Swapped a dana 44 from a '79 f150 under my '94 F150 back in like 2003. I used the spring and shock buckets from the 79, and a set of aftermarket 6 inch lift coils for the 79. I used the factory radius arms and radius arm mounts for the '79, theres a nice flat spot on each side the 80-96 frame where they can be clamped in place and new holes drilled (almost like they were always meant to be there) I used stock replacement rod ends, drag links, brakes, etc etc for the 79. Did it all as a dumb college kid laying on my back with the truck on jackstands in the driveway of a rental house. I still own the truck, everything has held up fine over the last 2 decades. Seems as how OBS Ford trucks are like potato chips (you can't have just one of em) I've learned to appreciate the twin I beam/twin traction beam front suspension over the years on my various other rigs. A good set of polyurethane I-beam pivot bushings and a set of poly radius arm bushings takes all the slop out of what is likely 25+ year old 200,000+ mile clapped out factory rubber units. There is oblong oval shaped alignment bushings to replace to stock round ones, they're used to correct camber on lifted trucks and help to do away with the uneven tire wear. Literally every issue anyone has ever had with a TTB front end can be solved by just maintaining the thing. They never actually break like a lesser truck would, they just get so wore out that you've got to turn the steering wheel 8 inches in either direction before anything happens 🤣
I've found the same thing with TTB stuff I've owned. Almost always people complain and it's clapped out factory bushings. There's some really cool TTB rigs being built over on Irate4x4 (and previously Pirate4x4). It's definitely got potential... just not when worn the hell out.
I've got two 94 fords, one f150 and a Bronco, both 4x4, the TTB gives me no grief, the tires even wear even on the truck. The Bronco is all over the road but it's got a really bad alignment and cheap tires 😅 it also had a plow on it in a past life so I'd imagine the pivot bushings are a little worn out
Agreed. I have a Dana 35 Ranger. 4:56:1, air locker, 35's, works great. Camber improves as you turn, wheel travels in a predictable arc allowing for progressive shock mounting, lots of advantages. Only disadvantage is that changing the ball joints is a real chore. Chasing wheel travel, I widened it 5.5" per side, extended the radius arms, switched over to coilovers, uniballs, manual hubs, larger brakes from '97. But from stock to its current state, it's survived everything I could point it at, and I've never wished for a solid axle!
The twin i-beam suspension is actually a really nice riding/handling (for a truck) setup if it's in good repair. Lots of aftermarket stuff for lifting/lowering too. Plenty strong for whatever kind of wheeling you want to do as well.
Man how can anyone complain about this channel. The quality is above and beyond. The variety of projects is impressive. All done in a real shop not a studio and a bevy of helpers. U guys r by far the best on the internet. I really hope u guys continue to enjoy doing this and make a awesome living. I think I can speak for ur viewers that it will b a sad day if u guys ever stop. My hat is respectably off to u two👍
A trick I saw someone do with needing a nut welded behind box steel was to hole saw a hole just bigger than the nut and then weld the nut to a big washer and then weld the washer over the hole you cut out.
Thank you for the 34 year trip down memory lane. 1988 Bronco was the first truck I bought new. I wanted a little more strength when I SAS’d it so I ran the Chevy big bearing hubs on my Dana 44 & 4.88 gears. It’s all bolt in and gave me 8x6.5 8 lug rotors. I swapped a sterling 10.25 in the rear as it’s also bolt in. I remember doing everything in this video as a kid. Deaver springs, Bilstein shocks. Wound up having to go back and gusset my top mount for my pan hard bar - when I wheeled it hard the frame and mount flexed there and started to crack. Great to see it. The juicebox is looking good!
15:08 (Wheel Hub Disassembly): I've found when dissembling hubs from knuckles (in our rusty part of the world) that it's usually easier to do them with the axle assembled. Just prep the axle shafts for removal so they're free inside of the hubs, remove the tie rod entirely so you can ratchet strap both sides together to compress them against each other, and pin the hub you're trying to remove against the axle housing with a chunk of "whatever". Then you use the ratchet strap to "press" the hubs out of the knuckle. Doing it on the vehicle is even better, because them you can use the power steering instead of a strap to apply the force. I was shocked how much easier this method is than beating it apart with a hammer, chisels, sharp sticks, foul language, prayer, etc...
Helpful tip.... The best thing to cut cardboard with, to make templates, is a pair of tin snips. Not poopy scissors from the kids or wife's scrapbooking equipment. Lol. I personally Love the detail of your work and the quality of video by Aaron(Erin?). Screw the haters. All of us that watch you have 10,000 projects we're working on at one time also! We understand delays. P.s. Wind Tumnel with the Audi.
When I was swapping spindles on my Dana 44 8 lug I put the axle nut on the end of the spindle and then tapped it back and forth with a mallet or small dead blow and then I have enough room to put a pry bar behind the spindle and then pry on it and tap on the end of the spindle. Worked amazing! I’m in Minnesota so I feel your pain!
