step by step 93 ranger sas

[vrruumm]

Nice forum, good collection of info.


I'm just starting a ranger sas with a cheokee dana 30.
The axle looks like it is going to work great. It is close to the same width, same lug pattern. Pinion yoke is in a good spot for the stock transfer case.
I am planning a long radius arm set up because of the nice mounting points for the factory jeep four link arms. Looks like the coil spring buckets are going to be in a good spot already too.

I'll be posting pictures with my progress along the way. Please don't trash talk. Usefull input is always welcome. I am a self emloyed mechanic/fabricator and use forums like this for input on a daily basis. :icon_welder:


-Ryan

[JohnnyU]

Just curious, what size tire are you shooting for?
No trash talk, but why'd you choose the D30?

[metalmacguyver]

Welcome to the forum. i am debating sasing with a d44 or a d30. will watch your build for the pros and cons.

also, what are the plans for this rig? trail only, tire size, type of locker, gears,...?

[THE WHITE RHINO]

if you do the dana 30 you are dumb my opioion i guess

[Ranger5.0]

the D 35 is a stronger axle the the D30..keep that in mind..juss curious, why the sas anyways?

[JohnnyU]

The D30 debate always sparks controversy. I'm going to keep a close eye on this thread. I DO NOT want to see any trash talking in this thread. I'm anxious to see it's progress and don't want a bunch of thread-crapping going on.

[Ranger5.0]

Good point. The D30 would most likly live a helty long life if left with an open diff, lowish torque, and a smart foot on the go pedle....after saying that, it woldnt live long if i swaped one in.

[vrruumm]

Just curious, what size tire are you shooting for?
No trash talk, but why'd you choose the D30?

I chose the d30 because of the availability and cost, becuase of the nice 4 link mounts that will serve as nice radius arm mounts, the width, lug pattern and price/availability of parts.

the D 35 is a stronger axle the the D30..keep that in mind..juss curious, why the sas anyways?

Ease of instalaion, ease of fabrication of parts, cost of completed job & long travel hopefully.

if you do the dana 30 you are dumb my opioion i guess

Thanks

also, what are the plans for this rig? trail only, tire size, type of locker, gears,...?

The vehicle is primarily used for chasing parts for my shop and wheeling on the side, will be using 35 in tires, eventualy 4.88 gears and lockright locker.


I debated for quite a while what to do for the front end. I know the twin ttb setups can be done well, but would also require extensive modifications and have another slip joint & u-joint. The early bronco d44 was another option, but the radius arms would have to be modified, the front brakes would have to be converted to disk, and they are hard to find, especially with disks. (And usaully expensive) Most other axles would have to be narrowed and the lug pattern would be different than the back, and I don't want to mess with the rear, or have to drill axles and rotors/drums for a new lug pattern and have to drill again every time I replace rotors or drums.

[vrruumm]

The rig will be used for wheeling quite a bit, that's how I meet alot of my customers. My familly and I spend quite a bit of time wheeling in the snow in the winter time. I live close to some pretty good trails outside of Enumclaw, Wa. Iv'e been wheeling a scout 800a (with a d30) for a while , but it's pretty beat.

I install gears and lockers professionally and am very familiar with the d30. The axle shafts are quite weak, but the later model d30's have d44 sized u-joints though. I will swap to those if I break mine or install the cromoly axle kit.

I have only seen one broken carrier in a d30 and that one was welded up!
The aftermarket solves this problem with full lockers if someone were to run into this issue. The cross pin shafts break when they're worn through, but when you install your lockright or similar locker, you should spend the 20 bucks on a hardened cross pin shaft. Maybe someone else has seen more issues with the d30, try being more specific than calling me dumb.

I bought 2 dana 30 cherokee front diffs last night for 100 dollars. One has the disconnect on the pass side axle and the other has the solid shaft. I'll use the one with the solid shaft. I'll need to do some more research and figure out how to put some descently strong manual locking hubs on the thing (cheaply).

[THE WHITE RHINO]

dana 30 ring and pinion with arb on light moderate rocks
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/bogger_03/carnage/pinion.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/bogger_03/carnage/ring2.jpg

[Snurfer]

an early good morning to everyone.

vrrrooomm
i for one am very very interested in the swap you are about to do.
i have started collecting parts to do the same axle swap in my 95 ranger.
i chose the D30 for the same reasons you did. people have told me that im crazy for using the 30 but the fact that its the same width, lug pattern, and already has mounting points on the axle for the front linkage in my mind makes it a perfect swap. i would greatly appreciate you posting your step by step progress on the swap.

everyone have a good day.

i look forward to seeing the project come together.


for everyone else
dont knock someone because of what they want to do to their rig.
if all you're going to do is bash an individual because of the choices they make on their vehicle, just keep your mouth shut and get out of this forum.

[vrruumm]

i for one am very very interested in the swap you are about to do.
i have started collecting parts to do the same axle swap in my 95 ranger.

Right on snurfer, I'll be cleaning and painting my d30 tonight and installing a few ball joints. Might tear down the two d30's I have and use the better of the two sets of ring and pinions. I have a 2 post car hoist in my shop, will make for some good pictures.

