Explorer front and rear suspension on bii

Tallpaul · Jan 30, 2014

I have a stock 89 bronco II. I'm looking to swap in an explorer front and rear end on my bronco II. What will it ride and handle like on road? The bronco is my daily driver so the on road driving and handling is more important to me than the off road capabilities, but I'm sure the explorer suspension will be more than adequate for my off road needs.

Beachbuggy · Jan 30, 2014

Just did this to mine, expo rear springs are pretty stiff but its a great upgrade and the added width really adds to to the look! I say do it.

Tallpaul · Jan 30, 2014

Thanks for the reply beach buggy. Does your bronco in your avatar have the swap or is that before the swap? Did it take some of the roll out of the vehicle when going around curves? Is it so stiff that it jars you when you hit a good bump?

Tallpaul · Jan 30, 2014

Beachbuggy said:
Just did this to mine, expo rear springs are pretty stiff but its a great upgrade and the added width really adds to to the look! I say do it.

Will any explorer work up to a 2001 except for a 1995, or will I have to stick to 91-94? How much wider is it? Did it pick yours up a little bit?

bobbywalter · Jan 30, 2014

about 3 in wider.

i would consider a set of alcan or deaver springs if you want a nice ride and drive allot of miles. but the fact your considering the explorers, i would guess your wanting to do it on a budget.

the axles are worth it all the way, unless you already have a d35 front axle. but spare parts are nice to have if that is the case.

those axles go a long way towards have a bad ass b2....get a 4.0 and it will be a very reliable monster.

wildbill23c · Jan 30, 2014

In 95 they went to that IFS front suspension if I remember correctly, at least the one my parents had was IFS. So anything 94 and earlier would be a pretty easy swap from what I recall from other threads regarding this sort of swap. Not to mention you get some heavier duty axles.

SenorNoob · Feb 2, 2014

Sounds like you want the D35 TTB front that was in 90-97 Rangers and 90/91-94 Explorers. For the rear you want the 31 spline 8.8 from a 90/91 - ? Explorer. 95+ has disc brakes. May or may not need to swap the master cylinder if you get a disc brake axle.

Keep in mind the Explorer rear isn't exactly a bolt in.

Also, doesn't the B2 have a slightly different differential offset for the rear axle?

Tallpaul · Feb 2, 2014

Yeah I wouldn't mind the rear discs

SenorNoob said:
Sounds like you want the D35 TTB front that was in 90-97 Rangers and 90/91-94 Explorers. For the rear you want the 31 spline 8.8 from a 90/91 - ? Explorer. 95+ has disc brakes. May or may not need to swap the master cylinder if you get a disc brake axle.

Keep in mind the Explorer rear isn't exactly a bolt in.

Also, doesn't the B2 have a slightly different differential offset for the rear axle?

From my research, the spring perches would have to be flipped, but that's not a big worry to me. The rear discs would be great, but as long as it stops I don't care if it has the drums on the back. That's the first I've heard about the different differential. I was hoping to find a 91-94 explorer 4x4 with a good motor. So that I could use the suspension and later on down the road swap in the 4.0 when my 2.9 wears out. Mine is getting 20mpgs mixed driving right now and I'm sure that would go down if I dropped in the 4.0.

Does anyone know how the 4" stage 1 James duff kit rides and handles on the road compared to stock?

Beachbuggy · May 1, 2014

Hey, Sorry for the late response...just saw this! My old avatar was as i bought it, new pic is after all the changes. I'm really happy with the results, wife drove it and said it goes much better (she refused to drive before, said it was too tippy). My front rides nice (stock 2.9l springs 1.5" block), the rear is a little stiff still. I'm running 93 expo rear leafs with the overloads removed and a 1.5" lift block. 100lbs in the back really makes the ride pretty nice. It's definitely more stable now but still has some body roll. the front swap is a no-brainer, getting the pinion angle in the rear was a little tricky, spring surfaces are not level with the lift so you cant just level the rear and set the pinion at 6* (or whatever). Next time I'd dry fit everything before welding my perches.

Beachbuggy · May 1, 2014

Also, I did your plan and swapped a whole 1993 explorer driveline into it, keeping the drum rears. I have no regrets, they're bigger than the B2's and they work just fine. Plus, with the exception of body parts, my B2 is now a 93 expo at the parts store, really simplifies it for maintenance and such... :icon_thumby:

T Hilde · Jun 24, 2014

Do I understand that the front is a bolt in? Is it wider like the rear too? Thinking of doing this to my ranger.

cheers :beer:

TexCaliBII · Jul 6, 2014

Yep,
The D35 is a bolt in all the way and is wider. I also put in the 8.8 in the rear and added disk brakes from a 97. Only mods are of course flipping the spring perches, keeping in mind the pad separation is wider on the 8.8 than the 7.5. Before welding the perches in set the diff angle. Also the rear drive shaft flange is different. Easy fix though to make a rear drive shaft from the Expo and BII one. In my case I kept the BII front springs as they were heavy duties as this truck was an Alaska State Parks vehicle. It also gives my truck a slight rake.... I really like how the stability was improved.

Explorer front and rear suspension on bii

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