I was wondering. I have a 1989 B2 4X4 and want to confirm with some one the type of Front and Rear end in my truck. Is it a Dana 28 front and 7.5 Rear or a Dana 35 Front and 8.8 rear? Where can I look to make sure and confirm this? The tag on the front end also has a 3.73 is this the ratio? Thanks.

Jesse

 

Unless someone has swapped something else in, an '89 BII will have a Dana 28 front end with a Ford 7.5 rear.
I expect that 3.73 is the gear ratio. There should also be a similar tag on the rear differential that should have the same gear ratio on it.

 

Thanks mrshorty. I figured that this was the case, but I wanted to be sure.

I'm wondering, what is out there for a 7.5 rear and a 28 front as far as lockers go? My B2 is what I drive day to day and play in so I'm not sure I want a type of locker. Maybe an ARB or LSD. What can I fit in there without an Explorer front and rear swap? I'd like to avoid any swapping if possible and simply rebuild my B2 with a new 2.9L or rebuild my 2.9L and new components, new or rebuild my 5 speed trans, maybe an Atlas transfer case to replace the current one. I already have a Duff drive shaft that's been pretty good to me thus far and a centerforce clutch & pressure plate and a modest lift. It is a 3 inch body and 2 inch suspension so I can fit 32 by 11.50 tires in there. The only real reason I want to keep it as is is because I know it inside and out, but if do the swaps is the best way to go in the long run then maybe it's time to swap the aformentioned stuff. I have looked at the 4.0L from an Explorer along with it's Dana 35 and 8.8 and the 5 speed out of 91 Explorer. For now, my B2 is still kicking hard, but she's tired with a wapping 230,000+ miles and original engine front and rear end. I'm looking at doing this next summer when I'm off. I'm a high school teacher and have time in the summer to do this so I want to start saving up now and buying things a little at time, which brings me to my next question. Any ideas where I can go to buy these things? I live in the Bay Area 63 miles east of San Frnacisco. Thanks for any and all help you can offer MrShorty and anyone else that happens to be reading.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:p< font O:p<>
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If you plan to realy wheel your BII I would do the X swap the d28 are real weak when you get to the bigger tires and they will not take the beating .The 7.5 rear is a good rear but there is not much out there to up grade so I would do the 8.8 swap there too.The trannys are the same for the manual ones{ the auto in the Xs are a little stronger},so if you can get a good spare go for it.The T-Case are the same. JMO

 

Thank you for the reply. So, the Dana 35 and the 8.8 rear will do just fine with the current B2 Transmission and Transfercase (I may still go for the Atlas Transfer Case)? Also, do you feel that keeping the 2.9L is alright or go for more power with the 4L? I just want to avoid all of the smog check problems and too much welding and or mods to accommodate a larger engine (I'm assuming it'll be needed, but that may not be the case), but I like the idea of the 8.8 and the Dana 35. One more question. I did a little more research on the 8.8 and it turns out that there are two types that differ in the spline (I think that's what it was called--one being 28 and the other more than 28, but I can't remember what simply that it's more durable)--do you know anything about that? What's the difference? I'll keep the whole extra transmission in mind, but I prefer a manual transmission. Thanks for the help and feedback.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

The 4.0 will fit in the same place the 2,9 is,The 4,0 is just a biger 2.9 the tranny and engine mounts will fit.you will need to get the wireing fo the MAF sensor on the 4.0 as well as the computer for the 4,0. There 2 8.8 rears 28 splin axle and the 31 splin axle.Which is better I personl dont know ,I would say the 31 splin.The one off a 4x4 X years 91-95 are the best.You will have to put the spring purch on top of the houseing and move the shock mounts for it to fit right under the BII.The front is perty much a direct swap.

 

Without getting real technical, spline count is essentially a measure of axle diameter. A 31 spline axleshaft is thicker (and, all else being equal, stronger) than a 28 spline axleshaft. for comparison, I believe the 7.5 uses a 28 spline axleshaft as well. One could argue that an 8.8 with 28 spline shafts isn't much of an upgrade. If you're going to spend the money on a different axle, get an 8.8 out of an Explorer. If you want to put a lunchbox locker in it, try to get one with an open carrier (more options and the carrier is stronger than a Trac lock unit). If you want to put a full carrier locker in, it doesn't matter. At that point, the important thing is to get the gear ratio you want.