Awesome!! I've got a similar project goin on, '95 bronco that I've got a '79 Dana 44 for it, also have a 4bt & zf5 to swap out the tired 5.0 e4od. I like the BIG brake kit you put on, I'm going with the tried and true t-bird caliper upgrade with f350 master, booster, & wheel cylinders. The coyote in that thing will be sweet! I'm stayin tuned.
Oh yeah, if anyone has one of these 80-96 trucks, and it's got slop steering, change the damn rag joint before you touch anything else. You'll get 8" of play in the steering from that alone. The rigid steering shafts are a good upgrade for an offroad rig, and there's also a guy selling aluminum lower steering column/shaft bearing mounts on Ebay that are really nice. (I have both and can testify).
i had a ton of tire wear issues when i lifted my 08 subaru impreza. i had about 8 months of fun with it lifted (and went through i believe 2 sets of tires) before throwing in the towel and taking it back to stock, i miss it all the time lol. learned a year after i unlifted it that if i'd made some subframe spacers that it would have fixed most of my issues. oh well, live and learn. glad to see the bronco in the spotlight for a bit!
Thank you from over in Australia, I have a TTB bronco 85. I want to Dana 60 swap mine, your video has made me consider doing it myself. Fantastic job. No bullshit video. Love it
I did a Dana 60 SAS on my 1983 F-250 with Superduty leafs over a decade ago now. I do wish I'd have gone with coils and extended radius arms up front, as it was set up already being a 2wd, and the ride and turning radius would have been much better. (I converted to 4x4 with a 4 speed with a 203/205 doubler). I'm about to take the tired 460 out and replace it with a DT360 International. I love the 460, but the diesel is better for long distance trips and making fuel go further. I'll be interested to see how you like the Coyote under the hood.
The drill and slot rotor if you don’t have a sticker to figure out what side to put it on, the holes and slots are made to scoop the air in the forward direction if the vane is straight in the center of the rotor, if the vane is angled that is the side it goes on to scoop the air.
You can adjust camber on a 44 with those threaded "pills" (that's what we called them anyway, they go where the upper ball joint attaches) unless I'm missing something... It's usually helps the steering geometry to mount the tie rod on top of the knuckles. They sell a reamer and inserts that make it super simple
When I was a Ford tech, did quite a few Super Duty ball joints. The shop had a pretty poor excuse for a press, as well as missing most of the adapters anyway. So my preferred method was a 4 lb. hand sledge hammer and some heavy duty drift punches. Those drift punches? Made myself from the axles shafts of a scrapped twin I-beam setup. So they were solid steel and heavy, that's for sure. You could really wail on them with that 4 lb. hammer and they would barely bounce...lol
Swapping out heavy front suspension components on old 4WD's is something of a black art...takes maximum confidence in your skills. Rich definitely has this quality.
The twin I-beam setup is fine until you beat on it. It can provide good articulation but you have to constantly keep after it. Ford really should have just used the straight axle in the square body trucks until they retired them. It just works better without all the extra hassle. TTB is fine for 2wd on the street.
Nice to see a Ford axle going into a Ford for a change. From a 20 year Ford tech (and someone who has owned 9 TTB/TIB trucks), alignment/geometry is critical on TTB. Set them up with zero camber, minimal toe and less caster than stock (1.5 to 2.0 degrees) and they will not wear tires (none of mine did). Finding a tech willing to spend the time on an alignment rack is the hard part. Dropping the center pivot points require a drop pittman arm of the same amount. I wish there were more aftermarket parts for them (you can upgrade the center section to a Dana 50 from an F250 TTB).
Did any of the Dana 50 TTB's have the factory limited slip option ? My 84 f-150 with the Dana 44 TTB has the limited slip factory option...first time owing a 80's ford 4x4 with that ls front diff .
Love the old school bearing install and packing...just 1 thing my grandfather lost a finger to grease poisoning and my dad developed multiple myeloma and passed while suffering the resulting issues..pretty sure it was from greasy oily hands from lifetime of turning wrenches
Yeah, I had a 1977 Chevrolet blazer and I redid the suspension all the way around on it a while back. I actually a long time ago and I put 1 ton leaf springs on it all the way around. And that lifted it up a little bit put it where I wanted. It worked out really good for me. Kept everything level from front to back as well and side to side. I’m not sure what’s better as far as suspension goes Ford the way they set things up or Chevrolet the way they said things up, but I seem to have less problems with mine and some of my friends did with their Broncos at their running around in Glamis in the sand dunes of course all this was back in the 80s and 70s. I don’t know why mine held up better but it did anyway that’s my two cents worth, I love your build looks really nice. I wish I still had mine. Wish I hadn’t sold it that’s for sure. I miss it.
Nice bronco build. I always preferred a solid axle over ttb or ifs. I really like the brake upgrades you did. I can tell this will be a very cool build with tons of small details that matter. God Speed.
