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A Frosty axle swap thread

A

ahufxj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Nevada
Figured I would post this so others may benefit from my experience with this axle swap.

Dressing up as Frosty the Snowman in Vegas gives one time to think of what they want. I decided to swap my stock Chrysler 8.25 with 3.55 gears to a Ford 8.8, Off to the junkyard Frosty went
00.jpg


Frosty found a suitable victim and after attempting to break the shackle bolts free a Harbor Freight breaker bar decided it didn’t want to be abused anymore.
01.jpg


Frosty thought what to do and decided to use his magical powers and have the axle float out from the side.
02.jpg


Wondering where all his friends were on a monday morning got his new Ford 8.8 onto a buggy.
03.jpg


and in to the very Jeep XJ it was going to be put under.
04.jpg


Finally it was home and off with the old perches
05.jpg


Frosty decided to sand off the old paint and make the tubes nice and shiny
06.jpg


It was getting warm out and Frosty was slowly beginning to melt so it was time to shed the disguise.
frosty.jpg
 
I got up the next morning and started tearing the back end apart. Seeing as how I am going to be installing some shackle relocation brackets. I had to get rid of the skid plate and bumper tie ins.
07.jpg


Decided to wire wheel the bolts and paint them up later.
08.jpg


Started removing the shocks
09.jpg


and then moved onto the driveshaft and ebrakes
10.jpg


Took the wheels off and unbolts the ubolts
12.jpg


dolley’d the 8.25 away
11.jpg


and prepped for shackle removal
13.jpg


Got ready for tomorrow to toss in the shackle relocation brackets and snapped some photos of the location
14.jpg

15.jpg


more to come
 
That look like a Quicksilver (Mercruiser/Marine) fuel filter you have there. Is that so? If it is how does it hold up?

By-the-way, I like your work and the way you document the setps taken. I will keep an eye on how things proceed.
 
to the OP...

those bolts arent 8mm, they are 5/16s. closer than a C-hair, but far enough apart to cause bad things. use a 5/16s if you dont want to round them off. dont ask me how i know...

my usual removal process process is to break them free with a ratchet or box wrench, and then loosen them completely with my 8mm ratchet wrench, i dont have a 5/16s ratchet wrench but they seem easier to deal with when upside down. installation is exactly opposite.
 
VAhasnoWAVES said:
to the OP...

those bolts arent 8mm, they are 5/16s. closer than a C-hair, but far enough apart to cause bad things. use a 5/16s if you dont want to round them off. dont ask me how i know...
Click to expand...

on my vehicle (90 xj, started w/ d35, then d44, then 8.25), the rear yoke straps bolts have allways been 8mm for me, the FRONT however, are 5/16ths... Ive heard many many people say contradicting sizes for these bolts, i'd guess they used a bunch of differant bolts!

VIF!


TO THE OP, kinda creepy, i gotta admit. but good documentation, welcome to the site.
 
The new day has begun and it was time to unwrap the axle from the make shift plastic tarp(new mattress packaging:laugh:) to keep out Monday’s rain.
16.jpg


Decided to take out the axle shafts and started on the 5/16 bolt that likes to break a lot. Be careful and go slow on the bolt.
17.jpg


Axles shafts looked good however I noticed that new seals were in my future.
18.jpg


After the axle fun it was time to start on getting my HD Engineering shackle relocation brackets installed
19.jpg


It was a tight fit and I used the trusty dead blow to send it to the market.
20.jpg


A close up because I know you really wanted to see the dead blow smudge marks.
21.jpg


Realizing I am missing a total of two bolts, I broke out the grade 8 bolt box and began searching.
22.jpg


I didn’t find a single bolt that fit….. that to-do-list is getting longer.
23.jpg


You might be asking yourself, “Wheres the shackle? I thought this was an axle swap thread!"
24.jpg


