spring perch locating 8.8 swap

[rangerbum]

Hello guys, I'm finally sorted and about ready to get my axles put in. A little backstory; I'm putting '92 explorer axles into my '85 BII. Front axle is a piece of cake.

I'm not worried about the rear either, but I have been trying to calculate my spring perch locations before I get started, just to make the job a little easier and faster. But after reading and rereading the tech library info I keep crossing my wires and getting confused. I understand they will need to be 40.5 inches apart, but the b2 axle is longer on the passenger side than ranger axles. The pinion is 1.25" right of center on b2, 2" on explorer.

In other words, I'm having a hard time keeping all factors in mind while doing the math. It wont be any problem for me to just line it up under the rig and measure, mark, and tack my perches on. But It would speed up the process knowing what to expect.

Would anyone who has an ex 8.8 under there BII be able to measure from the edge of the lip where the axle tube meets the diff to the side of there spring perch on each side for me?

I dont mean to be lazy, but I'm going to be borrowing shop space and want to be in and out quick and easy.

 

[kunar]

rather than basing your measurements on the diff housing, why not measure to the backer plates? if you know for sure what your spring-to-spring measurement is, subtract that from the distance from wheel to wheel, and split the difference. this way your axle ends up centered in the truck and the exact location of the diff housing isnt important.

 

[4x4junkie]

rather than basing your measurements on the diff housing, why not measure to the backer plates? if you know for sure what your spring-to-spring measurement is, subtract that from the distance from wheel to wheel, and split the difference. this way your axle ends up centered in the truck and the exact location of the diff housing isnt important.

This.

Measuring from the brake backing plates eliminates any ambiguity stemming from the diff housing itself.

Another way is to simply put them 1" to the outside of the old spring perch locations (Explorer/Ranger spacing is 38.5")

 

[rangerbum]

Hey thanks guys! I can't believe I'd overlook such a simple way to get the job done. Between college, work, and volunteering to build my friend's house I seem to have about 1% mental capacity left for my own projects haha.