Dana 28 / Dana 35 Axle Swap

Introduction

After several years of running a Dana 28 TTB front axle in my 1983 Ford Ranger 4×4, I finally decided to replace it with a Dana 35 TTB. This is what’s involved in doing the swap

Why You Should Swap

The Dana 28 is a much weaker axle then the Dana 35, and parts are much harder to find for a Dana 28. If you’re still using a stock tire size or at least not exceeding a 31-inch tire, and you’re not using the 4WD for any serious off-roading, then you’ll probably be fine with the Dana 28. But if you want to add larger tires, change the gear ratios, or add a locker, then you need to swap in a Dana 35

For me personally, I wanted to add a locker and 4.56 gears to run 33-inch tires, so I needed to make this swap.

What’s Involved In The Swap?

The swap to the Dana 35 is pretty straight forward. I replaced the Dana 28 in my 1983 Ranger 4×4 with a Dana 35 out of a 1994 Ford Explorer. You can use your existing radius arms and suspension brackets.

Brake Upgrade

The 1995-1997 Ford Ranger Dana 35 uses a dual piston caliper and would be brake upgrade over your Dana 28 single piston brakes.

The 1990-1994 Ford Ranger & Ford Explorer Dana 35 use the single piston brake caliper

Using a Dana 35 from a 1995-1997 Ford Ranger would also give you a better brake caliper.

Radius Arm Stud Bolts

The Dana 28 upper radius arm stud (bolt) uses a small lower thread and large upper threaded stud. The Dana 35 uses a large lower thread and small upper thread retaining stud. Sounds weird, but the Dana 35 and Dana 28 upper axle beam stud are the same diameters but flipped over. Make sure you get the Dana 35 studs. If not, you can turn over the Dana 28 studs and cut off the excess thread to clear the axle shafts in the axle beam. You’ll have to get the right size nuts though. The easiest thing to do (what I did) was buy two (2) new studs from a Ford Dealer. They come in a set of two (2) with retaining nuts for the coil spring.

The Ford P/N is 390678-S100.

The 1980-1996 Ford F-150 4×4 and the 1980-1996 Ford Bronco use this same stud. You can get a replacement through Ford using that part number, or from Bronco Graveyard.

The Dana 28 upper radius arm stud (bolt) uses a small lower thread and large upper threaded stud. The Dana 35 uses a large lower thread and small upper thread retaining stud. Sounds weird, but the Dana 35 and Dana 28 upper axle beam stud are the same diameters but flipped over. Make sure you get the Dana 35 studs. If not, you can turn over the Dana 28 studs and cut off the excess thread to clear the axle shafts in the axle beam. You’ll have to get the right size nuts though. The easiest thing to do (what I did) was buy two (2) new studs from a Ford Dealer. They come in a set of two (2) with retaining nuts for the coil spring.

You may find that you have to increase the size of the hole in your radius arm and sway bar mounting bracket (wraps around axle beam and is held on by radius arm bolts along with two bolts on the front of the axle beam) if you use the Dana 28 radius arms. I was already using Skyjacker Extended Radius Arms, so this didn’t apply to me.

Removing the Coil Spring Stud

When I remove a coil spring, I jack up the truck, place heavy-duty jack stands under the frame rails, remove the tires, remove the brake calipers, remove the front shocks and then lower the jack from under the axle beam to remove the tension from the coil spring. Disconnect the sway bar if you have one. The spring will usually stay stuck in the upper coil mount, but some pressure on the top of the rotor from my foot usually gets it to pop out. The spring is held in at the bottom by the retaining stud.

The nut on the stud takes a 1-1/8″ deep socket, a breaker bar, and some strength to get it loose. I typically slide a long pipe over my breaker bar for more leverage if I need it. I don’t use an extension to reach down through the coil. You lose too much leverage with the extension. I drop the socket down though the top of the coil spring, position it onto the nut, and then slide my breaker bar between the coils and put it on the socket. Once you get it lose you can revert to a long extension or a wrench.

You’ll have to remove the steering linkage from the steering knuckle before you can remove the axle.

The bolt on the bottom of the axle beam / radius arm takes a 1-1/8″ socket as well.

TIP: A propane torch will soften and release the Loctite Ford puts on the studs to make them easier to come off.

The radius arm pivot bolts are going to take a 21mm and 22mm socket or wrench

The nut on the stud at the rear of the radius arm takes a 28mm socket or wrench.

Below is a photo of:

(2) 14mm Axle Pivot Bolts

(2) 3/4″ Lower Radius Arm Bolt

(2) 3/4″ / 5/8″ Upper Radius Arm Bolt / Coil Spring Stud

Front Driveshaft

The Dana 35 differential is larger than the Dana 28, so you’ll actually need to shorten the front drive shaft about 1 to 1-1/2 inches. This will require a reputable driveshaft shop.

Suspension Bracket Warning

If you are using drop brackets with a drop plate for the factory passenger side axle beam (Rough Country & BDS), check your clearance between your Dana 35 carrier and your drop bracket. Make sure you install bump stops, or you will knock a hole in the carrier if you compress the suspension hard enough. Some kits such as Skyjacker use a complete replacement bracket instead of the drop bracket and offers more clearance.

This older photo above shows the passenger beam bracket bolted to a plate style drop bracket from a Trailmaster suspension kit. You’ll see that there’s only 2-inches of clearance between the bracket and the Dana 35 differential. Although Trailmaster no longer makes a Ranger kit, there are some companies that still do, so shop wisely.

Mounting Tip

Place the radius arms in the rear mounting brackets, put the nut on but don’t tighten it up. This will allow you to maneuver the beams to get it all in place. I also waited to tighten my pivot bolts until everything was in.

Torque Specifications

• Axle pivot Bracket Bolts
  • Left axle arm ——————————- 83 to 113 ft. lbs.
  • Right axle arm —————————– 155 ft. lbs.
• Axle Pivot bolt ———————————– 111 to 148 ft. lbs.
• Radius arm front bracket lower Bolt ——- 190 to 255 ft. lbs.
• Radius arm to front bracket upper Stud — 190 to 255 ft. lbs.
• Radius arm to front bracket front Bolts —- 15 to 27 ft. lbs.
• Radius arm to rear bracket Nut ————– 83 to 113 ft. lbs.
• Stabilizer bar link nuts ————————– 30 to 40 ft. lbs.
• Stabilizer bar bracket bolts ——————– 22 to 30 ft. lbs.
• Spring retainer nut ——————————- 70 to 100 ft. lbs.

Dana 35 VS Dana 28 Size Comparisons

The photos below show the size difference between the Dana 35 and Dana 28 differentials.

Ring Gear And Axle Shaft Sizes

• Dana 35 Ring Gear Size: 7.56-inches
• Dana 28 Ring Gear Size: 6.625-inches
• Dana 35 Axle Shaft Size: 1.16-inches / 27-spline
• Dana 28 Axle Shaft Size: 1.00-inches / 23-spine

Conclusion

The 1995-1997 Dana 35 TTB is a great upgrade for the Dana 28 TTB. It’s not a difficult swap; it just requires a driveshaft shop shorten the front driveshaft for you.

Related Articles

Ford Ranger Brake Upgrades

1983-1997 Ford Ranger 4×4 Dana 28 & Dana 35 TTB Front Axles

 

Last Updated: November 22, 2025