Ooh! Great topic! I have an 89 that I'm thinking of doing a solid axle swap to. I've been beating this around for a while too. You have picked the right ruck for a wheeling rig. Of all the vehicles to make a wheeler out of, the Dakota is the best built to start with and has the most options for junk yard upgrades. The frame is boxed in from the front to the forward rear leaf spring perch, they come with V8's all day long, but the best thing about the Dakota is it's a Dodge. Dodge did everything good for 4 wheelers over time whereas Chevy, Jeep, Ford only did some good things. Over time Doge did almost every 5 lug wheel pattern so matching Ford, Chevy or Jeep lugs is easy. Dodge did case bearing in the front on the 1500s, making it easy to swap an axle on the trail, Locking hubs, automatic lockers on the axle housings, manual hub lockers, they did drivers side Transfer Cases, Passenger drop Transfer Cases, 3 speed autos, 4 speed autos, farmer 4 speed manuals, 5 speeds etc.... With a Dakota, you can go with any popular transmission, transfer case, and axle combination you want.

Here are some scenarios. I'm not sure if you have 6 or 5 lug wheel pattern, but.....
#1 Cheap and dirty. If you just want a solid axle then you can just use a drivers side drop Jeep axle, If you have a 5X4.5" lug pattern. There are tons of people with teeny weeny Dana 30 axles they will part with, use some flat leafs out of whatever you choose and you're there. You can also find High pinion versions and buy high steer kits for them. One good thing is they are light. If you have the 6 lug pattern, the older Jeep Wagoneers also use a 6 lug pattern, but I'm not sure if they match the Dakota 6 lug, or if the axles are full length or not.
#2 Cheap and Strong. Find yourself a narrow drivers side drop Dana 44 out of a Jeep Wagoneer or Rubicon not sure what wheel pattern your Dakota has so you may need the rear axle too. Or you can get a set of full length Dana 44 front and rear out of a Ford or Dodge 1500, they are only about 6" wider. The Ford front Dana 44 usually has to be re-tubed because the radius arm brackets are usually cast into the axles, that is a big set back for a cheap build. The Dodge 1500 uses 5X5.5" lug pattern and has the case hub bearings but does not have locking hubs. This is probably the most direct fit full size axles you can use on the Dakota.
#3 Strong and a little more money. Use a Ford 9" full size axle 5X5.5" lug pattern (the wheel bearings are pressed to the axle so there is no need for C-Clip eliminators, and there are tons of aftermarket upgrades for them, and they use 3 pinion bearings rather than 2, and they are far lighter than most cast axles). In the front you can use a drivers or passenger side drop transfer case and axle. If you use a 1987' or older Chevy passenger drop axle, then a set of hubs from a Ford F-150 with the 5X5.5" lug pattern will work on it, they use the same wheel bearings.
#4 Strongest, but heaviest. Dana 60 full size axles, Enough said.

The first thing you need to figure out is whether you want a drivers side or passenger side pumpkin in the front. I prefer a passenger side pumpkin because there is already way too much on the drivers side. Then you need to figure out how many splines your transmission output shaft has. It will be either 27, or 32. If you have 32 splines and the 5 bolt pattern to the transmission then you can use almost any full size transfer case out of an older Ford or Dodge. Chevys use a 6 bolt pattern so they will not work without adaption. Then pick your axles.

Here's what I would like to build. I would use an automatic either a 727, or a 4 speed, then an older transfer case preferably an NP205 passenger side drop out of a Dodge. If I were to go 5 speed, I would find the NV4500 Transmission with a NP205 passenger drop TC. I would use a Ford 9" rear axle with a Dana 44 out of a Chevy. If it's primarily for wheeling and won't see much highway driving, then I would use steering knuckles and all time hubs with case bearings from a Dodge 1500 with the 5X5.5 Wheel pattern. The lower ball joints and u-joints in the front axle are mostly the same across the board for all Dana 44's, the upper ball joint is different, just use the ball joint for the axle rather than the steering knuckle, some machining might be required, however there are camber caster bushings which may be interchageable for adapting upper ball joints as well. If there will be highway driving I would use Ford F-150 hubs with lockers on the Chevy front axle they use the same wheel bearings. If you really have the dollars you can use a Ford Dana 44 High Pinion axle and have it re-tubed for a drivers or passenger side drop

There are a ton of possibilities, you just have to decide if it's a toy, or a driver as well, what your budget is, and do you want a driver or passenger side drop front axle. I could go on. You can use Autozone to find out which parts are interchangeable. Just pick your ball joint and or wheel bearings, then click on compatibility, and it will spit out a list of other vehicles that use the same part. As far as suspension, I would rather use flat leafs in the front and 4 link the back since the back axle is more prone to hopping and twisting. You would have to relocate your fuel tank inside your bed to make room for the 4 link, but you can still use leafs with the 4 link, just use a shackle from the axle to the leafs and the 4 link will not bind. And if you need more lift, then build a taller shackle. Expensive coil overs are not feasible for most of us.

