Gil BullyKatz
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- 2003UB313 Planet ERIS
Unlike swapping an Explorer 8.8 axle under an XJ, this project involved swapping an
F-150 Pick Up axle for the Dana 35.
But first… A little history…
In order to fit 33” tires, I was running a 3” leaf pack, 1.5” lift HD shackles (3” longer), and the mother of all cheapo lift aids: 3” aluminum blocks…
The blocks were originally intended to be “temporary” until I could afford 6” BOR’s.
Everything held together for about a year… Then my main leafs cracks after being flattened…
Thus the creation of the Barrio Fabworks Monster Pack… A frankenmix of OME main leafs, Grand Waggy front and rear packs, a few XJ leafs and a 6* aluminum shim.
Voila!
I’ve been quite happy with the resulting lift, ride and flexibility…
The Dana 35, on the other hand, became the weak link. The spring perches specifically. Playing in the quarry at the Badlands the perches decided to deform while attempting this climb:
I was lucky that my only damage was a rotated pinion and curved perches. A little field repair and I was able to nurse it home. During the next couple of days it was clear that there was no saving the 35. Sink money and labor into an axle that can barely handle 33’s?
Not for me
Enter the 8.8… Many have done it, many bitch about the c-clips and the tubes rotating in the housing, many praise the disk brake and shaft size upgrade and the 5x4.5 bolt pattern, etc etc etc. There’s pros and cons to the 8.8 swap… Do your research and decide if YOUR comfortable with it.
I did it because I found a Ford surplus full width 8.8 with 4.10 gears and a factory limited slip for $50… Brand New, never installed.
Does it have drum brakes and c-clips? Yes, but for the price I didn’t care about the peanut gallery. Just that it would be an upgrade over the turd.
Main difference between this 8.8 and an Explorer 8.8 is that this one is about 66” wide and uses a 5x5.5 bolt pattern. To most, this would be an instant deterrent, but having a full width HP RC 44 with the same bolt pattern as the next project, it worked out perfect.
Heres the difference between the stock 8.8 perches and Great Lakes Offroad’s ($24 shipped) nice and beefy!
I was able to cut off the D35 shock brackets and cut and shaped them down until they looked like this:
This also allowed me not have anything below the tubes that could possibly hang up on a rock or city curb
I was due for a new set of tires so after waiting 4 months for Goodyear to deliver my 35” MT/R’s… I cancelled the order and went with Pro-Comp Explorers and found another set of MT Challenger rims in the new bolt pattern. I noticed that the offset of my new rims allowed me to keep my same overall width
The other minor mod was to increase my wheelbase by drilling the center pin hole in the perch and leaf plate an extra 1.5” from center, allowing my 35”s to sit better in my wheelwell…
33”s
35”s
I connected the 8.8 to my full size bronco driveshaft that runs 1330 U-joints by using a flange adaptor from a full size ford truck instead of the Explorer flange that uses 1310 joints
The pinion angle was set by mounting the wheels and placing the entire weight of the vehicle on the axle and then aiming the pinion at the t-case output (1-2* below centerline with double cardan). The theory is that under load my driveshaft angle will be perfect.
(So far I’ve had no vibes whatsoever)
Once the pinion angle was set, the perches and shock mounts were welded, the diff was filled and the rig was ready for a test run.
The only things left for the swap to be complete is the tubes getting welded to the housing, it’s getting trussed, a BTF diff cover and a disk brake swap using Chevy calipers like Crash did.
Glad I did it and big thanks to everyone here that offered hints and tips!
F-150 Pick Up axle for the Dana 35.
But first… A little history…
In order to fit 33” tires, I was running a 3” leaf pack, 1.5” lift HD shackles (3” longer), and the mother of all cheapo lift aids: 3” aluminum blocks…
The blocks were originally intended to be “temporary” until I could afford 6” BOR’s.
Everything held together for about a year… Then my main leafs cracks after being flattened…
Thus the creation of the Barrio Fabworks Monster Pack… A frankenmix of OME main leafs, Grand Waggy front and rear packs, a few XJ leafs and a 6* aluminum shim.
Voila!
I’ve been quite happy with the resulting lift, ride and flexibility…
The Dana 35, on the other hand, became the weak link. The spring perches specifically. Playing in the quarry at the Badlands the perches decided to deform while attempting this climb:
I was lucky that my only damage was a rotated pinion and curved perches. A little field repair and I was able to nurse it home. During the next couple of days it was clear that there was no saving the 35. Sink money and labor into an axle that can barely handle 33’s?
Not for me
Enter the 8.8… Many have done it, many bitch about the c-clips and the tubes rotating in the housing, many praise the disk brake and shaft size upgrade and the 5x4.5 bolt pattern, etc etc etc. There’s pros and cons to the 8.8 swap… Do your research and decide if YOUR comfortable with it.
I did it because I found a Ford surplus full width 8.8 with 4.10 gears and a factory limited slip for $50… Brand New, never installed.
Does it have drum brakes and c-clips? Yes, but for the price I didn’t care about the peanut gallery. Just that it would be an upgrade over the turd.
Main difference between this 8.8 and an Explorer 8.8 is that this one is about 66” wide and uses a 5x5.5 bolt pattern. To most, this would be an instant deterrent, but having a full width HP RC 44 with the same bolt pattern as the next project, it worked out perfect.
Heres the difference between the stock 8.8 perches and Great Lakes Offroad’s ($24 shipped) nice and beefy!
I was able to cut off the D35 shock brackets and cut and shaped them down until they looked like this:
This also allowed me not have anything below the tubes that could possibly hang up on a rock or city curb
I was due for a new set of tires so after waiting 4 months for Goodyear to deliver my 35” MT/R’s… I cancelled the order and went with Pro-Comp Explorers and found another set of MT Challenger rims in the new bolt pattern. I noticed that the offset of my new rims allowed me to keep my same overall width
The other minor mod was to increase my wheelbase by drilling the center pin hole in the perch and leaf plate an extra 1.5” from center, allowing my 35”s to sit better in my wheelwell…
33”s
35”s
I connected the 8.8 to my full size bronco driveshaft that runs 1330 U-joints by using a flange adaptor from a full size ford truck instead of the Explorer flange that uses 1310 joints
The pinion angle was set by mounting the wheels and placing the entire weight of the vehicle on the axle and then aiming the pinion at the t-case output (1-2* below centerline with double cardan). The theory is that under load my driveshaft angle will be perfect.
(So far I’ve had no vibes whatsoever)
Once the pinion angle was set, the perches and shock mounts were welded, the diff was filled and the rig was ready for a test run.
The only things left for the swap to be complete is the tubes getting welded to the housing, it’s getting trussed, a BTF diff cover and a disk brake swap using Chevy calipers like Crash did.
Glad I did it and big thanks to everyone here that offered hints and tips!
