looks like a lot of fun

 

Thanks.

Watching your video reminded me of a new problem we had to deal with in a cross wind...the sand roostertail off of the front tires would blow into our faces. To solve the problem I shift it back into 2wd unless we were going up a tall dune. No way the old 4 banger would have been able to go anywhere on sand in 2hi unless it stayed in first gear.

 

curious, where is that nice dunes?

 

Since the Jeep still had the factory Dana 35 Axle which was not designed to handle 300+ horsepower I decided to use my time off wisely and swap in a Ford 8.8.

I picked up this Axle when I was planning the swap last fall but never got around to getting it in. It's from a 1996 Ford Explorer Sport so it's a 4:10 with Traction-Lock thus a perfect match for my front axle ratio. As a bonus it has disc brakes already on it. After cutting off the Explorer related mounts and a trip to the sandblaster I gave it a coat of POR15 and started fitting it to the Jeep. After setting the pinion angle I finished welding the saddles in place.

Hint: When removing the axle block the jeep up at the frame just forward of the springs on both sides so the axle is hanging fully extended. Then use a floor jack under the diff and raise it just enough to slightly raise the springs up to a neutral (no tension or compression) position. Undo the 4 u-bolts, brake line, shocks and vent line. Remove the bolts at the back shackles and lower the spring to the ground. Once both springs are on the ground roll the jack with the rear end to where you want it. Install is the reverse of this process. I did all of this work by myself and there was zero heavy lifting doing it this way.

Axle removed:



Old Dana 35 now on the driveway:



The new Ford 8.8 ready to be bolted in:

 

Now that there's a rear end in the Jeep that can handle the power I'm sure I'll be tempted to make use of the power. However, since axle wrap is a problem I'm going to add a traction bar from M.O.R.E.

I'll post more pics as I go.

 

Once I got the axles in and the brake system in place I bolted on the tires and let it down to the floor. Once it was at ride height I welded in the brackets for the shocks and started lining up the M.O.R.E. Traction bar.



Getting the traction bar setup correctly was easier said than done but I finally fabricated a crossmember and managed to get everything in place.



The last thing I need to do is get the driveshaft shortened from 15.25" to 14.5" and I'll be back to 4wd instead of fwd.

 

I have read your entire build and really enjoyed it. You are very thorough explaining how and why with excellent pictures.

I have searched the forums for info on this swap and yours is the best hands down!

 

Thanks for the compliment! You've reminded me that I need to edit my first few posts with what I actually did.

If you have a Jeep you need to do this swap. I am completely happy with the results and never once have I looked back and wished I'd done something different.

If you have any specific questions feel free to post them here or PM me directly.

Ken

 

I remembered that various years and powertrains in the Wranglers used different driveshaft lengths. They had them as short as 11" and up to the 15.25" one that was in mine. With some googling I found that the 2003-2006 TJ's with a 6 cyl and auto trans used 14.25" shafts and that some 94-95 wranglers used a 14.5" shaft.

There's a guy nearby that is a Jeep dismantler so I gave him a call and he had the 14.5" shaft for $40.00. I guess it was my lucky day.

The only thing I'm waiting on is the special u-joint that I need to adapt that shaft to the flange I have for the 8.8.

 

Now for the next part of this build I'm going to add Air Conditioning to the Jeep.

I spoke to the tech guys at Nostalgic Air and they say I can use the compressor that came with the engine (2005 LM7) I have.

 

He he he...

Got the driveshaft in and did some burnouts in the driveway today. Pretty cool seeing two marks on the blacktop.

 

He he he...

Got the driveshaft in and did some burnouts in the driveway today. Pretty cool seeing two marks on the blacktop.

 

Just do a Q-jet and MSD. Did on my cj7...20 mpg no issues very simple and more reliable than FI.

 

Cool Jeep. Nice build thread.

 

I've built numerous projects in my life that had carbs. However, in the future I will never build a carb engine again because:

Carbs and steep grades don't do to well.

Carbs can have vapor lock issues due to higher content of ethanol in our fuels.

Carbs cannot continuously adjust for changing environmental conditions such as pressure and temperature.

 

8.8 in my 98 Wrangler swap also. Added benefit is the disc brakes on the 8.8.

I would be a little nervous of the small stock 1310? ujoint. I upgraded to the 1330 CV driveshaft in the rear. On my 67 Nova LS swap I did 1350 ujoints since i was going all new.

Fuel injection not as reliable as carb? I say nay nay! 4 years on this swap and zero problems even at -25 degrees. 5 years on a 79 Camaro ls swap and never a hiccup.

Having said that to each his own. Next LS project may be carbed to get the retro look.

 

Not so if you know how carbs work. 85 bronco,,351 h.o. holley ran up ,down forward backwards and sidehilling test hill at mears,,CJ7 ,,355,,Q-jet same thing. Including shutting off ,,sitting ,,and restarting engine on test hill just to show off. Drag racing in the pits against some fi truks and ate em. Plus fixable on the roadside if necessary. I work on fi units too. carbs more reliable and simpler,,IMO.

 

High idle at Badlands?? dead cylinder at mears?? erratic missfire climbing test hill?? shut down on saturday night at 7:00pm on test hill and won't restart?? all fi problems I helped guys work on...no laptop,,no scanner??? no go. carb and filter or ign coil or wire,,roadside fix. To each his own. Usually it only takes once or twice and depending on the severity of the frustration or danger of the situation and the FI ends up on a shelf. IMO. Nice projects..Have fun ,,Be safe.

 

Thanks for schooling me. I feel much smartr now.

 

can i ask y you used a 2wd instead of a 4wd tranny?