New BII owner, here is my laundry list of questions

[4x4junkie]

Probably the easiest way to replace the RA bushings is to simply pull the RA crossmember off. There are four rivets you'll have to grind the head off & knock out (replace with 7/16" bolts afterward), but this is usually easier than disassembling the frontend itself to get the arms out. At the most you might need to undo the shocks so you can move the arms down.

3.73 gears are definitely better than 3.45s, even with the small stock tires. MPG will probably be about the same either way (I was getting about 25 hwy).
Getting rid of the 235s is certainly the first step though, it might not be so bad just with the stock size tires. Might look a little funny though.

 

[4.0B2]

I would offer both 7.5 gears and the front chunk but I scrapped the 7.5 already.

I was thinking 3.73's would be better to. I love my 4.56's but I'm also on a 32.8" tire.

 

[Ultraspontane]

Alright, I've scheduled an appointment tomorrow to have all season 205s put back on.

Another question, if you replace the radius arm bushings, does that affect alignment at all? Will I have to go get an alignment service afterward?

 

[509lifted]

im in the middle of doing my ra bushings on my 92 expo so its pretty much the same, th po never replaced them and it tore up the passengers side mount so im waitin for the jy to open up tuesday to get a new crossmember. but as junkie said, it is way easier to remove the crossmember that way when u go to replace them again all u have to do is remove the bolts and there ya go. i found it easier to drill the rivets out with a 7/16 black oxide drill bit, on mine i only have two rivets and two bolts per side and it took me a total of 15 minutes per side to get the crossmember off and i have never done it before. if u decide to drill them all u gotta do is drill thru the center, once thru rock the drill bit a little then get leverage between the frame and crossmember and put a little down pressure on the pry bar and it pops right off with no need for got sparks nor tapping out the rivet once ground down as for alignment im not totaly sure but i dont think u will. hope my info helps u out some with replacing ur ra bushings, sorry for the long post.

 

[Ultraspontane]

^ Thanks. I think I'll give it a go. I'll go with grinding the rivets out as opposed to pulling the axle forward. I might be able to save myself a few hundred bucks here, now thats fairly exciting.

 

[Ultraspontane]

Quick update about the tires. Got the 205's put on, and it drives so much better. I'm stunned at how much of a difference the right size tire makes. 1st gear no longer feels tall, and I'm able to cruise at highway speeds with less strain. Very happy with how that turned out.

Now, however I've got yet another problem to add to the list. Squeaky drive belts and/or pulleys. I just started doing it today. It's an annoying rhythmic squeak at idle. How are replacing drive belts for a DIY job?

Thanks.

 

[4.0B2]

It's amazing how well stock stuff works together huh? It's like Ford thought it out when they did it lol. Glad it worked out for ya tho.

 

[509lifted]

ultra, belts aren't to hard to do yourself all u really need is a pry bar to put pressure back on them when tightening the tentioner, but i did find when my belt got water in one spot it made a squeak for a good week before it finally stopped, but u could check and see how worn they are

 

[509lifted]

also if u go to the tech library there is a link at the top of the page btw, there is alot of info on everything ur asking there are even step by step instructions on how to do most and they have pics to make it easier, i hope u like ur b2 i found mine with stock tire size with a little aggresive tread it went places i would never of expected it to go. and that 2.9 is damn near impossible to kill. one thing u may want to upgrade is the radiator, the key to the 2.9 is keeping it cool and if ur gonna be in the hills some it will get a little hot. all u gotta do is get a 4.0 radiator and fashion up a couple new mounts which u can do with a piece of metal and ur bare hands

 

[4.0B2]

hey since you have a stock b2 on stock size tires, can you do me a favor?

measure front and rear, ground to the fender opening in the middle of the tire... then center of the wheel hub to the same spot on the fender. I'm trying to figure out how much lift I really have. so from the ground at the center of where the tire makes contact, straight up to the fender opening.. then from the hub to the same spot of the fender.

 

[Ultraspontane]

hey since you have a stock b2 on stock size tires, can you do me a favor?

measure front and rear, ground to the fender opening in the middle of the tire... then center of the wheel hub to the same spot on the fender. I'm trying to figure out how much lift I really have. so from the ground at the center of where the tire makes contact, straight up to the fender opening.. then from the hub to the same spot of the fender.

Sure. Will do tomorrow.