Quote:
Originally Posted by Fubeca
It is not uncommon for these to shear in four wheel drive vehicles that get used off-road. I tend to err on the side of caution with suspention parts. I'm not an automaker who is saving millions by shaving a dollar off of the axle assembly  I can afford a couple extra dollars for an extra margin of safety (even if it is small). |
I'm not unfamiliar, nor do I suggest that anyone actually do it. That's why I qualified it with "if you want to be cheap and save $0.50.".
Madison -
You'll just have to leave the heater plugged in a bit longer, is all. If you're going to remove the mechanical fan, why not replace it with an electric one altogether?
As counter-intuitive as it seems, it'll be easier to lower the rear than to build the belly pan. I don't think it'll really matter which way you do them, though, unless you plan on covering the axle, too.
Even though it's only a 2004, you might need new u-bolts when you lower the rear. Not sure if yours have an inch of space left to play with or not (probably not), but usually better to just replace them. I've seen what happens when they break, not pretty.