Mazdacrawler, 99 B3000 SAS

reddog5 · Aug 15, 2007

guess i'll start with the list:

Dana 44 87 waggy
rancho 44044
5.13
locker (ARB or OX) havent decided yet
chromo shafts
high steer

Ford 8.8 97 explorer
chevy 63 springs/ beltech shackles
5.13
detroit
full float kit if budget allows

doubler
partial exo/ flatbed.

anyway i have most of parts for the rear so i decided to start there first. took out the old 7.5 and springs. ground off the rivet heads on the spring hangers and still havent been able to push them out. Dang those are in there!!
i cut out spare tire mount and 4 inches off the rear of the frame . its started slow as i can only work on it on the weekends.

Wicked_Sludge · Aug 15, 2007

looking good so far....definitely still in the beginning stages :icon_cheers:

please tell me you plan on keeping the 3.0 :wub:

keep the pics flowing :beer:

reddog5 · Aug 15, 2007

Yeah the 3.0 stays. An engine swap would be the last thing i would do. I think with deep gears and a doubler it will be fine.

reddog5 · Aug 19, 2007

Well i finally got the rivets out. Moved the spring hanger 6 in forward. Mounted with 1/2 in grade 8 bolts with red loctite. The chevy leaf spring swap info in the tech section is a little misleading as i doesnt state for which year its being done on. 98+ rangers and B-series are different in that instead of taking away some of the frame you have to add to it, in 1/8 plate steel. No big deal just extra work. :icon_welder:

Mounted the spings to Beltech shackles. Took apart the springs to measure for bumpstops and of course the spring pads i bought are drilled out for 1/2 spring bolts and i have 5/8. I broke my last 5/8 drill bit on my bender project so i gots to go get a new one tomarrow.

So with the extra time i went ahead and made a rear bumper out of 1/4 in thick steel 2x4 rectangular tubing. My welder wont quite reach the other end of my garage so i could only get half of it done. Damn one thing after another.

Anyway i went and ground off the old spring pads on the axle before i tacked on the SOA ones. Lost my reference ponts. :badidea:

Can anyone who has done the explorer 8.8 swap help me with my measurements?? I aproximate the distance from drivers side center of spring pad to center of pinion to be 21in. Pass side center of spring pad to center of pinion to be 18in, for a total of 39in center of spring pad to center of spring pad. Now this was taken after a couple of :beer:

for frustration off the old 7.5.

Anyway heres some pics till next week!

reddog5 · Aug 27, 2007

Got some more done. Welded the spring perches on to the 8.8 axle. Pinion shaft measured in at 6 degrees. Painted the axle and have to mount the brake lines to the underneath of the spring perches. I think ill just weld a bolt sticking out and and attach them. I have to order my 37 iroks next and put them on. I made the mistake of putting the truck on jackstands all the way around and with the new leaves im gonna have to jack up the truck to get the tires on. Last year i went to the Rubicon and mangled my rear drive shaft. So i had one made out of 3.5in .95 wall DOM tubing. It is much stronger than the stock aluminum one.

Wicked_Sludge · Aug 27, 2007

your going to try and stuff 37's under there? you might need a few more inches of lift :icon_cheers:

reddog5 · Aug 27, 2007

Naw, it will be fine. Im gonna flatbed / exo the bed. The front im gonna run fender flares.

kinda like this....

TRUNK_MONKEY · Aug 27, 2007

yo red

reddog5 said:
Naw, it will be fine. Im gonna flatbed / exo the bed. The front im gonna run fender flares.

kinda like this....

hey looks good--i did want to suggest flat washers under the rear hanger bolt heads and under the inside nuts as well.it will hold better with some good flat washers down there.
and good job on using metal like the thickness of the frame--i see a lot of people adding in thicker to weld to thinner and it always seems to crack at the joint sooner or later.
post up more pics!
scott

reddog5 · Sep 7, 2007

Ordered some Spidertrax wheel spacers/ adapters for the 8.8.

Always extra work.... Looks like i need to grind down the lug studs flush with the spacer so the rim sits flat. :no2:

Picked up my tires and rims today... 37x14.00x15 iroks on 15x10 black steel wheels. My son is stoked on HIS new rockcrawler tires. Bias ply, if anyones wondering most balance weight on one of the tires is 9 oz. I give it 2 miles before they fly off. Hope to get them on the axle and under the truck tomarrow. Not sure if the top of my truck will clear the garage door opener!

Wicked_Sludge · Sep 7, 2007

im suprised those biased ply tires only took 9 oz. if/when they do fling the weights, i doubt you'll notice a difference since bias ply tires deform at highway speeds anyway.

reddog5 · Sep 8, 2007

yeah, I think thats all they could stak on top of each other.

reddog5 · Sep 10, 2007

Got the axle under the truck. Have to install gas tank and drive shaft. Next week cuttin out the IFS. Here's a couple of pics.

reddog5 · Sep 24, 2007

got all the IFS jive out. I ran out of gas for my torch , so gonna cut out all the brackets and get my spring hanger mounted next weekend.

zainyD] · Sep 26, 2007

Nice progress so far! You will be very pleased with the Chevy 63"/Belltech shackle combo. I have been running the same set up on my truck for several years now with good success.

As for the front I would go with an ARB. They are more costly, but I believe they're better than the OX locker. I've seen the OX locker not engage properly on occasion.

I would also suggest looking into the Superior Super 88 kit. It would be just the ticket for your axle and is much less $$ than a full floater kit.

hitech_hick · Sep 26, 2007

reddog5 said:
Bias ply, if anyones wondering most balance weight on one of the tires is 9 oz. I give it 2 miles before they fly off.

Have you thought about balancing the wheels internally?

hick

Mazdacrawler, 99 B3000 SAS

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