Hello everybody,

I have a 97 Ram 2500 12 valve 4WD with 285K miles. Somebody smashed my drivers side front fender. The shop says the axle is messed up and will have to be replaced. Because of this, the cost of damages are such that the insurance company will probably "total" the truck. So I have some decisions to make. I love the truck and would like to keep it. I've never dealt with a front axle replacement before. Obviously the suspension is messed up as well. The shop says they use an axle with approx. the same miles, after checking all the bearings etc. The frame is ok.

Has anybody ever dealt with a situation like this? I want the front end to be as bulletproof as possible, and I just can't help being just a bit leery about it. So I thought I'd throw my situation out there to get some feedback if any. Appreciate any input.

 

You should be able to work with the insurance company to keep the totaled truck and some funding for the damages.

As for the front axle, I assume that you have a Dana 60 front differential in your truck. If the front differential housing isn't bent, you may be able to get away with replacing just some parts of the front differential, such as the right side axle, wheel bearing, rim/tire, etc. Otherwise, you should be able to find a replacement Dana 60 front differential assembly. If you go for a full replacement differential, be sure to find one that has the same gearing as your current differential (likely 3.54 or 4.10 gears in it). There should be a metal tag on the inspection cover of the differential to tell you what gear ratio is installed in that differential. It should match what's in the rear differential. The front and rear gear ratios must match for 4WD to work properly.

 

@Atomic .. Thank you! That is really useful information

 

You're welcome. I've just gone through a bunch of differential work with my Ram 2500 4x4 swapping to 4.10 gears and adding posi traction to the rear, so this stuff is fresh on my mind..

 

Lots of vehicles get totaled because of the high cost of a 'no expense spared' repair estimate. In many cases the vehicle can be repaired at a fraction of the cost with used parts. The Dana 60 is a pretty stout axle and as AtomicDog said there is a good chance it can be fixed. Even if the housing is damaged just get an axle from the junk yard and worst case have your internals moved over with new bearings and seals. Plus you get some spare parts. Same for the fender, you might be able to find one in the right color through nationwide dismantlers. As long as the frame isn't damaged it's fixable on the cheap.

 

Thanks DerTruck. I'm still surprised the axle was bent. You are not the only person that has told me how stout those axles are--from people like you that know what they are talking about. I appreciate your comments