Someone tell me if i got this right

[83tonka4by4]

first off newbie here, great site been all around checkin out different stuff and its been very helpful already in clearing up ?'s. anyways i just picked up this truck like last week and it looks like it could mean business when it comes to off roading but a few things some wit give me doubts on it not living up to its looks. for starters its a 6cyl its nice better than a 4 but im a fan of the 8 cyl. cuz i dont care what all your ex's say bigger is better. but im leaving to go to wyotec in june so i dont think i will have the time to rip it all apart and get it back together the way i want in time so im looking have givin the under side a lil more balls. i would like to go 8.8


reading up on alot of the tech on here and i looked in another thread a guy had ?'s about doing a 8.8 swap and someone directed him to this link http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Axles.html


now just making sure i got it right as a double check in a sense...

is it saying i can take any 1990-up 8.8 rear end and have have it bolt up to my 83 4x4?

i get that it will b 2 inches wider than the 83 rear end but other than that is there gonna be any other problem?

i am gonna go to school in wyoming for a reason i figure being from Il there should be alot more spots for off roading and this is why i tought maybe starting wit and 8.8 swap and looking in to the "lock right" locker mentioned in the link and some more suspension mods first does that make sense to you guys??

if you where me were me what would you be considering?

also any suggestion on what rear end gear i should do before the locker comes into the picture?

also how would u guys beef up that from axle?


thank u for reading hope you guys come up with some great answers and links where i can read up on some more thing on this topic

 

[-Nathan-]

gears depends on tire size...what tire size you want to run? and you know that if you regear the back, you have to regear the front (if you want 4wd to work and not blow up the transfer case)

if youre staying with 31's, 4 10's will work nicely, if your going 33's then id say 456's

the 8.8 should swap out no problem, and installing a lockright locker is easy as pie...better if you have an open carrier.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i agree with nathan, choose your tire size and then regear. regearing will also make that v6 alot happier. as far as the front axle goes, id swap in a d35 when you do that 8.8 so youll have a strong pair of axles to wheel on. you can get the dana 35 out of a first gen explorer or a ranger (watch out for hybrids if going the ranger route). if you plan to keep the d28 that is under your truck then id stay on the small side tire wise (30-31") and try to keep the wheel and tire weight as low as you can.

 

[83tonka4by4]

ok thank you guys!! that helped alot and i did plan on regearing the front when i did the back tire size im looking to step up to a 33 but before that im gonna do up that d35 like u had suggested thank u guys much!

 

[4x4junkie]

What V6 do you have? (2.8L?) Does your transmission have overdrive? If so, you might want to consider 4.88 gears if you go with 33" tires.


Also, it's '93&up axles that are 2" wider than your '83 axle ('83-'92 are the same width).

 

[83tonka4by4]

ya 2.8 but by the time i go to do this im hoping to have a 351 in

 

[bcost882]

...... you might want diffrent gears if you put a 351 in each engine with diffrent power can use diffrent gears it depends on how much power you have.

 

[Mac]

...... you might want diffrent gears if you put a 351 in each engine with diffrent power can use diffrent gears it depends on how much power you have.

Good point! Usually the more power, the less gear you really need.
Dave