4x2 to 4x4

today i had a brilliant idea! ever since i got my eb 2000 2wd, i have been looking for ways to lift it, always comning up short b/c of the missing transfer case. anyway it came to me that i could make it a 4x4 and it might not be that hard (very liberaly speaking). i figured i could swap the front axle for the front axle in my old 91 exp, which will die about the time i want to do this probably. that way i could use manual hubs and wouldnt have to mess with running wires and a switch in the cab. i would want to get an atlas t-case with maybe a 3:1 rate or something like that. then i would buy the trailmaster or superlift suspension to hold it up.

anyway the reason i am writing this is i want to know if this is possible or not, and whether it will work like i want it too. if it is, around how much will this cost?

thanks a lot guys for all the inspiration

 

[drmoore71]

do a search, kris guilbeaux did this a few months ago to his navajo. i thinkit was in the modified explorations. he also documented it on his website, and since i cannot figure out how to search in this new format, here is the link: Dead Link Removed just look at the menu on the right side of the page.

hope this is okay with you, kris!

 

[tac0meat]

the only prob i forsee is the fact that the 95-up use a IFS setup and the 91-94 use a ttb, if you were goin to go through the trouble and money of swapping the ttb axle up front you might as well do it up right the first time and jsut do the full out dana44 conversion probably the same amount of work involved and you'll be much happier with the results. just my $.02

 

[Kris Guilbeaux]

drmoore71, Not a problem with me. post it any where...

EB2k, Tac0meat is right. If I were in your situation I would go with a dana44. The Reason why is the engine cross member in the 95+ will make it very had to bolt up the TTB. There will be a swap kit for the dana44 coming out for the IFS Explorers very soon. Not only that when you buy the swap kit all you will have to do is lift the rear. Getting a atlas 2 is a very good idea but you would still need to get a trans shop to replace at least one internal part in your Trans and the trans to t-case adaptor.

If you do deside you want a atlas 2 and a dana44 it would be just as easy to do this to a 2wd as it would be for a 4x4.

Good luck

 

[EB2K]

thanks guys,

kris, do you have any idea how much all that would cost with the axle and t-case (cheapest, so probably not the atlas)? can you put manuel hubs on dana 44s? i am not going to do this for a while, at least not until my warrenty runs out anyway.

with this setup, what kinds of lifts are available? would the 2wd 3" lift spindles work with it? trailmaster or superlift?

thanks again

 

[EB2K]

also, how much lift does this axle give alone?

 

[tisdale32]

94 2WD to a 4WD

If I had a wrecked 94 4x4 would the parts bolt right under my 2wd or would there be conversions? I'm new at this. Thanks guys.

 

[Kris Guilbeaux]

Tisdale, That is what I did with my 92 but I peiced it together with the parts I wanted such as a manual T-case.

It will bolt up but there is a lot of labor involved.

Dead Link Removed

 

[Randall]

Do you need to replace the transmsiion when you do the swap? Or will the same tranny for the 2wd bolt up to the transfer case without modification?

 

[Kris Guilbeaux]

The Tranny had to be modified with 4x4 parts. The Tail housing and the out-put shaft had to be changed. The 2wd ouptshaft had a different spline count than the 4x4 one. So I took the Tranny out has a guy that does my Tranny work install the out put shaft and tail housing. Then the T-case bolted right up.

 

[NoBoundaries]

Grant, you are looking at a very expensive undertaking. The Solid Axle Conversion that is being developed has not even been undertaken yet. I have been in contact with a the company Fabritech (www.setstr8.com), everything to put the axle under the truck will cost $1,900. That price does not include the axle. This conversion will also provide a good amount of lift as well. They have to make so much lift in order to get the axle out of the way of the low hanging crossbar from the original IFS. The frame was not designed for a solid front axle, if it were, then the frame would come up and out of the way to accommodate such suspension. There really isn't much of a way to put a solid front axle under the front of Explorers without making it a fair amount of lift (but there are ways). You will also need a T-Case, if you go with the Atlas, which you should if you are going to build such a truck with a solid front axle, your are looking at over a couple thousand there. Plus custom driveshafts for your front and rear. Not to mention some custom work to mount the t-case, I'm not too sure if the Atlas t-case would be able to simply bolt on to a previously 2wd truck. It's a lot of work and money, but you would have a great truck, one many would envy!