 

 

I understand. Transfer cases and front axles aren't a problem. The real trouble is choosing the right rear axle. Most 1/2 ton rear axles use C-Clips, which are prone to fail on offroad use. They are fine on street driving, but once you get offroad and start climbing side slopes it puts extra strain on them and when they fail, the axle just slides right out of the housing. You'll want at least a semi floater for the rear, or you could adapt rear disk brakes, so that if a C-Clip fails the axle cannot slide out. There are semi floating 1/2 ton axles out there but I'm not sure what vehicles to look for them in. The reason I recommend the Ford 9" is because it is a light strong semi floater. Of all the things Ford did right, it was their axles. As far as the front axles go, a Dana is a Dana, not a Dodge Chevy or Ford. Dana simply made changes requested by the various manufacturers. I don't worry about what a Dana comes out of, only if it will work. If your plan is to use your current transfer case and rear axle with the 6x4.5 lug pattern, then I would look to see what an older Jeep Wagoneer has. Also, Toyotas and Chevy used 6 lug patterns, but the Chevy was a passenger side drop. I don't believe Dodge made a 6 lug solid front axle. As far as I know the 6 lug is unique to the Dakota. You could just go nuts and find some 3/4 ton 8 lug axles. If you are going to add strength and weight anywhere it should be the axles, down low where you need it. Or you could find a 5 lug axle from another Dakota which matches a Jeep 5 lug pattern.

 

I've been looking around at lug pattern charts and it looks like you are SOL on that 6 lug pattern. Nissan was the only ones to use that same pattern. One thing you could do is to order a new front wheel case bearing for your truck, then order one for a Jeep Wrangler front axle and compare the two to see if the bolt pattern to the steering knuckle and the spline count for the drive axle is the same. If they interchange then maybe you could keep that wheel pattern, but I'm guessing that's not likely and you should look at swapping out both axles. https://www.quadratec.com/c/referenc...specifications

 

99% of the axles out there on light duty trucks are semi-floating. The heavier duty trucks got full floater, on those, the axle doesn't bear any of the weight of the truck, like the semi-floaters do, their only job is to turn the tires. Of course, 99% of full-floating axles will be 8 lug. But then, I think 8 lug axles on a Dakota would look cool. You would certainly have to work really hard to break anything on the axles....... Might need wheels with funky offset though, to keep the wheels/tires from sticking out to far. Won't find D60's in a narrow version. (although, rumor has it, they WERE used in the rear of some muscles car, thus, semi-floating 5 lug.....)

 

Yes, you're right. I always get confused about the semi-floating axle. What I mean to say is that an axle that uses C-Clips is weaker, and I wouldn't use one. The Ford 9" is technically a semi floater because the wheel still attaches to the axle and the axle carries the weight of the vehicle, but the wheel bearing is pressed on so there is no C-Clip holding the axle in the housing to fail. The full floater has it's own spindles and wheel bearings so the vehicle weight rests on the hub not the axle itself. That is the difference.

 

 

That's exactly what I would do. You may have to get your drive lines done if the u-joints are a different series, but 6 States is pretty cheap if you have one around. I had one made for $100. They had to cut the 1/2 ton yoke off my old driveline and weld it to the 3/4 ton, then a rebalance.

Might I recommend that you find another truck for daily driving. If you are unable to complete the axle swap in one weekend then you will be screwed, not to mention if your tires end up poking out or rubbing then you may be into trouble with the cops and have driving issues. I have learned not to use my daily as a project vehicle for lots of good reasons.

 

Yeah, this isn't a swap that's gonna happen in a weekend...... No matter how you slice it, there is going to be cutting/welding involved. Also, the 99 dodge 1500 uses coils, and control arms, it will have to be modified for use with leaf springs, and that is going to be fun too. I think you would be better off, and spend less on custom work, finding a matching set of axles that are already set for leaf springs. Is your truck already 4x4? If it isn't, there is going to be work required on the interior as well, to get the expensive stick somewhere you can reach it.