Well i just got done swapping the Durango Rear to the dakota and figured i was give some insight. i got mine out of a 99 durango in the j-yard for $150. it was a 9.25 3.55 with trac-loc you can tell from the picture there is a sticker on some newer models on the drivers side.







i just cut the e-brake cables and the rear abs sensor wires and pulled it out. i took the sway bar too(have not mounted it yet but maybe soon)





When you get started on the swap i found it easier to unbolt the rear end and all the cables from the dakota and just drop the back of the leaf springs and just slide it out. This is pretty easy to do with the little 8.25.






while you have the rear end off you should do what i dd not do and swap the brake lines, it will be much easier to do with it not under the truck. i just pulled the little block off and unscrewed the line from the wheel cylinders to make it fit. not the best thing but it will work for me.




you can probably get the old rear out with a floor jack by yourself, but when it comes to putting the new one in there you will need a buddy and the jack(or surgury afterwords). that mo fo is heavy! i just wheeled it up there on the jack and got my dad to hold it still while i picked up the springs and slid the bolts back in(do not tighten them down yet). the fun part is that the perches for the new rear are 1/2 inch wider on both sides than the baby rearend, so you will have to pull the springs outand lock them into the little bolts sticking out of the spring pack to bolt them up, it is not enough to hurt the spring, just flexed the bushing some. you can do this the dumb way or the smart way too. i chose the dumb way of course the first time by putting my feet on the rear and grabbing the springs and pulling. that hurt because i am 6'4" and my body is not supposed to crunch up like that. the second time i did this i used a pole jack and it was super easy to do! if you get the rear from a durango like i did you can simply flip the shock mount/spring plates around and use them. you will have to pull the shocks to the side a little, it flexes the bushings some but that is it, you could put some washers on one side of the top mount but it is ok without them in my opnion.









the emergency cables will connect inside the drum just as the old one did. if you have rear abs, just cut your old sensor off and connect the other one to your factory wires and i will work great. i taped mine over the loom so no poo will get in there and mess it up.







that is pretty much it too the swap, go ahead and put the tires back on it and let it down, the you can tighten the spring bolts back up, if you do it w/o weight on them it will squeak real bad. if you run into a vibration going down the road like i did you will probably need to change the pinion angle because it sets lower on the new rear end. if you have an angle finder check the angle of the rear shaft and se what it is. mine went to 6 degrees so i had to put some wedges in there, i got the 4 degree Pro-comp ones from summit for 14.95. they install pretty easy, you will just have to take the rearend loose again.



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I am very happy with the swap. it is awesome having a limited slip finally and the bigger brakes are well worth it, it will try to throw me trough the windshield now. i like the stance that it gives the truck to, it is hardly noticeable unless you know your truck.







hope it helps guys!!!

 

Great write up! I will put in the FAQ2! Now I will do this swap one day when my old 8.25 dies. Then I could get it done in one step. THANKS! How is the width compaired to the old one. Outside of tire to tire? What size is the rear brakes? Did the driveshaft u-joint hook up correctly or did you have to change out the yoke?

 

thanks for the write up, this will help me out a lot in the next couple weeks while I do this swap.

 

the u joint bolted up fine in the yoke. the new brakes are 11x2 1/4, much better than the little 9 inch one i had. qand the rear it a total of 1 in wider. so 1/2 inch on both sides. my 275's just barely stick out.

 

Was the yoke that the new rearend came with one peice or two, cause mine is two and I didn't realize it until I got home so I don't have the other half, which leads me to my next question... Will the yoke from the 8.25 fit the 9.25 or do I need the other half of the new one?

 

i think you are talking about the driveshaft, and yes it will fit. the u joint slides right in there.

 

I'm actually talking about the u-joint yoke (one end holds the u-joint, while the other end goes into the differential). The yoke in the 8.25 thats in my truck now is one piece while the new one has two seperate pieces. One holds the u-joint while the other goes into the driveshaft and then they bolt together. I dont have the u-joint holding half of the new one, only the half that goes into the differential (picture of the round plate with threaded holes), so I was wondering if you or anyone else would know if the one out of the 8.25 will fit the 9.25.

 

Ya that is what I thought they all had. But I guess some did and some didnt. I try to find info on the yokes. But I couldnt. All I found was that the part numbers are different. But you can buy the yoke you need with the u joint size that is on you driveshaft. Here is one place to buy it. http://www.ringpinion.com/ProductDet...px?ProdID=2528

 

I did some research this afternoon and found the answer to my question. The yokes are not interchangeable between the 8.25 and 9.25. The u-joints are possibly the same but not necessarily. This page gave me some of the info I needed: http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billav...20Jan%2003.pdf But thanks for the link crazy, I will need a different yoke because the one thats on it, even if i get the other half of it, will stick out too far.

 

i think 408ram said he swaped out the yokes on his, sorry i did not realize some of them were like that. take the big nut off and see if the old one will slip on there for giggles. the pinion gear may be different but the u joint end could be the same.


found the link, he used the 8.25 yoke. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/showthr...t=durango+swap