Pete M Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 10 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said: Rockwell 2.5 ton axle or bust lol. You’ll have a good 4” of clearance under the pumpkin with 35s but you’ll never be able to break the axle 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 19 minutes ago, Pete M said: 2013 Lol, in my defense it’s late here and it’s been a long day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Old thread, I know. But I wanted to put some information here in case someone finds this thread and is looking for swap info. Basically expanding on the axle donor choices for upgrades. The mid to late 1970's (76 to 79) Ford pickups are a good option for a donor. The front in the F150 and F250 is a driver side high pinion Dana 44. The F150 is a "standard" housing with a 5 on 5.5" bolt pattern. It has a 65.5" WMS (Wheel Mounting Surface) width, which makes it "a little bit wider" than a standard XJ/MJ front axle. It has 30 spline inner shafts and the 270x u-joints that the later XJ front axles upgraded to. It's stronger all the way around than a front Dana 30. So it will handle 35" or even 37" tires with no problem. The matching Ford 9" axle is a 31 spline unit that is about 65" WMS. It can accept 35 spline shafts easily and, with maybe a truss, is also good for 37's. The F250 uses a heavy duty version of the Dana 44. It has thicker wall tubes (same outside diameter) and the 8 on 6.5" hubs make the whole axle 2-3" wider than the 1/2 ton. Same guts (ring and pinion, differential, 30 spline axle shafts) as the F150 version. With some chromoly shafts and good joints, you can probably get away with 40's if you don't beat on it with a lot of power. The matching rear Dana 60 is a 30 spline full float version. I don't know the exact width but it's close to the front. The housing won't accept 35 spline shafts without modification. But the full float housing is good and strong and 30 spline shafts will hold up until you get above 40's or you put in big power. The F150 had radius arm suspension in the front and the brackets varied from year to year. The axle side brackets will need to be removed (possibly cut off). The F250 had leaf springs with the pad cast into the housing on the driver side. Rear axles were leaf spring pads and shock mounts. Right now, there are a couple of companies making truss kits that will work with one or both of the versions of the front axle. The trusses come with control arm and track bar mounts in the right location for MJ/XJ/TJ front suspension. So if you're looking for "a little wider" with "a little stronger", the Ford axles are the way to go. It's best to go with a matched set so that you get the same bolt pattern front and rear. Neither axle set will match the stock MJ bolt pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 don't forget that 78-79 ford 1/2 ton front 44s have the cast-in C-brackets that make life more... challenging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 1 hour ago, Pete M said: don't forget that 78-79 ford 1/2 ton front 44s have the cast-in C-brackets that make life more... challenging. I glossed over that. There will be "some disassembly required" on any of the Ford donors if you use the truss kits. Some more than others. The cast in brackets on the 78-79 F150 are the most you'll have to cut off. Anyone seriously considering the Ford axle swap will probably continue to google after finding this thread. There's a lot of detail when it comes to how exactly you'll deal with everything. Steering, driveshafts, bump stops, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 the tube isn't continuous inside those cast mounts. you'll need to retube. (or find a way to weld to the casting) it's a huge step (unless you go with the radius arms like I did) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 6 minutes ago, Pete M said: the tube isn't continuous inside those cast mounts. you'll need to retube. (or find a way to weld to the casting) Meh. That's just details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Personally I’d stick with the non-radius arm axles unless the price difference is huge. Those axles for most people will run 40’s if setup well. That will be either some serious trimming or serious lift in an MJ though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zomeizter Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 Quote 30/8.8 with 33s...me likey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted August 20, 2020 Share Posted August 20, 2020 1 hour ago, zomeizter said: You will have more clearance running 31’s and a dana 35 that 33’s on an 8.8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zomeizter Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 On 8/19/2020 at 9:33 PM, ghetdjc320 said: You will have more clearance running 31’s and a dana 35 that 33’s on an 8.8 I actually will be running 31s, but also have a set of 33s for when I'm feeling froggy ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 On 8/18/2020 at 6:54 PM, ghetdjc320 said: Personally I’d stick with the non-radius arm axles unless the price difference is huge. Those axles for most people will run 40’s if setup well. That will be either some serious trimming or serious lift in an MJ though I have found the f150 d44s with the cast wedges for pretty cheap. A can have a front and rear complete set from an f150 for about $900. A non cast wedge f1/250 d44 is roughly $1500 for a complete axle. I found one cheaper but its just the housing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 20 hours ago, Swampy said: I have found the f150 d44s with the cast wedges for pretty cheap. A can have a front and rear complete set from an f150 for about $900. A non cast wedge f1/250 d44 is roughly $1500 for a complete axle. I found one cheaper but its just the housing. You can either retube it or run radius arms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 11 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: You can either retube it or run radius arms I don't think any shop in florida retubes axles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 4 minutes ago, Swampy said: I don't think any shop in florida retubes axles Any good welding shop should be able to retube. Currie also does it fit a good price. You can do it yourself if you are a good welder and have some essential tools. Less complex than setting up gears on most axles but more labor intensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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