have any problems.

And 4.10's work great with 35's. You'd probably want 4.56's for 37's, but the axles didn't come with that gear set from the factory.

And like slim said, you need to keep the front and rear gear ratios the same.
 
#7 · (Edited)
If you put 4.10's in the front, then you have to put 4.10's in the back. Are 4.10's what you want, probably not with that large of a tire, you would feel slow and sluggish, and won't have very much power offroad. onroad you would get great MPGs at the expence of acceleration. 4.88would be the highest set of gears I would go with, but if this were my truck build, I would go with the 5.13's. Best Compromise betweeen power and fuel efficiency for that size of tire. Your best bet is to figure out exactly what tire you want to use then figure out the best gear ratio for your needs by fallowing this chart

When you change your tire size you need to make sure you have the right gearing to get optimal fuel economy and power. A good way to calculate this is to multiply .12 by your Jeeps tire diameter (Example: .12 X 38" = 4.56). Here at Alloy USA we have a made an easy to read chart to help you decide what is on the best gearing for your Jeep. The three distinct colors below can help you decide what is the right gearing for you...


  • Green = Best MPG, this is what you would want to get for the best fuel economy and highway cruising.
  • Orange = Best Overall, this is good mix of power/MPG and considered best for daily driving.
  • Red = Best Power, this will give you the best performance for towing power, but at the expense of your MPG.


These calculations are assuming a manual transmission at 65 MPH with a gear ratio of 1:1. If you drive an automatic your RPMs will be slightly higher, and if you have overdrive your RPMs will be slightly lower.



Here's a formula you can use to calculate your vehicle's tire diameter:

(CROSS SECTION WIDTH x 0.ASPECT RATIO x 2 ÷ 25.4) + WHEEL DIAMETER = OVERALL TIRE DIAMETER

For Example: 235/45ZR-1 (235 x 0.45 x 2 ÷ 25.4) + 17 = 25.327"

And here's a formula that you can use to calculate your vehicle's rear axle gear ratio:

RING GEAR TOOTH COUNT ÷ PINION GEAR TOOTH COUNT = GEAR RATIO

For example: 41-tooth ring gear ÷ 10-tooth pinion gear = 4.10
 
#9 ·
Back when I had my 1988 k5 blazer I bought a set of axles on craigslist for $200. The front was a dana 44HD, and the rear was a 14 bolt full floater, and I bought a rear axle disc brake conversion, and re-build kits. All in all I think I had $500-$600 in the axles. The nice thing was they were direct bolts in's for my k5 and they already had 4.10 gears. Bad thing was that I had to switch from 6 bolt rims to 8 bolt rims.

Also something to think about...The Off Road edition 1500 rams had slightly stronger axles with 4.10 gears. They bolt right in and can be upgraded with chromoly axle shafts and air lockers...I'm sure they are not easy to find though.
 
#10 ·
That would be a good idea, but they are nearly impossible to find. And I believe only the front Dana 44 housing is stronger, since it is trussed.

It would be easier to find a Dana 60/70 set with 4.10's.
 
#11 ·
Personally for the money.. I would go with Dana 60/70 axles over the Dana 44. to make a Dana 44 as strong and reliable for a full sized truck as the Dana 60 is in stock form would cost 2 to 3 times that of a set of Dana 60 axles.

Stil with tires larger than 35's I would not recommend 4.10 gears. I have 4.10's in my truck right now, and this spring will be switching out to 5.13's because the 4.10's are to high. Like I said earlier, I have 0 acceleration, Don't have the low end torque to pull my ATV Trailer up the grade to go play with out locking the truck into first gear (my wife's Blazer can pull the same load up the grade in OD at 55+ mph), and don't get me started on trying to tow my 32 Travel Trailer... its parked in the yard for now because i can't even get my 3/4 ton to start it rolling... My 1/2 ton with the same tire set up but with the 5.13's gets 14 mpg, and I can pull with out a problem (other than I am scared of the frame rot). I have enough torque to roast all four tires on hot dry pavement just by bumping the skinny pedal.
 