Overall really got job. A couple critiques I can give is to find a way to capture the coil spring to the bottom bucket. James Duff would be a great example. Another alternative us to use limiting straps set to catch the axle just before full droop. Either way will prevent you from having a coil pop out from too much down travel. On my swap, I also installed a U bolt strap on the inside of the top coil to the bucket. This will prevent the spring from popping out with too much compression. It may be too late for this too, but I pushed my axle forward and inch or two to keep the tire from hitting the firewall at full lock/full up travel.
I used to be one of those guys that got on the TTB hate train ...but after owning both solid front diffs & the TTB's ...for a 1/2 ton the TTB 44 is fine ...even for f-250's the Dana 50 TTB is not a bad differential . For snow plowing ...a f-350 with a solid axle Dana 60.
such a beautiful build, Rich. I'm a big fan of the bullnose trucks. you've really hit the mark on this bronco, and gone beyond. The I-beam suspension has always beeen a cringe-point for me on the pickup 150's and 250's, so you've done this vehicle great justice to put the dana 44 under it. MINTY AF
I have a lot of nostalgia for this body style for truck- learned how to drive on my dad’s f100 that was this color and square headlights. truck lasted forever
+1 for the bump steer correction. I run plates on all the track cars I build. I could 'nerd out' on suspension all day 😁 From a fellow tech to another, I always enjoy your vids Rich! 😉👍👍
Finishing? Is anything ever, " _finished_ "? Running boards, side step or bush bar for the little people who have trouble getting in and out. The right one dresses it up, as well as add protection. Just a thought. I have people who have trouble getting in also.
Beautiful truck, and congratulations. I used to build these trucks out of Lego when I was a kid, like 40 years ago. And that was in Scotland where we didn't even get the real one's, lol.
Hey Rich ❤ the work you do. Surely there is a heavier sway bar you can install to correct the body roll issue. 🤔 A lot of your older videos inspired the 79 Ramcharger/95 Ram Cummins “merger” I’m working on. I’ve never worked on a diesel before and I’ve used those early Cummins swap vids to make things happen. Keep up the great work!
Just a little tip for removing spindles from the knuckles on Dana 4x4 front axles: once you remove the nuts from the bolts that hold the spindle flange to the steering knuckle, hold the knuckle steady (occurs naturally when the axle is still in the truck, or in a vise as was your case where you had the assembly out on the bench). Then take a piece of metal pipe with an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the spindle at least three feet long and slide it on over the spindle. Gently rock back and forth, up and down, etc. (you can wrap something like tape around the wheel bearing threads if it's really stubborn) and it takes the spindle off without the need to hit it at all. The longer your pipe is, the more leverage you have and the easier it is to work loose. On reassembly, I usually smear the mating surfaces with a liberal dose of anti-seize.
You could have compensated the lift with upgraded camber sleeves for the top ball joints that allow a greater amount of adjustment, and the steering geometry can be fixed by flipping the tie rods to the top instead of bottom like stock after reaming out the holes and sleeving them. The twin traction beam setup is actually very popular for prerunner builds so I've read about all these issues and how to correct them, if anyone else watching this is interested in keeping theirs and not having bad tire wear with a lift.
I did a solid axle swap on my 08 dmax and I love it👍🏿 I was so sick and tired of GM's junk I.F.S with all it's moving parts, my steering has never been so sensitive with the straight axle. I guess it's a coin toss between Ford's junk TTB or GM junk IFS 🤷🏿♂️🤷🏿♂️....but anyway that's a cool solid axle swap you did👍🏿
likely WAY to late, but if you were going to repaint the pumpkin flat black, might have considered making use of the gloss put a DG stencil on it. Nice gloss black DG showing off your skills with a rattle can
If your worried about waiting for the wrong parts you should hit up torque king 4x4, they specialize in these older trucks and have a tone of stuff for these older Ford's, just rebuilt my t case and while front Axel with everything from them . everything fit the first time and all was correct.
We all had high boys in high school. Smoked dope, drank beers every morning listening to skynyrd, outlaws and molley hatchet. Throw in alittle of RUSH... Too. Our high school had an open campus and a smoking room. Never had any mass shootings. How times have changed. Cheated on all my finals and got my diploma!!!
At least on the Jeep and Chevy D44's I've worked on the spindle nuts you torqued/locktight'ed at 27:07 use a special one time use ovalized nut to prevent backing off. Not sure if Ford's are the same.
Been doing the swabs for about 20 or 25 years best improvement you can do on these vehicles the trucks or the Broncos. Pretty much exactly the same as what we used to do them
I know what you mean about the twin I beam suspension, the 2wd version that my '93 F150 has isn't as bad about death wobble, but I have two loose tie rods and it feels like the whole front end is worn out. Most independent truck suspension leaves a lot to be desired.
I've been watching this channel for a long time now and somehow just realized today I wasn't subbed anymore. Had to subscribe again just now. Love all your content.