I’ll say, “Hey! Frosty is working on it."
26.jpg
 
That’s how the Jeep sits, a little to high for my liking.
25.jpg


I then decided to take out the old man emu add-a-leaf(AAL)
28.jpg


It sat better but was still to high. Wondering what next.
27.jpg


So, I rechecked my shackle angle and moved the shackle.
31.jpg


It’s just about where I wanted it.
29.jpg


And the Ford 8.8 sits under the XJ nicely.
33.jpg


My only complaint about the HD offroad engineering shackle relocation kit is simple: the shackle bolt is not long enough. It doesn’t even thread all the way onto the nylon lock nut. Another part I’ll have to add to the list. Granted, I added a washer it should still have enough length to go all the way through.
32.jpg


More to come :wave:
 
techno1154 said:
That look like a Quicksilver (Mercruiser/Marine) fuel filter you have there. Is that so? If it is how does it hold up?
Click to expand...

ramco.jpg


It’s a Ramco Performance FloMax 300.
http://www.ramcoperformance.com/flomax.htm

I was logging my fuel mileage for 15 fill ups before I installed. I always used the same gas station and still do. I always used the same gas pump.
Wrote down how much gas went in. How many miles used. Worked my brain on some division and got my mileage. Was an average of 17 to the gallon

When I installed the FloMax 300 I did the same test 15 fill ups etc. etc. Got an average of 18 to the gallon.

I didn’t feel any increase in throttle response or anything. However my wife came home and asked me what I had done to the XJ because it picked up a little faster.

Yours may vary all in all I’m extremely happy with it and will be installing another on the next vehicle I own.
 
I have not heard of Ramco Performanace but it is the same/similar unit....a spin on fuel filter that is larger than the OEM filter. You are putting ideas in my head.

It seem you missed two bolts in the front of the shackle relocation bracket. I remember seeing two bolts and a strip nut (strip with two nuts) that go into the original shackle bracket and the bolts on the outside. That was in the original posting by HD Engineering.
 
You're not going to get much, if any up travel with the stock shackles in there like that. They are about to hit, if not resting, on the brackets. If it is resting on it, it could be keeping the rear end higher then it would normally rest.
 
94xjstud said:
You're not going to get much, if any up travel with the stock shackles in there like that. They are about to hit, if not resting, on the brackets. If it is resting on it, it could be keeping the rear end higher then it would normally rest.
Click to expand...

And it'll make it ride terribly if it's already resting on it.
 
Why does everyone insist on calling driveshaft bolts 8mm....they are 5/16th people

keep using 8mm and youll strip them
 
94xjstud said:
You're not going to get much, if any up travel with the stock shackles in there like that. They are about to hit, if not resting, on the brackets. If it is resting on it, it could be keeping the rear end higher then it would normally rest.
Click to expand...

^ This. Move that puppy back one more notch or get a longer shackle. Some have had to trim the 'C' bracket forward of the shackle so that it can move up, I think this is mostly a symptom of running the stock shackle. You won't realize the true flex that the relocation brackets affords you with a stock shackle because you won't be able to run the proper angle without it resting on the bracket.
 
I have been working every day since the last post of this thread. So wrenching time was a little hard to come by. I’ve finally got some days off and I’m looking to complete this swap and start on my next project.

Here’s a couple pictures of what I managed to take before I took my break to post this update of sorts.:laugh:

Rubicon Express RE2700 Shackle Jeep XJ Rear 5” and the next project.
34.jpg


Heres a comparison of stock shackles and the RE2700 shackles
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and another.. Forgot the ruler.. OOps
36.jpg


For more information because the internet is littered with it. The XJ’s tailpipe will more than likely interfere with the shackles.
37.jpg


I’ll just let it rub until it annoys me to the point I build my bumpers
38.jpg


That’s all the photos I have currently. The RE2700 shackles are in and I’m looking to redo the hard brake lines with new line. I’m also waiting on my order from RuffStuffSpecialities. All in all it’s taken me about 15 minutes to take old shackles off and replace with new.

Time to go finish bolting everything down and get YOU! some more pics.:wave:
 
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