Loanranger, looks like another awesome build. I gotta be honest, I wish the mazda had the 3.0 in it. But, I good running fi2.3 with a M50d and like you said a couple of transfers behind, this thing is definately gonna be wicked! Can't wait to see what axles your gonna use.
I had thought about dumping a smallblock in my ranger and using the 2.9 out of it, but I think the 2.3 is a perfect balance of lightweight and power in these things.
I still wanna see the steering D44's front and rear!! 4 wheel steer would be awesome! You know you want to do it!!
Oh I know I want to, it's just whether it's feasable at this time. If I came across a ford D44 for the rear, there would be no question, but trying to make the best of the turd of a CAD axle is going to be a pain. I'm sure I'd never have a problem with it, even if I left the CAD in, and just perma locked it. Or cable lock it, so I would essentially have a cable locker if I welded the spiders. It would be the same idea as unlocking a hub, but without having to get out to do so.
I'll probably end up mocking it up with the dodge axle, and keep an eye out for a ford axle to replace it with.
I've got to get up to my buddies place to get the older 44, I have a ten bolt here I can use untill then though.
Tonight, I had to work on the Burb, which ended up in disaster, so I decided to do a little measuring to see where things will end up in the frame. The engine and trans, from crank pulley to the u-joint on the slip is 53". The overall dual transfercase setup, from u-joint on the slip to rear output on the rear case is 25.5". I was able to clock the first case at 90* and kept the offset between the input from trans to final outputs at 7", which is the offset of a single case.
The three issues I will run into, the vent. The vent will be near the bottom now, but I can redrill the case for a new vent, and either weld up the old hole, or seal it with some sort of compression plug. The second issue is the shifter for the first case will be pointing straight out to the drivers side, parallel to the ground.
Not a biggy, The first case will be a range box only, so really all I need is a hi-low shift. Either by linkage or just a 90* shifter, this one is fairly simple too. The third, and most serious problem is in bearing oiling. I won't have a drain, but I will have a fill hole at approximately halfway. The shift forks will still be submerged, but instead of the mainshaft (outputs) being submerged, the input will be. Whether the gears will sling enough oil to keep everything lubricated?
One thought was to use the old vent hole as an inlet to an electric pump which circulates the oil to the top?
Ah, well, the main concern right now is being able to tow the LJ to Tahuya this sunday, after that is getting more of an idea of what axles to use.