Sorry first comment on one of your videos but I have to point out that you CAN adjust the CAMBER on your dana 44 straight axle. An alignment shop will bushings that work on the top ball joint that allows your to adjust both camber and caster. There are also shims for the spindle to do some adjustments with.
Meanwhile I'm swapping TTB INTO my rig not out of it 🤣. BTW 4WD twin I beam is called TTB - twin traction beam (not that it matters we all knew what you meant). Solid axles are great, like you said they're super simple which makes them easy. TTB can also be great, if you don't mind it being a little more complex you can get a very good ride out of it, especially when going fast off road. There's a reason desert racers use beams, and ultra 4 is starting to use it a lot more too. Horses for courses though, its not for everyone. Either way you always manage to take some beat up old junk and make it look brand new and shiny, well done! 👍
Great video. I have one of those axles waiting for the right Bronco. Here on the Oregon coast they are usually pretty rough damn salt water takes em to the grave
You can promise yourself all you want that you won't get carried away, but your a modifier, theres always something else you see that you want done. A number of years ago I bought a new to me daily driver, and I said I am leaving this thing bone stock to keep life easy on myself, a good, long time friend of mine said in response to that; "I give you one week and you will be changing something". I made it 8 days.... Mods never stop no matter what you try to tell yourself, it ain't in your nature. =-)
I’m going to be buying a 6bt Cummins’s to start swapping into my 83 f150 ( I know it’s a only half ton and it’s not worth it blah blah blah🙄) but It’s a sentimental thing. So I also plan on putting 05 plus super duty axles under it and this video gave me some inspiration. Always good vids man👍🏻.
A trick to remove studs is set a hammer on the stud and smack it with another hammer. The shock will knock it right out and usually won't mess up the threads
I wish modern light duty trucks would go back to solid front axles like this. With modern shocks and progressive rate springs, I find the ride to be perfectly fine on the heavy duty trucks, and one would think the ride would be even better on a light duty truck. Then you get all the simplicity, strength and off road benefits of a solid axle with very little negatives (it’s a truck not a sports car).
![The Ford That Left Us By the Side of the Road... #JuiceboxBronco [EP7]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ltrMBvlJ4dw/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Ford That Left Us By the Side of the Road... #JuiceboxBronco [EP7]](/img/tr.png)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love that each project has its own special intro! Great work Aaron and Rich!
The Silverado intro is hilarious. lol!
"HoW cOmE tHe FoRd GeTs A bUs EnGiNe?"
@@FoolOfATuque it's the best one 🤣🤣🤣
Love these super long episodes and I do realise that they take Aaron a long time to edit. You 2 are a great RUclips pairing
Swapped a dana 44 from a '79 f150 under my '94 F150 back in like 2003. I used the spring and shock buckets from the 79, and a set of aftermarket 6 inch lift coils for the 79. I used the factory radius arms and radius arm mounts for the '79, theres a nice flat spot on each side the 80-96 frame where they can be clamped in place and new holes drilled (almost like they were always meant to be there) I used stock replacement rod ends, drag links, brakes, etc etc for the 79. Did it all as a dumb college kid laying on my back with the truck on jackstands in the driveway of a rental house. I still own the truck, everything has held up fine over the last 2 decades.
Seems as how OBS Ford trucks are like potato chips (you can't have just one of em) I've learned to appreciate the twin I beam/twin traction beam front suspension over the years on my various other rigs. A good set of polyurethane I-beam pivot bushings and a set of poly radius arm bushings takes all the slop out of what is likely 25+ year old 200,000+ mile clapped out factory rubber units. There is oblong oval shaped alignment bushings to replace to stock round ones, they're used to correct camber on lifted trucks and help to do away with the uneven tire wear. Literally every issue anyone has ever had with a TTB front end can be solved by just maintaining the thing. They never actually break like a lesser truck would, they just get so wore out that you've got to turn the steering wheel 8 inches in either direction before anything happens 🤣
I've found the same thing with TTB stuff I've owned. Almost always people complain and it's clapped out factory bushings. There's some really cool TTB rigs being built over on Irate4x4 (and previously Pirate4x4). It's definitely got potential... just not when worn the hell out.
I've got two 94 fords, one f150 and a Bronco, both 4x4, the TTB gives me no grief, the tires even wear even on the truck. The Bronco is all over the road but it's got a really bad alignment and cheap tires 😅 it also had a plow on it in a past life so I'd imagine the pivot bushings are a little worn out
Agreed. I have a Dana 35 Ranger. 4:56:1, air locker, 35's, works great. Camber improves as you turn, wheel travels in a predictable arc allowing for progressive shock mounting, lots of advantages. Only disadvantage is that changing the ball joints is a real chore.
Chasing wheel travel, I widened it 5.5" per side, extended the radius arms, switched over to coilovers, uniballs, manual hubs, larger brakes from '97. But from stock to its current state, it's survived everything I could point it at, and I've never wished for a solid axle!
