Door tag says one thing....drive shaft says another

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Slash

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slashfan7964
Ford nuts help me out (What??? Slash asking for help on a Ford???? :sly:) I got curious a few minutes ago and popped outside and poked around the door tag on the pickup.I already know it's a Dana 60 (says on the case, I've identified it anyhow), but what model I was unsure of. I had confirmed with my father many times it has never been open and the rear end is geared 3.73, and have checked it myself. It is a posi.

The door tag had an axle code of 23.

I got that it is supposedly Dana 60 3 Axle 3.54 "Ratio Verified". Whatever that means.

Also apparently it is a conventional non-posi. What a load of crap.


What.

Is it possible the wrong axle code was given? This is not adding up. I never noticed this until now. I have spun the driveshaft myself as I've said, and it was a 3.73 end...again never opened. The 3.73 axle is identical, and the only difference is the door tag should have been labeled 24, not 23, 1 character difference.


As far as the transfer case, I beleive it's an NP 208, based on the C-13683 NP rear facing casting on it, and the 2 HI, 4 HI, N, and 4 LOW on the shifter knob. That's all fine and dandy until you see the part number on the door tag which I have not been able to locate ANYWHERE. So I cannot confirm this.

The number is as follows:

E4TA-1020472-FA


Good luck with that one.
 
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my guess is the wrong axle code on the door since the axle has not been changed. Stranger things have happened.
 
That's what I was thinking. Among the fact I have bunch of other wierd undocumented part codes.
 
Or more likely the door jamb sticker is correct and the axles and diffs have been replaced at some point, but you just don't know about it.
 
Crash
Or more likely the door jamb sticker is correct and the axles and diffs have been replaced at some point, but you just don't know about it.
Click to expand...

We are the second owner, purchased in either 1987 or 1988 I forget. The truck is an early model 1985, before 1985 model changes were phased, but was built in February (March had model changes) so technically it's a 1984 built in '85. The original owner died very shortly after buying it(I want to say '86-ish) and it was very low miles when we got it. The original owner was my grandfather's boss's brother. I highly doubt it was changed then because we have all the paperwork for it and there is no receipt for a differential, and there was no reason to change it. It's also a semi-float axle.....something is fishy. :confused:

It doesn't seem out of the oridinary except for a few things you couldn't get as options that it had new (cab exterior grab handles for example). When it came from the factory it supposedly wasn't anything more than a base model F-250, 4.9L 300 I6, 215x85R16 tires, 4WD, bed cap and all with a 6600 lbs GVWR. Vin number lists it as a light duty truck, yet has HD parts, which is on the registration.

Couple issues with that.

1. My truck's VIN is a LD truck. The rear axle we have is original to the truck. The light duty rear axle had a GVWR of 6,200lbs. My rear axle is NOT the light duty version, I know this by identification numbers on the axle casing and differential housing itself. The door jam sticker gave it a HD rating of 6,600lbs. Registration also lists it as an HD truck. Then why is my VIN off?

2. My axle shafts are IIRC 31 spline semi-float C clip design, and it's a limited slip (Trac-Lok) rear with a 3.73 ratio. Door jam says it's code "23" which is a open Dana 60 semi float, light duty with a 3.54 ratio. But most of the offered semi-floats were only light duty. And the one I have is an HD semi float? Then why the hell does mine have an HD GVWR if it's a semi float??? This doesn't make any sense!

3. The front axle is a factory stock Dana 44 TTB only beefed up with factory Spicer parts. HD trucks/extended cabs had Dana 50 TTB's. This is in between the light duty and extended cab territory. Only thing we added to the front end as 2 extra leaf springs (1 per side) and Gabrial VST shocks. We took the aftermarket 3 inch body lift out and put the stock parts back in a few weeks later.

4. The truck is a February 1985 pickup. Body lines/wheel arches etc don't match up to other years etc etc. Model changes in '85 brought the introduction of the Ford Sterling 10.25 rear axle. Is it possible this Dana was tossed in to use up left over parts before the change and they just upgraded a few parts?

5. Last thing I want to hit upon. Is it possible it was a specially ordered truck? I mean other wise it wouldn't have been anything special. I am seriously confused. None of this is documented anywhere. I always new something was different/special about it.


Just to verify picture proof....I'm not worried about the plate number showing, they've long been destroyed:

null_zpsa8e7dfe8.png


Notice up top it is labeled "LT"...aka light truck.


Here is the door jam sticker.

null_zps1f2349a9.png


Sorry for the blurry photo, the numbers are a bit worn and my Ipod takes garbage photos.

Anyways can very clearly see that it has the HD 6,600lb GVWR, the registration paperwork (not the window sticker) and other paperwork labels it HD, yet the axle code is for something entirely different, for open differential LT truck, and the only thing they share in common is their layout. This truck has an HD semi-float 3.73 Dana 60 Trac-Lok. What the hell?
 
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Slashfan
4. The truck is a February 1985 pickup. Body lines/wheel arches etc don't match up to other years etc etc. Model changes in '85 brought the introduction of the Ford Sterling 10.25 rear axle. Is it possible this Dana was tossed in to use up left over parts before the change and they just upgraded a few parts?

?
Click to expand...

This is probably what happened.
 
I was thinking that would probably the most logical thing...but you think the axle code would have been updated then. :confused:
 
Badasp5.0
Unless that code was not available for that model year.
Click to expand...

But it was. That's the thing.

1980-82 used the "23" code for the HD trucks. After that it went to something else, mainly 3 digit codes for limited slip and posi rear ends an 2 digit codes for LTs that had open differentials. '83-'86 used the 23 code for LTs. That code only has one axle identified to it. The 3.54 open Dana 60. Which is why this is so weird.
 

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