 

Cool. So, if I understood you and Gray Ranger correctly, the 8.8 X rear is already a 31 spline, but there are some 8.8s that are also 28 spline? What year did the X come out with the 8.8 31 spline rear sinc ethe 91-95 all seem to fit and all have an 8.8 rear? I think I will go for the 8.8 rear with a 31 spline over the 28. Is the front the same? That is, is a Dana 35 already a 31 spline or are there Dana 35s with a 28 spline? What year X do I need so I can take it all from the same vehicle (8.8 31 spline rear and Dana 35 front with 31 spline if applicable)? I appreciate your help. Jesse

 

The Explorer rear was 31 spline. The 28 spline 8.8 was used in Rangers, Mustangs, and other car applications that used the 8.8. I don't remember what the D35 spline count is, but it's not necessarily 31. One thing to maybe watch out for is the less common D35-D28 hybrid that was used in some cases.
If you want to get both the front and rear from the same vehicle, you'll be looking for a '91-'94 Explorer. '95-2000 Explorers use the same 8.8 rear, but they have a completely different D35 front suspension set up that won't bolt into your BII. If you don't end up locating a '91-'94 Explorer, you can take the 8.8 from a later Explorer, then get the D35 TTB from a '91-'97 Ranger, though, as noted above, watch out for the D35-D28 hybrid. From what I've gathered, the Explorer never had the hybrid axle, but I can't be 100% certain of that.

 

To grumpyjjo-32x12.50s are big tires for a bronco,how does it behave with them? what kind of rims did you use?gas mileage still ok?You have 5 inches of total lift,is there still good clearence between the tires and body. I have seen bII with 31s and its a tight fit.I am looking to install some bigger tires on my BII (31 or 32 inch)and I would like to know how they work on a daily driver
-Thanks

 

I did notice some power loss on the free way, but when I go 4-wheeling it does well. The gas mileage is OK. I get about 13-17 miles to the gallon depending on how I drive and if it's city or highway. The only real problem I have had is when I had the BFGs Mud Terrains. They got a little chewed up and one of the trails that was pretty tough caused the back passenger side tire to dent the wheel-well where the wheel-well and the passenger door meet. It wasn't that big a deal, but it sucked that it happened. Now that I am running the same size tire, but in the BFG AT, it's a lot quieter and smoother on the road and there hasn't been any scraping yet. I’ve done <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Deer</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>Valley</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, <st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Bear</st1:PlaceName><st1:PlaceType>Valley</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, and <st1:City><st1:place>Azusa</st1:place></st1:City> down in LA with them and it’s been OK. I agree with your assessment that these tires are probably too big for the B2, but I am going to be rebuilding it soon and throwing an 8.8 rear with Dana 35 front and a 4.0 from an Explorer. I have been running these size tires for about 3 ½ years now. The biggest problems I have encountered are wear and tear on your wheel bearings, brakes, and stopping power is pretty bad relative to what it can be. Besides that, it's not too bad. The lifts I have are a Superlift 3 inch body and Superlift coils, and three inch blocks in the rear (I got one more inch then I needed to compensate for the ever notorious B2 sag, which will also be corrected when I throw in some explorer leaf springs or the James Duff complete suspension system. I am also running some Rancho 9000 shocks. I am going wheeling this weekend <st1:date Month="8" Day="22" Year="2004">8/22/04</st1:date> at Hollister <st1:State><st1:place>California</st1:place></st1:State> with a buddy of mine and all of his little Xterra friends---I'll be the only Ford man there if you or anyone else wants to come.

 

when you put the coils in did it screw up your front wheel camber or do you have I beam drop brackets and the whole nine yards.can you post a pic of your truck?.I want to see how it lookswith the tires and lift.What kind of rims do you run.Need some 8"wide with more offset to push the wheels out and widen the track before I lift.My plan is to boost my truck just enough (once I have it sitting level again)to have the same clearence with 31s as I do with the 215s I have now.I just rolled 303,000 km on original everything so when it's motor time,I'd like to drop in a 3.0 from an SHO taurus.
Tahnks for the invite but I live in canada,CLaifornia is kinda far for a weekend trip!

 

Happy to help out. Send me an e-mail at grumpyjjo@sbcglobal.net and I'll shoot over some pics to you. I just put the coils in and some new camber adjusting thingies (I forget what they're called) but they are used to adjust the camber when you get it alligned otherwise the wheels are really tilted in from the top and the pull to one side is pretty bad. When you go in to buy the coils or if you orer them through superlift, they'll tell to change these and they'll have a part number for you and all. I didn't have to drop anything or add anything beyond the coils and the two "thingies" whose name I can't recall. I'll take pictures of it and e-mail what I am talking about so you can get a better sense.