Hey all!
Got a question, looking into doing a straight axle conversion on my Dakota, (for 2 reasons, 1 so I can lift it, and 2 for strength as the factory a-arm/ball joint situation seems very poor and weak)

question is:
What kind of vehicle would be best to get the axles from? - obviously a full size truck would be too wide, and narrowing the axles would be way expensive... what about like an older Grand Cherokee? I have seen several of those in town with straight axles, I figured maybe they come factory, and if so, they appear like they'd be similar in width to the Dakota?

I've got a 97 Dakota 4x4 that I want about 10" or so of lift, being my primary reason for doing this, and the max lift I have seen for the stock suspension is 6", and that still doesn't address the strength issue for bigger tires, and also the IFS lift kits are just stupid priced!

thanks in advance for any help/advice

 

There are lots of options out there. I have minimally looked into this but so far I see most axles coming from old F-250's. The most important thing is that the transfer case is on the drivers side so you need one that matches that. The thing about the Jeep is that while it might work you're going to be doing a lot of work for a minimal upgrade since those axles aren't much stronger than our IFS. There are a lot of SAS dakota projects on this site as well as on Pirate 4x4 (just make sure you read the rule before posting there). I'm sure some will post up on here soon enough.

 

thanks for the reply, so on the F-250, I agree, the 3/4 ton would be a lot stronger. - are they too wide and need to be narrowed for a Dakota?

 

From what I have seen the axles don't need to be shortened but I could be wrong. You might have tires extending an inch or two past the fenders. The best way to find out would to go to a junk yard with an old 250 and take some measurements then compare them to the width of your dakota.

 

OK, I have found a complete set of F-250 running gear with 4.10 ratio - probably going to buy it this weekend and get started.

 

Sweet, keep us update on your build. It sounds like it is going to be a good one. Take lots of pictures...

 

I certainly will I am a professional photographer, so pics won't be a problem

 

I'm currently working on a SAS on my 1995 Dakota. I'm using a mid 70s chevy 14 bolt rear and a '79 F250 HD HP Dana 44 front. Yes, they are a bit wide on my truck, but they won't be as wide on your 2nd gen since the body is bigger on the 2nd gen Dakotas. I think if I remember right they are a total of 4 inches wider than factory on mine. But if you intend to use the truck offroad and aren't just doing this for a really big road queen, then the wider axles are going to help you more than they'll hurt you... especially on off-camber trails.

 

awesome, thank you, this is helpful

 

Awesome, sounds good. Plus it sounds like they will be good pictures which is always nice. Seems like when anyone does a swap all they have is a 10 yr old camrea phone to use lol.