B2 on the Rubicon Trail!

[jkufen]

I have briefly searched pirate I'll have to go search a little more thoroughly

 

[bobbywalter]

unless the frame is overrun with rust, they are little brutes...flexy but way overbuilt for the original application....if you stiffen them then they are monsters. i left mine slinky for many many years and it has lived through full throttle 300 plus hp 44 in tire assaults destroying every drive train part...exploding t cases when i came back to earth...wasting leaf spring and ttb d35 beams and radius arms..... and when it was newer i rolled it end over end at 45 mph with 3 flips including the turn, and rolled it another time and slid 60-80 feet or maybe more down a steep climb on the roof....for most of its life its been overloaded from factory specs...generally weighing in over 7 k with tools and materiel for ten years or so. so you have to mind me taking exception when people question the platform strength.

that said...

i have busted my frame on occasion, but it was as much due to improper cutting to fit powertrain and suspension upgrades then anything else, i started rolling the frame rails when possible for clearance in the 90's when doing powertrain swaps because of that. i always knew better...but sometimes i just do shit for expediency instead of taking time to radius when removing iron to clear stuff..(only my personal stuff or trail trash)

anybody that says these are weak is an idiot or building a non streetable trailer queen or a 5 ton thing for big gay truck land.


i say this allot because its true. 4x4 junkie has constructed an easy to follow and repeat build that will do well in most environments, especially out west and is the benchmark for a b2 in my eyes.

i would hop in it and run it anywhere within its maximum capacities.

drive it to alaska or florida or the northeast from his home in cali without a second thought.


sure you might burn up a winch or two to go on many of the hi end trails, but those are not the intention for a daily drivable machine like that.

running the con in it would be easy though. i dont know what the soupbowl looks like these days but i bet it will make it look easy.


yeah i get carried away sometimes

 

[jkufen]

Yeah I have been snatched by the frame plenty of times and I have snatched my buddy's 2500 dodge and I haven't noticed any issues with the frame. I had to replace my alternator today because my winch burned up the old one and while I was underneath I noticed some rusted spot on my radiator support and the fire wall so I guess this build is going to be a frame up rebuild. I'll just take it down to the frame and replace everything that needs replacing and soda blast everything and paint it. If I'm going to do it may as well do it right once.

 

[jkufen]

So I know there is a big discussion or more of an argument between the d30 and d44 SAS but just a simple question. Is it any more work to do a d30 SAS and d44 SAS? I know the d30 will do what I want to do as far as durability just curious if its the same amount of work either way. I can find d30 locally for about $100 for the axle and I can't seem to find any d44 that people aren't wanting $500+ for. A new buddy of mine which inspired this build has a newer model JK with the d30 on it and he has the chromoly (or however you spell it) upgraded axles with 37" tires and Arb lockers front and rear and he hasn't had any issues with it. He is a strategy driver like me so we do our best to avoid having to jerk it or snatch it and hitting things wide open. Just a thought please don't crucify me just because I thought about the d30. I have read the tech library about them and searched some other threads but nothing specifically said which is more work.

 

[jkufen]

This is my first build so be easy on me lol

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

I'm out.

Thought we were talking about a trail rig.

 

[jkufen]

OK I get it you aren't a fan. Moving on lol

 

[bobbywalter]

30 is ok at 35 in tires and sub 250 hp.

generally speaking i can go out most days and locate one and get it under a truck in very short order and under 5-700 bux. they are like rabbits compared to any other axle.


for the most part it is by far the most cost effective swap to get you into straight axle land, but if you plan to go big within 5 years...thats over 35 in tires its best to start with a 44, you can upgrade those the 35 spline shafts and go bigger knuckles later on and reduce unsprung wt and still have superior d60 axle shaft/ujoint strength.

low power, a hybrid like that thats easy to source and build can really make sense.

 

[4.0B2]

Jk d30 is dumb. Stupid idea jeep should have just used the 44's. lol

Now. Yes. A 44 is better IF you get a real 44. A jeep TJ or jk 44 is a glorified 30. Pure and simple.

Get a real d44 if you want a d44. But then you'll need a rear axle to match. The beauty of the d30 is the width and bolt pattern compared to the 8.8 rear axle.

 

[4.0B2]

Oh and yes. I believe in 30's with tire size 35 or smaller. Or you can build it for 37's but you'll toast ring and pinions. I see it all the time in my local off road club which is jeeps mostly.

