86 Ranger solid axle swap costs

[rang-a-stang]

86 Ranger, V6, 4WD, standard cab, 33" tires

My son is in USMC bootcamp and when he gets home, he/we want to put an XJ High pinion dana 30 in the front of his truck.

Purpose: daily driver that goes off road some times. It is currently a 2.9L but we plan to 2.3L Ecoboost it in the next 2 years. We already need gears so we would rather swap gears in a HP D30, than the stock D28 or even a D35. He is not a hard core off roader but wants RELIABILITY with 33"s. We are tired of messing with the Ibeams and trying to find quality parts to keep them going and keeping the front tires wearing even. We really don't care leafs, trailing arms, 3 link, or 4 link. We don't care about looks, just quality and drivability. We don't care if it coil overs, coils, leafs, or bags as long as it is comfortable, stable, and reliable.

I can do very basic fab and mig welding but am not very good at it. We have about $4k to spend on this job

I see we basically have 3 options
1) James Duff parts and "bolt" it in (Yes I know its not really bolt in but its closer than the other two options)
2) drop it off at a shop and have them do it
3) do it ourselves

1.1) When I go to duff's website, add all the parts to do the swap (minus axle, obviously), I expect he would need about $2500-$3k for his parts shipped to my house. Has anyone done this recently and can they validate this? Can I re-use the same springs I am running now? Axle aside, is it reasonable to think we could do this for $4k'ish?
2.1) This is pretty much out of our budget. I would assume if I drove his truck to a shop with a properly geared axle cleared of bracketry and ready for fab'ing ($1200 of the $4k budget) and asked them to do it, it would be a solid $5k in labor and $1-1.5k in parts. true?
3.1) I have never done a full suspension set up. I have seen generic 3 link and 4 link kits for about $1k and assume I would need another about $1k in other parts and supplies. My mig welder is 180amp and strong enough but we want this to be daily driver reliable and stable at highway speeds, and I am afraid I will hose it up.

Anyone have any thoughts on these? Is it reasonable to think $4k for this (a solid axle swap)? The truck is currently in Boise Idaho with me but my son will be in SoCal (not sure if that matters...). We both want solid axle; we are over the I-beams. This truck is amazing so selling it and buying a different one is also not in the cards.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

A d44 is the same work as a d30.

Throwing the rage of an ecoboost at it... I wouldn't bother with a D30. Unless you get into special parts they are weaker than a D35.

Non matching wheel bolt pattern... the 2.3 is going to turn your 7.5 inside out anyway so make the rear match the front.

 

[dvdswan]

SAS's will vary on price. A buddy of mine did his SAS on his Nissan and made $100. Selling your old parts and searching for the best price on parts is best. They don't have to be new parts either. I found D44 from an early bronco that was bare for free for my SAS.

quick search found this at bronco graveyard...
Dana 44 Front Axle Housing-Broncograveyard.com
Heck I'd even call them and see if they have any D30s from an early bronco they want to get rid of.

I only suggest this because you will already have the weld on wedges already on the axle an all you would need to worry about is the track bar. Food for thought.

 

[rang-a-stang]

A d44 is the same work as a d30.

Throwing the rage of an ecoboost at it... I wouldn't bother with a D30. Unless you get into special parts they are weaker than a D35.

Non matching wheel bolt pattern... the 2.3 is going to turn your 7.5 inside out anyway so make the rear match the front.

Is there a D44 with the same bolt pattern? D44 is also significantly heavier and costlier to prep for install. We also really want the sealed unit bearings on the XJ High Pinion D30 spindles. A HP D30 is stronger than a regular D30 (though not as strong as a 44 obviously) and we believe strong enough for 33"s with the weight of this Ranger. The XJ world has such a fantastic aftermarket, if we do break anything, there are enough stronger parts available to really beef it up. It is very easy to find non-disconnect HP D30s for for $200, disc to disc where I am.

Rear end is getting an explorer 8.8. I am comfortable with that swap so no real questions there are this point.

SAS's will vary on price. A buddy of mine did his SAS on his Nissan and made $100. Selling your old parts and searching for the best price on parts is best. They don't have to be new parts either. I found D44 from an early bronco that was bare for free for my SAS.

quick search found this at bronco graveyard...
Dana 44 Front Axle Housing-Broncograveyard.com
Heck I'd even call them and see if they have any D30s from an early bronco they want to get rid of.

I only suggest this because you will already have the weld on wedges already on the axle an all you would need to worry about is the track bar. Food for thought.

Copy that. Makes sense. Those early Bronco D30s do have the wedges but they are drum brakes and king pins. I would love the king pins but the cost of adding disc brakes and rebuilding it would be significantly higher than just buying the wedges from Duff and welding them (or having them welded) on.

I am pretty set on using a HP D30. The cost of getting a reliable HPD30 ready to install is pretty hard to beat and I am fairly confident it will last even under an ecoboost. I have seen these axles run 36"s on XJs with built 4.0s pushing them. Again, we are not hard core off roaders or rock climbers. More like overlanders that see very occasional rough trails.

 

[dvdswan]

35s... you might want to rethink...

 

[Shran]

Hard pass on the D30. Only way I would use one is if it was super cheap, already had the gear ratio I needed and could be installed for next to nothing.

Spend the money on a better SET of axles.

