dj5 postal jeep project part- 6 ford 8.8 axle swap

[rommel1833]

You still have the dana 44?

[rommel1833]

You still have the dana 44?

[smileynirvana2]

@rommel1833 i have access to it. why do you ask?

[rommel1833]

I swapped my amc 20 for the dj dana 44 had to use spacers but works great. Also looking for spare axles. I have a spare short one looking for the long one 25in. And if its forsale are u close to Ohio

[swaybelly321]

Nearly all of the DJ5's had dana 44 rear axles, many with factory limited slips, with the usual gear ratios being 3.07 and 3.73, but none came with the AMC20. I assume the reason you swapped the rear axle was to widen the track to match the front and to get the 4.5"x5 bolt pattern?

[smileynirvana2]

@swaybelly321 yes you are correct. i never looked at the axle before i took it out and i had bad information from the seller. i didnt realize it was a 44 until it was out. the entire front end was rotten when i got the jeep and a friend donated a xj that sparked the axle swap in the first place. the rear xj axle was stolen and the 8.8 was then donated by a friend for the build.

[apintonut]

i believe that it started off as not being able to get front brakes so swapped the front axle and then the lug pattern was different there was also a desire to go wider but it is not my project ive just been trying to help him with it

[DannysCam]

nice why are you adding the 8.8 ? so you don't flip?

[smileynirvana2]

@DannysCam i had a full cherokee axle set up with great tires and rims. the rear axle was stolen out of my yard so my buddy brian gave me this 8.8. the dj is known to flip so that and getting disk breaks in the front. there is no dj5 disk break conversion so this was the cheapest way to go. the rear went in alot easier. the front took me a few years. thank the ball and chain for that one lol

[DannysCam]

@smileynirvana2 sad to hear about that... people steel shit they don't even need or use i bet its sitting in that guys scrap pile.. i love old cars. and i like modded cars and trucks better like rat rods lol.. i got a 1973 f100 ranger lt short bed with a 390.. but im allways looking for a better deal

[smileynirvana2]

@DannysCam i love the 390. we had an old 65 mercury with a 390 it was so badass. too bad the mother ran it out of oil DOH. i havent seen any of your videos with the truck. im still trying to figure out this new youtube also :P

[DannysCam]

@smileynirvana2 i got a couple in there i got some videos of me working on it lol. i like the postal jeeps i like those jeep trucks they made for a while as well.. i looked around on criagslist and you can get a older jeep truck for next to nothing

[sdime59]

@smileynirvana2 i was thinking of doing that to my dj5 to make it more stable do you think it would work?

[smileynirvana2]

easiest thing ive done on the jeep so far. you have to switch out the front axle as well though. unless you are willing to run 2 differant bolt patterns for wheels? if you just want it to be more stable id say wheel spacers to make it wider and sway bars to control roll. im putting in sway bars front and rear but havent found ones that will fit yet. when i do ill fill you in :P

[sdime59]

@smileynirvana2 hey man my jeep wont go faster than 40 mph and the engine and tranny seem to be in pretty good shape so i was told that the jeep was geared low(these cars werent supposed to race) so i was wandering if swapping the rear end helped you go faster or should i find the real problem before i try swapping mine

[smileynirvana2]

@sdime59 yeah thats another reason why i did the swap. the djs are geared low because they never see freeway use and because its stop and go work. swapping the rear makes it go much faster.

[sdime59]

hey are you leaf springs messed up mine have no spring action anymore theyre are flat as a 20yo asian chicks chest,,theyre even curving down...i was wandering if you had tat problem

[smileynirvana2]

@sdime59 im assuming your talking about the rear springs. the front springs are spring under so if they drooped that far the axle would be hitting the frame. ok so the stock dj5 rear springs are all flat. they flex in a downward motion which gives it a better ride. im sure there is some droopage over the years. so you jumped on the bumper and it doesnt flex and sway? remember i didnt have shocks in the vehicle when i made this video so it thrashes around more than it should.

[sdime59]

@smileynirvana2 yeah i was talking about the rear ones...i dindt know they were flat but today i put an 80 pound compressor in the back and i could feel the sprngs giving up on me and no i did not jump in th back

[smileynirvana2]

@sdime59 you have 2 djs, are they both drooping down? my jeep when empty has perfectly flat springs. if yours is drooping empty id swap them out. hopefully your other jeep has better springs. another thing you could look into is an "add a leaf" it will give you a little lift in the back but help support those droopy springs.