Stupid truck tricks

So I went wheeling with a friend in March and now I want a trail rig. Unfortunately I've filled the driveway past capacity so a dedicated trail rig isn't possible right now. So I'm thinking of turning my tow/ work truck into a part time wheeler. I know that towing a race car on a trailer requires a very different suspension action than 4 wheeling, so there is a risk that I could just make a vehicle that isn't very good at either task My plan involves a 99 Durango. It has a lot of towing related upgrades like firmer shocks, air bag suspension assist on the rear axel, Bigger radiator, poly bushings, better brakes, and a trailer connector for brakes. It has 31 inch all terrains on 15 inch wheels which are a little squishy though. For wheeling I want to add disconnects for the sway bars, skid plates for the radiator/ ac up front and for the gas tank/ muffler below. I've also added a hitch mount winch to the rear. Any other suggestions that wouldn't make it worse at towing?

Selectable differential lockers will get you farther down the trail than just about any other modification. They will not effect towing performance. A lot of people overlook them because of price. Save your pennies, they are worth it.

Observe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LITxtXYjiE

Another good video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXZqWt5JhYk

Wouldn't suggest it with a Durango. A Grand Cherokee of similar vintage with the 4.7 and quadradrive is a pretty capable beast off road, super comfy, can tow almost as much, lighter, smaller, nimble, quicker, and more efficient.

In reply to Toyman01:

I want one of those things! Jimny...never heard of them lol.

That one in the vid looked like a solid axle swap? I can't really tell on my phone.

In reply to Brokeback:

That is what the Samurai grew up into. Naturally, we don't get them in the states because we are populated by idiots. Pretty sure they are all solid axle.

In reply to beans:

durango is in my driveway. cherokee is not. by the time i upgraded the cherokee to tow as well as mine does id be in too far to even think about adding trail upgrades. i know it has limitations, like the weak aluminum dana front end, and it is longer and heavier, but that is a good bit of why the durango tows better.

toyman01

i looked into a selectable locker. so far no luck on the chrysler 9.25" pumpkin. i did find an auto locker but i am afraid that will make it really loud when towing in areas with turns where the weight of the trailer makes the locker release a lot. i found some LSD options that were in the $1K neighborhood by the time i got the install kit, ABS reluctor, and gears. i am thinking of trying to find a factory LSD axel in the boneyard to swap in in the mean time.

what does the hive think of a body lift? my thought it that it would allow me greater ground clearance since i could get a second set of mud tires with 33 inch tires... allowing me to keep suspension mods to a minimum. the two sets of wheels and tires would allow me to swap back and forth between trail and tow without changing much else. thoughts?

I'd cut fenders before I went body lift. They just increase your COG and don't add any travel. That said, I live in CA where there's hardly any mud, just rocks and desert where travel is more important than tire size.

so this weekend i fabbed 2 mounting points in the front end to assist with the obstacles i cant overcome, and to make te list of obstacles a little smaller i found a factory track loc rear end in the junkyard today. 120 bucks and 6 ours of sweating and its in my workshop for refurbishing.

Yup, nothing like breaking the vehicle you need to get to work on Monday morning.

BTDT, if I ever get the urge to go 4-wheeling again, it'll be on a dirtbike.

itsarebuild wrote: So I'm thinking of turning my tow/ work truck into a part time wheeler.

In reply to Trans_Maro:

itys funny, yesterday if i saw that i would have said" but i dont use this truck to go to work." today i got a mile into my commute and my dd e30 lost a cylinder (not sure why yet) so i ended up taking the truck to work. darn this ironic universe!

itsarebuild wrote: ... my dd e30 lost a cylinder (not sure why yet)

Pull the valve cover, probably a broken rocker arm.

if I ever get the urge to go 4-wheeling again, it'll be on a dirtbike.

I think that's a good quote for the mag, considering the loads of built-in irony.

E30 is fine now. Distributed cap was faulty on 3 cylinders. Odd.. But fixed

And the other day I saw a moped with training wheels. With some knobby tires there's trans maro's four wheeling dirt bike!

