axle ?'s

[kegs85]

first off how do i tell what axle is in my 85 ranger long bed regular cab with a 2.8? also i will be street driving it a lot.. can i put in a mini spool and be fine? or do i need to do a lockright? If i weld the gears how well should they hold? could they get me by? thanks guys

[grumpy_]

you can use a mini spool or weld ya gears up and they will last for a bit .. BUT when you go around a tight bend (like going thru a drive thru like Sonic or Micky Dee's) the tire that is in the shortest turning radius will still be turning at the same speed as the other tire and it will squeal or try to spin and might cause the rear to try to walk out a bit.. or skip .. i know this for a fact cuz i did the same thing on a 74 Nova that i had and i had probs out of it ..... so i removed the mini spool and went with a posi unit.. it was WAY better.... so if you are asking what is the best .. IMHO ... get a traction lock and go that route .. less trouble and will get WAY more life out of ya tires and less strain on the axles and gears

[bcost882]

you can tell what axle you have by simply looking at it. here is a link to help with the identifying what is in your axle http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Axles.html it is most likely a 7.5 but maybe not. so hope this helps and you should do a lockright it will be easier to drive on the street. pretty much wut ^^^ he says

[kegs85]

and in the front axle, since its lock out hubs could i weld the spiders or no?

[BeaterMan]

You would have a 7.5 diff with the crappy 9inch brakes, or at least thats what my 85' 2.8l longbed had. you could weld up the front but that puts alot of strain on components. I'd suggest grabbing a d35 and 8.8 out of an explorer as there much stronger and have a better market for lockers, posi's, ect. if ya do swap axles its a bolt in swap. Idk where in colo. you are but there is a junk yard off 58th and federal called western and they got the cheapest prices around town. I got my complete 8.8 for 75$ drum to drum and the complete d35 for 100$. If ya do weld it up, i'd get a couple spare shafts are get ready to change them out alot- especially with that d28 pos.

[kegs85]

i'm actually located a little south of pueblo...which town are you talking the axle place is?

[BeaterMan]

Originally Posted by kegs85

i'm actually located a little south of pueblo...which town are you talking the axle place is?

The junk yard i'm talking about is in westminster- so i guess that would be quite a drive for you. my bad.

[strvger]

don't think anyone ever made a commercially available spool or mini-spool for the 7.5. i would only weld if it will be strictly off road. on the road, the driveability sucks with welded gears in a wheelbase over 100 inches. i have 4.56 gears and a Detroit locker in mine and love it. not cheap, but the best you can put in a 7.5... imho.

[Original_Ranger84]

Yeah welded = not fun and pretty uncontrollable around corners. not to mention the replacement of alot of stuff regardless of weather you get the D35 and 8.8"

And your truck currently has the Dana 28 and 7.5" rear unless swapped out by a PO or something.