dana 30?

[defective4x4_1]

has anyone ever put a dana 30 from a cherokee or wrangler in the front of a ranger to get rid of the ttb front.Its still coil spring and on the same side?

 

[martin]

It's been done lots of times. there are varying opinions on whether it's worth it or not, mainly due to availability of d44's in the area.

 

[defective4x4_1]

i know you can really beef up a d30.Ive had a coulpe of them that survived 35 or 37 inch tires.Im normally a jeep guy but got my 94 ranger cheap thats why i bought it.Any help would be great on a swap.Does he coil buckets need to be moved and such as that.Any links or write ups would be great.Thanx

 

[1988broncoll]

Just going to through my 2 cents in but if your going to go through the hassel of putting a Dana 30 under your truck why not just go straight to D44 its going to be just as much work and its already stronger to begin with. You can always upgrade it even more but thats just my opion. why do that much work to put a D30 under when u can go D44 and be stronger to begin with

 

[Sunk]

Use the search function. There are many threads about this swap on this site, and you'll learn a lot.

 

[BlackBII]

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Dana30.htm

 

[86ford]

Just going to through my 2 cents in but if your going to go through the hassel of putting a Dana 30 under your truck why not just go straight to D44 its going to be just as much work and its already stronger to begin with. You can always upgrade it even more but thats just my opion. why do that much work to put a D30 under when u can go D44 and be stronger to begin with

bolt pattern of a d30 is the same unlike most d44s

d30 is very close in width unlike most 44s

d30 parts are every were

there are so many different d44s it gets confusing.

86

 

[4x4junkie]

i know you can really beef up a d30.Ive had a coulpe of them that survived 35 or 37 inch tires.Im normally a jeep guy but got my 94 ranger cheap thats why i bought it.Any help would be great on a swap.Does he coil buckets need to be moved and such as that.Any links or write ups would be great.Thanx

You will not be able to make a D30 as strong as the stock HP D35 you have under your Ranger now, the ring & pinion gears are too small (also remember the frontend weight of your Ranger is much more than that of a Jeep too, so reports of how well the axle holds up with "x" size tires won't apply when the axle is under a Ranger).

If you reeeaaallly must swap, a D44 is the absolute minimum of what you should be after, otherwise you'd be better off keeping the D35 TTB and fixing whatever issue it is you're having with it.

What is the issue anyway? Why are you thinking of swapping?

 

[aaron47]

there is a company that has a d 60 for jeeps,if you can swap a d 30,the d 60 would also swap in

 

[defective4x4_1]

the problem im having with it is i HATE the way it sits going down the road.I can never get the alignment rite and when it does it doesnt stay.I only got a 4" lift with 32s.I got a d30 sitting in my yard and figured it would be easier.

 

[Maverick]

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1485

 

[4x4junkie]

the problem im having with it is i HATE the way it sits going down the road.I can never get the alignment rite and when it does it doesnt stay.I only got a 4" lift with 32s.I got a d30 sitting in my yard and figured it would be easier.

A D30 certainly would be likely to fix that issue, although is the strength penalty worth it? You'll be taking a double-whammy if it's a pre-'95 D30 with the small 260X axle u-joints too. Lastly, the D30's cartridge-bearing design is inferior to the D35's serviceable wheel bearing setup with locking hubs.

My guess is you don't have a long enough pitman arm with your lift to put your steering linkage back down flat (or inline with the TTB beams). Bad steering geometry is the #1 reason for alignment issues on TTB suspensions, and unfortunately the suspension industry doesn't seem to give a sh!t about it as they just keep right on selling lift kits with this problem.

The Skyjacker pt# FA600 pitman arm is the ONLY arm out there that offers a true 4" of drop, all the rest are more like a 2" drop. I'm betting this would solve your issue of tire wear just as well as swapping the whole thing would.
Also check that the ride height is correct on your suspension, as this would affect the alignment as well (the axle beam pivot bolts should be at the same height to no more than 2" higher than the wheel hub centerline (1" higher being ideal)). Washers, or a spacer under the bottom coil seats can be used to adjust the height if needed.


Hopefully that will help, and if you still would rather swap, like some of the others have said, info on it should be easy to find with the Search engine here (the link Maverick posted would likely be among the 1st search hits to come up)

 

[Evan]

Lastly, the D30's cartridge-bearing design is inferior to the D35's serviceable wheel bearing setup with locking hubs.

I believe you can convert to D44-based outers, but the cost of the conversion kit is SCARY.

 

[Hahnsb2]

I believe you can convert to D44-based outers, but the cost of the conversion kit is SCARY.

And then you lose the 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern too, which defeats the purpose of using the D30.

 

[defective4x4_1]

thanx for all the input guys.