87 Bronco II upgrade order of events...

[bronco joe]

Hi all, planning on doing some more work on my 87 BII in 2021.

The suspension in my BII is old, maybe even original, so I figure a suspension lift gets me a lift for bigger tires and a better ride compared to what it is now.

Also looking at the common Explorer Dana 35 and 8.8 axle swap upgrades.

I wanted to ask the forums if it makes the most sense to swap the axles and do the suspension lift at the same time while everything is taken apart anyways? Or at least start with the axles right?

Thanks and happy holidays.

 

[JerryC]

First what is the intended to use? Daily driver, off roader, rock crawler, mudder, etc...

 

[bronco joe]

Ultimate goal is to make it an overlanding vehicle for some off road camping adventures. That certainly won't be every weekend but that's what I want it to be prepared for.

It is not a daily driver, unless my daily driver is out of commission.

 

[ecgreen]

I'll toss in my two cents as I am building an overland BII myself.I would first decide on the weight of vehicle and tire size. RTT? Bumpers? Fridge? Overlanding gets heavy and will effect your suspension choices. Tire size will also factor into suspension and axle choice. I am sticking with 31s and possibly going up to 32s, but no further. I live in some very harsh terrain and I can wheel 80% of terrain around here on 31s with a winch and patience. i have a Tacoma for serious wheeling and that is a whole 'nuther deal. Personally, I don't think you need huge tires for overlanding. I live in the Granite State, so my opinion here is valid lol.

OK, so axle choice. I have the D28/7.5 combo right now and I am gonna stick with these until they break. After they break, I will replace the D28 with a D35 and I will keep a 7.5 if I can find one. If not, I will upgrade to the 8.8. I would stick with the D28 forever as it plenty strong enough for 31/32 inch tires with careful use (i.e. using a winch when necessary, etc.). However, aftermarket support for that axle is awful. You can find bearings, rotors and seals, etc. But if you want a re-gear you are out of luck. There are also no lockers that I am aware of for that axle. So, when the D28 goes, I will upgrade to the D35 simply for the fact that I can more easily maintain and modify it if I want to. The 7.5 is plenty strong for overlanding and aftermarket support is still there, so I will stick with that unless I simply can't find one.

What should you do and when? All of it at the same time IMO - if you know what you are doing. If you don't know what you are doing and just learning, you will end up bouncing back and forth between jobs, and thats OK, gotta learn somehow. Don;t forget sway bar bushings, axle pivot bushings, seals, bearings, etc. I did mine piece meal and I have wasted a bunch of time going back in to fix things I should have fixed the first time I opened something up. For example, when you change the suspension up front, change all bearings and seals, rotors, brake pads, do the radius arm and pivot bushings and re-bushing your sway bar, etc, etc, etc. Don't play around if you are going to overland. You want reliability, and you are working with a 30+ year old truck. In short, replace it all! Trust me I am learning the hard way lol. However, if you are new to this stuff, I would do things one task at a time so you don't screw things up.

Sean

 

[ecgreen]

Here's mine so far, lets see yours!

 

[bronco joe]

Hey Sean, thanks for the two cents, although I think that info was worth more.

I also have the D28/7.5 right now and only plan on going up to 32" tires max. I don't really want to cut fenders and a new suspension should help with that. I was definitely planning on changing out all the bushings too because they have probably never been changed and overdue.

I'm experienced as far as working on cars, but after doing my research on swapping a 7.5 to an 8.8, it sounds a bit out of my league with the drive shaft and not being a direct bolt in. I'm sure I could figure it out but I also don't want to get in over my head and not be able to drive the thing for months on end.

I like the idea of swapping out for the D35 on the front end while I have it all apart. I was not aware you could do the front without swapping the rear at the same time so that's really good to know. I'd have to find a D35 with 4:10's to match the 7.5 so that may be a challenge unless I re-gear it.

Swapping when they break may be a good route too, to avoid doing unnecessary work for my goals.

Appreciate the info. Keep the updates coming on your project.

 

[bronco joe]

Completely stock at the moment....

 

[JerryC]

That looks good.
I always liked those wheels.

 

[bronco joe]

Thanks JerryC. I like the wheels too. Not sure if I can keep them if I go up in tire size. Only 29's on there now.

I've had the BII for over 10 years now. Exterior and interior were in great shape from the beginning. I rebuilt the engine back in the day cause it was a leaky mess when I got it. Had the transmission rebuilt a few years ago. Still runs great.

Got the itch recently to start doing some work to it again, so here I am trying to figure it all out.

Here's a question: Would the extra width of a D35 look weird with a stock 7.5 in the rear?

 

[ecgreen]

Looks like a great base to work off of!