I have an 88 cherokee and I was thinking about doing an axle swap from a 79 bronco. The back should not be a problem but I was looking for some help with the front. It looks like the springs should fit back in to the stock mounts on the body. I have done a search and can't find the info. that I am loooking for. If anyone knows of any info that would help me that would be great. Looking for any problems that I might run into with the install. I was wanting to mount the stock radious arm mounts from the bronco to the frame on the jeep. And if I have to put another track arm mount on the jeep so that it will line up I will do that. Thanks.

 

the swap will require cutting off mounts and rewelding them but it could be done as for the radius arms no flex at all try www.broncograveyard.com they have every part you will need

 

Radius Arms blow when compared to how the stock 4 link on our XJs flex. Cut all the Ford crap off the axle and weld on the mounts you need to make the 4 link work. You can get weld on spring buckets, UCA, LCA and shock mounts from Rusty's Off Road.

 

I am not that worried about getting a ton of flex out of the suspension. I live in Fl. so there is not that much need for a lot of flex. I do most of my off road in the mud, sand and trail's. Will the springs from the jeep fit into the dana 44 spring mounts or do I need to use ford springs?

 

the bronco axle is several inches wider and the coil mounts are several inches further apart

aka they will not work

that axle also has cast radius arm perches, so you can't exactly cut them off and weld to them either.

 

I'm actually planning out this exact swap on my truck now. I'm gonna try to use the axles leaves and coils from the bronco to make up the suspension and extend, box and reinforce the control arms. It's the same with me since i live in florida too, it is all mud, so huge flex is not a real need. I'm aiming to fit 38.5 inch ground hawgs. I jacked the truck up and measured a minimum lift of 5.5 inches needed.

 

I was looking at the radious arms last night under the jeep and it looks like it will hit the stock radious arm mounts. Also looks like I will have to fab. a new trans cross member.

 

Yes the bronco axles and stuff is wider, and yes the 78-and later have cast C's, but yo are totally wrong on it not working.... know how I know... I built a 91 xj on f150 axles








There are a few issues with it though. The 79 bronco should be an 8.8 which will mean 1330 u-joints instead of 1310's.

You are going to want to extend the radias arms back,and use a johnny joint or hiem. then build a new x-member with mounts, this will give you basiscly what is the equivalent of a RE or another other kind of long arm kit that uses " radias arms".

 

The 79 Bronco has the 9 inch in the rear. What steering linkage did you use to go the to gear box? Also can you send me some pictures of the radious arms that you used? Did the stock jeep radious arm brackets get in the way of the ford radious arms?

 

The steering setup is 1ton chevy with DOM tubing. Yes you are going to have to cut the stock barackets off. This is multilayer steel here so Cut and be carefull

 

KTMRacer is right. The 79 axles have cast radius arm c-wedges. They cannot be moved. 77 axles have the welded on c-wedges, that is probably what Ping Pong used. I have a classic bronco that I swapped the full sized axles in. I used a 77. Some guys on the bronco forum used the 79 axles and just let the springs bow in a little at the top. I don't think it will work on a cherokee. Good luck!

 

Did you use the ford springs or the jeep springs? What size lift and tiresare on the jeep? Also what fender flares do you have on that? Is there any other things that I need to look out for other then the stock radious arm mounts and the trans mount?

 

No I used a set of axles with the cast C's. I ended up buiding a x-memeber and using the bayonet mount for the radias arm, If I had to do it again.. I would extended out the radias arms, and put a johnny joint on it, and make the axle mount to the same x-member as the trans.

I have another axle with weld on "C's", that one I am going to either build, or buy tnt's truss, and run it like that with a RK 3 link setup.

 

i meant the stock coil bucket locations not working. you can swap anything into anything