rednecksoldiers 1991 ex sas and soa

hey yall i started a solid axle swap about a month ago and within the first 2 days of tearing it apart i got a notice on my door to move the vehicle in 5 days or id receive a summons to go to court and receive a fine lol well i got it moved into the garage the 5th day and now i have all the time in the world to do it !

So I have a dana 30 front axle out of a cherokee and an 8.8 with 4.10 gears out of a 4 cylinder ranger

before I started:

the rear is done:

still on 33s definitely gonna need bigger tires:

all mocked up just need the parts now:

tell me what yall think?

 

[yellowford]

Looks like a good start but if that 8.8 is out of a ranger it is weaker than the one's that came in the Explorers. The 8.8 in the rangers have 28 spline axles, that and the 4 cylinder rangers only came with 7.5 rear ends which is way weaker this may be something you need to check on.

 

[rednecksoldier]

i knew it looked smaller im prolly gonna take the one out of a 2000 ex that is sittin in the back yard its got 3.55 gears but im not sure if its the limited slip or not i think it is cause it locks down when you spin the tires

 

[james t]

Its a good start.

No doubt that's a 7.5 rear... no worries you can usually find 4:10 gears for 8.8's on ebay for cheap.

 

[rednecksoldier]

i found some cheap ones that ill prolly buy next week what size tires do yall think i was thinking like 36s or 37s

 

[rednecksoldier]

so i got the coil springs in the mail today

they are huge way bigger than i thought they would be o well though it gives me more lift lol

 

[yellowford]

i found some cheap ones that ill prolly buy next week what size tires do yall think i was thinking like 36s or 37s

I would say anything over a 33 is pushing it with the D30 under there maybe a 35in tire if your easy on the skinny peddle, that and if your only running 4.10 gears its going to be a complete dog.

 

[rednecksoldier]

i was thinkin 36s with a 8.8 out of a newer ex the one with 3.73 and limited slip or maybe a lower gear ratio im not sure

 

[yellowford]

i was thinkin 36s with a 8.8 out of a newer ex the one with 3.73 and limited slip or maybe a lower gear ratio im not sure

You have to make sure that the rear gear ratio will match whatever is in the front of your D30. The reason I'm saying don't go that big is the D30 it is not a very strong axle to begin with and anything over a 33in tire is going to be pushing it with that axle stock.

 

[rednecksoldier]

right i got the whole same gears thing i have 3.73s for a dana 30 already to go in and i know i shouldnt go bigger than that but it would look goofy with 33s and i know there are guys in here runnin dana 30s with 3.55 gears on 35s

 

[Slowlyvverot]

I don't know firsthand, but from all that I've read/heard, you're gonna want at least 4.56s in both diffs if you wanna run 35s. 4.88's would be better. the 4.0 ohv is a pig of an engine even with stock tires.

 

[rednecksoldier]

my 4.0 really wasnt that bad with the 33s and its tough as crap but yea i prolly will need lower gears eventually and im prolly not gonna get bigger tires yet cause i just bought the 33s for $800 but it should be ok for now on 3.73 with 33s

 

[Slowlyvverot]

yeah 33s with 3.73 will be passable if you don't run it too hard, but definitely go lower once you get bigger tires. I love d30 swaps! good luck with this one

 

[rednecksoldier]

thanks man i figure its about the easiest and cheapest cause it basically bolt in lol just a little welding and i got all my parts ordered should be here on monday ill get more pics up soon

 

[rednecksoldier]

ive got a few questions to ask now that ive got all my parts! how can i make mounts for the control arms?

and how can i mount the trac bar?

i got the posi loc system in

 

[RockRanger]

control arm mounts
http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Chassis-Mount-Link-Bracket-p-374.html

For the trackbar it will be hard to use that bracket. You need to match the steering. Best to build your own.

 

[rednecksoldier]

what about the tranny crossmember its gonna be in the way of those brackets

 

[94Gexplorer]

if it comes to the crossmember couldnt you just make a new one and put the mounts on it like the jeeps do?

 

[RockRanger]

Make a new crossmember. This isn't a bolt in swap it is custom.

 

[rednecksoldier]

i figured id have to make one and ive been searching the forum to find isdeas but i cant seem to find anything good i ordered the brackets and a bracket for the tracbar too so hopefully it will be back on the tires next week