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A swap to the larger D35 is a worthwhile swap for anyone that needs increased strength. This swap is very close to a bolt-in, but I found a couple things that needed a quick modification. To start out, you need to read your manual and get to know the parts and what's needed to do this swap.
I didn't have the D35 radius arms, and was told the D28 arms have stronger shock mounts, so I used what I had. After removing all the parts from the truck, I removed the radius arms from the axle beams. These bolts are there to stay! I was also told these bolts may or may not fit the D35 axle beams. Well I had the D35 bolts so it didn't really matter to me. But after removing the bolts, the D35 did have larger bolts (3/4") so the holes in the radius arms needed to be drilled out from 5/8" to 3/4" Kinda funny though, the bolt that go into the top of the axle beam, through the radius arm, that also hold the coil in place, is 5/8 on the axle end but was 3/4" on the coil end.
So it was possible to cut the longer (3/4") end shorter (to clear the axle) and flip them over. That would have given me the same thing as the D35 bolts. After drilling out the holes and bolting the radius arms to the axle beams (loosely) it was time to put it back together. The reason the bolts were put in loose was so the parts could be lined up. After the pivot bolt was in and the radius arms were in place with the bushings, then the bolts were tightened down.
The rest of the install is a reverse order of removal. This is a great time to loose the front sway bar, but doing so may make cornering a little tricky. I have duel front shocks and couldn't even tell it was gone, but the articulation is greatly improved. Also some have said that a longer bump stop is needed on the left (driver) side to prevent the 3rd member from hitting the cross member or drop bracket. Without the spring in place, it was jacked up to the OEM bump stop and I couldn't see any problems. Although this is something you MUST check for. You will also need to have the drive line cut 1" shorter, and get a alignment.
With the help of Dick Stark (Mudranger2) and Iain (85ranger4x4) we did this swap in 8 hours. This time including the extra things I needed to do for the after market parts. Poly bushings, new lower shock mounts, and the use of screwdrivers and hammers to remove the hard packed dried mud. I would like to thank Dick and Iain for all their help, and also thank Dick for the use of his garage.
Bob Doughty (Bob)
A Regional Rep.
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