Solid Axle, 2WD to 4WD

[DieselSmoke]

ok i see.

but if i were you... 33s suck. you want 36s at least...so...
you know you could buy a 14 bolt rear for under 100 bucks and weld it locked. pretty much bullet proof. you could probibly get 200 bucks atleast for your rear locker and axle now. so your +100 now... then sell the dana 30 for 100. now your +200 so buy a dana 44 with it. now you have a 14 bolt and 44 and havent spent anything. better to sell them now while the parts arnt broken and still worth more then a IMO

do what you want tho. i have to agree with hick on this one

 

[Randy M.]

Nice swap.

Don't let anyone try to convince you that a HP 30 won't work for what your doing. If you do start breaking OEM shaft's grab a set of cromo's. A HP diff is less likely to be the week link than a LP diff.

For some reason everyone thinks that you have 60's or Rockwell's to have a good trail truck. I ran a D28 that was welded with 4.56's and only broke one shaft in over a year. I went everywhere that the rest of the guys went, and I was running a 2.3, 5spd. Going with a 30 and a 7.5 will make you a better driver. Anyone can overbuild a truck and beat the hell out of it to get thru the tough stuff, it takes a good driver to be able to do it with relativly stock axles.

 

[colinrmitchell]

Haha, thanks for the support!

I cut the upper-link mounts off the other day, I should get the spring seats and stuff cut off this week. Then hopefully I can start ordering parts and get this thing underway.

A question to anyone who knows: the axle has 3.55:1 gears in it, can I fit 4:10 or 4:56 or whatever on that carrier, or does it need a different carrier for gears deeper than 3.73?

 

[DieselSmoke]

carrier break is at 3.54 and down; 3.73 and up,

so you need a new one or get thick gears

 

[Muddycowboy]

i find it hard to believe that old tired 2.3 will break axle shafts. and trust me guys ive road with him before and have never seen him accelerate faster than an old man. haha jk colin. we need to get that offroad vid done this weekend my house sunday, hopefully it rains more so the swamp and pit will get deaper.

 

[colinrmitchell]

Hahah, it's not the 2.3L that's old and tired, I think it's me!

 

[hitech_hick]

carrier break is at 3.54 and down; 3.73 and up,

so you need a new one or get thick gears

I don't think that they make thick gears for the D30...


hick

 

[DieselSmoke]

I don't think that they make thick gears for the D30...


hick

... i think your right, my bad.

 

[colinrmitchell]

Okay guys, it's been a while since I posted anything here. Funds have been a little tight and I've had other things on my plate.

Anyways, I've been rethinking this solid axle, and I came up with a new plan.

I'm going leaf-sprung front. I like the looks of leaves more, they will be easier to install, as I have no experience building 3-links, and I think they will suit my purpose fine. I'm building more of a mud truck, not a rock climber or anything. And I've seen some pretty good articulation with leaves, also.

So I'm going leaves up front, shackles in the front, still using my D30. There's a shop around me that can make custom springs, if I can't find anything good. So I'm wondering what springs you SAS guys have used up front:

I'm looking for about 8" of lift, but I can tune that in with custom shackles icon_welder. Anybody know of good aftermarket springs, or have measurements for custom-made springs?

I hope to have the axle torn down, stripped, and painted in the next week or so. I'm looking for a 3.73 and up carrier, if anyone has one or knows where I can get one for cheap. Also, down the road I will need to regear both axles (my 7.5" is 3.73:1). What's the deepest gear you can get for a D30?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[Hahnsb2]

What's the deepest gear you can get for a D30?

4.88

 

[rickcdewitt]

4.88

if you've ever seen a d30 4.88 pinion you'd agree!

look at cheap thrills build for leaf ideas,he got stock rears to work up front.

 

[Captain Ledd]

Probably front leafs off of a Jeep YJ or even a CJ of various models would work well.

On the D30 note I have many Jeep friends who wheeled with the D30, never broke a thing. in fact, the only friend I had that didn't have a D30 was the one who broke everything all the time.

x2 on Cheapthrills for leaf ideas.

 

[colinrmitchell]

What's that about the 4.88's? Is the pinion only about the diameter of my finger?

I'm going to the junkyard today, looking to get U-bolts and plates, and a 3.73-and-up carrier, and a diff cover for my 7.5". I'll take a look at leaves on the YJs, if I can find any.

P.S.: I've seen guys jack up YJs with like 35" or 36" tires on that little D30. Looks kinda silly, but if they broke stuff every time they went out, I figured they'd have upgraded by now. Oh well.

Commence learning experience.

 

[rickcdewitt]

What's that about the 4.88's? Is the pinion only about the diameter of my finger?



Commence learning experience.

hold up a 3.73 d35 pinion up to a 4.88 d30 pinion
its like the yotas though,they hold together somehow

 

[lunchbox]

Almost a month with no updates, but I'm posting just in case.