I want to get an 01-02 3500 dually, but I have lockers in my 2500. Can the 3500 axle be converted to a single wheel, and my single wheel be converted to a dual wheel. I am thinking of swapping both axles.

 

Why would you swap the axles if you are converting the dual to single, and vice versa?

I'm almost positive that the dually axle is a bit narrower, but can be made to work as a SRW with spacers. And a single can be converted to a dual.

 

I have a 2500 with 4.10's and I have found a 3500 with 3.55's. I have lockers in both my axles. I have been wondering if you could just unbolt both axles, swap them(1 ton dually axle in 2500, and vice versa). This way I wont have to regear and drill holes in both axles for the lockers. They are both dana 80's. Can I do this without buying parts? Take my hub off my rear axle and shafts and swap?

I am going to take all my aftermarket goodies off my truck and put them on the 3500. Pretty much take my truck back to stock, and make the 3500 my new truck. Just trying to find out if it is a swap that can be done.

 

Why would you have to drill holes to install a locker?

 

I'm guessing for the air line fitting in the top of the housing for the Air Locker....

The DRW D80 has a wider track width than the SRW and would not readily convert to a SRW without the rear wheels looking really silly because of some wild offset. Your SRW D70 can be converted to a DRW with some adaptor plates but I wouldn't do it simply for the sake that you are giving up the bomb proof DRW D80. It is much stronger overall and is properly equipped to handle the unique loading of DRW's and has bigger brakes.

Yank the locker out of your D70 and sell it.....then use the funds towards the D80 locker. If your 2500 has the D70 HD (sometimes called the Hybrid), you can use that locker in the D80 as long as the carrier series is the same - you will just have to get the ring gear bolt holes in the carrier slotted to accept the larger bolt circle diameter of the D80 ring gear. The D70 HD actually uses a D80 carrier.

The front axle will be a direct swap.......

 

Yeah, the rear axle (dodge calls it) a dana 80 is in my 2002 2500. I had to put in a dana 70hd arb. THe dana 80 arb didnt work as I couldnt get it centered with all the shims. Is the dana 80 drw the same as the dana 80 srw? The front locker is electric and I need to drill a hole for it as well. This is the reason I am leaning towards buying a 2002 3500 instead of an 06 3500.

 

The SRW and DRW D80's have the same ring and pinion and center section as each other. You may have had carrier shimming issues because you had the wrong series D80 carrier to go with your D70 HD gears. Your 2500 auto should not have an OEM D80 but rather, as Dodge called it, a D70/80 which is how Dodge apparently refered to a D70 HD.

 

I dont have an auto. I have the six speed.

 

Sorry for the mix up....correct me if I'm wrong but your truck should not have the D70 HD but rather the SRW D80 because it is a stick truck, no?

 

It does have the dana 80. The arb for a dana 80 would not work though. I called arb and they said the dana 70hd with 35 splines would work better. I just had to drill the holes on the locker to fit the larger ring gear bolts. I just want to know if I can swap the axles? This way if I find a 3500 with 3.55's, I dont have to do a gear swap again in both trucks.

 

Ideally, the best way to go would be to retain the original DRW D80 in the 3500 since it is already the correct width and has the DRW brakes. I would suggest that you call ARB to confirm the carrier series because to my knowledge, the 3.55 and 4.10 will be using the same series carrier on a D80. I would just tap the SRW D80 hole left by the ARB air fitting to 1/4" NPT and then just put a plug in it when you go to sell it.

 

The dana 80 has a carrier split at 3.73 and down, and 4.10 and up. The dana 60 has a 4.10 and down. Maybe I will get lucky enough and find a 3500 with six speed and 4.10s. I found a 5 speed in an 01 with 4.10s but I really want the six speed for towing. I guess I wonder how hard it would be to swap transmissions? 5 to a six speed.