I've decided motor wise I'm gonna use what I have. I'm swapping another motor in my truck and I'm gonna use the 350 out of it. I'll do a mild rebuild and carb it. Not super ideal for offroad but it's in my price range. Probably have to run a rear 8.8 as I don't think a 8.25 will handle the low end grunt. Gonna try and build up the d30 some. Strip the axle disco and run single piece, probably truss it as well. Going for a total of 4.5" lift and run my tires for now.

 

Depends on which 8.25 you have. The 27 spline is just as junky as the D35. Has a larger carrier, but the shafts are smaller in diameter. The 29 spline is a whole different story. Has a larger carrier, 29 spline shafts, and rivals the D44 in strength. ONLY downside to the 8.25 is it's still a c-clip axle.

 

True. I have a 99 8.25 and an explorer 8.8 already. Got em free....always good to know the right folks. I've got some figuring to do with the Trans and tcase. No major rush but it's all in the mix. I'll do the axles first and wheel it for a while before I swap. Gotta every mile outa this 4.0

 

Well... if you already HAVE the 8.8, that's a different story. It's not direct bolt-in like the 8.25, but the extra work is worth it.

I know they make c-clip eliminator kits for the 8.8, I THINK they do for the 8.25 as well, but I'm not positive.

 

I technically have a 14 bolt and a D60 as well...I have a mini junk yard behind my shop. Stuff collected from the years of racing and working on people's stuff

 

lol... wow, wish you were closer. I could use an axle upgrade.

 

Hey, If I got it and don't need it I'll ship it out on your dime. Of course an axle asembly will be a nice chunk of change lol

 

HAHA!!! Yeah, I think a road trip would be more worth it for the amount that would be on shipping.

 

Think about this you can get a ford 9" from a junk yard for around $100 they are famous for strength in the drag and hotrod worlds. Everlasting after market support fully upgradable. And all you have to do is cut and move the spring perches set the correct potion angle and weld it solid. Brake lines bolt directly to the jeep lines and to use stock jeep shocks cut and weld the lower mounts flat. Took me about two hours to swap mine in. And if you don't have a welder shouldn't be $30 to have them welded for you.

Nice jeep by the way good luck with the build let me know if I can help

P.S.

Forgot to tell you with a little shopping you can get a ford 9" with in a half inch of your stock axle width.

 

I have a 9 already. I got lots of axles at my disposal. I love 3rd member axles. Much easier for me to deal with. Thanks for the suggestion though

 

Wish I could go to the junkyards where you're at. 9" rears are hard to come by and pull quite a bit more than 100 bucks. Unless you're lucky enough to find one at an LKQ u-pull it.. still winds up being 150 minimum which isn't bad. Thing is though, most of the time, if they see one on a vehicle, they will pull it so they can charge the higher rate on it as a "pulled" part.

 

X2. I traded out a different axle and a few other things for mine. Got it when I was drag racing. Still setup for it actually. Gears are too deep for jeepin. Don't wanna cut and redo spring mounts on this axle either. IIRC you can pick one up at the junk yard around here for about $250. They know what they have.

 

A little wash today. Replaced the front sticker that got messed up. Did some measuring on the engine bay. Was gonna trim my fenders and remove the doors but my Dremel wouldn't turn on. My air compressor went out last week so I can't use any air tools.

 

LOL!!! I hate it when that happens. I bought a "dremel" from harbor freight a few years back. Thing was hilarious. I don't even think it would be good for cutting balsa wood. As soon as the disc would touch something the RPMs would drop. Not good for anything at all. My compressor isn't powerful enough to RUN air tools, and my grinder is too big to fit in there to cut the hinges without removing the doors off the hinges first... which is a PITA because of the stupid allen heads.

 

A little fun after work today.