stock components with D30 on 94 ranger

[Boggin]

well i have the complete dana 44... another option was narrowing that

 

[mhughes165]

, narrowing the 44 isnt expensive, its actually a freebie if u know how todo it, and then u just need to either get the shaft resplined or order eb shafts. thats the route i would go....esp with how hard u are on ur trucks, the 30 in my opinion is best served as a tarp hold down tool, cause its too big to be a paperweight

 

[Boggin]

haha, yeah but i dont know where i would get shafts resplined. remember i live in the sticks, maybe the next town over would have a place to do it. would any driveshaft shops be able to narrow and respline the shafts?

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

that would go with leaves or coils? if u go coils its gonna be pretty much the same deal.

 

[Boggin]

coils. and yes it would

 

[mhughes165]

any driveshaft or machine shop should be able to spline them for u

 

[Boggin]

ok. problem is i dont have the outter shafts or spindles and hubs. but i got everything else. if i get the other 79 bronco in a few weeks than ill scrap the axles i have in my current 79
but for now i might just stick with the 30, once i come across the rest of the parts for my 44 ill narrow it an put that in. but i guess from the knuckles out i can use parts from a d44ttb too cant i?

 

[Andres629]

Boggin, I hate to dash your dreams here, but buddy if you're planning on possibly doing a D44 in t hat thing down the road, why not save your money now and keep the D28/35 in your truck now and build it proper in a bit? I know, you want to do stuff NOW, I had the same thing with the BII build. Just stockpile your parts and do it right, once. Why go through the hassle and money spending of doing something one way if you just plan on doing something else with it anyway? Just my $.02

 

[Boggin]

i appreciate that, but still. my front end is broken and needs new shafts and hubs anyways, and if i can get the whole jeep for free, what can I loose? i doubt once i throw in a d30 that a 44 would end up in there afterwords,unless i brake the 30 beyond repair. the ranger isnt going to see very hard beating anyways, its just a dd wheeler build. the 44 is probably best saved for another project someday than just on a DDer lol

 

[Andres629]

Ahh yeah, I know the feeling. Kept breaking axle shaft and rear driveshafts in the BII and said enough, so I was driving around in front wheel drive for the longest time 'til I got my 8.8 and 35 built. No wheeling. =[

 

[mhughes165]

i appreciate that, but still. my front end is broken and needs new shafts and hubs anyways, and if i can get the whole jeep for free, what can I loose? i doubt once i throw in a d30 that a 44 would end up in there afterwords,unless i brake the 30 beyond repair. the ranger isnt going to see very hard beating anyways, its just a dd wheeler build. the 44 is probably best saved for another project someday than just on a DDer lol

the phrase "beat on" is very objective, i know if u got a stick in a cherokee ull be snappin axle shafts left and right with the d30, idk why people think there strong......its a waste of money and u WILL NOT be happy with it unless u spend the 700 on the super30 kit for it. then itll be ur stock 44 strength

 

[dangerranger83]

I would say that a D30 would be good in the mud. Im running a 2.8 liter so as far as huge tourqe and power, far from it. Ive seen videos and stuff of guys pounding on D30s in the mud with there 4.0 liter and 33's and they are still holding up without any problems. I'll think you will be fine. When I did mine, I had no experiance at doing such a thing other then I did alot of reading and research. You wont learn anything till your under the truck doing the work. I will say an angle grinder is your friend when it comes to rivets.

 

[mhughes165]

I would say that a D30 would be good in the mud. Im running a 2.8 liter so as far as huge tourqe and power, far from it. Ive seen videos and stuff of guys pounding on D30s in the mud with there 4.0 liter and 33's and they are still holding up without any problems. I'll think you will be fine. When I did mine, I had no experiance at doing such a thing other then I did alot of reading and research. You wont learn anything till your under the truck doing the work. I will say an angle grinder is your friend when it comes to rivets.

do u know the power difference between a automatic cherokee and a stick cherokee? theres a reason all the jeep guys WANT the transmission from the cherokee, i know i PERSONALLY have changed dozens of broken front axle shafts in cherokees/wranglers on 31's 32s.
(haha garunteed money at 65 a shaft and takes 5 minutes to change lol)
ALSO, alot of the guys with MONEY dumped into there heeps DO have the super 30 kit in the front of it, just cause u see a video and go WOW i can do that too doesnt make it so, a ranger is considerably heavier then a cherokee, u know the things like a frame and a bed make it weigh more, to me its like putting samurai axles into ur toyota, theres no point

btw what size tires u runnin on ur 30

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

what about installing it on a 4 cyl ranger with manual trans? i wont go bigger than 31"s
and deff not going into hardcore stuff like rock crawling or mud pits

 

[legoms013]

If it helps anyones cause: My dad has a CJ-5 with 6" of homemade lift. Dana 30 narrow track up front, AMC 20 out back (with a Detroit locker too ). Manual trans.

He has run this setup for YEARS. Actually about 20 years just to be accurate. Stuff he has broke he can counted on one hand: a couple u-joints, and once he grenaded his power lock. The front axle is a power lock limited slip. Other than 4.10 gears, there is no after market upgrades added for beef, just stock stuff here.

He runs TSL Super Swampers, 35x14.5 R15 with 95% tread.

He has wheeled Rubicon, Fordyce, Eagle Lakes, Signal Peak & countless other lesser know trails in his time as a wheeler (since he was my age).

Oh and its a heavy sucker, with a Ford 5.0L V8 in place of the stock motor.

SO point being:

BOGGIN, do what you want, a Dana 30 with a little love should serve you fine, as long as you treat it with a lot of respect (and little throttle).
While personally I'd advise against a Dana 30 swap, because its alot of work for really no gain, in this case I say go for it b/c I have personally seen what that axle can do (against all odds).

If you have a good eye, you can spot his Jeep, and him too sometimes in the background of some of the pictures in my build thread.