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david ledger
Dodge Dakota
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8/11/2005
17:04:27
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 Subject: RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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thanks for the great info. I am starting my hunt for a front axle and case off a 2000 - hopefully I can locate one out of a salvage yard and the like you say rebuild and install on the bench- assuming it fits or can be made to fit on my 2002. i will let you know how it goes. have fun being locked in front !
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david ledger
Dodge Dakota
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8/12/2005
18:03:46
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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MrKawfey - okay, I may have already got lucky and found a front axle off a 1998 Durango, which is same as the axle on the Dakota. Supposedly this Durango axle will have the Dana 35 like yours - we will open it up today and check. Just to be sure, the part number you gave me for your locker is from Aussie Lockers, correct ?
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david ledger
Dodge Dakota
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8/22/2005
08:17:03
|  RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Powertrax makes a front axle locker that fits 1997-2000 Dakota and 1998-2000 Durango. The front diff in these vehicles is a Dana 35, 27 spline. The Powertrax has really good reviews from pros who have installed-used it. Check it out on drivetrain.com
Does anybody know for sure whether or not the front axle and diff assembly from the 97-00 Dak or 98-00 Durango will bolt on to my 2002 - with or without mods ?? Thanks
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MrKawfey
Dodge Dakota
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9/26/2005
14:28:18
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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I finnaly got to spend some quality time off road with my new lockers. Let me start by saying "WOW". The difference in traction is amazing! I was able to crawl over stuff that I previously had to be winched over. There is no way that I could put into words how impressed I was with the performance.
Now for the catch...If you are thinking of putting a front locker in your Dakota, DONT!
I destroyed (and I mean DE-STROYED) both of my front cv shafts while I was off-roading. There is no way that the axle shafts are up to the job. There is no way to make them strong enough. And no body that I can find makes heavy duty shafts. The passenger shaft exploded the inboard joint, and the driver shaft spit out the outboard joint. I was not doing anything crazy either. I was just crawling. No excessive throttle, no excessive steering. There is just too much traction and too much binding in the driveline with a parttime transfer case and two lockers. If you want to take it easy, you might as well not have a front locker.
Think of it this way, when throttling in a situation where your left tire and right tire have to travel over two different size objects, something has to give. Either one tire has to slip or the differential has to differentiate or someting has to break. Now throw in the fact that the rear is also locked to the front and things just get that much harder. All it takes is any two of the four to have good trackion and different distances to travel and something is going to break.
SO...the answer is...Get a new hobbie and stop 4 wheeling. Just kidding. A solid axle swap with stout compontents is really the only answer.
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4wDakota
GenIII
9/26/2005
15:55:52
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Didn't I say,
"I wouldn't lock the front Dana M35. Seen too many of them blow up when they are open. A locker would put more stress on the aluminum case. If you're getting into ough spots that require a locker I'd look into swapping in a solid axle."
Told you so! LOL j/k sorry you had such bad luck
98 CC 4x4, 5.2 Auto 3.55LSD
3" Body Lift, 1" Torsion Bar Lift, 33" BFG A/T KO's
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Kya
Dodge Dakota
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9/26/2005
21:16:20
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Just for discussion sake.
What about swapping in a beefier IFS: Tacoma, Tundra, f-150, GM?
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david ledger
Dodge Dakota
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9/26/2005
21:28:37
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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I am all for any suggestions because I am pretty sure about going ahead and locking my 02 in front - after installing a front axle from a 00 model, which is the Dana 35 Mr. Kawfey has been working with. I dont think a solid axle swap is feasible, or even possible - one reason being that the "collapsable" frame just wont take the pounding.
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MrKawfey
Dodge Dakota
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9/27/2005
10:01:49
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Like i mentioned earlier, I think the best swap is the 78-79 bronco front end. Its a dana 44 and it is a TTB/coil spring front end. I have seen leaf spring conversions on Dakotas, but they require a huge amount of hacking up the frame. The TTB solution is nice because all the front to back force is placed further down on the frame behind the engine. There is very litte that needs to be cut off the frame to mount the spring buckets. Just put some shocks on and plumb the brakes and you are ready to go. Dont forget the custom driveshaft.
Here is an interesting note, while I was writing this post, an email came in from a guy who makes custom cv shafts for cars (think 800hp front wheel drive honda civic 7 sec drag car). He says he can make heavy duty axles for my truck. I will keep you guys posted when I know more.
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4wDakota
GenIII
9/27/2005
16:13:43
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Swapping in IFS would be an expensive waste of time. Toyota stuff is strong but a Dakota is 500 - 1000 lbs heavier than a Tacoma and would tear it up. Fullsize stuff is too big. Save yourself some time and headache and swap in a solid axle.
The frame is plenty strong enough, a lot of guys have already done it.
98 CC 4x4, 5.2 Auto 3.55LSD
3" Body Lift, 1" Torsion Bar Lift, 33" BFG A/T KO's
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david ledger
Dodge Dakota
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9/27/2005
18:54:46
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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thanks guys- i'm not swapping in IFS, I already have IFS in my 02. Only swapping the diff. out of a 2000 Dakota or Durango (a Dana 35) which can be fitted with the Aussie locker Mr. Kawfey used. the 01 and 02 Daks have a weird size ring gear - 205mm, and nobody makes a locker for that. I am really interested in hearing more about the custom heavy duty axles fro Mr. Kawfey's Dak, let me know when you know more about that.
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Kya
Dodge Dakota
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9/27/2005
20:56:44
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Yeah, I figured a project like that wouldn/t make much sense.
What about swapping in coilovers for the torsion bars? Seems like that would be the easiest way to get more flex out of the IFS.
