axle swap

[J3wbagell]

a buddy of mine wants a 3" drop and i am wanting a 3" lift.

Will the axle from a 93 navajo fit a 96 ranger with out any problems or modifications?

 

[RangerX]

Yes.

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Can someone enlightenment as to why you'd swap axles to get higher or lower? Wouldn't you either do a SOA or SUA or add in blocks either way?

 

[IZwack]

No cauz the Rangers are SOA be default (hence the reversed shackle):

Where as Explorers/Navajos are SUA.

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Sooooo.... wouldn't it still be easeir for the X owner to do a SOA, and the Ranger owner to use a flip kit?

 

[IZwack]

I dont think it would be easier, it woul probably be the same because an SOA typically requires cutting the old perches and welding on a new one 180 degrees from the old one. Swapping axles from a Ranger will require the same procedure because I think the Ranger's springs perches are at different locations on the tube.

Having said that, the Ranger axle is at a disadvantage to the Explorer axle because I think Rangers came with the 28 spline axle shafts (31 for the Explorer)

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Ditto on the spline counts, I remember reading that as well.

 

[RangerX]

For whatever reason, I assumed he was talking about the front axle.

 

[J3wbagell]

Well we did it with no problems other then the drive shaft and the driver-side e-brake line.


All we had to do was switch the brake lines,not e-brake, and flip the shock mounts and pins. I'll get some photos up tomorrow took us about 5.5 hours to do it.

The drive shaft is about 1.5 inches short so we have to go to the junkyard to find a longer one.

The e-break line was a little too short on the driver side so we had to reroute it. I am not exactly satisfied with the reroute so I will eventually replace that with a longer line.


So in total ~6", will measure exactly tomorrow, rear lift for $15.00.



We are gonna install the navajo axle on to the ranger tomorrow. We predict the same amount of drop in the ranger as we got lift in the navajo.


Pictures will be up tomorrow, as we finished an hour later and there was no light out.

Anything you guys specifically want to see?

 

[IZwack]

Now there's that "git-r-done" attitude we're looking for

 

[J3wbagell]

 

[XploreAlaska]

job well done.

 

[carlson1038]

Great idea! Free stuff always works. one comment though. It looks like you now have little or no upward movement due to your rear shocks being compressed. You are going to need to move your rear shock mounts down 3-4".

 

[J3wbagell]

Great idea! Free stuff always works. one comment though. It looks like you now have little or no upward movement due to your rear shocks being compressed. You are going to need to move your rear shock mounts down 3-4".

there is no movement and that is just as much of an advantage as a disadvantage. There is currently no body roll when turning around corners and i feel so much safer in the car but i feel every bump and that is not good for the truck

 

[IZwack]

So were the spring perches in the exact same locations between the Ranger and Explorer axles? Or are the leaf springs bowed inwards a little?

 

[Mickelsons]

don't the rangers have smaller axle tubes also?

 

[J3wbagell]

yes they do we had to swap u-bolts

we actually discovered this after the fact we put the u-bolts on my truck so we had to take them off and switch them which was a real pain to get on in the first place with the shocks so compressed.

It is an experiment and there are things that can be worked out but if 3 teens can drop 2 axles and replace one in 5 hours an expert can easily perfect it with in the same amount of time or less.

-take off old shock mounts
-move shock mounts
-reroute break lines