Three vs. Four vs. Five Link vs. IRS

[rusty ol ranger]

sploder dont have coils...its underslung. what else good would panther parts do? 28 spline? watts and coils are all they have to offer.

No i was saying you could adapt the coils/linkages off the vic onto the explorers 8.8.

Basically doing away with the factory leafs.

So you would get the 31 spline explorer axle, but with coils and link arms. Along with the big fat stablizer used on the P71s.

Seeing as how they are both 8.8s i would think the tubes would be the samt diameter, making it a cut/measure/weld affair, without any real serious fab.

 

[bobbywalter]

aye.....same point.... my message may have not been clear.

the panther has thinner tubes. not enough to matter.

 

[bobbywalter]

curts truck is done this way....the one he had the 4.2 in...

 

[rusty ol ranger]

curts truck is done this way....the one he had the 4.2 in...

I dont recall that one...

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

Vehicle characteristics comes directly from link geometry. yes beam front ends cause more body roll or "sway" than a arms but that can be countered with a good link set up. in my opinion a 4 link is best. with high amounts of squat "weight transfer" built into the rear link geometry you can absolutely get a truck to corner sharply, low, and controlled. theres lots of books and even articles on the web of how to set up a 4 link so the vehicle does what you want it to.
also an after market sway bar can be built for even more control
they say pictures are worth a thousand words. heres my truck, i beams up front, 35" tires, no sway bar and a 4 link. i came sliding into a dry lake bed at about 50mph with the wheel cranked. as soon as i hit the gas the rear sat down (squat) and countered most body roll.

Edit. Never mind, is the photo uploader broken?

 

[ericbphoto]

Vehicle characteristics comes directly from link geometry. yes beam front ends cause more body roll or "sway" than a arms but that can be countered with a good link set up. in my opinion a 4 link is best. with high amounts of squat "weight transfer" built into the rear link geometry you can absolutely get a truck to corner sharply, low, and controlled. theres lots of books and even articles on the web of how to set up a 4 link so the vehicle does what you want it to.
also an after market sway bar can be built for even more control
they say pictures are worth a thousand words. heres my truck, i beams up front, 35" tires, no sway bar and a 4 link. i came sliding into a dry lake bed at about 50mph with the wheel cranked. as soon as i hit the gas the rear sat down (squat) and countered most body roll.

Edit. Never mind, is the photo uploader broken?

So, where's the video of that maneuver?

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

So, where's the video of that maneuver?

i dont think i have any video of it but there is a photo. i just cant figure out how to upload photos anymore with out a url link. the sit had a photo uploader....is it gone?

 

[ericbphoto]

i dont think i have any video of it but there is a photo. i just cant figure out how to upload photos anymore with out a url link. the sit had a photo uploader....is it gone?

Use the attachments button below the reply box. But I don't see it right now as I type this. Maybe it's on break. It should be next to "insert quotes"

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

till then, all in all have you considered keeping your leafs with a good shock set up? those will probably give you the best results for what you want....

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

So, I have a huge confession:



I did not know link suspension, etc was coils only.

I feel dumb. Really dumb. In my defense, I was never exposed to this sort of stuff in earlier days. All of my prior experience is B body Mopar and Jeep XJ.


Well. OK. Now that that's out of the way, I need to do some more homework on setups using leaf springs on the back with supports.

till then, all in all have you considered keeping your leafs with a good shock set up? those will probably give you the best results for what you want....

That's what I'm leaning towards as of now. The front has Bilstien 4600s on it, waiting on the 5100s for the rear (rear has a lift shackle). Should be here Monday. I've seen traction bar setups on rear leaf springs, and have heard of Watts links or Panhard bars being used with them. With the heavy duty Husky springs I put in the back, I do get some stability issues. They seem to wander side to side quite a bit. Looking to end that.

AlwaysFlOoReD makes a good point on the front axle. Having it raise my CoG is a concern. How big of a pain in the ass would it be to change to SLA? Is it worth doing? Would a solid able swap benefit me? Or just replace my D28 with a D35 to gain a few more inches of stance? Or at the very least, replace my D28 with a better one? Mine is HAMMERED. Lots of internal noise. Ugh. Sorry. So many questions. Still reading on my end.



I know I'm going to need to replace my 7.5 rear diff as well. It's taken to clunking quite a bit, and I really hate having an open diff. At the very least it's getting changed out for a Ranger 8.8 with posi, if not the Explorer axle (now that I have the swap kit; Thanks Jim!).

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Dont feel dumb. Ya dont know if ya never learned.

Have you considered a 9 inch rear?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

The 9" is strong, has lots of aftermarket support, and as many gear ratios as you could want....but AFAIK is quite a bit heavier. In PJ's case, keeping overall weight down is essential. I hate to say it, but that 2.9 needs all the help it can get (well, I guess I didn't hate to say it, It actually felt good....). I believe that's the same reason Bobby suggested keeping the d28, and I agree. A rally car will be on groomed gravel roads (at least around me) an doesn't need to stand up to major torque. If he can find a TC with torque splitting even better. I can't remember the designation but the Aerostar came with AWD that split 30% front and 70% rear, an ideal setup in this case.

 

[snoranger]

A stock 9" vs a stock 31 spline Explorer 8.8 isn't even a debate.
The 8.8" is the better axle. It's lighter, has stronger axles, consumes less power, disc brakes, set up to almost bolt into a Ranger.
The 9" has a stronger center section (the stock 28 spline axles are the weak point.), biggest aftermarket support on the planet, can handle anything you throw at (let's be serious, how much power is a 2.9 really going to make?)

... if you want to build a strong axle, start with the 9". If you want to buy an axle that will hold up to a supercharged 2.9l in a Ranger, 8.8".

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Factory 9 inches are heavier....

But there are complete aftermarket ones now that weigh less then an 8.8...they are pricy though.

 

[snoranger]

Factory 9 inches are heavier....

But there are complete aftermarket ones now that weigh less then an 8.8...they are pricy though.

Absolutely... I've built 9" rears that handle 4000 rpm transbrake launches behind big block cars. (I worked in my buddies chassis shop as a second job for 10 years.) I've build high pinion 9" fronts. (They're only called 9"... they use 8.8 gears.)
Pretty much anything is possible with a 9".

BUT, that's why i said this:


... if you want to build a strong axle, start with the 9". If you want to buy an axle that will hold up to a supercharged 2.9l in a Ranger, 8.8".


All a 9" will do in his case is cost more then a used Explorer 8.8 and rob more power.