Well I think my title pretty much explains my situation other then I rocked the truck enough to break it free and drive it 50 miles to get it home but it really sounds BAD. Its a 9 1/4 with 3:50 gears and a open diff. I was curious if I should go with a "good" junk yard rearend with the same gears (4x4) or if there is an issue with the 9 1/4 in. rearends that should be more or less updated with aftermarkets? This is my first dodge truck and previous chevy owner so my knowledge of chrysler products is pretty slim on a good day. thanks

 

should be 3.55 gears. either replace it with another 9 1/4 or upgrade both the front and the rear to dana 60 front and dana 70/80 rear. im doing the swap myself here in a month or two, except im not using dodge axles bc i want lockout hubs and i dont want ball joints or a unit bearing. i have a ford sterling rear and a ford 60 kingpin front both fron late 70's

 

Well for as much as I like that upgrade it sounds a bit spendy. I drag race in the summer and thats where my "wasted wages" are going haha. I think I will replace it with another 9 1/4 in.

 

What size tires do you have and is it a two wheel drive?

 

have you taken off the rear diff cover and checked the magnet yet? Are you positive its open diff? because theres a common problem where the LSD's will "Blow up"

 

Well it blew up today... i pulled the diff cover off and found 2 spider gears and my diff pin in 2 peices. When the truck was up on jack stands and i spun the rear tire the oppisite side would rotate the oppisite way. Open diff?? Thats what I was told anyway.... Well I called and talked to the local junk yard and they don't have anything with 3:55 gear ratio instead he has a set of front and rear diffs with 3:92 gears out of a 97 half ton. please tell me this set up would work.... i do pull a car tailor loaded alot in the summer would be nice to have the 3:92 gears for the only down fall is speed gauge. I have 265 75 16 but the sticker from factory says 225 60 16's i believe. I just know I have over sized tire compared to factory. Thanks

 

They want $450.00 plus my front and rearend on a "core exchange."

 

if there's no damage other than the pin and spiders, you can replace just those items very easily.


$450 for both is pretty good.
assuming your not a rear end setup guru -
for the rear - you can just swap the entire housing.
for the front - you can just swap the carrier assy.
make sure they're both the same gear ratio, or your t-case will die.
the lower gear ratio combined with the larger tires will average out to make your speedo pretty accurate.

4.10's would be better if you can find them.

 

Nah the carrier that the pin rides in is junk... Its no longer round its more oval shaped now with metal hanging out of the hole that it came outta at 60 mph at least thats my guess anyway. Also the housing it self has a really really big notch busted out actually surprised that i don't have a hole threw the bottom of the housing.
As far as swapping out the carrier in the frontend wouldn't the entire housing fit as long as it is a Danna 44 which I believe is what I have not 100% sure being I don't remember where i read that.

 

1500 front is dana 44. 1500 rear is chrysler 9.25 corporate.

on the rear, the center carrier does not easily come out w/o setup adjustment.

on the front, you have options - the center carrier does easily come out, as that's how you replace the front axle seals. see pavementsucks tech page for pics. so you could go either way, swap carrier only, or the whole housing. i'm not sure which is harder.

if you were to come across a set of dana 60's from a ram 2500 5.9 gasser with 4.10 gears, it'd be a nice upgrade instead of just a repair project. those housings are interchangable to the 1500 but you do need the drive shafts.