[milje]

the D 35 is a stronger axle the the D30..keep that in mind..juss curious, why the sas anyways?

Didn't 1badB2 have a D30 in the front of his rig? I don't ever remember hearing about him having problems with his setup. If you know what you're doing, and how to wheel, you should be fine.


Can't wait to see how this turns out :icon_thumby:

[Jim Oaks]

dana 30 ring and pinion with arb on light moderate rocks
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/bogger_03/carnage/pinion.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/bogger_03/carnage/ring2.jpg

Could this have been the result from a poor set-up from someone trying to do their own gears, or someone just getting the set-up wrong?

[4x4junkie]

Didn't 1badB2 have a D30 in the front of his rig? I don't ever remember hearing about him having problems with his setup. If you know what you're doing, and how to wheel, you should be fine.



He stripped the R&P on his also.

Agreed though, the D30 is a very sturdy axle for it's size. If you understand the boundaries of it's strength while out driving, it should hold up decent.

Another buildup is always welcome here on TRS :icon_thumby:

[milje]

He stripped the R&P on his also.


Huh, I never read about that. I gotta spend more time in the "cool" forums :icon_twisted:

[THE WHITE RHINO]

Could this have been the result from a poor set-up from someone trying to do their own gears, or someone just getting the set-up wrong?



no everything was installed by a ase certified extremely knowledgeable jeep fabricator/mechanic who has been doing this for longer than most of us

[Roger]

I've seen a couple D30 equipped RBVs here inn Utah. And I wheel a D30 under my Grand Cherokee. Do I think about it when wheeling? Yes. Along with everything else I could break too. So far, the only D30 I've seen break was an extreme situation. A cherokee was pulling a TJ up a hill with a winch (TJ had some rear control arm issues, right rear tires wound up under the passenger seat area!), and then decided to speed things up by reversing, Fairly new 4.10s grenaded...

[4x4junkie]

Huh, I never read about that. I gotta spend more time in the "cool" forums :icon_twisted:

Yeah, it was some months ago he mentioned it (got lost in the old DB though).

[Hahnsb2]

Im pretty sure 1BadB2 snapped the pinion, not stripped the gears... Either way it was a gear-set failure... Nothing wrong with a D30, if I ever go SAS I would run a D30 for the same reasons you mentioned, and I dont plan to go over 33 or 34" tires anyways...

[vrruumm]

Got the d30 cleaned up externally today, tore it down, checked internal components and painted. Looks perfect inside, good centered pattern, 7 thou backlash, bearings and seals look good as far as i can see, and the open spider gears are in good condition. The axle u-joints looked and felt good, pulled them apart anyway to grease them, and found powdered bearing desease. The rusty kind. Ordered up some new "heavy duty" auto parts store brand u-joints.

I bought some 1/4 wall 1 1/2 square tube for the radius arms and some .120 wall 1 1/4 round tube for my drag link, track bar and crossover steer bar this morning.

I would like to build a cross over type steering, but I guess I'll have to cut of the sway bar mounts and steer stabilizer mounts to make clearance. I would have liked to have kept them so I could build a disconnectable sway bar easily and use the factory steer stabilizer. oh well.... Maybe I'll just bend the crossover around the mounts.

[vrruumm]

:icon_confused:Can someone please help me figure out how to post pictures? Ive loaded the pics to my hard drive and cant figure out how to load them onto my posts. Thanks

[4x4junkie]

:icon_confused:Can someone please help me figure out how to post pictures? Ive loaded the pics to my hard drive and cant figure out how to load them onto my posts. Thanks

You can upgrade your TRS account and then upload them directly to your post (putting them right here on the TRS server).

http://www.therangerstation.com/logos/trs_premium_member.GIF (http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/payments.php)

Or you could instead use an outside site like www.photobucket.com or www.imageshack.com. You can upload your pics there, and then link them to your posts using the forum IMG tags (they can't be on your own hard drive, they have to be on a web server in order to be able to link to them).

[Jim Oaks]

:icon_confused:Can someone please help me figure out how to post pictures? Ive loaded the pics to my hard drive and cant figure out how to load them onto my posts. Thanks

Go to the RBV Photo Galleries (http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=62) forum link and submit your pics there. It will give you the code to place in other parts of the forums to show your pics.

[Jim Oaks]

I'd like to follow this swap and look forward to seeing the progress.

[THE WHITE RHINO]

photobucket.com is free

[vrruumm]

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/photoplog/images/2339/1_ranger_before_front.JPG
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/photoplog/images/2339/1_d30_before_1.JPG
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/photoplog/images/2339/1_u-joints_powdered.JPG
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/photoplog/images/2339/1_painted_d30.JPG

[vrruumm]

Those pics turned out huge.

I got the u-joints installed, ordered a bunch of 3/4 hiem joints from summit and I'm going to have to order a few more because I under ordered.. Not sure what to use for springs and shocks still. I'm trying to clear 35" bfg's.