The twin i-beam suspension is actually a really nice riding/handling (for a truck) setup if it's in good repair. Lots of aftermarket stuff for lifting/lowering too. Plenty strong for whatever kind of wheeling you want to do as well.
Man how can anyone complain about this channel. The quality is above and beyond. The variety of projects is impressive. All done in a real shop not a studio and a bevy of helpers. U guys r by far the best on the internet. I really hope u guys continue to enjoy doing this and make a awesome living. I think I can speak for ur viewers that it will b a sad day if u guys ever stop. My hat is respectably off to u two👍
A trick I saw someone do with needing a nut welded behind box steel was to hole saw a hole just bigger than the nut and then weld the nut to a big washer and then weld the washer over the hole you cut out.
Thank you for the 34 year trip down memory lane. 1988 Bronco was the first truck I bought new. I wanted a little more strength when I SAS’d it so I ran the Chevy big bearing hubs on my Dana 44 & 4.88 gears. It’s all bolt in and gave me 8x6.5 8 lug rotors. I swapped a sterling 10.25 in the rear as it’s also bolt in. I remember doing everything in this video as a kid. Deaver springs, Bilstein shocks. Wound up having to go back and gusset my top mount for my pan hard bar - when I wheeled it hard the frame and mount flexed there and started to crack. Great to see it. The juicebox is looking good!
15:08 (Wheel Hub Disassembly): I've found when dissembling hubs from knuckles (in our rusty part of the world) that it's usually easier to do them with the axle assembled. Just prep the axle shafts for removal so they're free inside of the hubs, remove the tie rod entirely so you can ratchet strap both sides together to compress them against each other, and pin the hub you're trying to remove against the axle housing with a chunk of "whatever". Then you use the ratchet strap to "press" the hubs out of the knuckle. Doing it on the vehicle is even better, because them you can use the power steering instead of a strap to apply the force.
I was shocked how much easier this method is than beating it apart with a hammer, chisels, sharp sticks, foul language, prayer, etc...
Helpful tip.... The best thing to cut cardboard with, to make templates, is a pair of tin snips. Not poopy scissors from the kids or wife's scrapbooking equipment. Lol. I personally Love the detail of your work and the quality of video by Aaron(Erin?). Screw the haters. All of us that watch you have 10,000 projects we're working on at one time also! We understand delays.
P.s. Wind Tumnel with the Audi.
When I was swapping spindles on my Dana 44 8 lug I put the axle nut on the end of the spindle and then tapped it back and forth with a mallet or small dead blow and then I have enough room to put a pry bar behind the spindle and then pry on it and tap on the end of the spindle. Worked amazing! I’m in Minnesota so I feel your pain!
Awesome!! I've got a similar project goin on, '95 bronco that I've got a '79 Dana 44 for it, also have a 4bt & zf5 to swap out the tired 5.0 e4od. I like the BIG brake kit you put on, I'm going with the tried and true t-bird caliper upgrade with f350 master, booster, & wheel cylinders. The coyote in that thing will be sweet! I'm stayin tuned.
Awesome! Make sure when it is running to submit it on our website so f I'm ever close by I could try and check it out!
Glad that worked out so nicely for you Rich.
Oh yeah, if anyone has one of these 80-96 trucks, and it's got slop steering, change the damn rag joint before you touch anything else. You'll get 8" of play in the steering from that alone. The rigid steering shafts are a good upgrade for an offroad rig, and there's also a guy selling aluminum lower steering column/shaft bearing mounts on Ebay that are really nice. (I have both and can testify).
i had a ton of tire wear issues when i lifted my 08 subaru impreza. i had about 8 months of fun with it lifted (and went through i believe 2 sets of tires) before throwing in the towel and taking it back to stock, i miss it all the time lol. learned a year after i unlifted it that if i'd made some subframe spacers that it would have fixed most of my issues. oh well, live and learn. glad to see the bronco in the spotlight for a bit!
The beauty of deadlines - good enough allows so much more time for things that matter! Great editing:)
Awesome. This is why I keep coming back to your channel, inspiring builds that us backyard guys can also do.
That's the way my Pop taught me to grease bearing's...👍
Absolutely love this build! I have an ‘85 F150 short bed and this build has been nothing but inspiring and exciting every time I watch an episode!
I miss living in Oregon. It’s so beautiful there. I grew up super close to where you guys picked up the Bronco.
Thank you from over in Australia, I have a TTB bronco 85. I want to Dana 60 swap mine, your video has made me consider doing it myself. Fantastic job. No bullshit video. Love it
I can relate to deboss the most out of any other youtube mechanics his shop is as messy as mine! Love it
Clean shop means I'm not busy...
@@DEBOSSGARAGE yes I know me too! I usually have 7 projects going at once and stuff is everywhere!
Keep up the great work, Rich. Since you didn't get to say "fire in the hole" when you lit the torch, I said it for you.
