hybrid front axle Ford8.8/Dana30

[antonisxj]

First, congrats on sticking with it.
I don't know much about linked fronts [or rears] but it looks like your upper links are triangulated to the lower links. Wouldn't that mean you don't need a track bar?
Did you cycle the suspension and when you did, was there binding between the track bar and the other links? I'm thinking that the angled top link will be fighting against the track bar as you cycle the suspension.
What size are the bolts holding your links on both frame and axle?


Richard

thank you sir.

i dont know the sizes of the bolts but i can measure them if you want. the suspension is a rubicon express i bought in 2008.

my suspension mounts are exactly the same as the jeep had with the dana 30.
the upper links are not triangulated too much to eliminate the existance of the track bar. (i hope you understand my english )

"I'm thinking that the angled top link will be fighting against the track bar as you cycle the suspension."
and there is the big thing in the whole "track bar mount fitting"
the track bar has to be in the right possition to not "fight" against the suspension, and it has to be long enough not to "fight" against the steering. plus, it has to be in the same angle with the upper steering bar.
Its a good geometry issue.
and because of my work, i'm good in geometry

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Have you looked into a "watt's" linkage? I don't know if you have room or if it's applicable on a front axle, just tossing out ideas.

Richard

 

[cdawall]

but...
everything is done with 5mm steel
and everything is welded with MIG inside, outside, up and down.
what else can i do?
details?
thanx.

Box them. They will catch rocks and bend off. It doesn't matter that they are thicker than stock...It's just the lowers I see a major issue with. Other than that looks good. Are you planning on sticking to the stock size 297x ujoints or bumping up? and are you keeping stock outers while moving to a 31 spline inner shaft?



As for the links you are fine they are setup like my Ford minus mine being mid arms and exactly like my XJ's front.

 

[antonisxj]

Box them. They will catch rocks and bend off. It doesn't matter that they are thicker than stock...It's just the lowers I see a major issue with. Other than that looks good.

i had this in mind from the beginning but i firstly wanted to see where and how all the links will sit. in he future i will beef them up.
in the past, my links on the dana30 bended because they were not boxed, just as you said. on my new axle i tend not to have similar issues

Are you planning on sticking to the stock size 297x ujoints or bumping up? and are you keeping stock outers while moving to a 31 spline inner shaft?

no more ujoints for me
i hope that RCV Performance will constract for me new inner shafts and dana44 outer CV's

like i said in the past "we dont have ford or chevy dana44 laying around here"
here in Greece, we pay the weight of a dana44, in GOLD thats why i'm constracting this axle with parts from anything i can find in our jank yards.

 

[cdawall]

i had this in mind from the beginning but i firstly wanted to see where and how all the links will sit. in he future i will beef them up.
in the past, my links on the dana30 bended because they were not boxed, just as you said. on my new axle i tend not to have similar issues

Good to hear I figured as much, but wanted to throw it out there just in case.

no more ujoints for me
i hope that RCV Performance will constract for me new inner shafts and dana44 outer CV's

like i said in the past "we dont have ford or chevy dana44 laying around here"
here in Greece, we pay the weight of a dana44, in GOLD thats why i'm constracting this axle with parts from anything i can find in our jank yards.

CV's are still only good up to a point. I am honestly surprised you didn't snag a rear D44 and construct basically a JK D44. Those are a lot more common in the rears of Honda Passports and similar. Heck a GM 10 bolt front would have served you great especially since everything knuckles out is interchangeable with a D44. The 8.8/30 combo is still a cool concept, but it still has those weak D30 C's, unit bearings etc. I assume by D44 CV outers you mean something similar to whats in the JK D44's since nothing else will really fit 5 on 4.5.

 

[antonisxj]

...Those are a lot more common in the rears of Honda Passports and similar. Heck a GM 10 bolt front would have served you great...

No Honda passport here.
What cars have GM10 in frond? when i was trying to find an axle here in Greece i saw an old Blazer Jimmy with a V6 engine and i think it was a GM10 on the rear. i'm not sure. anyway, any axle that is not supported by OX Lockers was not an option for me. So, only dana30-35-44 and F8.8 was my options. It is extremely difficult to find a dana44 here, thats why i ended up in this solution (plus it is hand made and if it breaks i won't care)

just to have a clue about the prices of a pair dana44 from a JeeP Rubicon
take a look here--> http://to4x4.gr/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5371

in the first line of the list says "dana44, 4.11 ratio, lockers, disk brakes, price 3500euro"
about 4500 USD.
...and we are in the middle of an unbelievable economic crisis...