Looks like I'm going to have to cut alot of the factory jeep bracketry off to make a crossover steering. Wont be too involved to make a new track bar and steer stabilizer mount.

[Mekcanix]

this looks very interesting and the fact is i have been stockpiling D30 goodies for about 9 months now as I prepare to do this. I begin to wonder if I am going about this the wrong way . I had been planning leaf springs as my suspension as i have leafs from a lifted toyota. But now I am having second thoughts I will be watching and taking notes to make my swap easier

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Looks like I'm going to have to cut alot of the factory jeep bracketry off to make a crossover steering. Wont be too involved to make a new track bar and steer stabilizer mount.

There is also the idea of building a crossover steering bracket like this:

http://www.jb4x4.com/products.htm

[vrruumm]

There is also the idea of building a crossover steering bracket like this:

http://www.jb4x4.com/products.htm

I do like those, but that may be quite a bit more involved to make than a few mounts. I do have a milling machine, and I have made something similar for a cherokee before...... Dammit.....

Last parts to buy for the sas are front springs, still looking and reading.

[vrruumm]

Called rough country, they say they have a 22 in free length 160 in lb straight rate spring. Sound about right for a solid axle swap with 35's on a 93 ranger 4.0l? Should sag about 7.5 in static if my 2400 lb front axle wieght guestemate is close. Any input?

That would mean my shocks would have to be at least 15 in of travel dampers. My wife and I are going to have our second baby girl any day now, got to get as much stuff done/ordered as I can before the big day as I will be taking a few weeks off work.

Where's my tape measure.......

[4x4junkie]

160 sounds a bit soft, I'd look for something around 200-240 for your Supercab truck.

[vrruumm]

Yeah could be too soft. I'm trying to use the info from other peoples posts, but the majority of the spring rates i've found are for ttb. I hear 250's about right for a ttb. But, the ttb has to have quite a bit of leverage on those springs huh? The sas will be straight pound per pound for compression. How are the cherokee guys getting away with 160lb springs up front? Are they that much lighter on the front axle?

Does anyone know what the early broncos had for a front axle weight, sprung front weight? I wont know what the sprung weight of mine (93 supercab 4.0l ranger) is without all the ttb stuff and tires until d-day, i'd like to not tear it apart until then (lack of shop space).

Is the sprung weight on each corner of the ranger much over 1000lbs?

Anyone ever use the 2.5 fox air shocks up front?

[4x4junkie]

Cherokees are much lighter up front than Rangers, yes (especially the S/C Ranger). Probably by a good 600 lbs or more (front sprung weight on a 4.0L S/C is in the neighborhood of 2200lbs).

I'm not sure on an exact early Bronco weight, but I would imagine it to be somewhere in between that of the Jeep, and your Ranger.

[jeepguy]

Just thought I'd dispel the myth that D30's are weak. Anything can break if your an idiot.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj86KRHRw94

This D30 has 300K of use as a daily and this type of driving, note that I don't abuse it! It has 4.10's with and OX locker. You can bust a F450 front diff if your an idiot.

[dirtraider]

Just thought I'd dispel the myth that D30's are weak. Anything can break if your an idiot.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj86KRHRw94

This D30 has 300K of use as a daily and this type of driving, note that I don't abuse it! It has 4.10's with and OX locker. You can bust a F450 front diff if your an idiot.

you're kidding me right? thats a joke, you could drive up that rock in a completely stock truck WITHOUT rock stacking. :icon_rofl:

If anything that works against the 30 even more....show me a 30 on something bigger than a 32, being beat on a little bit and holding up completly fine. Not everybody wheels where no throttle isn't an option...

also theres a difference between driving like an idiot and having to worry about how you dirve. If you have to constantly think "oh no i cant do that it might break" theres a problem.

[dangeranger01]

you're kidding me right? thats a joke, you could drive up that rock in a completely stock truck WITHOUT rock stacking. :icon_rofl:

:icon_rofl::agree:

[vrruumm]

My wife and I are going to have our second baby girl any day now, got to get as much stuff done/ordered as I can before the big day as I will be taking a few weeks off work.

8lbs 13oz baby girl, Born 11-07-2007 1:44 pm. Named her Kenna Jayna Marshall.

[vrruumm]

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/photoplog/images/2339/1_Kenna_Jayna_Marshall_063.JPG

[metalmacguyver]

Congrats!!!!!!!!!:icon_thumby:

[Bent Bolt]

He stripped the R&P on his also.

Agreed though, the D30 is a very sturdy axle for it's size. If you understand the boundaries of it's strength while out driving, it should hold up decent.

Another buildup is always welcome here on TRS :icon_thumby:

What about installing a high quality R&P along with aftermarket axle shafts?? Mind you, it would be getting up there in $$$'s.

[Roger]

Congrats!!!!

[-ROKTOY-]

Looking good so far....

[F150hybred]

I have been following this thread and kinda wondering how things turned out. I'm looking at doing a Dana 30 swap also on my 90 Ranger... much for the same reasons. I'm a firm believer in the KISS method of doing things.
On a lighter note, congratulations on the new arrival in your family.