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Today i learned that the 8.8 will fit a stock no lift wrangler

1K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  biffgnar 
#1 ·
:rofl:
Unfortunately, my dana 35 bit the dust under normal driving. no lift, fire roads on 30x9.5s. No biggie as i had planned on upgrading for future plans, just not quite yet! Fortunately, i was able to score an 8.8 with the right gears and all brackets welded on, tubes welded and a extended track bar bracket for 1000 bucks! score!

For those wondering, yes it will fit, however the track bar is very close to the gas tank, but i am happy to report cycling the suspension revealed no contact, and if you have an abs equipped axle, you will have to trim the ears off that surround the sensor to allow the stock sway bar to fit. I also used the explorer flange and the 1310/1350 u-joint with the the stock drive shaft. Zero vibrations/ binding or issues of any kind to speak of. Again, this is with the stock driveshaft, transfer case and tranny, (nv3350) and no lift. I searched high and low to find this info and couldn't find anyone who had actually done the swap on a stock jeep.
So for those wondering, it works wonderfully, just keep in mind, YMMV
 
#7 ·
Different clearance is not amazing, but I have yet to drag it on anything. It's really not to much worse then the 35 I took out. The brackets were all made by a guy locally off of a jig from a Dana 44 and cnc cutter. Just like stock with the exception of the track bar bracket that has added length and gussets for being able to move the bar. He was pretty recommended by a lot of people local to me, which is why I took the chance.
It was 1000 with all new brakes, brackets, e brake adapters etc. I think 1400 gets gears added. And 2400 he'll put together a hp30/8.8 matching combo.
 
#9 ·
The TB looks about the same size as the Truss one... just make sure you want hit at full stuff, take spring and jounce bumper out on driver side and get the metal cup touching the spring perch.. but look under there as you do it. I ended up having to take 2" bump stop pucks and cut them down to 1.25" to make sure it would no longer touch the floor... I also pulled just enough slack on the electric wire in order to zip-tie it over to the fuel line to make sure it would not be pinched by the top of the bracket.
 
#10 ·
Definitely! Before I attached the springs and shocks I cycled it several different times/ways because I was worried about that, and the gas tank clearance. So far no issues. I will be lifting soon, I was holding off until I had an axle that could take the tires etc, just sorta happened a little before I had both the lift and everything together. In the end it works out, as it should be pretty bomb proof on 33's and the type of wheeling I do, especially with the c clip eliminators
 
#11 ·
When you're "cycling" it, make sure you're doing it with the springs out and rubber bump stops removed, leaving only the empty metal cup and perch. You need to know what it's going to do at REAL full stuff, not just with a floor jack or whatever. Both springs and bump stops compress, especially running fire roads and hitting a whoop or bump or what have you.
 
#14 ·
Now you more experienced folks feel free to tell me why this is dumb, but for those out there looking to check suspension cycle/bump stop length, here's a shortcut I learned:

Remove your shocks and jounces, get under the jeep, have someone jump up and down on the bumper. No spring removal required.
Just make sure they don't go overboard and ding up your bump stop cups too much.
 
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