So I've got stock gears in my 97 4x4 1500 Ram, I've got 35's, and I want to get lockers or at least a locked diff. What is the cheapest options I have without taking it to a shop? Looking to do this at home.

Also, at the last bog I went to in July, I hit the water and the truck shut off. I figured out my ignition coil was getting wet and cutting power. So I cleaned it off and it started, happened again...Does this mean my ignition coil is bad or should I put a shield around it and send it? I've got a plastic milk jug around it with zip ties, its been good since the bog, even through rain, but should that be okay or should I replace it soon?

Thanks!

 

Side note: I also took out most of the water in my Coolant system and put mostly coolant in now, it still creeps up to over heating if I let it sit too long. It will begin to cool down if I'm cruising but not if I'm stopped for long. Any suggestions?

 

Maybe move the coil further back on the engine, to keep it away from all the crap the fan is going to toss around. Shield wouldn't hurt though.

You could do a 'lunchbox locker'. It just replaces the spiders gears in the diff. You can do that in your driveway. Changing the carrier is not something for the inexperienced to do. Gear setup is VERY picky, and doing it wrong gets expensive in big hurry.

Do you know what gear ratio you have currently?

 

Doesn't that involve a welder?

 

Nope. You aren't welding anything. Remove spiders, install 'locker', down the road you go. It will even unlock when you go around corners......

 

For this what should I look up to find one for me? I'm not exactly sure what gears are in mine now but they should just be stock.

 

Stock was anything from 3.21 to 4.10..... 3.55 being the most common. With 35's, that's gonna be hard on the trans. If you bought it that way though, I would be tempted to pull the cover off one of the diffs, and physically check what gears are in there. Summit, Jegs, and various other places will sell the lockers.

 

With the cover off, what would I be looking for? Will it say the ratio somewhere on the gears in there?
I've rebuilt a diff before, long time ago, for a 2.5l dakota, so I doubt its the same lol.

 

If you have done one successfully, then you can do another without too much trouble. Some things may be different, but, probably not very much.

Sometimes the ratio will be etched into the side of the ring gear. Just turn it slowly, and wipe it with a rag. See if there is anything on there. Worst case, count the number of teeth on the ring gear, and the pinion, and divide.

 

+1 on the number on the ring gear move was etched on there 3.55s here with 35s