solid axle guru's

[venom97]

ive got a 91 ext cab 4x4 that i was 2 seconds away from ordering a lift for and now im really debating on doing a solid axle swap. ive searched,lurked and posted on alot of different sites about others sas'ed rangers. i talked to a few people who said i could sas it cheaper than buying a lift for the ttb. a friend of mines brother said he do it and it would cost me around 700 bucks or so. i want to keep my 5 on 4 1/2 bolt patern because ive got wheels and tires ready. this is not going to be some crazy off road build but if a sas can be done for the same ammount,im thinking why not. this truck will be on the road 75% of the time and want to be able to hit some local off road events with out worring about breaking something everytime i go wheel(mainly mud). so i was wondering how much you guys have in your set up and what it is? i was told a dana 35 out of a jeep would be what im looking for to keep my bolt pattern and would work fine for what im wanting. i dont have any need for the bigger dana swaps. thanks guys in advance for helping me so i dont want to kick my self in the butt later! lol (sorry for the book)

 

[Ranger44]

You'd have to get a D30 from a jeep to keep the 5 on 4.5.

You're alot better off keeping the TTB, as a D35 is stronger in stock form and has an option for manual hubs(without buying a 1K conversion kit from warn). You can also upgrade the shafts with 5-760x joints and full circle clips and push the strength to alomost stock d44.

4x4junkie would be a better person to answer this, but if it's just going to be a weekend warrior stick with the TTB. TTB if setup well can perform quite well and handle 35's.

 

[JohnnyU]

I'd be interested in discussing this further if you're interested. I'm just across the river in Peoria....

PM me if you want, as I'm sure this will spark a huge D30 v. D35 debate.

 

[venom97]

pm sent,johnny! yeah i just converted over to man. hubs right after i bought it. again hearing that the milemarker hubs are junk now! lol so far they have held up good and id say ive tested them a little. anyways,im leaning a little more towards the ttb because it is a little more pratical for me but was just wanting to get a little insite about the whole thing before i just jumped into it. thanks guys!

 

[Ranger44]

I'd be interested in discussing this further if you're interested. I'm just across the river in Peoria....

PM me if you want, as I'm sure this will spark a huge D30 v. D35 debate.

Yeah....

A D-30 can be built just as strong and may have the classic SA reliability, but building it for strength(and to have the manual hubs(while keeping the 5 on 4.5) and eliminate the vacuum) seems a little pricey unless you find some sort of deal. And it seems like you have the same strength as the D35 with alot more money into the D30.

He basically is wanting just what I want. A good DD and something that can be used on the trails once in a while. TTB is good for that.

I looked into a D30 once, but if you're gonna SAS, why not just go with a chopped D60? Or even a built D44? Much more worth it IMHO.