looks great man ubolts are a ***** to find at the auto parts stores esp ones for the exploder axle i had to have 4 made and it cost me 50 bucks for the damn things

 

Thanks guys
Todays progress.







Wouldn't wanna do it again without a torch, just angle grinder sucked. Still little **** under there I gotta cut out. Progress though.

 

looks good dude any locker or anything in that dana 35

 

those are sick jackstands lol

 

i was thinking the same thing i want some

 

Nice to see you found some of those pipe stands. Where did you get them, I didnt even think to look locally when I got mine.

 

Great progress. Gonna be sick!!

 

mm

lil lesson.. anti-wrap bars aren't really for handling on the road.

it will suck. especially when the axle turns into a top loader and breaks a ujoint/yoke/driveshaft or you really get on the gas and it starts hopping and you break an axle.

 

Actually, I bet he doesn't have that much of a problem as far as axle wrap. I have no traction bars, 35's 4.56 gears, and a 5 Liter, and I don't have problems. As far as people dissin on the 8.8, if you throw in a better carrier and weld the tubes, they are bullet proof. They have their weak links just like any axle, but the problems can be resolved. Hell, anything can break...

I bet you will be surprised at how good it drives on the road, just put the factory swap bar on it, you can use Jeep style discos for it to make it easy to remove.

Im not sure if giving you any advice is wise or not, but remember, I have done this before on a truck just like yours. Basically the same exact thing... radius arms, coils, etc. I just used a Dana 30 instead of a 44. Its just that my first impression of you is that you already know everything about everything, and don't give a damn what anybody else thinks.

I got flammed a lot for using a Dana 30, but I had some very specific reasons as o why I went this route. So far, I don't regret my decision, and the 30 is holding up fine for me, even though I beat on it quite frequently. My point is that I explained why I used it in very great detail when somebody would challenge me. When somebody says something you disagree with, don't say "Im right b/c I am" that will get you nowhere on this site. Explain to people your reasoning and why you are right.

Anyway, your work looks great so far, keep us up to date with it.

 

well im just speaking from experience.. he is using 63s so that helps.. i had stock ranger leaves w/o a block and just the RCD shackle and had horrendous wrap.

 

I can almost guarantee it will have a good amount with only 3 leaves and a cut down over load spring my 5.5 in lift chevys had a tone off wrap hell i just added 2 more leaves to each pack to help with hop.

 

^^^ holy hell i just added a 4 spring pack out of an exploder and it got way stiffer

 

your also lower, with less gear and smaller, narrower tires.

 

yeah I need some of those stands too, makes life easier for stands up front.

 

Ya just looked up rigid dealers and stopped at some industrial supplier. $56 bucks each. So worth it.

Rigid pipe stands, woulda sucked getting it to ride height without em.

Thanks for the lesson, you know everything but if you want to learn a little more look under the thousands of yotas running 63's with no track bar. Read up. 63" Chevy 1/2-ton spring swap FAQ!! - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

A good excerpt

"Do I need to run a track bar with these springs? What about axle wrap?
No a track bar isn't necessary. The leaves are plenty thick enough to resist kinking. Also you can try using the factory Chevy overload leaf, but cut the leaf flush at the rear of the spring pad and leave the front about 8" long or so. This will help prevent any axle wrap. "

They're not 63's.

Thanks for the advice, its appreciated. Any real advice is appreciated, I do everything for a reason, my reasons, my truck. Know it all attitudes just don't fly with me.

 

if you do get axle wrap....nothing a little clamping cant fix... dont see the need to go all out with a trackbar

 

Haha na if it wraps bad and it twists when articulating I'll do a tbar. Im takin it one step at a time.

 

mine wrapped a little bit and i just threw some clamps on there and it fixed it....worked nicely

 

i wouldn't call it thousands, i've also seen my share of yodas, blazers and jeeps with them.

to each his own, i love the one on my truck..

 

mine made a world of difference as well and for only 100 in it not bad.

as for some of you that its a horrible hop, whats your pinion angle look like?

 

mine is good now lol im happy with it as it is i have a 7 leaf pack in the back now didnt loose any compression or drop either and can handle more of a load

 

any up dates

 

Back at UCONN, limited to working on it on weekends now.

 

Got the axle rebuilt with new everything from the knucks out. Got it under, welded on the radius arm brackets, I'm gonna put a couple bolts through them cause I've heard of the C channel frame flexing enough to possibly crack welds. Got the arms on and mounted so everything is in place. Checked flex and clearance with the wristed arm and was pretty happy. Just gotta get the modded tranny x member in, trac bar on, steering, and coils in. The frame hump on drivers side really makes mounting a coil bucket a *****. Onto the pics...




Gonna need limit straps and good bumps.




Stuffed, need to do some clearancing

 

Thats narrow, whats your WMS-WMS?