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My backyard build thread

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
Well finally got everything together to get started on tearing the bronco apart!

We ended up moving into our own place, and it has a separate 2 car garage in the back yard that is my combination bronco shop/band room now. So Im excited. I decided to spring for a welder too...
2011-12-19_14-41-46_430.jpg


Altogether I have the suspension and axles, power steering, brake booster, rock sliders, possibly bumpers, and a few other things for this round of building. Pics of the suspension and axles are here

I started with the rear suspension yesterday, got the old axle and leafs out,

2011-12-23_14-38-13_297.jpg
2011-12-23_14-59-14_49.jpg


and started installing the new leafs.

2011-12-23_14-57-29_427.jpg


Im on hold with the leafs tho, I decided after getting the shackles out that Im gonna go ahead and replace the shackles while Im in there.

So then my brother in law and I decided to use the new welder on an old pool railing, and make a skate/snowboard rail.
375329_347184375298922_100000220886552_1593957_678826252_n.jpg
389951_347219145295445_100000220886552_1594184_1606798239_n.jpg


Up next I will be getting the rear axle ready to go on. It needs new leaf spring perches welded in place, the old ones removed, the old shock mounts removed, the sway bar removed, and a good ole cleanup. I'll try to post every time I make decent progress.
 

half cab

Contributor
Guru Bronco
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Dec 8, 2010
Messages
16,304
Nice welder there!! Lookin good and keep the pic's comin!

hc
 
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quikdrummer

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
Got the shackles in yesterday, so got them installed and the leafs all bolted up today.

2012-01-04_13-40-50_14.jpg


then decided to start cutting away the tore up rockers in preparation for the sliders I am going to be building.

2012-01-04_14-30-05_519.jpg


also this is the first big project my welder has tackled. my friend had the steel all cut and tacked together for his bumper, and we welded it solid. still need to do the exterior joints and grind it smooth, but its looking pretty good so far.

2012-01-04_15-11-58_619.jpg


this weekend should get the rear axle ready for mounting. excited to finally get some real visible progress going.
 

sprdv1

Contributor
REBEL
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
81,696
Good work man.. Keep up the progress. Look forward to seeing your final results on the rock sliders.
 
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quikdrummer

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
SO i got the old shock mounts off the 8.8. Im leaving the existing perches in place until i get a chance to mock up where the new perches will go. Also got started on yanking the old manual steering out. I need to focus on one part of the project at a time, but I get so excited I just want to do it all at once!

One question I came across as I was checking out the front suspension parts: The kit I got came with the super beefy Wild Horses trac-bar riser. The problem is, on the dana 30 and apparently the EB 44's, there is a space between the trac-bar mount and the axle wedges, where the riser slides in and gets welded to the housing.
2012-01-09_11-17-01_962.jpg


On my new 44, this space doesnt exist.
2012-01-09_11-19-23_128.jpg

Obviously this will not allow me to mount the riser up without some serious grinding on the riser, which I dont especially want to do. The kit also came with a drop bracket, but I've heard from so many people that those are not the ideal choice since they add a lot of stress to the frame. I plan to use a drop pitman arm with my p/s box, which is a stock early bronco box. The steering linkage I'm planning to use (for now) is the stock linkage from the big bronco I bought the axles from, modifying the drag link if needed.

Any suggestions as to what route to take with the trac-bar mounting options?

One other quick question... Anyone else mounted the WH rear inboard shock hoop? I cant get that dang thing up in between my frame rails, it is just way too tight. I smoothed out the ends of the hoop, and the inner frame rail, and nothing.
 

red hot71

Sr. Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2009
Messages
648
Loc.
kent wash.
I too want to see how you pull this one off. Because I have the same problem on mine. On yours you still haven't install the radius arms and springs because they occupy the upper left corner in your picture.

Are you using a full width axle or is cut down? Do you have a picture of the wildhorses riser you have now? How much are you thinking of raising the rac bar?
 
