Opinions from SAS Ranger owners

[David88]

I want to do a SAS on my Ranger, and I'd like to hear about experiances others have had in doing there swap. I searched for a best swap and could not come up with a post, and the tech library has lots of options.

Which axel did you choose and why?

 

[armadillon]

If you're gonna SAS it, I recommend Dana 44 or Dana 60. All solid swaps are going to probably be around the same difficulty, as long as you're excluding cost in that measurement

Dana 30s are the weakest of the main 3 in stock form, followed by the 44 and the 60. This will mostly depend on what kind of wheeling you're doing.

The 60s are going to be the most expensive and probably the hardest to find, but the 30s and 44s are everywhere.

I personally chose the 44 since it was cheap for me, I'm a beginner wheeler, but it's also a daily driver. It's pretty tough as well but it isn't as strong as the 60 in stock form. It's also a very well documented swap (The 60 is too, but my wheeler brother recommended the 44 for me). Also, I wanted my truck to be full width. The D30 allows you to stay normal ranger width, but if you're gonna do a badass swap, why not go big or go home? Full width looks awesome and you have better balance and stability because you have a wider stance. You can, of course, narrow it to the stock ranger width, its also very well documented, but to me that's too much trouble.

The D60 is pretty badass. Most people use the 60 because it's damn near bulletproof. Especially if you upgrade shafts etc.

Don't search for Best Swap, just search for "SAS" or "Solid Axle Swap" or "D44" or "D60" et cetera. Best Swap is a terrible phrase to search because everyone has different opinions. Some good swaps to check out are by these users:

(Dont get mad if i don't list you, ok?)
cdawall
PlumCrazy
wahlstrom1
Bray D

and ANY other build thread listed in a signature. If you see the banner that says 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, or 1 ton under their name, they usually have a link to their build thread in their signature. Also, check out the Offroad Truck of the Month list. Theres some great swaps in those. We argue all the time about the strengths and weaknesses of axles, so don't bother asking about them, READ!

Read read read and read more before you post any questions on it. We love new people, but we don't like old questions.

 

[country0001]

You need to give more information on your plans, like tire size, use and abuse and so forth.

A D30 is good for light wheeling, hardcore wheeling requires more upgrades.

Whats your budget too?

 

[David88]

I'll look into the Dana 44. Junkyards are plentiful so I can probably find those cheap. I'll check in the 60s too and compare prices.

Would still like to hear more opinions from some others what they use their rigs for with the axel they chose.

 

[88_Eddie]

what country said.

i used a D30 because i dont ever plan on wheeling my B2 very hard. just something to take hunting, camping, fishing in the mountains. plus, parts are cheap as dirt and you can find them almost anywhere.

 

[David88]

I'm not taking it crawlin or going mud bogging. Mostly for taking it off in the woods down some of the old logging roads or maybe a little light mud riding. Biggest tires I might put on it would be 33s. I really just want all that Twin Beam suspension gone. It's got a three inch body lift, and I was thinking of a 4inch suspenion.

My budget is a junkyard budget.

 

[4x4junkie]

What is wrong with the Twin Beam? It should be perfectly fine for what you say you're planning on...

If you need better strength, the D35 axle from an Explorer is basically a bolt-in swap (just need shorten the driveshaft a bit), and would be good for 35" tires if you so chose to run them.

Otherwise, I would agree with using a D44 at minimum. I see no point in going through the effort to SAS with an axle that's weaker than your available bolt-in option.

 

[David88]

What is wrong with the Twin Beam? It should be perfectly fine for what you say you're planning on...

If you need better strength, the D35 axle from an Explorer is basically a bolt-in swap (just need shorten the driveshaft a bit), and would be good for 35" tires if you so chose to run them.

Otherwise, I would agree with using a D44 at minimum. I see no point in going through the effort to SAS with an axle that's weaker than your available bolt-in option.

Those off the 5.0 explorer, or just any early explorer? I'm wanting to look for a 5.0 Explorer to rip the motor and electrical components out of. If that's the case, I'll have to see if I can find a whole one that was rolled or hit bad in the rear.

 

[88_Eddie]

Those off the 5.0 explorer, or just any early explorer? I'm wanting to look for a 5.0 Explorer to rip the motor and electrical components out of. If that's the case, I'll have to see if I can find a whole one that was rolled or hit bad in the rear.

no, it would be a 91-94 explorer and they only came with 4.0's i'm pretty sure. a 5.0 explorer would have an IFS front suspension instead of the TTB.

 

[David88]

Great. So I'll have to scour the junkyard for an early EFI 302 and an early 90s explorer. After reading up on the vehicles that the axels come from, I can't do a SAS. There are no axels to be had. A couple years ago, all the Junkyards around crushed anything older than 1980.

About all I can find are the Jeep Dana 30s. I could buy my 89 back from my neighbor and pull the axels from it maybe.

 

[armadillon]

Expand your search. Use CL or find one a little bit from home. Spending just a little bit on gas will make it worthwhile.

 

[David88]

Nothing in driving range. I've been reading more and decided to go with the Dana 35 TTB swap and an Explorer 8.8. I won't have to buy new wheels and it will be strong enough for my use.

I'm thinking about trying to get a 85 F150 I found for 1200. It's got the Dana 44s and I can use the 302 and AOD trans for a swap later.

Is there any benifit to trying to swap in a 4.0 and trans from the Explorer I take the TTB and 8.8 off?

 

[Flash Gordan]

I'm about to do a SAS on my 89'. The Dana 28 is getting pitched for a Dana 30 because its what I have handy right now. If someone were to give me a Dana 35 I would seriously think about installing that instead of the 30. But if I were to wheel my truck through some serious stuff I would be upgrading to a Dana 44 right off the bat.

 

[4x4junkie]

Is there any benifit to trying to swap in a 4.0 and trans from the Explorer I take the TTB and 8.8 off?

The 4.0L has a lot more torque than the 2.9L, though it's only 20 more HP (160 vs 140). The 2.9L's HP peak is rather narrow (where the 4.0's is quite broad), so you do have to keep it revved up pretty high to get much power out of it. Difference in MPG can be as high as 3 MPG for the 2.9, though if you don't keep it revved up like it wants, the 2.9L can actually end up getting worse MPG.

If your 2.9L is still in good running shape, I would say hang onto it, and put the 4.0L and (hopefully a) M5OD from the Explorer in storage for if your 2.9L ever gives up, then you'll have it on hand for a quick & easy swap (be sure to save all the Explorer's wiring, dash, and fuel pump and what-not, will make the swap a lot easier).