"Lil' Blue" Dakota Axle Swap

[Ranger1776]

well. i bought a 1991 dodge dakota 4x2, 2.5 S4, 5 speed, for $150, it was so cheap because the rear end was blown out of it. specifically a previously welded set of spider gears sheared almost all of their teeth... so being the fabricator that i am i got in there with my hobart and stuck them back together (just to move it around the yard) and now im searching the junkyard for a replacement axle, ive got a few questions, first, with the dakotas of this vintage i know that half of the parts on the truck can pretty much be bolted right up to a half ton (referring to the lack of extra engineering not a heavy duty rating) so i would assume that most dakota axles can be swapped pretty easily, second, i would like to go to over axle springs, so i would probably try to find the axle out of a 4 wheel drive, im planning a V8 swap sometime in the future and i figure that if i go ahead and put a heavier axle in it now, so thats one thing i wont have to do in the future... so what all is involved with switching from unders (which it has now) to overs? like i said im plenty comfortable fabricating things if i need to, im just wondering if the pinion angle is going to change enough to be something to worry about, and little things like that that i may overlook when planning this thing out... Thanks in advance guys!

 

[bobbywalter]

new springs. and or some traction bars. those are nice moving springs...over axle will raise it up 4-6 inches and axle wrap the springs to death.


if you were going to put a straight axle up front and raise it then it would be an easy way to lift it.


if you want it over axle and the same ride height you will need to relocate the hangers if you want to keep those springs. so no pinion angle issues as you will have to set it anyway.



the setup you have now is superior for launching....i would leave it under. just get a beefier axle.....regardless always check and adjust pinion angle

 

[Ranger1776]

so you think stay under axle for on road performance? because thats my target with this truck is what will perform best on road (of course if its cheaper thats better too)

 

[bobbywalter]

for sure i think its better for a hot rod and road rig.