jimbo74

i have been looking for the axle code and transmission code and etc on my truck... many members have said that the axle code is on a door jamb sticker... my truck has no sticker, just a placard.. all it has listed it the gvwr and tire size/air pressure and vin #

under the hood on the firewall there is another placard.... with vin # and then something else as well...

Model: RN50L-KRA
C/TR/A/TM: 3D7*VN41*G662*W46

what does all of this mean?

the truck is a 1985 standard cab, short bed, 22r, 5 speed, 2 wheel drive

jimbo74

ok been doing some searching and found this i think... anyone confirm?

Color [C] : Red 3D7
Trim? [TR?] : VN41 ~~ couldnt find anything on this
Axle [A] : G662 ~~ according to what i found, this is a 3.07 ratio in an 8" rear? i thought i had a 7.5" rear end?
Transmission [TM] : W46

kyle_22r

here's the deal: 4 speeds and 1 tons had 8" rear axles. the w46 is a 4 speed transmission, which means your tranny was swapped for a 5 speed

jimbo74

http://www.brian894x4.com/Gearratiosanddiffs.html

according to this... i do have a 8" with 3.07 gears? i thought the 4x2 didnt have the 8", guess i got lucky... i want a locker, but dont know what spline count i have now for one, i thought i had the 7.5"....

also looked around, and i found that the w46 is a 4 speed tranny? my truck does in fact have 5 speeds... hmmmmmmm

kyle_22r

how many owners has the truck had before you? i'd put my money on that 5 speed being either a w50 or w55

4x2s most definitely had the 8" in a lot of them. it's nice because you can regear super easily for bigger tires(since you have 3.08s, and a 4.10 third that'll cost you $30 is a HUGE jump in gearing), also 3.90, 4.30, 4.375 and 4.56 thirds are easy to find -- saves a lot of money over paying somebody to install a new gearset

the 8" is the exact same as the 4x4 version(30 spline) except it has 5 lugs and is sprung under.

jimbo74

so you are saying is find an axle from a 4x4 with gears already in it like 4.10s or higher numerically like 4.56/4.88 or something with a spring over, and i can jsut yank out my axle shafts and shove them into the 4x4 one? EDIT: that way i can still retain the 5 lugs?

kyle_22r

i believe you can do that, at least with '79-85 rear axles. i don't know if 2wd pickup rears got wider in '86 like the 4x4, but it might be worth a shot. if that works, you'll gain about 4" of lift as well as lower diff gears

i believe you'd have to work out the e-brake setup though, pretty sure they're different on 4x4s

jimbo74

damnit! stupid ebrake setups oh well, its a stick, ill just leave it in gear

kyle_22r

you'll have to let us know how things go -- if it didn't work out you wouldn't be out much money, '79-85 4x4 rears are dirt cheap, you can sometimes pick them up for 30 bucks

Brendan

that works, but it's hard on the timing chain if you're on a hill.

jimbo74

thats a thought i didnt even think of, i am sure i will be able to fab something up without a problem... there are all sorts of brake fix kits... something will work.....

so the 5 lug 4x2 8" shafts will just pull out and fit into the 4x4 8" housing if it was from 79-85?

jimbo74

what ratios stock were available in the 8" 4x4 axle?

kyle_22r

for the 4x4, there were 3.90, 4.10, 4.30, 4.375, 4.56, and 4.88 from the factory(in '79-95 trucks). you can also get 5.29s and 5.71s aftermarket

i'm pretty sure some 4runners(3rd and 4th gen) and v6 pickups had higher gears like 3.08 and such in an 8" diff

jimbo74

im only looking into the ratios available in the 79-85 axles as this thread has directed me towards the 4x4 ones will swap directly with my truck

i want 4.56 or 4.88 gears ultimately, but will settle for anything in the 4s really... my truck has 3.07s now... awesome on the freeway, but i live in the city, so gas kills me, especially with my lead foot...

kyle_22r

why only 79-85? they're all compatible through the years

the lowest 79-85 ratio you'll find is 4.375, all '79-80 4x4s had them. 4.56s came on trucks with 31" tires stock and a 5 speed, and 4.88s came with v6 trucks with 31s and an auto

jimbo74

im only looking for the 79-85 because as i remember it, the 4x4 axles got wider on any of the after 85 rigs when the design up front changed to ifs....

what i will be doing is pulling out my axleshafts, and putting them into the housing of a 4x4 8" as my truck currently has a 4x2 8" rear end

kyle_22r

ah, but the thing is, you can swap any 8" third that you want into there. it's kind of an easy task if you're already planning on swapping shafts. just unbolt the third and drop it in there

jimbo74

the 3rd isnt want i want to switch, i mean i do want to swtich it because of lower gears, but i wnat to swap the whole axle housing... as the 4x4s had a spring over and my current 4x2 eventhough it has a 8" has spring under... i want the height of the soa... so if i swap the whole axle, i will still be able to sell parts on ebay.. the 4x4 shafts and the 4x2 8" with 3.07s

here is the plan: swap a 4x4 axle with soa and six lugs into my truck ~ pull the 5 lug axleshafts from my truck and pop them into the 4x4 axle..i will then have soa, lower gears, and retain the 5 lug

Kevin286

I used to never use my ebrake, till one day at church i left the dog in the vehical. I came outside to people standing around my rig, and they werent admiring it. The darn dog knocked it out of gear and it rolled into a nice buick. Got some with pain flecks on my brush gaurd but tore up their hood.

jimbo74

im a tire technician at work, so i work with mechanics and know my way around brake systems as well, im sure i will be able to fab something up... its all cable actuated anyways....