Good stuff man, and I prefer the 40min+ videos
I did a Dana 60 SAS on my 1983 F-250 with Superduty leafs over a decade ago now. I do wish I'd have gone with coils and extended radius arms up front, as it was set up already being a 2wd, and the ride and turning radius would have been much better. (I converted to 4x4 with a 4 speed with a 203/205 doubler). I'm about to take the tired 460 out and replace it with a DT360 International. I love the 460, but the diesel is better for long distance trips and making fuel go further. I'll be interested to see how you like the Coyote under the hood.
This is totally mesmerizing. The camera guy is outstanding. I could watch this for hours. Oh never mind, I just did. Haha 😄
The drill and slot rotor if you don’t have a sticker to figure out what side to put it on, the holes and slots are made to scoop the air in the forward direction if the vane is straight in the center of the rotor, if the vane is angled that is the side it goes on to scoop the air.
You can adjust camber on a 44 with those threaded "pills" (that's what we called them anyway, they go where the upper ball joint attaches) unless I'm missing something... It's usually helps the steering geometry to mount the tie rod on top of the knuckles. They sell a reamer and inserts that make it super simple
Solid advice on new rubbers. That's why i watch. I can learn a new life skill. Been using the same rubbers nigh on 10 years now. Time to get new ones.
@45:43 Wears ear-pro, engages safety squints.. LOL 👍
When I was a Ford tech, did quite a few Super Duty ball joints. The shop had a pretty poor excuse for a press, as well as missing most of the adapters anyway. So my preferred method was a 4 lb. hand sledge hammer and some heavy duty drift punches. Those drift punches? Made myself from the axles shafts of a scrapped twin I-beam setup. So they were solid steel and heavy, that's for sure. You could really wail on them with that 4 lb. hammer and they would barely bounce...lol
Swapping out heavy front suspension components on old 4WD's is something of a black art...takes maximum confidence in your skills. Rich definitely has this quality.
Thank you man!
Live axel's have been around since the dawn of time ffs
@@DEBOSSGARAGE someone i believe is trying to scam me on your channel .saying I won a pressure washer
Yeah this is a known widespread issue. We do all our contests through our website for members, you won’t get a message through RUclips from us.
Who’s 3 inch lift coils did you use? Attempting this swap myself.
Love the use of the what looked like seal installers for the spring purchases
The twin I-beam setup is fine until you beat on it. It can provide good articulation but you have to constantly keep after it. Ford really should have just used the straight axle in the square body trucks until they retired them. It just works better without all the extra hassle. TTB is fine for 2wd on the street.
Nice to see a Ford axle going into a Ford for a change. From a 20 year Ford tech (and someone who has owned 9 TTB/TIB trucks), alignment/geometry is critical on TTB. Set them up with zero camber, minimal toe and less caster than stock (1.5 to 2.0 degrees) and they will not wear tires (none of mine did). Finding a tech willing to spend the time on an alignment rack is the hard part. Dropping the center pivot points require a drop pittman arm of the same amount. I wish there were more aftermarket parts for them (you can upgrade the center section to a Dana 50 from an F250 TTB).
Did any of the Dana 50 TTB's have the factory limited slip option ? My 84 f-150 with the Dana 44 TTB has the limited slip factory option...first time owing a 80's ford 4x4 with that ls front diff .
I actually don't mind the ford TTB front end ...as long as things are set up proper & maintained
Love the old school bearing install and packing...just 1 thing my grandfather lost a finger to grease poisoning and my dad developed multiple myeloma and passed while suffering the resulting issues..pretty sure it was from greasy oily hands from lifetime of turning wrenches
Yeah, I had a 1977 Chevrolet blazer and I redid the suspension all the way around on it a while back. I actually a long time ago and I put 1 ton leaf springs on it all the way around. And that lifted it up a little bit put it where I wanted. It worked out really good for me. Kept everything level from front to back as well and side to side. I’m not sure what’s better as far as suspension goes Ford the way they set things up or Chevrolet the way they said things up, but I seem to have less problems with mine and some of my friends did with their Broncos at their running around in Glamis in the sand dunes of course all this was back in the 80s and 70s. I don’t know why mine held up better but it did anyway that’s my two cents worth, I love your build looks really nice. I wish I still had mine. Wish I hadn’t sold it that’s for sure. I miss it.
Watching you work on your projects is something I look forward to after working all day. Thanks for the amazing content Rich!
The lookback for the laugh or smiling viewer lol rhis show is awesome for many reasons. Keep its comin bro.
Nice bronco build.
I always preferred a solid axle over ttb or ifs.
I really like the brake upgrades you did.
I can tell this will be a very cool build with tons of small details that matter. God Speed.
For cutting cardboard for super detailed CAD like the brake measuring, I would recommend trying the Tin Snip tool or X-acto Knife over an scissors.
Overall really got job. A couple critiques I can give is to find a way to capture the coil spring to the bottom bucket. James Duff would be a great example. Another alternative us to use limiting straps set to catch the axle just before full droop. Either way will prevent you from having a coil pop out from too much down travel.
