Upgrade existing... or just go ahead and swap?

J

jeepers

#1
#1
So now that I've started hemorrhaging money on this thing to upgrades, a question to the more experienced. I got the suspension squared away and fairly well upgraded, fixed the major frame related issues, braking issues, and got rid of the death wobble. Now for some performance related upgrades. In talking with the gang down at CFS, we decided to focus on the axles first. Question: Should I slightly upgrade the existing axles with front and rear lockers, front and rear gears, and a moly shaft in the rear, or... just go ahead and do the 8.8 swap, and perhaps gears and maybe lockers if budget allows? I don't plan on beating the absolute #@$& out of this thing, but I do want it to be pretty damn capable. I'm not sure of the average cost of the 8.8, so that will determine how much is left over in the budget for this second round of work. Will the Detroit locker for the rear stock Dana fit in the Ford axle? I'm assuming not. I just don't want to upgrade a part (stock Dana) that might end up breaking anyhow, and not be able to transfer any of those upgrades to the new axle setup.

Forgive my newbness. Longtime 1:10 fixer-upper, first time 1:1 fixer-upper. Lot of money going out the door that I work hard for. Just want to be sure I make the most informed decision before doing so.

Thanks!
Todd
 
LBarr2002

LBarr2002

LIFETIME
SUPPORTER
#3
#3
Have your end goal in mind and do it once. You don't want to pay twice for gears, lockers, etc. If it has a Dana 35 in the back and you plan to wheel at all, don't waste any money on it, swap to 8.8 and build as funds allow.

It all depends on how you plan to use the jeep. If you want a streetable trail rig, a 30 front and 8.8 rear will work. If you plan on 35-37" tires and want to be able to run more serious trails, go with a 44 front from the start.
 
J

jeepers

#6
#6
I really appreciate the feedback guys. Sounds like what I was already leaning towards, which was what prompted me to ask in the first place. If I know I may end up swapping to an 8.8 in the future, might as well go ahead and do it now.

@ Brooks, not this one (I looked at so many lol). Stock as she goes... 30 up front, 35 out back.

@ Larry, it already has 35's, which is a size I intend on staying with. So with that size, I should really swap the front axle as well? I heard/read elsewhere on the interwebs that the stock 30 was actually really stout, just the 35 in the back that was a joke.


What's an average final cost for the 8.8 swap? Ballpark is just fine, just trying to wrap my ahead around the numbers. And remember, unfortunately I have no 1:1 mechanical abilities whatsoever :frowny:, so like the first round of improvements, this will all be done by CFS, so labor cost ($75/hr) will need to be included. Good lawd, these are so much more expensive than the RC's Brooks lol.
 
97TJGUZZY

97TJGUZZY

SUPPORTER
#8
#8
jeepers said:
Oh, and what kind of price on the axle combo Marcus? Just a guesstimate. I won't hold you to anything.
Click to expand...
if you are getting the work done at a shop you would be hard pressed to beat buying marcus's axles and having the shop put them in. His are already geared and locked and have most of the brackets you will need already installed. The only down side, which is actually an up side is that he already has RCV shafts installed (think super300s or Vanquish CVDs) and they will up the price quite a bit I would assume.
 
LBarr2002

LBarr2002

LIFETIME
SUPPORTER
#10
#10
A 30 will hold up to 35s as long as you don't beat on it too much. If I go up to 35s I'll be keeping the 30, just adding chromo shafts. Marcus has been running 37" stickies on his and rarely breaks anything. If you can, I'd go that route for an unbreakable setup...
 
motobrad

motobrad

#11
#11
I am actually doing an 8.8 swap myself and I am almost done. I found an 8.8 with a locker and disc breaks on craigslist for $450. Rugged ridge sye $160. Artec truss $340 after shipping. New drive shaft, about $100. U joints, dana spicers are about $30 a piece. Flange adapter was $30. So in total I have spent a lot haha...$1170 total

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motobrad

motobrad

#12
#12
Oh and another $200 for matt at performance 4x4 for checking everything out and welding the new artec truss and brackets. Plus if he finds anything wrong with the axle.

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