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quikdrummer

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
I too want to see how you pull this one off. Because I have the same problem on mine. On yours you still haven't install the radius arms and springs because they occupy the upper left corner in your picture.

Are you using a full width axle or is cut down? Do you have a picture of the wildhorses riser you have now? How much are you thinking of raising the rac bar?


heres the riser I have:

2012-01-09_16-37-16_888.jpg

2012-01-09_16-37-09_924.jpg


I havent checked the clearance with the radius arms installed as to how much would need to be grinded off the riser, but it looks like basically that whole half-circle part on the side would need to be gone for it to fit right.

and yes it is a full width d44, not cut down at all. I dont know for sure how much rise will be needed since I dont have the axle installed and steering linkage mocked up, but I know with a 5.5" lift and a drop arm, I will need to do something.
 
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quikdrummer

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
OK so doing a bunch of forum crawling, looked at Titos Beast build thread again and decided I am gonna do something similar to his riser (pg 7, halfway down). Found a trac-bar/panhard bracket on Ruff Stuff that looks like it will work beautifully.

So does anyone want a brand new WH heavy duty trac bar riser? ;D I'm gonna be putting it up in the classifieds here soon.

In the meantime, I got my new diff cover and spring perches in from Ruff Stuff. Enough putting it off, I have the parts, I gotta bolt that rear axle up and get the perches welded!

2012-01-14_17-40-37_767.jpg


Got the new brake booster assembled and installed.

2012-01-11_21-48-50_509.jpg


Absolutely hilarious comparing the stock manual master cylinder to that monstrosity.

I got the power steering box mounted up, and have found that I will be doing some work with the steering shaft. I'm going to be taking the stock 66 shaft and the shaft that came with the box and fabricating them into one piece with a piece of tube to sleeve them together, since the ends and lengths and everything are all different. So that should be fun.

And finally for this post, I got started on welding a welding table.

2012-01-19_16-39-26_359.jpg


2012-01-19_16-39-18_419.jpg


Not the prettiest thing in the world, but it should serve its purpose, which is to keep me from having to crawl around on the cold concrete. And I am making it all (except the plate for the tabletop, which I havent purchased yet) from scrap steel. The main frame used to be a pool fence, the legs used to be a bed rail. It still needs more reinforcement on the back and sides. My vise will be mounted to the other side, and there will be a shelf underneath. I may build a little rack behind the grinder pop-out to park the welder.

Hopefully this weekend brings about the installation of the rear axle!
 
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quikdrummer

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
So my buddy decided to blow a head gasket in his truck, and for some reason I agreed to let him park his truck in my garage while we fix it. He has a chevy 305 in a '93 toyota sitting on 35's. Its a pretty cool truck. But getting it back on the road means the bronco hasnt had much done to it in a few days.

But today I did manage to get the rear axle cleaned up finally, and now ready to mount up. I did a little custom paint job on the diff cover...

2012-01-26_16-53-50_134.jpg
 
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quikdrummer

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
Ugh, things are moving at a snails pace, too much other crap going on to spend much time on the bronco.

I did get the leaf perches tacked up before the super bowl on sunday.

2012-02-05_14-32-38_805.jpg

2012-02-05_14-32-57_943.jpg


And in preparation for the front end work, I used an idea from a member here (Nightstick) to build myself a frame stand/support.

2012-02-02_18-56-01_483.jpg

2012-02-02_15-25-00_313.jpg


My wife dragged me to phoenix see her cousins new baby and in exchange I get all day saturday for a garage day! SO hopefully I will be able to get the rear shock hoop installed and figure out how I'm going to run the shocks.
 
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quikdrummer

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
FINALLY got some good, visible progress on the damn rear axle done yesterday!

First things first, tacked in the shock hoop. Ended up having to do a lot of grinding, wiggling, and a few good whacks with the BFH to get that stupid thing up in there.

