In article <duq0j9$bdk$1@bent.twistedbits.net>, jon@dakota-truck.net writes:
>
> "Mr. Plow" <adam_is_mr_plow@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> : Now i'm looking in this direction:
> : '02 Ram 1500
> : 4x4
> : Club/Quad cab
> : 360 Engine
>
> : They usually came with the 9.25 rear end right?
>
> At some point, they switched to the rears they are currently
> using - "American" or something along those lines? I'm not sure
> when that was though. (I'm too lazy/busy to do a web search right
> now.) ;-)
>
That is correct. Dodge sold their axle facilities to American Axle &
Manufacturing (AAM) right about that time. I've always felt that transaction
was partly due to fallout from Dodge closing the Campo Largo Brazil Dakota
plant in late 2000. Dana had invested hundreds of millions to build a plant in
conjunction with the Campo Largo Dakota plant to supply the rolling chassis but
Daimler pulled the plug on Campo Largo only a year or two after it opened.
Shortly later, AAM purchased the axle division from Dodge and Dana was no
longer the preferred vendor for axles. Though neither Dodge nor Dana never
publicly commented about the closing of Campo Largo affecting their business
relationship, I always suspected it created some bad blood between them. Dana
definitely took it in the shorts on that deal. Their stock has steadily
declined since that relationship failed and has lost almost $55 a share since
Dodge closed Campo Largo.
Back to Adam's topic though, 2002 1500 4x4 was the first year for the new body
style, rack and pinion and a torsion bar IFS. In 2003 the 2500/3500 followed
to the new body style as well but retained the soild axle up front though it
was now an AAM axle. The 2002 1500 has the same C205mm front diff used in the
2000+ Dakota and the lowest gears available for it are 4.56 with no aftermarket
LS/lockers available for it that I know of.
> : Did the "offroad" packaged
> : ones come with the 3.92 gears and larger 10.25 axle?
>
>
> Just going from memory here, but I *think* the offroad package
> automatically bumped you all the way up to 4.10s. I don't recall
> hearing anything about a bigger rear, but I could be wrong about that.
> Say, isn't Tom's Ram an Offroad version? If so I'm sure we'll hear
> from him in a bit and he can set us straight.
I want to say that the 2002 Off-Road package was more of an appearance group
and had lost some of the options that defined the Off-Road group in 2000-2001
like Tom's. I don't recall if it retained the 4.10 gears like in the 00-01,
but I have a suspicion it didn't. I want to say the 2002 Off-Road package was
nothing more than 3.92 gears, all-terrain tires, skid plates, HD service group
and a set of decals. It wasn't at all like the 2000-2001 Off-Road.
IIRC, the 2002-2006 1500 Quad Cab towing capacity was 8350 with a payload of
1750.
Walt
.
.
.------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Make your plans NOW to attend the National DML Meet in Colorado! |
| Date: July 15-23, 2006 - More info: http://meet.dakota-truck.net |
`------------------------------------------------------------------'
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Apr 02 2006 - 18:27:15 EDT