After getting stuck in the yard TWICE the other day , I'm starting to think about converting my truck to 4wd. I had a 4wd before and thought I could live without it. WRONG. I know it would be easier to trade and get a 4wd model but I like my truck and I want somthing any other truck wouldn't have... Rockwell 2.5 ton axles. You know, the kind those M35 duece and halfs use. I found a guy in florida that converts them for use on trucks (narrows the front axle). the rear is already set up for duals so thats perfect for me. He can provide lockers and disc brakes to. These should work with the big tires I want to run. Any of you guys ever done this or seen it done on dodge trucks? I've seen quite a few other brands and a few mudders and rock crawlers set up like this.

 

I think Go 4Lo runs/is planning to run these axles in a CJ. I know its not the same thing but he might have some pointers for you.

I think I know which guy in Florida your talking about, does some really cool work

 

What size tires are you thinking about running?

 

Maybe some of the parts from the upcoming Jeep Rescue will be interchangable. Aparently the chassis is built on a Ram platform. Personally I would love to have a center diff on my rig. On a side note, I couldn't imagine owning this rig without 4wd. Even with proper tire pressures it's way too tail happy on slick roads not to have 4wd.

 

You got to be kidin right? You are going to try and put top loader rockwells under it and still pull a gooseneck not gonna happen. It takes alot of lift just to get the pumpkin to clear the oil pan. And not to mention the 40" or bigger tire to keep the pumpkin off the ground. They are also going to add alot of weight to the truck. Wont even mension road legal.

I can't see it, not for a road truck. good for a mudder.

 

Gearing is going to be an issue, as well. Stock gearing is 6.72:1 with Rockwells, meaning even with 40" tires and the 6-speed trans, you'll be running over 2600 rpm at 65 mph in top gear.
If you are serious about heavy axles, there is a guy I know of that will build you a Dana 80 frontend with Rockwell outers, meaning you get the gear selection of a Dana 80. Frontend is very reasonably priced, too - around $3000 or so. Get a matching rear for a little less.
If you are still stuck on Rockwells, though, you will want to run traction bars, as the axle wrap gets bad with the toploaders. Also, look into Michelin military tires (the XL, XZL, and XML series tires), as you need a lot of height (to get your effective gear ratio back) with big load capacity. Like Mopar_mudder said, though, you're not going to be able to run a gooseneck with the truck after that.
Chris

 

Bucket rears are a hunk of metal, doubt you want them on a street truck. Course you could always put about five in a row and use skid steer. No more front end alignment problems