The pinion gear on my 98 lost a few teeth then grenade the rest of the differential, power is well above stock levels so can't blame the hardware. Looking to replace the whole axle; found CarMonkeys who sell used parts with 5 year warranty's and free shipping. Does anybody have any experience with these folks? Left them a message earlier and haven't heard back. Would entertain switching over to disk brakes if it isn't too much hassle. thanks, cd

 

I just checked out their website.
The warranty is nice, but WOW the price they are asking for parts is pretty high.

I would sell a Dana 80 axle for a lot less, but shipping from VT to the west coast would not be free. The $1500-$1800 you would save would pay shipping with a bunch of cash left over though.

I have paid about $1500 to ship a '80 Ramcharger to the East coast from Tacoma a few years ago

 

Sit and wait for a good local deal... or if your desperate, find a Dana 70 or 80 from something else to steal parts from.

Should be able to find a whole diff in the $200-$500 range, with disc axles being at the upper end. That's been my experience.

 

Found a Dana-80 locally, ended up costing $950 incl tax and drop off in the back yard. A little bummed on the open differential though a stocker with the 125k on it would need some clutch pack work. Looking around for some type of locker since it sees use on muddy boat launches associated with tidal changes. Quite amazed on how many types of lockers are available these days----not happy it will be another BOAT buck to get one put in. Any recommendations on which type to put in a Dana 80? The electronic ones appear a little less complicated than an ARB while giving a better around town ride than a Detroit. Don't know anything about the Torsen types.

 

I DD with a Lockright in my Dana 80. Cheap and effective. I don't care for auto lockers with an auto trans though.

 

Thanks for the info, will look into the Lockright. Talking to the local off-road shop; he said I will need a new ring and pinion regardless of the condition of current parts if the carrier is changed....what the heck! Is this B.S. or did my project price just go up a bunch? thanks in advance

 

That's some sort of in-house policy. Probably related to honouring warranties. Used gears get re-used all the time.

 

Thanks for clearing that up and steering me to the Lockright; should save me a couple grand when all said and done. Looks like something I can do after reading up on it. Hoping I only need to take off one side of the carrier but won't know until I get back home for some measurements. Did you install yours?

 

I installed my own Lockright. Have done a few.
https://ramchargercentral.com/axle-t...02/#msg2565802

 

You didn't say if the truck is a manual or automatic. If it is an automatic and the diff let go while under power in first gear I strongly advise you to pull the transmission and inspect the over running clutch at the rear of the case for damage. If you don't and it is damaged it can over speed the front drum and you'll have an exploding transmission. Shrapnel from this can cause great bodily injury to you and even others in the nearby vicinity.