Ferdy Mint
Full Access Member
A couple of my sons spent hours yesterday trying to swap a long-pinion SRW Aeronose junkyard axle into a DRW Bricknose. The goal was to upgrade to long pinion and change gear ratio from 4.1 to 3.5 ratio. @Minty Ferd never tows and rarely carries more than a round bale of hay in the bed. And he has pinion walk.
The swap didn't work. Turns out old Minty was just winging it, had not looked here or elsewhere first for others' results. Doh. He might have found this FTE thread first. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1393082-srw-to-drw-conversion.html
They ran into interference problems due to the narrower SRW brake shoes and backing plate locations. Everything else looked like it would line up when they measured spring pads, sway bar, brake lines, driveshaft etc.
Has anybody ever managed to do this swap? It looks to me like it would require machine work and welding. In other words, not practical. I told Minty that a much better plan would be to locate a DRW Aeronose parts truck with 3.5 gears in the pumpkin. But most all duallys come with 4.1 R&P. All our DRW parts trucks are 4.1 axle, like Minty's Bricknose.
The swap didn't work. Turns out old Minty was just winging it, had not looked here or elsewhere first for others' results. Doh. He might have found this FTE thread first. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1393082-srw-to-drw-conversion.html
They ran into interference problems due to the narrower SRW brake shoes and backing plate locations. Everything else looked like it would line up when they measured spring pads, sway bar, brake lines, driveshaft etc.
Has anybody ever managed to do this swap? It looks to me like it would require machine work and welding. In other words, not practical. I told Minty that a much better plan would be to locate a DRW Aeronose parts truck with 3.5 gears in the pumpkin. But most all duallys come with 4.1 R&P. All our DRW parts trucks are 4.1 axle, like Minty's Bricknose.