Exploder axle swap and regear

[Frodslhuz]

Hey guys I just wanted your opinion on this. I am getting 31's within the next couple of days and I already have my James Duff Stage 1 lift sitting in my moms living room along with my brand new rims and my dad ordering me tubing for my new tube bumpers I'm fabricating. What do guys think about regearing the front and switch out the rear end with an Exploder junkyard rearend with equivalent ratio. Will this be cheaper than to regear front and rear or should I just leave it with 3.27 open. Don't know what to do.

 

[jimbo74]

you could do just that..... with 31s, open 3.27 will suck.... with the 31s i had on my 94, it was bearable, but i had 3.73s with an lsd.

if you are serious about wheeling, i say save up a little bit and get a locker and regear your truck all at the same time.... its less hassle that way and is cheaper in one shot than having to do the labor twice...

 

[JTX]

Yeah Jim is right. It wont be bearable. Right now im running 35's on 3.73 gears and its sad how slow it is!

 

[glfredrick]

Swapping out the entire rear axle is probably the easiest way to do it if you don't have gear expertise - and it is likely also cheaper depending on how much you have to pay for the rear... I'd look for one with 4.10's and a LS unit to run 31's. 3.73's are more common and will work, but you'll get the itch and want to move up in tire size sooner or later...

 

[Bronco638]

This is what I'm doing, swapping 3.55 axles for 4.10 axles. I believe you can swap the rear axle without even having to crack the brake system. If you shop around, you can buy good axles for cheap. I just bought an 8.8 axle with 4.10s for $240 (incl. tax). The front ran me $270 (with tax). Throw in a couple of lockers, some new carrier bearings and axles seals and you should be good to go for less than $700 per axle.

Good Luck - Dave.

 

[410Fortune]

for $700 total per axle? Who's installing the lockers and what kindn will vary that price

 

[glfredrick]

Sounds like you got a pretty good deal on the axles...

Note that you will have to crack into the brake system - if you are replacing the entire rear axle you will have to un-do the brake lines and then bleed them afterwards. That is no big deal. Ask if you need help... If you are able to get the axle bolts loose, etc. the brake lines are no problem.

 

[Frodslhuz]

Do you think it be a little more "ballsier" if I swap out the front and rear with 4.10's while running 31's?

 

[Frodslhuz]

Oh yea, also thanks for the input too

 

[RockRanger]

It will be much better with the 4.10s. Also if you ever decide you want to run 33"s it is much more tollerable then it would be with 3.73s

 

[glfredrick]

Run the 4.10's!

I have run 31's and 33's on 3.73 gears and I am always looking for a true first gear. It always feels like the truck is in second with the larger tires.

Go here for a calculation:

http://home.comcast.net/~cboug/Tire_Gear_Calculator.htm

Just plug in your numbers. Check it out with the stock sized tires and for the 31's. You will find that 4.10's are about perfect.

 

[Frodslhuz]

Would my Sploder have more acceleration with 31's and 4.10 gears than with my current setup (29's and 3.27 open)?

 

[CodePoet]

I have 3.27ls and 31"s and I have no problem accelerating at all, don't notice a difference from the stock tires. The manual tranny may have some impact there though

CP

 

[glfredrick]

Would my Sploder have more acceleration with 31's and 4.10 gears than with my current setup (29's and 3.27 open)?

Yes... The calculated gear ratio with 29's and a 3.27 is 3.27. The calculated gear ratio with 31's and a 4.10 is 3.84. Higher numbers equal higher RPM - thus quicker response and greater leverage on the rear tires.

There is a point of no return - where you up the RPM level so high that the motor is out of the torque band - but an effective 3.84 ratio is no where near that at all. (Say 5.13's with 29's would severely limit top speed - but be as quick as lightning for the first 60 feet - sort of like having the truck in low range all the time...)

What you end up with at about a 3.84 ratio is about what the factory did stock with 235 tires and the 3.73 ratios so common on Explorers and Rangers.

 

[Bronco638]

Jaime,
I'm installing the lockers (NoSpin units). I can source them for about $360 each. I pays to have "friends in the business", so to speak.

And, GLF, I'm almost positive I don't have to crack the rear brake system to swap axles, everything is external to the axle tube and 'removable'. Although, I have friends that make DOT braided steel brake lines. Perhaps now is my chance to upgrade......

Dave.

 

[Frodslhuz]

I was looking at the Summit catalog last night and saw gears for rear ends. It says its for racing and I seen 4.10 gears for 8.8 inch Ford for like $190. Would these gears work regearing the rear and front?

 

[glfredrick]

Those gears will work in the rear axle, but not the front. The front is a Dana 35, and depending on your year, either reverse rotation or standard rotation.

Standard gears are not that expensive, but reverse roation gears are quite expensive.

Typical costs for a set of 8.8 gears (ring and pinion only) are in the $150 - 175 range. Typical costs for the Dana 35 standard are slightly less - $125 - 150 range - because of their comonality in Jeep products. The reverse rotation gear sets typically start at $200 and go up from there.

Sometimes you can find good used ones for less money - and sometimes even entire axles reageared and ready to install sell for the same or less than a simple set of gears. You just have to shop around...

Also, bear in mind that you need an install kit with each ring and pinion set that includes new bearings, new seals, and new shims. The kits are usually in the $75 range.

Then, there is the install of the gears (assuming that if you are asking questions of this nature that you cannot do your own gear work) - which typically runs about $300 per axle for a re-gear job.

 

[Frodslhuz]

Are the rebuilt axles rebuilt professionaly done or are you talking about a junkyard axle?I wish I could just find an entire 4.10 (rear and front if possible) axle for my 92 X? I would rather just put an axle in than gears. I dont know what I would do for the front but if I could find a rear axle ,that isn't going to go out in a month, with the 4.10 gears in it, that would be half as easy I spose.

 

[glfredrick]

Those prices would be for typical professional work, but they can vary widely by region or by the type of mechanid and gearset that you purchase. A Ford dealer might easily by double the amounts that I quoted.

Junkyards charge prices depending on their local market and availability. Rare parts are priced higher than easy to find parts. Some yards allow people to remove their own parts and are usually much cheaper than the ones that sell already removed parts.

Swapping out the entire axle is easier and can be less costly than re-geraring an axle, but you have to shop around carefully. Of course, most salvage yards will not give much of a warranty on their parts - usually 30 days - and you get to do the labor all over again if the part ends up bad.

 

[Frodslhuz]

What would be the chances of me finding a 4.10 Exploder rearend in a junkyard? Oh, and what about the front? Can I do the same as the rear, just get a frontend?