 

[rang-a-stang]

I appreciate all your input. I have plenty of experience with HP D30's and for our rig, it really does make a lot of sense. I know there are stories of dudes who have broken D44s with 33"s and there are dudes running 40"s on a D30 without a problem; There are always outliers. But in our case (me and my son), for the way we use our Ranger, a HP D30 is just fine. But really my question is not related to the axle itself. I am looking for the cost differences people have seen between a Duff set up, having a shop do it, and DIY.

 

[00t444e]

If you want reliabilty why are you putting an Ecoboost in? As for the Dana 30 high pinion they are good axles for up to 35" tires. I have beat on the one in my XJ on 35s with a locker for 5 years and never broken anything but the swaybar mounts, shock mount, and bent the upper control arms.

 

[rang-a-stang]

Our 2.9L has unknown mileage, is CONSTANTLY springing new leaks, batch fire EFI bugs me, and has horrendous MPG. It runs like total crap when it is cold. I cannot tune the 2.9L. The trans shifter is toast (and no parts available anymore) and it also has leaks. It is also unknown mileage. We plan to buy a stock 2.3L takeout from a newer Mustang and M5R1 to replace them. This engine and trans will remain stock when they go in this truck. 2.3EB is much lighter than the 2.9L, provides much better power in a smaller package, it is OBD2 (so I can tune it), has a TINY maintenance requirement, and has very good aftermarket support. Will it go another 200k miles without work? of course not. But, at least we will be able to get decent parts for it that are not all built in China and last less than 5K miles like the crap we have been getting for the 2.9L. I also expect it to get much better MPG compared to the 2.9L.

I had a 5.0 Ranger back in the day. It also got better MPG than the 2.9L it replaced (not by much though) but the 5.0 weighs twice as much as a 2.3L, has 75 less hp, and about the same torque. Tuneing is also not as straight forward on a 5.0 (EEC-IV) and the cooling system must be more robust. My 5.0 back in the day did have working A/C, heater, and cruise but it was kind of a PITA to get them working. I also really want coil on plug and adding that to a 5.0 is more work than I want to do. Distributors also add maintenance with cap, rotors, and setting timing,. That is not a huge deal but we are trying to also lower our maintenance on this truck, too.

Why do I keep bringing up weight? Because more weight requires more strength, more power, etc. If we focus on keeping weight down when practical, parts last longer and fuel goes farther. Also, again, daily driver. It has to start when stone cold in Idaho, has to stay cool when 110 and traffic'ey, cruise control has to work, A/C has to work. etc. We are tired of carrying 15 spare parts just to stay on the road. Trying to keep this 2.9L going like this is a huge task. We are also sick of replacing the same parts over and over becuase no one makes quality parts anymore and finding them in the wrecking yard is getting tougher, too. We feel like a relatively low mileage 2.3EB will give us a solid 100k of driving, relatively low maintenance, and be mostly reliable. Besides, imagine a 3000 pound Ranger with 310hp/320lb/ft of torque going through a 5 speed! That's good fun right there! As long as it is not constantly breaking and a total maintenance suck.

 

[00t444e]

I would go with a 4.0 OHV instead.

 

[Shran]

Don't mistake my advice - the D30 is a fine axle but spending several thousand dollars on one is a waste of money. It is better spent on better parts. Buy a pair of Jeep Rubicon D44's, spend your money on installing those. That is going to be the best bang for your buck that has matching wheel bolt patterns and is not really heavy. Or you could do a TTB D35 with D44 hubs and an 8.8, or an old solid axle D44 and an 8.8 or 9"... or whatever, there are a million options.

I broke an RCV outer shaft last year in a D44. I'm only on 35's and have just a turd 150hp 302 in that truck. I broke a ton of stock shafts and U-joints back in the day before the RCVs and I'm not even hard on it nor do I wheel really hard stuff. Just sayin', you're talking about parts smaller than what I have and double the horsepower... you will not have a good outcome.

 

[00t444e]

A 95 and newer XJ HP Dana 30 uses the same size U joints as a TJ Rubicon Dana 44.

 

[Shran]

A 95 and newer XJ HP Dana 30 uses the same size U joints as a TJ Rubicon Dana 44.

The D30 in my buddy's CJ5 uses the same u-joints that were in my F150 D44. But that's not the point, lots of other stuff is smaller.

Just in terms of dollars spent it's not a good choice. If you're starting with no axle and $5000 to spend, why drop that cash on the weakest axle you can find?

 

[00t444e]

The D30 in my buddy's CJ5 uses the same u-joints that were in my F150 D44. But that's not the point, lots of other stuff is smaller.

Just in terms of dollars spent it's not a good choice. If you're starting with no axle and $5000 to spend, why drop that cash on the weakest axle you can find?

You were complaining about breaking U joints in a Dana 44, a Dana 30 wouldn't be any weaker when it comes to that. As for the Dana 30 they are cheap, you can pick one up for $150, parts are cheap and readily available, and they can easily handle 33-35" tires in a lightweight Ranger, and would cost nowhere near 5K.

 

[Shran]

You were complaining about breaking U joints in a Dana 44, a Dana 30 wouldn't be any weaker when it comes to that. As for the Dana 30 they are cheap, you can pick one up for $150, parts are cheap and readily available, and they can easily handle 33-35" tires in a lightweight Ranger, and would cost nowhere near 5K.

The shafts are smaller in diameter on a D30, the ring & pinion are smaller, especially with low gear ratios. The OP's question was in regards to spending thousands of dollars on a D30 swap thus my comments.

If you can buy one for $150 and have very little into installing it then it's worthwhile. But the OP does not have one (at least I don't think so) but does have cash to drop on something... why not start with something better?