Ya know if I have the option of adding an auto-locker in the future then maybe I WILL search out that 5.9L Dakota/Durango 9.25 from the late 90s/early 00s even if it's open or factory LSD. I can cook it up until I have the money saved at least I will have a 9.25 shell to put a locker into...unless a 9.25 locker can fit into any 8.25 shell??

 

No I don't think the internals will swap, splines are different as well as size I'm pretty sure. The 8.25 is a 27 spline gear and the 9 is 29 spline. Don't think the shafts would swap.

 

Let me throw this one at you then...what if I got a 9.25 (open or LSD) and the gear ratio is not 3.9:1? Can the locker be ordered in different ratios or is that something else completely like the input shaft/yoke? Can the ratio be transferred from an 8.25 to a 9.25 and without creating a bottleneck in the strength?

 

yes that can be changed i believe, if i remember what i looked up right its just changing the spider gear but could be more that i dont remember

 

A locker doesn't come in ratios. The ratio of the axle is dependent on the ring and pinion of the axle which are not interchangeable in between different axle sizes, as well as nothing is interchangeable.

It might be best for you to go to www.howstuffworks.com and view how a differential/axle works.

 

So I didn't remember right, well least I know where I gotta brush up, that or I was looking at an entire assembly last time which might have been it

 

Youtube explains well, now I understand. The hunt begins.

 

I just checked underneath my 95 Dakota Sport (2.5L, 5-speed, 2WD) expecting to see a Chrysler 7.25, but found what looks to be an 8.25.

Am I just dumb/blind/hallucinating, or is this actually a Chrysler 8.25? (I heard 2.5L and 3.9L Dakotas only came with the 7.25).



Thanks! I'm hoping it's actually a 8.25 so I can find a LSD to swap in fairly easily.

 

I'm not sure about your axle but...how are those load-adjusting coil-over shocks performing?? Did they stiffen up the factory ride at all or just improve weight capacity?

 

The coilovers are fantastic (Monroe Sensa Trac), they stiffen up my ride just a bit and let me keep the factory rake when I've got about 350lbs of junk in the back (Box said it can help to increase the weight capacity to 1200lbs, but my 2.5L would die way before that). They even give me a 2" lift when the bed is empty