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LiLThurmy03
Dodge Dakota
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12/22/2003
18:27:20
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 Subject: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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hey guys, ive done my share of helping and giving advice on this forum plenty of times. but now im the one who needs some advice and help. some of yall may remember me, i was the 2nd one to go 35's with a 3 inch body lift after we heard it could be done. anyways, last nite while doing some mild off roading, my front pinion went to hell, and snapped the axle and all the housing from the frame. i got the truck home, got under it and checked everything out. and im for sure screwed! so im thinking since this happened, i might as well go straight axle. might as well since ive got the chance to do it! so im wondering what vehicle i need to get my new front axle out of? ive seen many people use the fronts outta old fords, so is that my best bet? how how difficult is the swap? how much should i plan on doing this swap? im just thinking that if my warranty dont cover it, will this be cheaper than having dodge re-do the whole front end? becuase im thinking it prolly will. anyways, let me know what yall think. thanks!
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solid dakota
Dodge Dakota
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12/22/2003
19:06:30
|  RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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Use a front axle from an F-150 or Bronco from the late 70's. The F-150's would be better because the Bronoco's have an Aluminum cast that you can't weld to. You first need to decide if you want leaf springs, coils, or coil-overs. There are plenty of people have done all three so there is a lot of information about them all. The easiest is going to be the leaf springs because you don't have to worry about getting the right locations for your links. If you do go with coils then you have to decide if you want 3 link, 3 link wishbone, 4 link, or 5 link. I have a 3 link with coils and it works well but it took a long time to get the angles right. Others have used different axles but most use this size because they are very close to the stock width of the Dakota and they are very common. If you are anywhere near Lexington, Ky I can very easily find you some 44HP axles.
I don't have any real good pictures of my setup yet as I don't have a digital camera and am very busy with all my work, but if you have any questions email me as I don't check this board all the time.
ntarli0@engr.uky.edu
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LiLThurmy03
Dodge Dakota
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12/22/2003
21:46:41
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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aight thanks man! anyone else got any opinions one what way i should fabricate my straight axle set up? i wanna go with leaf springs, just because its the easiest to do.
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oyotaco
Dodge Dakota
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12/23/2003
09:40:42
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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check this link out, it should help you out alot. good luck.
http://www.4x4wire.com/feature/99dakota/solidaxleswap/
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Rob454
Dodge Dakota
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12/23/2003
18:26:48
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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You cant use most chevy front axles because the pumpkin is on the wrong side. you can use one out of a 79 ford. if you plan on going to coils thats your best bet. if you find one in the bone yard take the spring mouonting hats and bolt those on . the 79s had a trailing arm solid front axle with coils. sort of liek the full size dodge rams but without the upper trailing arm. if you can unbolt the whoel suspension you should be able to get it on the truck in a couple of days. the other thing I would do is grab the rear axle also so you have matching lug patterns on the axles and rims. most fords had a 5x51/2 lug pattern. you can find that lug pattern on some of the older 70-80s jeeps also.
Were doing one on a buddys dakota as soon as he finds a rear axle.
Rob
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LiLThurmy03
Dodge Dakota
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12/24/2003
00:04:46
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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aight kool, sounds like a plan. so pretty much all i have to do is take all the ifs off, weld on leaf springs, line the axle up, bolt it on, and connect the steering. is that all i need to know. yall have really helped me out! thanks!
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Unbelievable
Dodge Dakota
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12/24/2003
04:12:37
|  Yep , it`s just THAT simple!!!
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You people can`t even spell and use punctuation correctly , and you`re going to attempt to safetly do a solid-axle-swap!
Please let us all know where you live , so we can be looking out for you on the road.
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LiLThurmy03
Dodge Dakota
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12/24/2003
12:26:04
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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hahaha whose this smart ass? theres something called short hand, try it sometime! i didnt know i was writing on this forum for a research paper grade or something! reckon i should watch how i arrange my words huh?
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Rob454
Dodge Dakota
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12/24/2003
21:43:55
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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Im sorry professor I didnt realise my bad writing makes me a bad mechanic.
Lilthurmy03
Its not as easy as it sounds. You still need to get the position of the axles right on the money. One thing Ive done is level the vehicle and use a plumb bob to mark the centerline of the old axle. then jack the truck up, then mark the centerline on the ground on a piece of tape. At this point the truck CANT be moved so thats where youre gonna work on it. ( we usually do it where our lift is in the shop)
Rob
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LILtyper03
Dodge Dakota
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12/25/2003
03:01:32
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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It`s called LAZY , and if you take shortcuts typing , which would only nake an extra 2 seconds to do it right, I`m betting you`ll also take shortcuts on anything else you do, such as a major suspension undertaking.
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Rob454
Dodge Dakota
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12/25/2003
13:03:38
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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yeah ok. I guess youre such a literate person and you never make mistakes. last I checked its TAKE not NAKE. But then gain im a lazy corner cutting mechanic while youre the perfect human. Ive done more lifts than you've owned trucks. So mabey I cant type that well but that that doesnt mean I take short cuts on lifts or anything else I do. but then again thats your opinion and everyone has a right to one
ROb
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LILtyper03
Dodge Dakota
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12/25/2003
16:37:29
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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I`m surprised anyone even noticed , that`s why I left it.
WOW ... you`re a lot better than I thought.
I wasn`t really talking about you (ROB454) in the first place.
I recon ill just go on about mu buziness uall hav fun,
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LiLThurmy03
Dodge Dakota
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12/25/2003
18:55:41
| RE: Straight Axle GuRues HELP!!
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if you wanna bitch about something, why dont you make a new post about people who cant type. and thanks rob, ill keep you posted on the project.
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