Swapping Durango Rear Axle into a Dakota
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Swapping Durango Rear Axle into a Dakota
Anyone have any advice on the fabrication needed to put a Durango axle into a Dakota. I have a 2001 Dakota Quad Cab with a failing rear axle, and a 2001 Durango for parts. The axles are identical as far as gear ratio and housing, the only differences are the leaf-spring mounts and the shock mounts are different. Is there an easy way to relocate the mounting pads for the leaf-spring? Or am I going to have a bitch of a time cutting and relocating them in the correct position?
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If I were you, I would probably buy new spring perches, weld them on, and leave the old ones alone. Actually, I would probably just fix the axle that's in the truck but if I were going to change it, I would do what I said.
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Shock mounts on a durango axle are totally different then on the dakota. Dakota has shocks mounted in line with the frame at a angle strait back and foreward, Durangos are like \__/ on the axel, So you would need to weld on new shock mounts, and if you dont have a jig to keep the axle from warping and shifting.
Last edited by Dakota Greg; Jul 29, 2012 at 06:23 PM.
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One of the pins came loose inside the original housing and ground out the inside of the housing so a swap is my only real option. The guy I bought the truck from put 35k miles on it after discovering the damage. It does have a pretty good vibration so I would like to change it out before winter hits. Maybe I will take a bunch of pics and start a build thread. Any idea where I would acquire new spring perches?
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I haven't personally seen the groove, but the original owner (he's a buddy of mine) says it is between 1/8" to 3/16" and it's all the way around toward the front of the housing. I am definitely gonna change it out, was just wondering if anyone had tips on how to do it easily. I have another friend that's really good with fabrication/welding, so he will be doing most of the work lol. I will start a new informational thread with lots of pics, and any issues that occur while doing it.