Best Dana 30

[PlumCrazy]

I have a 2wd Ranger and Im thinking of swapping in a Dana 30. I know that the 30 isn't as strong as the 44 or the ttb 35, but I have a 2.3 and I am not planning on running anything thing larger than 33's (31's most likely).Stock disc brakes and keeping the same lug pattern is another plus in my eyes, not to mention parts for jeeps are easy to come by around here. I will most likely swap in manual hubs eventually.

I want to know what dana 30 is the best. I have heard that the 96+ XJ's are the way to go. They don't have CAD and they have larger u-joints than previous years, right?

I was also thinking of going with a leaf sprinf setup, would the Wrangler YJ be better if I go this route? Can anything be done to fix the weak point at the CAD (I think I read all Wrangler YJ's had CAD)?

and one more question, the difference between reverse cut and standard cut is the location of the input shaft correct? (reverse cut being the higher one)

thanks
-plumcrazy

 

[crawlin91]

The best dana 30 is any that arent under your ranger. Id seriously consider going dana44

 

[PlumCrazy]

I can a 30 for cheap and parts are easy to get. I have been looking for 44's and they hard to find not to mention I would have to change wheels and most likley have to buy everything to convert to disc brakes. I am not going to give the axle any abuse and it only has to hold up to a 2.3 and 33's at the most. I know the 30 is not as heavy as a 44 and they won't take much abuse, but I figure staying with a smaller tire, 4cyl, and a Standard cab a dana 30 will be just fine. I don't don't wheel much if any. I use this truck around the farm and as a DD I just want 4x4 so I can make it in and out of fields and maybe have a little fun with out getting stuck. Maybe swapping the crossmember and putting a ttb dana 35 would be the way to go, but SAS seems like an easy way to get what I want and the dana 30 is cheap and will give me something to keep me busy for a while.

I am almost 100% sure a Dana 30 is want I am going to do unless someone close by happpens to be throwing out a 44 with disc's.


So if anyone has pics of their dana 30 swap (coil or leaf) I would love to see them.

-plumcrazy

 

[RumpRangerSTX]

Sell Your Truck And Buy One That Is 4x4 Already Alot Cheaper And Lot Less Work . Plus Danna 35 Stronger Than A Danna 30

 

[Maverick]

The 95+ XJ does have the best D30. Whether you go leafs or coils it would be the axle to use. For your intended use a D30 would work just fine. Here's a link to my build: http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1485. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

 

[86ford]

The 95+ XJ does have the best D30. Whether you go leafs or coils it would be the axle to use. For your intended use a D30 would work just fine. Here's a link to my build: http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1485. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

agreed.

The d30 is PERFECT for his application. TTB is good for vehicles that already have it but given a choice I would take a d30 or d44 solid axle over a d35 TTB. I run the TTB because its the easiest, NOT because its the best.

86

 

[lil red]

look for the ABS tone wheels on the stub shafts, those are the cream of the crop

if the axel i pulled in school wasnt raped and pillaged, it would be in my truck already just cuz of the shafts

 

[4x4junkie]

With 31s you should be fine with the D30. 33s is about the upper limit though, being that the Ranger is much heavier up front than the Jeep the axle came from.

 

[PlumCrazy]

Even with a 4cyl and Reg cab? I know the lima motor is built like a tank though.

-plumcrazy

 

[Evan]

Even with a 4cyl and Reg cab? I know the lima motor is built like a tank though.

-plumcrazy

Yup. The Ranger has beefy framerails, and a heavier body, compared to a lightweight unibody Jeep.

 

[PlumCrazy]

So do all 96+ XJ's have a one peice pass side axle shaft and the larger u-joints?

And if I was to get a wrangler YJ axle would the one peice axle from an XJ be a direct swap? can both sides be swapped for the larger u-joint shafts from an XJ?

sorry to ask a million questions. I did read the tech section on dana 30's and it filled in almost all the blanks I had , but I am just double checking everything before I drag home an axle that I don't want or can't swap out parts on.

thanks for your help so far
-plumcrazy

 

[AKBroncoII]

You will have to use a different seal for the passenger side housing. Any aftermarket seal would work for the YJ axle. Looking for a 4 cylinder yj axle. It will have 4.10's.

 

[Roger]

Any non-disco D30 has a one piece passenger shaft. Personally, I'd look for a High Pinion D30 with non-disco and ABS tone rings HP is a little stronger than the Low Pinion.

Also, the front of the XJ is a bit heavier than everyone thinks. My ZJ front carries more weight than the front of my 2.3 Ranger... 4.0 liter inline six weighs in around 550 pounds. Whats the 2.3? 350-400?

 

[AKBroncoII]

That is true, late 2000, XJ's went to low pinion but kept the large joints. They ran out of high pinion housings so they started using TJ low pinion housings. So you are looking for 93.5-2000.5 for years of XJ's.

It is true that any non disco dana 30 has a one piece passenger shaft, but it WON'T swap right over without the proper seals. The seal on the disco housing it out on the outside of the disconnect to keep the disconnect lubed at all times for better engagement. Other dana 30's had the seal at the carrier. I believe there are conversion seals for the carrier side, or you can run outter seals that most aftermarket companies make.

 

[PlumCrazy]

so there aren't any disc brake non CAD out there?

Its nice to know about the 4.10 with the 4cyl thing since I already have a 4.10 rear.

-plumcrazy