ford 9" axle swap in

[Pete M]

The Lincoln is 58.5"

 

 

and rare as all get out. and I think it has smaller shaft than the big trucks. could be wrong about that though. haven't thought about it in years.

[Pete M]

you really don't think a rear Ford 9" would hold? I don't plan I drag racing the thing, just hitting the mud a few times a week with my buddies.

 

question, what woud you consider to be the weakest link in the running gear?

universals?

and what exactly would i break if i left it all stock under there? just curious

thanks,

 

i should probably start my own thread huh?

 

it's not the 9" that's the problem, it's finding a strong front end to match the width and bolt pattern.

 

weak links will be in the front axle: u-joints (especially while turning), then shafts and gears.

 

if you can control your right foot, you can use the explorer 8.8 and a mildly built Dana 30 and it should last a while. maybe. :dunno: just be aware that you'll be pushing the 30 to it's limits. In the mud it will last longer than powering up rocky hills or the like.

[ftpiercecracker1]

it's not the 9" that's the problem, it's finding a strong front end to match the width and bolt pattern.

 

weak links will be in the front axle: u-joints (especially while turning), then shafts and gears.

 

if you can control your right foot, you can use the explorer 8.8 and a mildly built Dana 30 and it should last a while. maybe. :dunno: just be aware that you'll be pushing the 30 to it's limits. In the mud it will last longer than powering up rocky hills or the like.

 

thanks for the advice, like i said i don't plan on drag racing the thing. I will probably do a little research my self and see whats out there, i have quite a while till the engine will be ready.

 

thanks again

[Pete M]

one option is Grand wagoneer 44s front and rear. or a Isuzu rodeo rear 44 (disks and 4.30 or 4.56 gearing) with a waggy front 44. the waggy front is low pinion and it'll need to be regeared, but it matches the Isuzu in width and bolt pattern.

 

or the aforementioned 3/4 ton ford parts with a 60 rear and high-pinion 44 front. it's wider than the Jeep axles, but I've been rocking the 9"/44 of the same width and it's not that bad (as long as you either cover the tires or never drive in the rain).

[ftpiercecracker1]

one option is Grand wagoneer 44s front and rear. or a Isuzu rodeo rear 44 (disks and 4.30 or 4.56 gearing) with a waggy front 44. the waggy front is low pinion and it'll need to be regeared, but it matches the Isuzu in width and bolt pattern.

 

or the aforementioned 3/4 ton ford parts with a 60 rear and high-pinion 44 front. it's wider than the Jeep axles, but I've been rocking the 9"/44 of the same width and it's not that bad (as long as you either cover the tires or never drive in the rain).

 

What year would i be looking for? and how would this work with all the extra equipment on the stock front axle?

 

In my area i can darn near turn a rock over and find a Ford 60 rear, but the Waggy/Isuzu is another story so i will probably do just like you :thumbsup: . What kept you from bobbing the axles? What has to be done? How did you get the front 9in to bolt up?? and i don't understand the whole driving in the rain???

thanks for all the info,

[Pete M]

extra equipment? you mean the CAD crap?

 

 

 

once again, it's not the 9 that's the problem, it's the front axle. the matching axle is a late 70s front 44. 78-79 used a cast-in radius arm mount and it's pretty much to be avoided unless you're planning on adapting in the ford radius arms like I did or can re-tube the axle. that leaves 75-77 front axles and they aren't all that common. not impossible to find, but not common.

 

I didn't narrow anything because I didn't have the means to do it.

[ftpiercecracker1]

all this crap is what i am talking about, i'm dum i don't know what "cad" means

 

http://www.4x4xplor.com/images/alignmen ... ment01.jpg

 

and how much do they extend out? 1, 1.5in both sides?

thanks

[Pete M]

CAD = central axle disconnect. the shiftable 2-piece axle shaft on the pass side of all mjs.

 

pretty much everything in that photo will need to be custom if you are doing in a custom axle swap. :( but if you can weld on the coil spring perch assemblies from an MJ/XJ axle, you can at least use aftermarket control arms. :thumbsup:

[ftpiercecracker1]

CAD = central axle disconnect. the shiftable 2-piece axle shaft on the pass side of all mjs.

 

pretty much everything in that photo will need to be custom if you are doing in a custom axle swap. :( but if you can weld on the coil spring perch assemblies from an MJ/XJ axle, you can at least use aftermarket control arms. :thumbsup:

 

To the first part, AH yes the infamous disconnect, i did away with that a long time ago, i just never heard of the abriviation.

 

and to the second part. . . .

 

 

:ack: :ack: :fs1: I can weld just not very well, can you take your rig on long trips? or is it strictly a trail rig? I live in TN and plan on eventually driving it down to south FL when done with college. I will keep my eyes open for the suggested axles, but it will be quite a while till the engine is even done.

 

journey

[Pete M]

I get the feeling that you should probably scale back the build a bit. go for an explorer 8.8 with a Dana 30 for now, and an off the shelf lift kit. you can find both axles with 4.10s and then swap in late model Dana 30 shafts if the one you find is an early model. Try to find an open 8.8, as the posi isn't very good and the open diff allows you to easily install a locker.

 

keep it simple. get the truck running well first, and then work on the axles if needed. :thumbsup:

[ftpiercecracker1]

Bingo :thumbsup: , i will be very suprised if i ever break an 8.8 and with an upgraded 30 i should be good. i just have to take care of that dang death wobble. :fs1:

[johnr]

the explorer axle is a hair narrower than the dana 35. it's commonplace to add in 2" spacers so that it pushes the rear tires out wider than the stock axle to afford better clearance from the frame and to better match the front of the truck (the stock axles are the same width, but the rear of an MJ is wider than the front and that's why the rear tires tuck in like they do)

 

the front dana 30 can be upgraded with late model shafts to get the bigger ujoints, or aftermarket alloy shaft, or trusses, etc. it's got it's limits though, and what you can do with it depends on what engine/tires/terrain you're planning to run.

Pete

i have the axle in but i have two questions. 1st. i had this work done so one thing is just a bit off. measuring from the frame rail to the tire its 3/8" differance from 1 side to the other. when he tightened up the u bolts he did it on the jack stands with the weight off of the axle. do you think theres enough movement back there to be able to tweek this in if i loosen it all up and re-do it?

2nd. the 2" spacers. measuring from inside of the front rims and the inside of the rear rims i am only coming up with 1.5" differance total. i still might need the 2" spacers only because ill need tire clearance (i kind of over bought, 32"x11.5"x15" with 4.75" back space on the wheels and a 3" soon to be 4" lift)

[Pete M]

since the leaf springs are located by a bolt head in a hole in the middle of the perches, trying to redo the ubolts won't move anything. 3/8" isn't enough to worry about. that's only 3/16" off and that could easily be caused by bushings or spring differences. :thumbsup:

 

2" seems to be the most common spacer size, probably because it allows for plenty of lug and nut space inside that dimension. I doubt you'd notice that half inch. :thumbsup: just make sure you get good quality ones like spidertrax.

[johnr]

cool, thanks