So the plan to share a jeep has fallen through. At least for now. So I'm back to considering upgrades on the Durango. I am still adding the LSD rear, but I am still concerned about clearance. I'd like to have 33 inch wheels. But that has 2 problems.

The first problem is tire clearance. I can fix that with a 2" suspension lift and 1 or 2" body lift with front fender trimming. Doable.

The second is the afformentioned aluminum front differential. I am thinking of getting a front center section from a full size solid axel truck and modifying it to work in my IFS set up. The issue I am finding is that most front axels don't have ring and pinion sets available in the 3:55 ratio to match the rear. 3;54 is abundant though. My question is is that close enough with an open front diff or do I need them to match exactly?

Running the circumference it looks like a 33 inch tire at 3:55 covers the same distance in one driveshaft revolution as a 33.1 inch tire at 3:54. Seems to me this is the difference between a new and used tire. Since trucks regularly have balder tires on one axel than the other I think the answer to my question is yes. These two ratios are close enough. Anyone disagree?

Toyman01 wrote: Another good video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXZqWt5JhYk

I had ALMOST forgotten my Jimny love, thanks jerk

In reply to itsarebuild:

I say go for it, but it should be known that I am an idiot.

Also, instead of swapping out diffs, why not build one wicked skid plate and keep your stocker. Maybe grab a spare from another Durango. Another option is to use a iron case IFS diff from a newer full sized. That will most likely be much easier than trying to adapt a solid axle diff.

singleslammer wrote: In reply to itsarebuild: I say go for it, but it should be known that I am an idiot. Also, instead of swapping out diffs, why not build one wicked skid plate and keep your stocker. Maybe grab a spare from another Durango. Another option is to use a iron case IFS diff from a newer full sized. That will most likely be much easier than trying to adapt a solid axle diff.

its funny nut i have been thinking the same thing and searching all over for someone who has tried it. i mean really the biggest durability issue seems to be the aluminum housing. why not fab a d44 housing that is steel and of the same measurements to re use the cv shafts and suspension..... but i cant find it! as much as i want to try it i cant help thinking if it hasn't been tried in 14 years there must be a reason!

but i'm stupid. stay tuned!

a lot of fords came with 3.55:1 axle ratios.

i wouldn't be afraid of an aluminum diff housing as long as the guts are sturdy enough.

The guts don't seem to be the issue. Apparently big load changes, like bouncing the vehicle over rocks on a climb, load up the stress on the yolk side and break it free from the rest of the assembly. I've never actually seen this happen but I have seen pictures on other truck forums.

Next weak point seems to be the cv shafts and then the upper a arms. I suppose if I used a steel dana 35 axel as the donor I could re use my carrier and gears, but it seems like the rest of the fab is the time and money intensive stuff so why not upgrade to a 44 the gears are the least expensive component

just installed the locker in the rear

Locker worked great! Went through some pretty cool stuff and only got stuck twice. Both times were from ruts that were deep enough to ground me out on the frame. Some slightly taller tires with better grip and a 1 inch body lift to clear the new tires at full compression (and more importantly give me room to tuck the gas tank and muffler) are next.

I have a used set of 33's I can have for the price of the mounting but I am still leaning towards a new set of 32's for the better tread and less impact on the drive gear ratio.

Out of curiosity, have you considered selling the Durango and using that money to get something better suited for your needs? It seems like you may be spending a lot of time/money to get this rig to the same level as a stock rig that is better suited for off-road use.

Considered it extensively. The rig has to do both towing and trail duty and towing is the higher priority.. my significant other thinks the 5 vehicles I have is enough and road course cars are a bigger passion.. Getting them to and from a road course with gear takes a tow vehicle.

Besides that. Selling this 15 year old SUV and getting a more suitable trail rig would likely cost significantly more and be absolutely useless for other tasks.

And for a forum that celebrates making cars like a wartbug into racers that's not at all postworthy