what should i do???

[burton]

so i just got myself an 85 bronco 2 and i been lookin around the site and am in aw at how capable some of your rigs seem to be.....heres my question my truck is gonna be a daily driver but i would like to be able to take it out on some basic trails...what should i do?? haha is the exploder leafs and shocks a good start and how much punishment can my stock axles handle??? should i even attept to off road um???..........

[TJDukit82]

Well my 89 has stock axles and it took some serious abuse this last weekend here in Utah, I was the only stock vehicle to make it through "The Rock Garden" which is the only hard part of the trail we went on. I'm running 33's with trimmed fenders and stock suspension asside from the two in blocks in there rear which raised only about 1 inch above stock because of the old springs. Now that said I probably got lucky the 7.5 rear is weak and D28 front even weaker IMO. Both axles are designed to run on the street and some snow but I've heard of people wheeling the crap out of them with 35's even. But yes exploder springs are a good start and if you are pulling them out yourself why not take the extra step and pull the axles and swap them out as well. The front D35 I guess is a decent axle but I would never want one personally because of the wonderful name it has made for itself in the rear end of stock Jeeps but it's a big step up from the D28 and the 8.8 is a huge improvement for the rear, you dont get much better for the cost.

I wish I had some pictures to share of this last weekend trip I went on but I forgot I brought my camera with me. I would say though that unless you really like the mud or are planning on some hard core rock crawling you should be fine with stock axles and even 31's. I was amazed at how well my B2 did and it also impressed alot of people driving much more capable rigs.

[burton]

thanks man.....



well i think i may have found a donor exploder....i was just wonderin does anyone have a pic or 2 they could show me of ther b2 on exploder susupention and axles...and like no other suspention upgrades...im just curios and how long and extencive is the work gonna be to switch the parts out im i gonna have to fab anything up?

[87xjmike]

It all depends on what you plan to wheel if you want to wheel your DD on moderate trail then my advice would be to upgrade to exploder axels for security purposes. If you plan on mild trails then you should be fine. In all retrospect I have wheeled the hell out of my stock 84 axels/drivetrain. In the past few months I’ve made it through the Rubicon and a few other trails of similar difficulty w/no broken parts on 35’s with stock gearing and only a auburn limited slip in the 7.5. This thing is strictly a trails only low buck beater so I’m going to run it until it breaks then step up to exploder axels front rear. But I would never recommend the same mentality to someone wheeling a dd. I too wheel my dd and I make damn sure I have stout reliable parts on it to get me home.
The exploder swap is a straight foward bolt on for the front but the rear will requiring welding of the spring perches, i'd cut the shocks mounts and raise em up to. Those things are flippen boat anchors on the trail. I've tried several times to rip mine off on the rocks but they won't budge, just slow you down.

[vabronconut]

thanks man.....



well i think i may have found a donor exploder....i was just wonderin does anyone have a pic or 2 they could show me of ther b2 on exploder susupention and axles...and like no other suspention upgrades...im just curios and how long and extencive is the work gonna be to switch the parts out im i gonna have to fab anything up?

as far as i know it is a direct swap other than the rear axles perches can be replace to the top of the axle for a 3-4" lift without additional parts.
check out www.therangerstation.com there are articles dedicated to this swap with some good pics.