Alright Guys so I have a 1990 Dakota that was originally a 2.5: 5 speed truck. I swapped a 5.2L and a 5 speed in it now. So i just kept the Chrysler 7.25 rear end in there for a while and its really been holding up great, i've even changed the gear oil and everything is looking good but i cant rely on it all the time and the aftermarket isnt very large for it.. anyway I found a Chrysler 8.25 rear on a 1989 Dakota and i had to ****** it up. Now comes the problem... The 8.25 sat under the leaf springs and the 7.25 sits on top of the leafs.. Im trying to lower the truck and I need the axle to sit on top of the leafs so i would appreciate a solution (as cheap as possible because i am a college student) and as for my next question is will i need to shorten the drive shaft? im assuming i will but if i dont have to then ill avoid it. Thanks guys

 

Dugan, sounds like the 8.25 you found came off a 4WD Dakota. If I'm not mistaken, the axle fits on top of the springs on a 2WD Dak with the 8.25 rear. If you have a friend that welds, the spring perch can be relocated from the top of the axle to the bottom. You might need to do something similar to the shock mounts, I can't recall how they're different between 2WD and 4WD right now. You also might be able to use leaf hanger extensions to let the leaf springs sit higher on the frame. That might require flipping one the leaf spring mounts. I'm just throwing these thoughts out there at the moment 'cause I know how the 4WD is setup, but don't recall the 2WD setup.

As for your drive shaft, what 5 speed did you put behind your 5.2? I put a NV3500 in mine and it turned out to be about 5/8" - 3/4" shorter than the original 5 speed that was behind the V6. If that's the case with yours, your shorter 5 speed and longer rear might result in your drive shaft being "just right". Could you be that lucky?

 

Thats exactly what happened i got it off a 4x4 and welding new perches was what i was thinking i was going to do and i got a buddy with a welder but i just wanted to know if anyone had any other ideas. I put a AX15 out of a V6 in the truck for the time being so im thinking im not too lucky.... Can you elaborate on using the leaf spring extensions im not quite sure what you mean. Thank you very much for the info, its greatly appreciated, as you can probably tell i have never screwed with rear ends or suspension for that matter

 

I probably should have said "shackles", not extensions, but the correct words escape me at times. Anyway, ride height can sometimes be lowered by altering where the leaf springs mount to the frame. You can relocate the front mounts (hangers) where the front of the leaf spring attaches the frame. At the rear attachment point for the springs you can relocate the rear hangers and/or add longer shackles (extensions) to the rear hangers. (Shackles/extensions are the piece that connects the rear of the spring to the rear hanger.)

Whether or not this is an option depends on how the vehicle's springs are attached, and I just don't recall how they are on a 2WD. If you crawl under the rear and look though, you'll see pretty quickly what options you might have for altering the hangers and shackles.

Whatever option you go with, including relocating the perches, be sure to keep the rear end at the same attitude or angle to the ground that it has stock. That will keep the drive shaft angle equal at the trans and rear end, so you don't wind up with u-joint wear and other problems.

 

Another wild idea - swap the 4x4 rear axle for a 2x4 rear axle, which will have the perches factory installed at the right place and angle, and use that instead.

BIG hint - grab the speedo drive gear out if it's still there and you do the pull.

SECOND big hint - do the seals/bearings and reload it with fresh gear lube while installing. Won't hurt to do the brakes and hoses / lines also.

RwP

 

I would love to just grab a 2wd axle but I need to keep the 5 bolt pattern and this was the only first gen I have found in my local junk yard in quite some time. I have a buddy with a welder so im just going to weld on new perches and ill figure out the lowering situation when i get home for winter break. I planed on doing new bearings and seals anyway and the junk yard drains the oil anyway so ill have to replace all the oil. Thank you all for your opinions.

 

Pshaw.

Find a 91-96 2WD rear end, swap axles and drums from your 4WD axle.

Problem solved.

RwP