Will the Dana 28 survive a 351 Windsor

buddharacing · Jun 25, 2016

Hello gentleman I have a bronco II with a 6" lift and I'm really hoping to keep running my Dana 28 and 7.5" rear for a while. I'm not planning on running it hard mostly low speed farm driving while hunting. Have any of you kept the stock axles under a V8 torque load? My whole project is still under 1000$ I do plan eventually upgrading the rear to an explorer 8.8. My 351 Windsor is just a 2 barrel from the low power emissions years.

AllanD · Jun 26, 2016

how to phrase this simply to remove your misconceptions about "power" and driveline component survival...

It is not "power" that breaks stuff, but torque (force)
and frankly any 351 produces enough torque to break some components...

force (torque) from the engine can come as a "hammer blow" resistance is the other part of breaking things...

I personally know of a guy who ran a Twin-Turbo 351 in a mustang for years with a 7.5" axle.... eventually the axle failed spectacularly, but it was not an immediate failure, as I said he ran the car for several years before the rear blew up...

I've personally seen a 31-spline 8.8" rear grenade in a 1992 F150 Lightning,
it's owner liked doing neutral drops and turning expensive tires into clouds of smoke...

Frankly I've seen Dana28's converted into a rapidly spreading cloud of fragments
by a normally aspirated 2.3EFI, I've blown one with a 2.9 and an A4LD.

If you "get on" that 351and the rear axle loses traction and the front axle finds traction that Dana28 will fail so rapidly you'll think someone filled it with liquid explosive instead of gear oil.

If you simply roll into the throttle with the steering at a high angle the
outer U-joints (or shaft yokes) will fail as though they were made of glass.

I've broken D28 yokes trying to replace U-joints with a press.

I've done this so often I tell people there's a 40% chance that all they'll get back is broken pieces...or useless junk...

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buddharacing · Jun 27, 2016

I have a fair understanding of torque I have extensive agricultural experience plus working on warships with 30' foot gears spinning 55 long ton propellers. Not to mention I work at a cummins high horsepower engine testing facility.

Do you think that swapping a Dana 35 is worth the effort? I have Dana 60 front and Visteon one ton rear axles in my parts heap but I would still prefer the twin traction beam and narrow track width.

Thanks for the firsthand experience I know that the d28 is a weakling ill see how long it lasts.

AllanD · Jun 27, 2016

A Dana 35 is definatly worth it.. first of all the D35 TTB setup used the exact same u-joints as the F-150 Dana44 TTB setup Ford used for 15years...

the shafts and hubs are significantly more durable than the Dana28 stuff, and because of the 1991-94 Explorer the parts are far more common in junkyards... than the Dana28 parts that were discontinued from production shortly into the 1990 model year for Rangers and Bronco2's

But if you are going that route I'd strongly suggest getting one from a 1995-1997 Ranger

These use different steering knuckles to accommodate the two-piston brake calipers
(which are common to 1995-01 Explorers and 1998-? Rangers) there is a post about what happened to the 1990-1994 steering knuckle's integrally cast caliper brackets... (they wear and break), the two piston setup uses a bolt-on (thus replaceable) caliper bracket

So in essence the 1990-94 steering knuckle is a "wear item" while the 1995-97 Steering knuckle is NOT.

That alone is excuse enough to recommend the "two-piston" brakes, but when you also factor in the
more consistent brake performance (not necessarily better stopping just more unlikely to unpleasantly surprise you)
and better availability of performance compound Carbon metallic and Various kinds of ceramic, which are not always available for the 1990-94 brakes...

(Just as a note I 'm currently running Bendix Titanium-Ceramic brake pads on drilled rotors)

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buddharacing · Jun 28, 2016

I have a full 1983 4x4 donor truck and I have read this article http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Dana44TTBconversion.htm

And that got me thinking I don't have a body on my truck its getting a full cage tying into the f250 shock mounts I have and everything. My main question alland is can I install the d44 ttb front on my bronco 2 frame if I move the coil mounts inboard on the beams and put long travel radius arms on it? I know the inboard coils wont leverage the beams as well and the wheel travel will suffer for it but my rig is gaining weight with the cage and pending f150 drivetrain. Do you think its a decent idea? This truck will never be plated or road driven at all for than matter. The turning radius would benefit from having the arms tucked back deeper I would think.

Did the 91-94 explorers have the true Dana 35 or were some like rangers with d28 gears in a 35 housing?

bf750 · Jun 28, 2016

the d35 is in the 4.0 trucks

buddharacing · Jun 29, 2016

Were all explorers 4.0s in the 91-94 era?

85_Ranger4x4 · Jun 29, 2016

buddharacing said:
Were all explorers 4.0s in the 91-94 era?

Yes. And all 91-94 Explorers have the full D35. (no hybrid crap for them)

Be sure to read up on them in the tech section, the 1/2-3/4 cross isn't what the book calls for but they fit fine.

I have ran my 302 with a D28 for 5 years now, I take it easy and get by. The crosses are rediculously loose. It is a no brainer that rebuilding a D35 doesn't cost much more than rebuilding a D28... and is a lo better when you get it done. I am working on a D35 out of a '95 Ranger for mine.

Dmgctrl88 · Jun 29, 2016

buddharacing said:
Were all explorers 4.0s in the 91-94 era?

I think so.

BLOODBANE · Jun 29, 2016

Yes the 91 -94 Explorers were all D35, with the 31 spline 8.8 rear (rRangers had a 28 spline axle except for the fx4's that came with 31 spline). I run a Explorer D35 (they are the same Ranger or Explorer)in my 425hp, 347 powered Ranger, running 36's and lockers front and rear. That being said, Im not hard on the stupid pedal. Full front lock, with serious gas pedal = broken parts.
It sounds like you have at least half way common sense, so even your D28 should last for a bit (i wouldnt depend on it though). The D35 swap is straight forward bolt in deal, but you do need to shorten your front driveshaft (bigger pumpkin on the D35). If you use the Explorer 8.8 (I would go this way myself) you will need to swap the spring pearches from the bottom of the axle housing to the top (Explorers come spua) and fab some kind of shock mount. Again if you cant, or dont have the welding equipment, any decent welding shop should be able to do this for you and set up pinion angle as well.

buddharacing · Jun 29, 2016

Well you folks have convinced me to keep an eye out for first Gen explorers on Craigslist and the junkyards. I'm gonna try to baby the d28 through this fall hunting season and then I will hopefully upgrade over the winter. I have a good selection of metal fab gear ill see if I can down size some pics of the project truck.

Will the Dana 28 survive a 351 Windsor

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