I have been wanting to put a posi and a better gear in my truck. Someone said that it has a 3.05:1 ratio. does that sound right? I was wondering if anyone has put gears in there trucks and if it really woke it up or what. It has a 3.9 and i believe a 8.25 ring gear. Are there any rearends that i could get out of the junkyard that have a posi and better gear? thanks

 

Nope. Not unless they put that ratio in there after-market (which is never herd of anyone going numberically lower).
For '96, the 7-1/4" came with a 3.55 ratio. The 8-1/4" came with 3.21, 3.55, and 3.90 ratios.
Mine, for instance, has the 8-1/4" 3.55 ratio.
If you want to find out what your vehicle came with from the factory, you can contact Dodge via this link, give them your VIN, and request a build sheet.
As far as the rest of your question, I can't answer. I'm not keen on my 4WD stuff .

 

Hmmm. This is a question I have also been pondering. My truck is two wheel drive. It kind of sucks in the winter with the differential thats in there now. You know what I'm talking about. The transfer the power from the wheel that grips to the wheel that slips. I dunno about a posi, but I would like to find a better limited slip or possibly even a locker to throw in there. That would be nice.

Ill have to dig around the interweb and see what I can find. Ill post what I find out.

 

For the 8.25 you can also get 3.73, 4.11 & 4.56 ratios. There are others but they are higher gears which you probably don't want. JIM.