Help? Front Axle Swap for Bronco II

kwanner1 · Feb 22, 2008

Hello,

My name is Kevin. I live in the Cincinnati area and I own an '86 Bronco II.

I am having problems with my 4 wheel drive on my Bronco II. It seems when ever I get out and lock in the hubs, back up about 8 feet then start forward my left front wheel seems to be locking normal, and spinning as it should, but the passenger front wheel seems like it is binding up.? it makes the steering in 4x4 mode rear erratic. Again I have a manual locking setup.

I was thinking of investing in the "WARN" high quality hubs, or even doing a swap with the '76 - '77 full size Bronco axles, but I dont want to change my bolt pattern. I have new wheels and tires, so I dont want to loos out.

Is there another axle combo I could use in the front? Maybe something like a 89 to 94 jeep cherokee sport front axle.

again please point me in the right direction, this is a typical low cost / budget build - repair.

Thanks Kevin

metalmacguyver · Feb 22, 2008

A D35 TTB axle out of a 90-94 explorer or 90s rangers up to and including 1997 will bolt right in.

kwanner1 · Feb 22, 2008

That is a straight axle?

kwanner1 · Feb 22, 2008

I thought that the explorers had the same set up as my bronco II

kwanner1 · Feb 22, 2008

Sorry I am not up on the axle lingo. A D35 TTB?

mhughes165 · Feb 22, 2008

kwanner1 said:
I thought that the explorers had the same set up as my bronco II

thats a negative, the BII has a d28 up front, the explorer has a d35 up front, still a TTB setup but a signifigantly stronger axle, known to hold 35's with little/no issues

lil red · Feb 22, 2008

mhughes165 said:
thats a negative, the BII has a d28 up front, the explorer has a d35 up front, still a TTB setup but a signifigantly stronger axle, known to hold 35's with little/no issues

actually,it is about the same setup,but the d35 is a much beefier setup altho the same style its much stronger
and you keep the same bolt pattern
or you sould swap in a dana 30 out of a jeep.also same lug pattern,but a solid axel

canyoncritter · Feb 22, 2008

TTB= twin traction beams

D28 = dana 28

d35= dana 35

if your on a budget and want a 99% bolt in upgrade, the d35 is a good choice. I belive you will need to shorten your front drive shaft a tad.

4x4junkie · Feb 22, 2008

What are your intentions for your BII? You plan on lifting it and putting bigger tires on? Or do you just want to fix the problem you have now?

If it's the latter (and you're running stock size tires), there's probably no need for an axle swap, I would take a look at your stock setup and see where the problem is (chances are its something small like the spindle needle bearings, or axleshaft u-joints).

If you ARE thinking of upgrading, then as said, the D35 axle is by far the most practical swap. It is actually a stronger axle than the '76-'77 Bronco axle you mentioned, it has much larger u-joints, and is hi-pinion (same can be said for the 8.8" rear out of an Explorer vs. the Bronco 9", the shafts are bigger).

kwanner1 · Feb 22, 2008

4x4junkie & LIL Red - Hey, Thanks for the information on both parts. I am interested in the solid axle swap from the jeep I think. I will be using this as a daily driver with the thought of training wheel s if you will. I would like to learn some off road capabilities and how the suspension works, drives and feels with the solid axle. Even though the Jeep dana 30 may no be the strongest out there I thing it would be more than enough for me at this point.

What recomendatons would there be for me to research this swap? and where could I go to get how to info?

Sunk · Feb 23, 2008

There have been a couple threads discussing swapping in D30s. Check in the "Extreme Suspension" forum or do a search and you should find some good info on how to do it, and what axle to look for.

Hahnsb2 · Feb 24, 2008

kwanner1 said:
4x4junkie & LIL Red - Hey, Thanks for the information on both parts. I am interested in the solid axle swap from the jeep I think. I will be using this as a daily driver with the thought of training wheel s if you will. I would like to learn some off road capabilities and how the suspension works, drives and feels with the solid axle. Even though the Jeep dana 30 may no be the strongest out there I thing it would be more than enough for me at this point.

What recomendatons would there be for me to research this swap? and where could I go to get how to info?

For your use a D35 would be a really good option, it uses the same joints as a D44... Really, the only thing wrong with your's is the POS auto hubs. Go to a junkyard and grab a set of manual hubs and wheel bearing nuts for like $20 and you'll be good to go.

Help? Front Axle Swap for Bronco II

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