2012-02-11_15-33-13_411.jpg


I ended up having one of the perches off by a few degrees, so I cut the tacks and rewelded it using an angle finder. Now the tops of the perches are exactly level.

Got a couple pics of the finished welds:

2012-02-11_13-04-57_765.jpg

2012-02-11_13-04-46_550.jpg


During the last weld my gas mixture ran out, so it got a little dirty. Seems to still have penetrated thoroughly, just a little uglier than I wanted. But considering I hadn't welded anything in my life just a few months ago, I'm pretty pleased with how it all turned out.

Then it was time to bolt her all back up and figure out where to put the shock mounts.

2012-02-11_15-32-55_301.jpg

2012-02-11_15-36-34_81.jpg

2012-02-11_16-48-24_891.jpg

2012-02-11_16-48-31_750.jpg


Since I ran out of argon (and the welding suply store here is closed on the weekends) I wasnt able to tack the mounts on, but just marked the locations.

And while I had the axle mounted up I put the tires on. A very visible difference in the rear end. It actually sits reverse-squat now, at least til I get the front end put together. AND I dont have the annoying sagging passenger side leaf anymore. HOORAY! The only problem now is, those tires are so SMALL.

2012-02-11_15-36-46_180.jpg

2012-02-11_15-36-59_820.jpg


Heres a picture from before:
2011-02-20_13-00-59_874-2.jpg


So the last bit of work that needs to be done on the rear axle is getting the shock mounts welded, the old perch cut off (my cutoff wheel disintegrated just before I got the first one off), a new diff cover gasket, a little more cleanup and a fresh coat of paint. Then it will be ready to bolt on and leave on.

Then its time for the front end...
 
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quikdrummer

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
So I decided to drop the tank so as to weld in my rear shock hoop. good thing I did, since the tank has a nice amount of seepage on one side. Looks like the strap chafed against the seam enough to cause it to leak. Plus my j-bolt is all bent.

Glad I found that out now instead of after being under the bronco welding and having it blow up in my face.

The bad part is...now I need a tank.

I also decided to get the tools to be able to make my own custom hard brake lines. I was going to buy a hard line set from one of the vendors, but they are so damn expensive. I bought a bender, cutter, and double flare tool, 25 ft of hard line and enough fittings to replace every section of hard line, and 2 new caliper hoses for the front axle for the same price as the long hard line from the frame block to the rear of frame.

Is there any tricks of the trade to do good quality flares?
 
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quikdrummer

quikdrummer

Sr. Member
Joined
May 15, 2009
Messages
572
Loc.
Chino Valley, AZ
More work getting done!

Rear axle is bolted in for good. Inboard hoop is welded in, shocks installed.

522397_280112942063340_804732163_n.jpg

536636_280112992063335_100001939104022_657869_1838029514_n.jpg


I started pulling the front end apart this weekend. Like a genius I took the axle off before loosening the radius arm bolts, so that added a little bit of hassle. Some blaster and an impact got em off tho.

375061_280113025396665_100001939104022_657871_1161951332_n.jpg

548834_280113105396657_100001939104022_657873_1298762215_n.jpg


Then started chopping off old mounts, and prepping the frame for the front hoops.

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Heres a pic of the new radius arm mount, you can see the old one on the other side for comparison. A HUGE difference between the 2.

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546847_280111072063527_100001939104022_657849_1757573867_n.jpg


Since the rear axle is in place, i pulled the spare 37" mtr off my buddies blazer to get an idea of how it will fit. Im pretty stinking excited about it!

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And finally, we got the d-ring mounts installed and the bumper bolted up on the blazer. What do you think, fab guys?

485248_280111092063525_100001939104022_657850_87068280_n.jpg

543299_280111142063520_100001939104022_657851_549651117_n.jpg
 

half cab

Contributor
Guru Bronco
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
16,304
MALARKEY! Is that the name of the BAND?;) Nice work ya'll gettin done there for sure!!
 
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