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MrKawfey
Dodge Dakota
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9/28/2005
08:38:31
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Kya, the torsion bars do not limit the flex of the front IFS. Ultimately you max out the upper ball joint first. If you were to find a high flex ball joint I am not sure what the next impediment would be to your axle droop.
David, did you figure out if the D35 will bolt up to your front end bracketry? Did you finish the install? I am curious to see how that comes out.
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david ledger
Dodge Dakota
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9/28/2005
18:31:52
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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MrKawfey - not yet. When I went back to the salvage yard, where I found a 2000 Dak with front axle, to pick up the parts they told me they could not part out the truck yet because the owner is having a beef with the insurance company. Insurance wants to pay total loss,owners wants the truck fixed. So no, I have not got it done yet. I took a good look and a few measurements and it looks like a bolt-on, but younever know until you try. If this crashed truck remains in insurance never-never land, I'll have to start searching again. Only problemis that guamis so small I'd probably have to bring one in from the States. If you happen to come across a front axle assembly off of a 98, 99 00 Dak or durango, let me know....
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Kya
Dodge Dakota
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9/28/2005
19:50:58
|  RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Well I'll be darned.
Thanks for that bit of info. That's why I enjoy forums like this, because you can learn so much from dudes who know what is going on.
So, are there any ball joint upgrades out there that would allow more travel for our Dakotas?
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david ledger
Dodge Dakota
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9/28/2005
21:52:55
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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exactly !! anybody know of ball joint upgrades for our beloved Dak's ?? Come to think of it, when compared with the beefy forged lower control arms on the IFS and some of the other stuff under there, the ball joints look weeny. I worry more about them then any other component of the IFS. Actually, i have pounded the crap out of that IFS on some rocky slopes where you have to hit it hard at the bottom and not look back until you get to the top, and so far so good. no doubt my day is coming ....
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BIGTYMER
Dodge Dakota
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10/10/2005
14:43:28
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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I don't see how you guys tear some of this stuff up. I run 35" MT's and I give my truck hell, I mean pure hell. The seals at the ends of the axle tubes leak a little, but the front diff is fine and the shafts are still perfect. In 4wd I turn 4 tires NO MATTER WHAT! I've had it 3 wheeling on the rocks, I've ripped tree stumps out of the ground and I've cut 4 wheel doughnuts on dry pavement with no problem. Now the rear diff on the other hand, sounds like a tank coming down the road.
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david ledger
Dodge Dakota
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10/10/2005
18:38:26
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Message:
Hey Bigtymer, hello from Guam. I agree. I have pounded the crap out of that 02 IFS on some rocky slopes where you have to hit it hard at the bottom and not look back until you get to the top, and also on the worst trails Guam has to throw up at us. The rocky slope has cross-ruts and bumps all the way up, by the time you get to the top, its like riding a bronco in a rodeo. The only components that scare me are the ball joints because if one breaks, you aint
getting out unless you replace it, which is why I carry a spare set with me. Actually, the lower A frame is a realy beefy forged piece and the top A frame is plenty rugged. If the thing is going to break, you gotta figure it will be a ball joint, probably the upper, which is actually a little bit weeny looking, looks almost out of place compared to the other components. happy trailing ...
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MrKawfey
Dodge Dakota
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10/11/2005
09:39:35
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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I will agree with you guys to a point. Before I put the lockers in my Dakota I used to beat the crap out of it too. I was wheeling with 38" tires and never broke anything. Putting the lockers in changes all the dynamics of the forces. First of all it allows me to get through and over stuff that i never could have before. Second it creates a condition where all 4 wheel HAVE to spin at the same speed. If they have to travel different distances (one tire up and over a tall rock while the other goes over a flat rock) something has to give. The stress build up in the driveline is tremendous and you hope that traction is going to break before a part does, but one of those is going to happen for sure.
I have now autopsied my busted axles and here is what i found:
Left inner joint - The cup shattered because the tri-pot joint was pulled out to the very edge of the cup. After installing the new ones I found that when the suspension droops the axle pulls right out to the edge of the cup. A spacer between the cv shaft and the stub shaft should fix the problem.
Right outer joint - The cage that retains the balls shattered. This is probably due to the fact that the tire was a full lock under power when it went. The cup on the outboard side acts like a brace for the bearing cage, but only through a limited angular range. Turn the wheel too far and the cage rotates out of the cup. This makes it easier to break.
I also found that one of the mounts (outboard passenger side) on the axle housing was broken. This might of happened when I nailed my diff on a rock. When I put a jack under the axle to try and bring the broken parts back into alignment it wont budge. This means I cant weld it back together. I think I am goin to just leave it. On the road in 2WD there should eb no stress on it so I am not worried about that. Off road, I guess we will just see. One thing I am not going to do is replace the front housing. If it breaks "more", I am going to do the solid axle swap.
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david ledger
Dodge Dakota
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10/11/2005
18:07:23
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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Hey MrKawfey - I feel your pain but am anxious to actually share it when I am finally able to lock my front diff. Finding a front axle assy out of an older 98-00 Dak or Durango has proved to be a lot more elusive than i thought it would be. w/o that front axle, I cant install the Aussie or any other locker. There is a guy on Guam driving a 99 Durango and I just about have him convinced to swap with me, we will see. If you hear of any for sale, please let me know.
As for your sas, when and if you do it, please save all the plans and specs and take lots of pictures for the rest of us IFS guys. Are you planning leafs or coils over ? By the way, in that September issue of Petersens with the info about a possible 6" lift for IFS, did you see the red quadcab with the solid axles ? Its an awesome truck, something to aspire to, that is if you got a spare 20 grand sitting around ...
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BIGTYMER
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2005
09:41:08
| RE: Front ARB for Dana 35
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I understand what you mean but I'm saying I've done the same things with no problems. I have LSD's but the clutch packs are so tight it's almost like friggin spool and my truck turns all 4 all the time!
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