For the money to add axle shafts, manual hubs, truss, c gussets, etc... You can buy a full width 44 and build it

 

[bobbywalter]

Jk d30 is dumb. Stupid idea jeep should have just used the 44's. lol

Now. Yes. A 44 is better IF you get a real 44. A jeep TJ or jk 44 is a glorified 30. Pure and simple.

Get a real d44 if you want a d44. But then you'll need a rear axle to match. The beauty of the d30 is the width and bolt pattern compared to the 8.8 rear axle.

surprised.

jk 44 is superior to a reg 44 where it counts in gear/pinion/shaft strength..
....it should be a 48 really.

i do understand that its in a glorified 30 tube and knuckle setup.

going with big tires or power you need to truss any axle anyway, so once that is done..and the knuckles braced, or replaced i see the jk as the ultimate ranger axle as its actually being constructed in mass and easily available when staying with a streetable wheeler. even comes with a selectable locker.

 

[jkufen]

I was just asking because there are many d30's out of jeeps on craigslist cheap. I guess if I want the d44 I'll just have to go to the pick and pull and pull one out of a truck myself. I guess I will pair the d44 with the 9"rear end. When I pull the axle what all do i need to get? I know the axle but i figured id buy new coil springs and brake lines. Do i need to take out the old radius arms or would i be better off buying new ones?

 

[4.0B2]

On fords.. The radius arm setup ain't the best for flex. You'd be better off building a 3 link radius arm setup.

But you might as well pull them. They can be made flex.

 

[jkufen]

Are there any other brands trucks that work well besides ford?

 

[4x4junkie]

Ugh.... Another soul must be trapped in the solid-axle-is-better thinking again if they think a D30 is somehow a better option than the D35 that bolts right in...


SAS = D44 absolute minimum. Anything less is 100% pointless (and even at that, the D44 isn't much above the D35, better aftermarket upgradeability maybe, but if you're going to throw a s-ton of $$$ at it that, you'd be far better starting with a D60. In other words, the D35 is f'in plenty if you're not going to shoot 500HP at it with a big block in the rocks).


And yes, the JK D44 seems like a pretty decent axle to me too, once it's trussed (huge 1.625" pinion shaft, 32-spline shafts). No truss though = easy bent housing. It's also as wide as a fullsize truck axle.

Are there any other brands trucks that work well besides ford?

If you want fullsize, Dodge stuff ('94-'01) can be used, but it's inferior to the Ford stuff.
Most anything else is either weak, or doesn't fit (diff on wrong side, for example)

 

[jkufen]

the local pick and pull doesnt have any explorers in the right year range to get the d35 out of unfortunately. That was going to be my first pick because its a lot easier to install. I will have to travel around and see what I can find. If I could find an intact explorer then I would do the 4.0 and the d35 and the 8.8 rear end but people around here want a small fortune for their explorers. I actually bought an explorer for the swap (my 99 expo) then after I bought it I realized it had the IFS and was practically useless for what I bought it for. I only paid $500 and it was running and driving. I know with the d35 I would have to get my front drive shaft shortened. Which is probably true for all of them. For the d35 would a 3 link system be better or would it be better with the radius arms? Can you use a 3 link system with the ttb?

 

[4x4junkie]

No you can't 3-link a TTB.
You could do a form of a parallel 4-link (which would reduce/eliminate caster change), though if you have long enough radius arms (12-15" over stock), I don't think the difference would be very noticeable (and RAs would be less complex).

Where are you that you can't find one example of what was America's best-selling SUV and compact pickup truck around you? You try www.car-part.com? How about www.craigslist.com?

 

[4.0B2]

with ttb you'll just extend the radius arms... mine flexes pretty nice.

IF you have a lift, you won't need to shorten the driveshaft. I'm using my same shaft for my d28 on my d35. Something like that.... I'm using the same shaft untouched.

 

[bobbywalter]

i am not afraid of a dana 30. in my experience the difference between it and a d35 strengthwise is a non issue at 35 in tires and sub 250 hp.


at 300 hp the d35 and 35's or bigger is a given bust on anything i might need to winch on. open diff at that. locked and a shaft will die unless a lockout goes first. where or what will bust is not a guarantee. but its a sure bet, i will be working on something.


when parts were plentiful and cheap to free that was not a problem. the d35 is the easiest thing to work on ever....10 min to swap a shaft taking my time. 1/2 hour from digging out tools and parts to moving on...thats a big plus for the d35 and when combined with the fact it has lockouts it makes any post cj jeep axle look bad.


of course i totally agree if you have a d35 swapping in a 30 is stupid.



no d35's in reach, d30 no problem.

 

[4.0B2]

to the OP.. there's some good info here on d35 builds/setups
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=499