So I just got my 49 Dodge pickup on the road. The undercarriage is a 92-96 Dakota 4x4, the drive train is out of a 44,000 miles 96 Dakota.
According to the under the hood tag on the 96 Dakota, the truck was suppose to be equipped with a limited slip diff. The axle assembly looked like it was in that Dakota since birth.
Is there any telling signs that it is actually a limited slip diff, short of pulling the cover off? There are tags on two cover bolts for the cover, one is the gear ratio, and it seems accurate and jives with the front axle gear and the gear ration on the under hood tag. The second tag can barely be read, but it looks like it may have been a number, rather then anything else.

I had the truck on a hoist today and gave the rear tires a spin. With the trans in park, it freely turned the tires in opposite directions. I have a 90 Dakota limited slip under my coupe, when its in gear, you can not turn the tires, and in neutral both tires turn the same direction (I didn't try the 96 in neutral). So, is the 96 toast, or is it not a limited slip? Is it possible the low mileage over the many years has somehow dried the clutches in the limited slip and there is a simple fix? Gene