On my swap, I also installed a U bolt strap on the inside of the top coil to the bucket. This will prevent the spring from popping out with too much compression.
It may be too late for this too, but I pushed my axle forward and inch or two to keep the tire from hitting the firewall at full lock/full up travel.
Now you just need a louder stereo to drownd out the raddle ,from it being an old jem. Lol! Great video! Great improvement. Thanks again brother 👍
the gloss black diif cover looks great with the grade 8 bolts and new coils!
The time lapse music tracks are the best!! Such good choices!
Love this project. I recently acquired a 1995 F150 I plan on solid axle swapping. I totally appreciate all of the information in this video. Thanks
Glad to help!
I used to be one of those guys that got on the TTB hate train ...but after owning both solid front diffs & the TTB's ...for a 1/2 ton the TTB 44 is fine ...even for f-250's the Dana 50 TTB is not a bad differential .
For snow plowing ...a f-350 with a solid axle Dana 60.
such a beautiful build, Rich. I'm a big fan of the bullnose trucks. you've really hit the mark on this bronco, and gone beyond. The I-beam suspension has always beeen a cringe-point for me on the pickup 150's and 250's, so you've done this vehicle great justice to put the dana 44 under it. MINTY AF
When it comes to replacing the rear leafs, get some Deagers...they are awesome, nice ride and great flex, I have them on my 93 Bronco
I have a lot of nostalgia for
this body style for truck- learned how to drive on my dad’s f100 that was this color and square headlights. truck lasted forever
+1 for the bump steer correction. I run plates on all the track cars I build. I could 'nerd out' on suspension all day 😁 From a fellow tech to another, I always enjoy your vids Rich! 😉👍👍
Finishing? Is anything ever, " _finished_ "?
Running boards, side step or bush bar for the little people who have trouble getting in and out.
The right one dresses it up, as well as add protection.
Just a thought. I have people who have trouble getting in also.
Always use new rubbers, otherwise you might get problems for the next 18 years or so.....
Oi Arron wonderful sounds at 30:00 :)
Beautiful truck, and congratulations. I used to build these trucks out of Lego when I was a kid, like 40 years ago. And that was in Scotland where we didn't even get the real one's, lol.
Put your bearing races in the freezer overnight, warm up the hub, falls right in, zero hassle, same with ball joints 👍
Love the old bullnose, I grew up with the F150s. Bullnose and the brick faces are my favorite two gens.
A big difference in driving it visually. Thanks for sharing.
You e been through everything inhave on my 82 in a couple episodes! Love it🎉
Hey Rich ❤ the work you do. Surely there is a heavier sway bar you can install to correct the body roll issue. 🤔
A lot of your older videos inspired the 79 Ramcharger/95 Ram Cummins “merger” I’m working on.
I’ve never worked on a diesel before and I’ve used those early Cummins swap vids to make things happen.
Keep up the great work!
Just a little tip for removing spindles from the knuckles on Dana 4x4 front axles: once you remove the nuts from the bolts that hold the spindle flange to the steering knuckle, hold the knuckle steady (occurs naturally when the axle is still in the truck, or in a vise as was your case where you had the assembly out on the bench).
Then take a piece of metal pipe with an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the spindle at least three feet long and slide it on over the spindle. Gently rock back and forth, up and down, etc. (you can wrap something like tape around the wheel bearing threads if it's really stubborn) and it takes the spindle off without the need to hit it at all. The longer your pipe is, the more leverage you have and the easier it is to work loose.
On reassembly, I usually smear the mating surfaces with a liberal dose of anti-seize.
I see this, and can only hope that someday I'll graduate and can afford to work in my bullnose
You could have compensated the lift with upgraded camber sleeves for the top ball joints that allow a greater amount of adjustment, and the steering geometry can be fixed by flipping the tie rods to the top instead of bottom like stock after reaming out the holes and sleeving them. The twin traction beam setup is actually very popular for prerunner builds so I've read about all these issues and how to correct them, if anyone else watching this is interested in keeping theirs and not having bad tire wear with a lift.
Videos like this are supposed to be an hour plus long good to learn new things
The music choice is just👌
I like the cleaning up and seeing you paint.. it's part of the build
I did a solid axle swap on my 08 dmax and I love it👍🏿 I was so sick and tired of GM's junk I.F.S with all it's moving parts, my steering has never been so sensitive with the straight axle. I guess it's a coin toss between Ford's junk TTB or GM junk IFS 🤷🏿♂️🤷🏿♂️....but anyway that's a cool solid axle swap you did👍🏿
likely WAY to late, but if you were going to repaint the pumpkin flat black, might have considered making use of the gloss put a DG stencil on it. Nice gloss black DG showing off your skills with a rattle can
If your worried about waiting for the wrong parts you should hit up torque king 4x4, they specialize in these older trucks and have a tone of stuff for these older Ford's, just rebuilt my t case and while front Axel with everything from them . everything fit the first time and all was correct.
