I have a 87' Dodge Ramcharger 4X4 and I have a few questions for ya'll.  I'm interested in building a trail rig/mud ridin'/daily driver out of it.  I'm on a tight budget but do have means for some upgrades.  It has a Spicer 44 up front and a Chrysler 9.25 in the rear with a 3.21 ratio, Got the stock 318 and Torqueflite 727, and a NP 208 powering the front wheels.  I have a added a 600CFM Edelbrock Performer carb, and Dynomax headers.

My Questions are:  What about the Chrysler 9.25, is it strong, depenable?  I notice there are a good many aftermarket parts for it (lockers ect.)   What "bolt" is it?  Give me the low down on it.

With the 3.21 ratio I know I hindering performance BAD, but Gas milege is already TERRIBLE, How much milege would I lose by going to something in the high 3's or low 4's?

Are Spicer and Dana the same?  I know its a stupid question but I don't know if they are different companies or the same in one?  Like my Spicer 44 is that the same thing as a Dana 44?

I'm planning a 4-5 in suspension lift, give me the low down on lifts, are springs/blocks bad?  What should I know?  I'm considering Rough Country or Superlift and the both have add-a-leafs or blocks I think.

Last question for now:  Conti Mud-Trac brand tires, what do ya'll have to say about them,  I'm fairly new to 4wheelin' but enjoy being a shadetree mech. and playing in the mud.   I don't want a super trail rig with every doodad available but when a buddy say's "Thats to deep or wet or sloppy for my truck" I wanna plow right through it.

  Thanks,

           Clyde

What height of tires do you want to run? If you are going 33's or bigger the lower gears might not hurt your mileage any. 

You might could avoid buying R&P for 2 axles by swapping the 208 for a  205.  They are fairly available for about $250-300- definitely cheaper than R&P's after all the setup bearing and labor.  Trust me setting up a new differential really sucks if you haven't done it before.  To do it right you'll need some specialized tools- not cheap.  And you could simply shift into 4 low for wheelin' as the low range ratio is 1.96:1.  It works well for mudding which sounds like your style.  (If you plan on rock crawling this isn't such a good idea.)  Plus the 205 is much stronger than a 208.

Your 9.25 is a fairly good axle I wouldn't swap it out unless you manage to break it.  I don't know a whole lot more about it.

Yes, Dana is owned by Spicer and the names are interchanged quite often. 

If the cost difference is too much blocks are functional and will work fine, springs will provide a better ride if you care about that.  Both Rough Country and Superlift make good kits.  Oh yeah, blocks have a bad habit of splitting if you really like to thrash you truck!

Conti's are ok, but in tires you get what you pay for.  They wear a little faster than more expensive mud terrain tires of a similar pattern.  I would also suggest checking out General Grabber MT's.  They are very competitively priced with Conti's and in my experience wear slightly better.  BFG's are the next step up, but really they are the best bang for your buck-great wear and good tread cleaning in the mud, even good road manners.

 Hope this helps-look forward to hearing about you blasting those mud holes!

Thanks for the info, now that ol' 727 tranny is slipping a little, may try to get rid of the 'Charger and get something else, not sure.  Really wanted some with a standard in it when I got this thing, but it was a good deal and I didn't have much patience.  Thought about swapping in a NP 435 but then you get to talking clutch preasure plate ect ect. and its getting into the high dollar range.

9.25 is a 10 bolt rear end the 318 is a gas guzzler naturally, i get 10mpg in the city with almost stock exhaust and my 9.25 has 3.90's . for better mileage try a cold air induction system and a lower temp thermostat, or depending on where you live take it out completely, i took mine out during the summer and got 12 mpg in the city, also maybe think about better cylinder heads bigger exhaust ports can give you quite a bit more power and better mileage.  

thanks for all the advice i have an 87 as well. i found the pro comp 6" lift with 4 springs 4 shocks stainless brakelines and poly bushing for $799 up hear in canada.

any advice on getting through muskeg though.