D35/28 hybrid upgrade q's

[lyno]

Hi everyone! Unluckily, I have the D35/28 hybrid front axle on my mid-1994 Ranger 4x4 V6 3.0L a/t supercab I bought used. I'm upgrading both the stock suspension and the 3.73 gear to a Jamesduff Stage 1 Suspension and a Yukon Dana/Spicer D28 front and Ford 7.5 rear 4.56 ratio ring and pinion to accommodate either 31" or 32" x 15 tires. I plan to use the ranger 80% on road and 20% light off road trails. I have a couple of questions to ask re upgrades:

1. What parts should I replace/ can I retain, in order to upgrade my front to a "true" D35 ?

2. In case I could not upgrade to a "true" D35 (due to unavailability of used parts in my part of the world), will my D35/28 setup not cause any problem in installing/ fitting the above mentioned suspension and gear upgrades? Will it be the same just like fitting them to a "true" D35 diff?

3. Will Jamesduff stage 1 be just right? Stage 2 is around $700 more. Is it worth the extra $?

4. I read somewhere that if the Ranger's engine is below V6 4.0L, a 4.56 gear would be right for a 31" tire and would not consume that much gas. My 3.0L engine is even fitted with an auto trans (driver side door jamb specs indicates "Trans- T" - don't know what that stands for). Is 4.56 ok or too low for the ranger's intended use? Total lift for either JD stage 1 or 2 is 2 1/2" because it is for a supercab model so that max tire size without body lift is probably 32" max.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Ranger44]

A 31" would be a good choice for a 3" kit and more on than off road use. A 3.0 is better off with a 5spd, but with an auto tranny 4.56's are a great choice for 31" tires. . Don't worry about the hybrid axles. Unless you are running a HUGE tire and doing some hardcore stuff you shouldn't have any problems.

I've got a little 4cyl right now and I have a hybrid. I have 4'10's and 30" tires. It has plenty of get up and does pretty good offroad being stock.

The hybrid axles just you a D-28 carrier and the inner shafts are adapted to fit into the smaller carrier. The problems with the D-28 are outer shafts breaking. This isn't a problem because everything else is d-35: outer shafts, hubs, etc. If you do want to upgrade to a true D-35 carrier, all you will need are the carrier and inner axle shafts.

You will have no problem fitting the kit. Just make sure that when you buy gears or locker for the front it's for a d-28 carrier. The stage II will provide you with the extended radius arms. I plan on getting this kit when I finish tech school. It will provide more flex and maybe even a better ride all together. Plus you get dual shocks up front. Thats another thing that improves on both off and on road ride. It prevents a single shock from overheating on bumby terrain by providing a second shock to share the load. Supposedly giving a smoother ride.

 

[Ranger44]

...swap in a 5spd, and manual T-case, and hubs.

 

[lyno]

It got a manual T-case and hubs when I bought it. My other concern is the 2 1/2" (s/c) JD stage 1. In case I opt for 32"x15 tires, which I think looks better than the 31" but still within limits for the D35/28 front and 4.56 gearing, will the tire be close enough to the stock fenders to rub on light trails? Or should I instead get a 4" Skyjacker without leaf springs/ext radius arms?

 

[rickcdewitt]

your truck should fit 31's stock.the 3 inch kit will fit 32's no prob.look in the tech library for lift height/tire size info.i think its at the bottom of the main library page.for small tires like those you might consider 4.10's for the 80% highway time or your revs could go over 3000 rpms at 65 in overdrive.there is a tire and gear chart in the library also.

 

[Ranger44]

32" would be fine with a 3" kit. If you want more performance get the 4.56's...if you want better mileage get the 4.10's. the 3.0's like high rpm's(3,000 to 3,200) though and gets better gas milage up there too.

 

[Ranger44]

Actually, if you are regearing anyway, you may want to visit a junk yard and pull out a true D-35 diff and inner shafts and just use them if you are stillworried about strength or just want a true d-35.

 

[dmicucci]

I am currently running the dana 28/35 front axle with manual hubs, a lockright, 3.73 gears, 33x12.50 tires, with the 3.0/auto combination. I haven't had any problems so far (knock on wood). I have 4.56 gears in a box in my garage at the moment, so i'll probably start breaking parts soon, lol.

If you are regearing anyway it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to swap to a true dana 35 as has been said already, but you shouldn't have any problems running that size tires with the hybrid axle if you really don't want to swap.

 

[Ranger44]

At 65mph in 3rd gear at a 1:1 ratio it will be at about 3,200 rpm. But in overdrive 4th gear at a .75 ratio it will be at about 2,500 rpm. Go with the 4.56's you'll be happier with the extra get up with the higher rpm's that the 3.0 likes.

 

[lyno]

At 65mph in 3rd gear at a 1:1 ratio it will be at about 3,200 rpm. But in overdrive 4th gear at a .75 ratio it will be at about 2,500 rpm. Go with the 4.56's you'll be happier with the extra get up with the higher rpm's that the 3.0 likes.

What tire size did we base this data from? Given the 3.0L- a/t- 4.56 combo I'm interested in comparing data above with a 31", 32" and 33". Hope this is not asking too much, just want to make it right the first time.

 

[Ranger44]

The above info I supplied was based off the 32" tire. Just subtract 100 rpm for a 33" and add 100rpm for the 31" tires for your final rpm reading. Also when changing tires and gears change your speedometer gear in the transfer case for a correct speed reading.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Speedogear.html

 

[lyno]

Thanks again for your valuable inputs. Based on these, I ordered the JD stage 1 and 4.56 front and rear R&P. Since I intend to/limited to using up to 32" tires because of the JD 2 1/2" lift, I decided to stick with the stock d35/28 hybrid axle. Is there a way to strengthen the hybrid axle against the common defect of breaking of the outer axle shaft? Will upgrading into a Spicer 760x u-joint plus round clips prevent this from occuring especially when used off-road? In short, is it possible to bullet proof the hybrid?

 

[Ranger44]

The outer shaft breaking is only on a true Dana 28. The hybrid uses Dana 35 shafts, hubs, etc. You won't have to worry about that stuff breaking. Your hybrid will be fine. Let us know how it goes.