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old bronco d44 and 9" how hard to swap

8

87xjeep

NAXJA Forum User
Location
greeley, Colorado
i was wondering how hard it would be to swap a d44 and a ford 9 and running radius arms in my 87xj. would i have to move the leaf spring perches and the coil mounts and would it be hard to run the radius arms.
am i going to have to fab alot or? thanks
 
I'm currently setting up to do a D44 w/radius arms on my XJ. It isn't all that hard. A buddy down the street beat me to it. His name is clodhopper. I'm sure he would be willing to show you what he's done.
 
87xjeep said:
i was wondering how hard it would be to swap a d44 and a ford 9 and running radius arms in my 87xj. would i have to move the leaf spring perches and the coil mounts and would it be hard to run the radius arms.
am i going to have to fab alot or? thanks
Click to expand...
The rear axle perches, where they are mounted, are an excellent match with the leafs.
 
so how hard is it to swap the break lines and all, can you use the xj break lines??? and how about the e break, do you need to have an adaptor for it to fit??? i have a 79 ford f150 a friend gave me and i want to swap out axles and i want to know what exactly i need to do to get the breaks to work

thanks
 
What would the rough cost be at a j-yard for these axles and what is the normal gearing in them, or do vary a lot? They look like a fairly simple swap in.

Brett
 
The brakes are the easiest part. Other than possibly needing an adapter, brakes are brakes. While everybody says this is an easy swap, all things are relative. You will still end up cutting and welding. This is in no way a bolt in swap. If you are worried about the brakes then this is probably not in your skill range. The steering and track bar will have to be custom fabricated, not to mention the long arm setup.
 
I used all my xj lines. My axles are out of a '79 f150. The ebrake needs new cable because they are diferent lenghts on the drivers and passenger side. I had to cut off the old perches on the 9" and weld them back on to xj width. I also had to make a plate to move the coils back to where they should be. Some will tell you to just flip the coil perches 180*, but it is very far from ideal. I used my Rubicon Express adj. track bar with some tweaking, and my draglink is the lower half of the fords and the upper of the jeeps that are welded and then sleeved with a piece of DOM. The tie rod hangs down way too low but it is solid. I bash it into stuff all the time and it isn't bent at all. I am working on some high-steer arms to get everything out of the way, but untill then the tie rod makes a good diff guard. I did this swap in a weekend and it took a lot more fabrication than others have said, My steering is temporary until I go home for winter break, but it is easeir than building a long arm setup and you don't need to retube the axles.

xj4life said:
With radius arms, how do you allow for castor adjustment?
Click to expand...
You use various degreed "C" bushings.
 
What year Bronco are they out of? 78-79 are much different that 77 and earlier. I used axles from a 78 Bronco. Pics of the build-up are at http://www.picturetrail.com/petermontie in the appropriate folders. You can email me with any specific questions on what I did, cause I might miss it here.
[email protected]
Jeep on!
--Pete
 
Pete M, your articulation sucks. Look into this, I am going to wrist my passanger side because of the new poly c bushings I'm adding. I thought I had good travel with my RE joints on the ends, but it doesn't even come close to what the bronco guys I wheel with have after they run hiems and a wristed arm.

http://www.auburn.edu/~smithbj/wristed_arm.htm
 
Yup, I know. But I don't necessarily care all that much. There aren't a whole lot of big rocks to climb here in Michigan and the front minispool keeps them tires a-turnin' anyway. I personally think the poly C-bushings are the real culprits. They're *insanely* tight. Someday I'll swap regular rubber ones back in. I bought 7* poly bushings to counter-act the downward rake of the control arms that never materialized. They turned out level to the ground just like on the Bronco. Oh well. Besides, I'm perpetually broke and so at this point in my life, reliability is more important than the absolute best performance. Thank goodness the awesome flex of Comanche rear leafs makes up for some of the inadequacies of the Ford stuff. :D
Jeep on!
-Pete
 
I got the poly bushings to correct my caster, hopefully after I put them on it won't wonder all over the road. More than a few of the ford guys I've wheeled with have told me the seriously hurt articulation.
 
I initially had a problem with my drag link rotating as I turned the steering wheel back-n-forth and that sloppy movement resulted in a huge dead spot in the steering. Had to rotate the draglink over and tighten it down in that position to keep the movement to a minimum. Not sure if this applies to your rig though.
Jeep on!
--Pete
 
i am planning to do this too iwas wondering if there is a way to get the 44 all ready to bolt in without having the rig down for very long? meaning getting all the brackets in on the right angle would youu guys recomend cutting brackests of an old D30?
 
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