1988 BII Build

[88_Eddie]

Well guys, i've been talking about starting a build thread soon and here it is.

it's probably gonna take a while because i'm busy as hell (i run my own home restoration business) and starting to get low on funds. good thing Christmas is coming.


So here is the plan:
First off, i'm cleaning her up a bit. She just sat for 8 months and there are some very minor rust spots in various places, none on the body, mainly surface rust on frame.

second, i'm gonna do some sort of lift, how much and of which type are still under debate and i'll be lookin for input from y'all on it. i wanna run 31's eventually and keep the suspension as close to stock as possible.
i'm not lookin to win the top truck challenge or drive up the side of a building. this BII will be used for a little trail riding, some mudding, and hunting/fishing/camping. if you had seen some of the places i took while stock, you'd understand why i'm not lookin to put 35's on it. anyways, enough rambling.

third, i'm gonna put 4.10's or 4.56's with a locker in the back....this will be when funds start going up again.

there will be other stuff along the way that i want to do but it'll spoil it if i tell you now, just keep checkin out the thread and give me ideas and input as this will be the first rig i've ever built.

i'm loading photos onto photobucket right now, so i'll have more up later of the work i've already done....here's what she looks like now.

my dad bought this beast in 1996 after hurricane fran came through north carolina. our yard got pretty F-ed up, 26 tree's down, and we needed something that could pull a trailer and had 4wd.
when i turned 16, my mom "gave" it to me, much to my father's dismay, i think he is still sore about it. i drove it all through high school and almost all the way through college (i took the scenic route, btw)
then she started acting up and not being driven as much but now is being revived to become a new play toy.

 

[BlackBII]

Cool!

Since you're only going 31's, I'd go with a body lift. Cheapest and easiest, and it allows you to keep the suspension stock.

4.10's and 31's is a nice combo, 4.56's are too much for 31's, especially if you're on the freeway.

So what I would do is look for a set of axles (7.5 and a D35) from a junkyard with 4.10's, and swap em out.

 

[Dusty_Ranger]

dont use body lift for 31's do the dana35 upgeade with the adjustable cam bushings and run a spacer with extended radius arms u'll be much happier

 

[88_Eddie]

yeah i was thinking of using a body lift along with a suspension lift. i dont want to do all body lift because i dont like the gaps you get. here's what i'll most likely do:

2" leveling coils in front, new shocks all around(badly needed, mine are extremely worn out) and a 2" body lift and running 31's

OR

3" inch suspension, new shocks of course, and 2" body lift and running 32's or 33's (eventually swapping out D28 for D35 or solid axle D44, i may have one lined up)

for now, i'll most likely go with the first option and a few years down the road, when i decide to replace my 2000 explorer DD, i'll put the 8.8 and 4.0L into my BII.

so i guess my next question is.....will a 2 inch leveling kit and a 2" body lift be too much for 31's? i would go with a 1" body lift, but i've never seen them for BII's

also, which kit should i go with?


as far as working on my BII, i scrubbed down some rust spots on the frame and minor places on the body and hit them with some paint.

hard to see, but there used to be some rust spots here and there, but i scrubbed them with a wire brush and painted them.

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

i have a 3" body lift with 31's and flat springs and a small bit of fender trimming , so my guess is with some 2" leveling coils and a hocky puck body lift the 31's would fit. also i have a used set of 4:10's for the 7.5 and D28 that i would be able to let go of as soon as i get a new DD if you are interested.

 

[88_Eddie]

yeah, how much?

 

[dangerranger83]

Do a SAS to it, will look a lot better IMO. Ill be watching this build.

 

[88_Eddie]

Do a SAS to it, will look a lot better IMO. Ill be watching this build.

if i can get the D44 i def will do the SAS....for my purposes, however, the D28 should do fine.......but i'd sure love to have the D44

 

[88_Eddie]

ok, i'm tryin to price lift kits right now and i have some questions:

-will i need to do any drive shaft lengthening with a 4" inch lift? what about 3"?
-i've seen some people use tj coils, are these a perfect match or is there some custom work that has to be done?

-anyone know where to find a good 2 inch leveling kit? i'm thinking new coils, new shocks f/r and add a leafs in the back. and then doin a 2 inch body lift also.

i found this 3 inch kit from jc whitney, has anyone ever used this? they have pics, but it looks like alot of drop brackets are missing for the radius arms and ttb

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

yeah, how much?

im not sure if it would be worth it since you are pretty much on the other side of the country, but hey if you dont mind paying shipping i would let them go cheap since i wouldnt have any use for them.

 

[88_Eddie]

just let me know how much you want and i'll try to figure out shipping from CO to NC and see if it is worth it.

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

well i wont be selling them till i have a differnt DD but i would let them go for 25 bucks each, i know that shipping for them to knoxville is around $40 so probably not much more than that.

 

[88_Eddie]

well i wont be selling them till i have a differnt DD but i would let them go for 25 bucks each, i know that shipping for them to knoxville is around $40 so probably not much more than that.

thats fine, i can wait....i cant afford to pick them up right now anyways.....i'm low on my play funds, i need some more work to come in. can you tell me how many miles are on them and how good of shape they're in?

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

i couldnt honestly tell you, ive never felt the urge to take a look at them, ive only had the truck for a year, my brother owned the truck for a year before me and before that the guy that had it said he put them in new, but im not sure if they were truly new or just pulled out of a JY. they dont make any noises while driving. i could pull the cover tomarow and take a few pics. if you want them.

 

[88_Eddie]

how long do you think it'll be before you're ready to get rid of them? i'm tryin to save for a lift right now

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

soon hopefuly probably a couple months. not sure.

 

[88_Eddie]

that'll be fine, i'll def have enough $$$ to take them off your hands then, i'm in no rush. i havent even had time to work on the small stuff this week and i'm saving for a lift.

 

[88_Eddie]

ok, i've been busy lookin for a job, so i havent had time to work on the BII for a while. but i have managed to get alot done over the last few days.

i started scrubbing down some rust spots and hittin them with rust-o-leum pant. it's just surface rust from sitting for so long.

i'm loading pic onto photobucket right now and will put them up in a bit

 

[88_Eddie]

here's the pics, pretty slow goings right now, but as soon as i find a job i'll be able to do more.

here's pic of the painting and scrubbing i've done

this is the only spot where the rust has made a hole, i'll patch it whenever i can aquire a welder

only the front two body mounts look like this, i'm sure it'll be a pain when i put my body lift on

i used self tapping screws and pot rivots to reattach the inner fenderwell, i'll probably do some fender trimming down the road, so i'm just gettin it ready

here's what it looks like after i painted it

i reassembled everything back together except the grill and the doors...it's been kinda warm here and i like drivin it without them

not sure what i'll be doin next....

 

[dangerranger83]

I know.....get rid of the auto hubs, they are ugly.