#12 ·
Just to throw my 2 cents in--I'd definitely go with the Dana 60/70 combo. I was actually thinking about doing this to mine, but I think I'm just gonna replace the front 44 with a 60 and wheel like that for a bit (I don't do anything that will chew up a 60 or 9.25 axle shaft...yet).

And I'd listen to Slim on the gearing. I've got 4.10s in mine with 35s, and it's a great combo. But from everyone I've talked to going with 37s, especially if you're gonna roll 37s AND 1 ton axles, will require 5.13s. I've been told it's doable with 4.56, but its not as effective. Also, in case you didn't hear it enough, DEFINITELY make sure the front and rear diff are the same ratio. If not you're in for a world of repairs.

And if you do pick up both axles, definitely keep them off the truck for a bit and do a full tune up on em, i.e. bearings, seals, everything. It would probably even be smart to paint stuff that is good to go, that'll give you a few more years rust free. And I personally would throw disc brakes on the rear 70, if you can afford it.

Good luck!
 
#13 ·
thanks guys! been on vacation the past week but now i deff have some options to think about!
 
#14 ·
I'm in the slow process of doing this swap myself in my 2000 sport. I'm running 38" tsl's with 3.55 gear currently and needless to say it sucks. I've went through 3 axle shafts in 3 outings.

So, I have a d60 with 4.10's lined up to go in the truck as soon as the weather warms this spring. I do no towing or road driving with it, so 4.10's will be a solid upgrade over 3.55's. It's my trail rig and rolls in 4low 99% of the time so it gets the job done.
I picked up my front axle complete for $300.

I have a rear d70 with 4.10's welded solid that's going in the back. Traded this even for my stock 9.25 limited slip.

Both axles are in good enough shape in my opinion that i'm not going to even worry about rebuilding or replacing anything, besides front u-joints.

There are deals out there if you're patient and look hard.

If it's an axle that's been sitting, open it up and check your gears for chips or missing teeth. Expect to be replacing some brake parts too.

Will putting the d70 in the rear give any added lift because of the larger axle tubes? or will it be too minimal to notice?
 
#15 ·
I'm in the slow process of doing this swap myself in my 2000 sport. I'm running 38" tsl's with 3.55 gear currently and needless to say it sucks. I've went through 3 axle shafts in 3 outings.


Will putting the d70 in the rear give any added lift because of the larger axle tubes? or will it be too minimal to notice?
Hmmm... 38s and stock gearing = gotta start somewhere, but it's costly.

The D70 may be about 1". Depends on how you handle the swap into your 1500. If you are keeping the 1500 springs (2.5" wide), then you have cut off the perches and reuse/weld back on or buy stock and weld or buy aftermarket and weld.



btw -- if it is not a bolt on situation when using rear spring brackets off a 2500/3500 on a 1500. The rear leaf spring bracket is larger and the rivet holes differ. Also, the bracket has a grooved dimple in it for the shackle bolt to move in. This does not fitup to the 1500 frame flush. Yes it can be made to work, but requires redrilling at least 3 holes and properly adding some reinforcement plate b/c the new holes are not far away from the old holes. You don't want to fatigue the frame at the bolt holes.
 
#16 ·
IF (a big IF but, it is possible) you can find a wrecked Power Wagon, its axles would be an awesome swap for you!!! Four Wheeler did an article where they swapped new Power Wagon crate axles into a second gen truck and it was fairly straight forward. The price was pretty prohibitive for the crate axles though. (big $$$) But, every once in a while I see a totaled out Power Wagon for sale somewhere, and you might be able to get them for a reasonable price then! Yes, they will be a little more complicated to swap in than a second gen 2500/3500 axle set but, you'll get selectable lockers front and rear (and the rear is a limited slip when it isn't locked) and 4.56 gears! Might be a possible option!
 
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