We all had high boys in high school. Smoked dope, drank beers every morning listening to skynyrd, outlaws and molley hatchet. Throw in alittle of RUSH... Too. Our high school had an open campus and a smoking room. Never had any mass shootings. How times have changed.
Cheated on all my finals and got my diploma!!!
I luv it! Parts on fire… Rich keeps on a doin’!!!!
At least on the Jeep and Chevy D44's I've worked on the spindle nuts you torqued/locktight'ed at 27:07 use a special one time use ovalized nut to prevent backing off. Not sure if Ford's are the same.
Can't wait to meet you at ford fest. I want to look at the f350 since I'm building one similar
Been doing the swabs for about 20 or 25 years best improvement you can do on these vehicles the trucks or the Broncos. Pretty much exactly the same as what we used to do them
I know what you mean about the twin I beam suspension, the 2wd version that my '93 F150 has isn't as bad about death wobble, but I have two loose tie rods and it feels like the whole front end is worn out. Most independent truck suspension leaves a lot to be desired.
I've been watching this channel for a long time now and somehow just realized today I wasn't subbed anymore. Had to subscribe again just now. Love all your content.
Dig the glossy front pumpum cover with bolts. A bit of contrast without using chrome or stainless steel
Very nice video Rich, I'm impressed again!
Loving JuiceBox! Truly badass Bronco. I must have the intro theme, so smooth! 👍🏻
Sorry first comment on one of your videos but I have to point out that you CAN adjust the CAMBER on your dana 44 straight axle. An alignment shop will bushings that work on the top ball joint that allows your to adjust both camber and caster. There are also shims for the spindle to do some adjustments with.
awesome! I'm sure my alignment guy knows. he will be getting it right after the swap
Meanwhile I'm swapping TTB INTO my rig not out of it 🤣. BTW 4WD twin I beam is called TTB - twin traction beam (not that it matters we all knew what you meant). Solid axles are great, like you said they're super simple which makes them easy. TTB can also be great, if you don't mind it being a little more complex you can get a very good ride out of it, especially when going fast off road. There's a reason desert racers use beams, and ultra 4 is starting to use it a lot more too. Horses for courses though, its not for everyone.
Either way you always manage to take some beat up old junk and make it look brand new and shiny, well done! 👍
Great video. I have one of those axles waiting for the right Bronco. Here on the Oregon coast they are usually pretty rough damn salt water takes em to the grave
Wicked mate Great wee Bus.
Not a Ford fan but those were the best style trucks that Ford ever built. My opinion!
when I worked at Summit it was shocking how often either the manufacturer had wrong specs in their catalogs for lug nuts and studs.
Great job.👍
Thought l heard a vacume hiss, leak? Hey look, no keys?
Have a safe trip.
✌🏻🤘🌤🇨🇦😎
Awesome you got the vice grip himself to help you.This is better than any movie or tv show.
Much appreciated!
You can promise yourself all you want that you won't get carried away, but your a modifier, theres always something else you see that you want done. A number of years ago I bought a new to me daily driver, and I said I am leaving this thing bone stock to keep life easy on myself, a good, long time friend of mine said in response to that; "I give you one week and you will be changing something". I made it 8 days.... Mods never stop no matter what you try to tell yourself, it ain't in your nature. =-)
Great video 😎✌️. Another enjoyable, interesting, informative, creative and fun episode 😀 👍.
That looks like it rides really smooth, those springs worked out good
Hey Rich, you got to do another quad trip video! Those were great!
I’m going to be buying a 6bt Cummins’s to start swapping into my 83 f150 ( I know it’s a only half ton and it’s not worth it blah blah blah🙄) but It’s a sentimental thing. So I also plan on putting 05 plus super duty axles under it and this video gave me some inspiration. Always good vids man👍🏻.
Why not just use a 4bt?
Definitely need to do this on my f150. Rust free 2wd pickup and I’m gonna convert it to four wheel drive. I might do leaf spring swap first
A trick to remove studs is set a hammer on the stud and smack it with another hammer. The shock will knock it right out and usually won't mess up the threads
Great vid Rich. I don't feel so bad when my garage is messy by watching the state of your garage. LOL ! Hope you find your vacuum bleeder.
I like doing the Chevy disc brake conversion on the ford axles with the small spindle 44
Of course you had to reengineer the entire suspension.
It is a "Flip Over Read Directions" vehicle after all.
Thanks for sharing.
You know your from the northern Ontario rust belt when a guy is amazed to see a set of dust shields that aren't rotted off
I wish modern light duty trucks would go back to solid front axles like this. With modern shocks and progressive rate springs, I find the ride to be perfectly fine on the heavy duty trucks, and one would think the ride would be even better on a light duty truck. Then you get all the simplicity, strength and off road benefits of a solid axle with very little negatives (it’s a truck not a sports car).
I like that intro song man that got me headbobbin cause it’s just that type of song. Lol
8:32 Words of wisdom right there. Pay attention kids.