 

[cdawall]

No Honda passport here.
What cars have GM10 in frond? when i was trying to find an axle here in Greece i saw an old Blazer Jimmy with a V6 engine and i think it was a GM10 on the rear. i'm not sure. anyway, any axle that is not supported by OX Lockers was not an option for me. So, only dana30-35-44 and F8.8 was my options. It is extremely difficult to find a dana44 here, thats why i ended up in this solution (plus it is hand made and if it breaks i won't care)

just to have a clue about the prices of a pair dana44 from a JeeP Rubicon
take a look here--> http://to4x4.gr/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5371

in the first line of the list says "dana44, 4.11 ratio, lockers, disk brakes, price 3500euro"
about 4500 USD.
...and we are in the middle of an unbelievable economic crisis...

Older GM's had the SFA GM10 bolt. 1500, K5 Blazer, Suburbans and that's about it. D44 rubicon axles from what I have seen are expensive $2K for a front here so I could almost see that one...Still I agree with you and it looks like you made the most of a shitty situation and hope you end up with one hell of a front axle.

 

[antonisxj]

hello everyone,
i hope you have happy holydays.

saturday i decided not to go to work and spend some time in the garage
some friends wanted to see my car progress and gathered to help me

i had to finish with my rear axle because it is in my way for a long time and i can't work with the frond axle before finishing the rear.

some photos...

my way to put in the spring

i shaved a bit the 4,88 ring to put on the pin

i measured the backlash with my micrometer and is 0,033mm. about 0,013inch. the Nitro manual says "backlash 11 to 16, so I'm ok. The final settings for the ring pinion took some time. i had to change pinion shims 3 times. the final marks seem good. I could set it much better but the local shops dont have shims in variety for the pinion. only 0.2mm, 0.4mm 0.5mm and 1mm.
i had to use the 0.4mm but the best setting would be with a 0.3mm.
anyway... the marks seem good.

i also opened a hole to the right side that was missing

rear brake line...

finished axle

 

[antonisxj]

hello everyone,
I wish you all have a nice and healthy new year.

...some update of my axle progress...

track bar angle 10.6 degrees
steering bar (i think you call it draglink?) angle 11.9 degrees
trackbar length 81cm.
streering bar length 91cm.
I think I eliminated the bumpsteer and death wooble

final steering wheel

this is a "tool" i made to open the new holes for my streering now that the tie rod ends are upsidedown.
it was an old tie rod end modified into a drill

new track bar bracket on the axle.

just for laugh

but finaly

I finished and the handbrakes on the rear
finished with the lights on the rear axle
finished with the rear diff oil temperature sensor
and a camera 170degrees view (dont know if I will ever use it. but since I have a couple spare, why not?...)

[/quote]

thats all for now. by the end of the week, my little Hippo must be on the road again.

 

[cdawall]

Other than the rear blocks everything looks good.

 

[dangerranger83]

Its either me or your steering linkage is really close to the diff. in the front, and thats with the wheels pointing straight too.

Thats my only worry so far.

 

[antonisxj]

Its either me or your steering linkage is really close to the diff. in the front, and thats with the wheels pointing straight too.

Thats my only worry so far.

it is close but I checkted with the diff cover on and there is no problem. about 2" space from the bar to the diff cover. If i hit a rock, i hope i will brake the rock or the bar will tuch the cover

 

[antonisxj]

Other than the rear blocks everything looks good.

"the rear blocks" ?
what about them?
I needed the high. and I'm going to weld them in some points to be sure everything stay in place.

any advise for me?

 

[dangerranger83]

Looks like he running traction bars anyways so having the blocks isnt going to hurt a thing when it comes to axle wrap.

I think he was saying that they look flimsy and may get crushed or break on you due to them not being solid blocks.

 

[cdawall]

"the rear blocks" ?
what about them?
I needed the high. and I'm going to weld them in some points to be sure everything stay in place.

any advise for me?

Thin hunks of square tubing. That's my complaint.