im buying a 1980 dodge power wagon and it does not have a front drive shaft in it , i wanna know if the gears in the front match the rear because i dont wanna put a drive shaft in it an tear it out , you know? so can someone tell me if i can match numbers with the vin or axel to axel to find out if the gears in the front match the rear.

 

The gears in the front will match the rear unless you believe they were changed in which case the VIN is useless. Jack up one front tire in neutral and rotate it 1 turn and count the turns of the front drive shaft yoke as you do this. Repeat on the rear and compare the numbers.