8 3/4 vs 8 1/4 weight

Dakotas use either 9-1/4, 8-1/4 or (wait for it...), late 7-1/4 in the 4 cylinder variant. There was also a 7-1/4 front center axle in early light duty 4WD. Later 7-1/4s share some parts with either Dana 30 and 35s. This makes the AAM 7-1/4 one of the longest running production axles made, produced in some variant from 1960 to 1993.