1993 Ranger D44 swap

[Ranger Digger]

A friend and I completed this swap in four days, which is a good thing considering this is my daily driver.

Here's a quick run down of the mods to the front end:

-'71 EB D44 sandblasted and powder coated
-4.56 gears w/ ARB
-3/4 ton chebby inner shafts w/ '78 bronco outers (297 U-joints)
-chebby disc brake swap
-3.5" wildhorse springs
-F-250 shock mounts w/ RS5000 shocks
-custom steering using 1-3/8" D.O.M tubing 5/16" wall w/ full size chebby TRE's
-'76 f-150 coil buckets
-skyjacker radius arm mount (it was already on the truck)




__________________

Pictures

 

[410Fortune]

THIS POST IS USELESS WITHOUT PICS!!!

hahaha nice work, lets see it!!

What did you do with the old ttb STUFF?

 

[Robb]

-'71 EB D44

This is the second time this week I have heard of pre-'73 EB D44s. I didn't think there was any such thing. Please correct me if I am wrong.

edit: 410, check his sig............LOOKS NICE!!!!!

 

[Ranger Digger]

Originally posted by 410Fortune

What did you do with the old ttb STUFF?

Well, So far I have lined up buyers for all the skyjacker parts and also for the third member.

The only parts left are the beams, axle shafts and knuckles out.(rotor, hubs, lockouts, etc.)

 

[Ranger Digger]

Originally posted by Robb
This is the second time this week I have heard of pre-'73 EB D44s. I didn't think there was any such thing. Please correct me if I am wrong.

edit: 410, check his sig............LOOKS NICE!!!!!

Thanks for the compliment.

And just so you know, Ford began putting the Dana 44 in the Early broncos in 1971. Mine must have been one of the first ones, since it's manufacture date was mid 1970.

 

[AlaskanJack]

Just out of curiosity were you running a shock stabilizer attached to the super runner steering? I see a bracket attached to the super runner kit. I bought a skyjacker stabilizer to add onto my super runner steering but was talked out of installing from guys on this board.

If you installed one how was its function with the super runner?

 

[Ranger Digger]

Originally posted by AlaskanJack
Just out of curiosity were you running a shock stabilizer attached to the super runner steering? I see a bracket attached to the super runner kit. I bought a skyjacker stabilizer to add onto my super runner steering but was talked out of installing from guys on this board.

If you installed one how was its function with the super runner?

Good Eye! I forgot that bracket was on there. No I didn't run a steering stabilizer. There use to be one on the truck, but you don't need it with the super runner steering, so it was removed, but that one bracket was never taken off.

 

[Josh Adams]

What is the super runner steering made for an EB? I will be doing the exact same thing in the very near future, and need some info on all you did to yours. Cept, I am starting with a 2wd, but I plan on using Bronco running gear. Could you email me some info, maybe part #s if you have them on the stuff you used.
slimdaddy68@yahoo.com

 

[Ranger Digger]

Originally posted by Josh Adams
What is the super runner steering made for an EB? I will be doing the exact same thing in the very near future, and need some info on all you did to yours. Cept, I am starting with a 2wd, but I plan on using Bronco running gear. Could you email me some info, maybe part #s if you have them on the stuff you used.
slimdaddy68@yahoo.com

The superrunner steering was made for lots of TTB applications including fullsizes.

I'll email you some info. Right now when I get some free time I will compile a list for people to use.

 

[Muskrat]

he didn't use the super runner steering on the D44. Looks like he had custom tierods and drag link made up

 

[Ranger Digger]

Originally posted by Muskrat
he didn't use the super runner steering on the D44. Looks like he had custom tierods and drag link made up

Yeah, I made the steering myself. I had to order some special sized taps and a reamer. then I use 1-3/8" DOM tubing and full size chevy tierods

 

[DB_1]

Since you are using an EB D44 and radius arms, did they line right up to the skyjacker brackets as if it were an EB frame? Or did you have to modify either the axle, radius arms or radius arm brakets to make it all work?

 

[Ranger Digger]

Amazing enough, it lines up perfectly without modification to anything.

 

[DB_1]

Thanks Digger, that helps me out with what I want to do now...truck looks good by the way.
Dave

 

[Felix]

That looks sweet!!!

I have a few tech Q's for you though. Did you have to narrow the axle any? Where did you mount the track bar at, what brand track bar did you use? Why did you trim the cross member, cearance issuses? Did this move your tires a little more fore ward in the wells? I am sure there are more questions that I over looked, but is all that come to me right now. I too am sick of my D35 and would like to do this mod to my truck. Any extra info you could give would be more than helpfull.

Again, your truck looks very nice, and it keeps that factory look which I would like to emulate also.

 

[Ranger Digger]

Originally posted by Felix
That looks sweet!!!

=Did you have to narrow the axle any? Where did you mount the track bar at, what brand track bar did you use? Why did you trim the cross member, cearance issuses? Did this move your tires a little more fore ward in the wells? I am sure there are more questions that I over looked, but is all that come to me right now. I too am sick of my D35 and would like to do this mod to my truck. Any extra info you could give would be more than helpfull.

Again, your truck looks very nice, and it keeps that factory look which I would like to emulate also.

Nope, the axle is an EB44 which is only about 1.5 inches wider per side. It's a perfect match with an explorer 8.8.

The track bar mount was custom made. It mounts to the steering box bolts and is reinforced laterally to the engine crossmember. The track bar is a superlift adjustable from Jeff's bronco graveyard. ($110)

I had to trim the crossmember to make clearance for the diff. Eventually, I will remove the stock crossmember all together and weld in a custom one.

The tires are in exactly the same spot as stock. The most common setup is to run EB 3.5" lift VR coils from wildhorse or James Duff with 7 degree caster bushing and either the skyjacker or EB radius arm mounts. I chose skyjacker because it was on the truck already.

 

[DB_1]

Coil bucket question...

I bought a pair of 78-79 bronco coil buckets awhile back with the thinking that i'll be replacing the stock ranger coil/shock bucket setup in the future. I compared the bronco bucket to the stock ranger bucket and the Bronco
bucket is much taller.
I'm assuming you had to cut yours down and if you did does it match the height of the stock Ranger bucket or did you mount it any higher?

 

[hvac man]

So did your front drive shaft need any modifications?

 

[Ranger Digger]

Re: Coil bucket question...

Originally posted by DB_1
I bought a pair of 78-79 bronco coil buckets awhile back with the thinking that i'll be replacing the stock ranger coil/shock bucket setup in the future. I compared the bronco bucket to the stock ranger bucket and the Bronco
bucket is much taller.
I'm assuming you had to cut yours down and if you did does it match the height of the stock Ranger bucket or did you mount it any higher?

Yes, I did cut mine down. I cut it off 1.25" below the centerline of the top mounting holes and then welded on lip for mounting to the underside of the frame. To double check your's, look to see if the coil mounting surface is in the same posistion as the stock buckect.
One other thing I had to do, was weld on a 3/8" plate to the flat mounting surface of the driver's side bucket to clear the hump in the frame. When you pull the stock buckets, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

hvac man-no, I didn't need to modify the shaft at all. It could stand to be a little shorter, but it still has enough travel to allow the axle full range of motion without binding. It also uses the same U-joint as an early bronco yoke.

 

[hvac man]

Thanks for the reply digger. I have a 86 ranger that I just put a solid axle in and I have the old style front shaft without the doubble cardan u-joint, so I was going to steal a t-case and front shaft from an early 90's ranger or X.