I don't really understand your logic. You're not building a rock crawler and the main purpose of the truck is driving the back roads of Utah, but you want to keep the Salisbury/D60 because it's beefy and perfect for what you do? That's basically the same axle they put in rock buggies, although different inner axles, to run 44" swampers and 400hp.
And 3.54:1 gears with a 300tdi? I've never spent a lot of time driving a 300tdi truck, but the little time I have spent has had be wanting more get-up-and-go, especially on gradual grades. Maybe you can live with that. But the 3.54:1 gears are weak. The gears would now be the weak link in your drivetrain. You're adding "HD" axles and CVs and a TT, but you're going to keep the weak stock gearing? I don't know if you went the Tom Woods route with 1310 u-joints on your driveshafts, but I would guess the 3.54 gears would crumble even before a 1300 u-joint popped.
I don't get why folks like these Salisbury axles unless you're going to be getting into some rough terrain. With some 35-spline inners, aftermarket gears, and a DT locker you'd have a set-up that would probably never fail. But it's a beast of an axle. It needs to be shaved and you need tires tall enough to get it off the ground. You'll see.
Jeff makes a good point about the drum brakes, too. Who still runs drum brakes in 2015? Convert that shit if you're hell bent on keeping that axle. One of the single biggest mistakes people make, especially on Dweb, is overlooking the braking systems on these trucks when modifying the truck from stock. They lift the truck, add larger tires (in your case heavy as fuck tires), toss on a heavy winch bumper and winch, cram the cargo area full of crap, but never think twice about how all the affects braking. I saw your "build" thread on EE and you're more worried about the fucking brake fluid than actually addressing the real issue.
And 3.54:1 gears with a 300tdi? I've never spent a lot of time driving a 300tdi truck, but the little time I have spent has had be wanting more get-up-and-go, especially on gradual grades. Maybe you can live with that. But the 3.54:1 gears are weak. The gears would now be the weak link in your drivetrain. You're adding "HD" axles and CVs and a TT, but you're going to keep the weak stock gearing? I don't know if you went the Tom Woods route with 1310 u-joints on your driveshafts, but I would guess the 3.54 gears would crumble even before a 1300 u-joint popped.
I don't get why folks like these Salisbury axles unless you're going to be getting into some rough terrain. With some 35-spline inners, aftermarket gears, and a DT locker you'd have a set-up that would probably never fail. But it's a beast of an axle. It needs to be shaved and you need tires tall enough to get it off the ground. You'll see.
Jeff makes a good point about the drum brakes, too. Who still runs drum brakes in 2015? Convert that shit if you're hell bent on keeping that axle. One of the single biggest mistakes people make, especially on Dweb, is overlooking the braking systems on these trucks when modifying the truck from stock. They lift the truck, add larger tires (in your case heavy as fuck tires), toss on a heavy winch bumper and winch, cram the cargo area full of crap, but never think twice about how all the affects braking. I saw your "build" thread on EE and you're more worried about the fucking brake fluid than actually addressing the real issue.