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76 Bronco - Special Decor Build

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rguest3

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Thanks. Good so far.

I prefer these mirrors rather than stock. you can actually see whats behind you.
 
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rguest3

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The door gaps were not a big issue with this truck. Pretty square overall.

There is only One Extra Body Mount Washer added to the Third Mount just behind the Passenger Seat Area to help widen the Door Opening at the top.
 
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rguest3

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I have a new name for this Bronco Build. "Project Overkill".

I've changed the suspension on this truck somewhat. Gonna look like the Wild Horses Coils and Max Travel Shock Mounts Front and Rear. JD T-Rex Arms.

Front:
James Duff Black T-Tex Arms and New bushings Up Front - These are BEEFY and SWEET Looking!
Front WH 2 1/2" Red Coils with HD Cups
Max Travel Front Shock Towers
5165 Bilstein Shocks
Adjustable Trac Bar
Hellwig Front Sway Bar
Rear:
Inboard Rear Shock Hoop
5125 Bilstein Shocks
Extended Axle Brake Lines and E-Brake Cables

Is it overkill? Yep. This one will be for keeps, I want to build it the way I've always wanted.

I have some cutting and grinding to do to get rid of the Original Shock mounts and then some welding to add new mounts.

I'll post additional pictures along the way.
 
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Cortez

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Sounds like a great suspension package...take me for a ride when you get it done. Good luck.
 
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rguest3

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I finally got back to this Bronco.

The Axles are ready to be rebuilt as Wilwood Brakes, 31 Spline Axles and True Trac are in the shop soon and will be waiting.

I also decided to use the 77 Bronco Frame since it's body will be at the body shop for a long time. I'll be removing all the rear brackets and shock mounts from the frame. It will be a lot quicker and easier to install the 4-link, then put the Magnetic body on.
 
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rguest3

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These came from Wild Horses last week.... Merry Christmas to me!

These things are Gorgeous!
 

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DirtDonk

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Nice, thanks!
Remember to remove/leave out the stock original seals.
Oh, and speaking of seals, inspect your housing ends very well for nicks and scratches.
Even the stock seals will leak around their perimeter when some slight blemishes are present. Just the same with the new Set-20's, though maybe to a slightly lesser extent.

Just pays to be pro-active I think. If in doubt, after a test-fit apply a little sealer around the seal surface for the final install.
Yes, you're not supposed to need this, but as we've found out on occasion, it can help.

If you have pristine housing ends though, you should not need to do anything.

Paul
 
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rguest3

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So, I don't need the Big Bearing Seals pictured next to the Bag of Retainer Bolts?
 

DirtDonk

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Negative and correct. They're not only redundant, but would cause trouble in short order.
The new bearings on the Extreme axles are what's known in the industry as the "Set-20" that you probably have heard of. They're exposed tapered roller bearings that rely on gear lube from the differential to keep them lubricated and happy.
Installing the original seals used with the original sealed ball bearings would starve them of lubrication.

The rubber lip around the outside of the new bearing's outer race is the seal. They are also sealed in their inner race area so that the lubricant does not leak out past the axle shafts.
So what you are looking at is a bearing and an inner race that's pressed to the axle (just like original) and an outer race with seal that is shipped in an assembled position. It's pretty well stuck in there as well, until it's installed on the axle housing.
Once installed and driven for awhile, the next time you remove the axles the seal and race may very well remain in the housing, and what you'll see on the axle shaft are the exposed (but still captured) tapered roller setup.

The original ball bearing design wasn't all that well sealed as all it had to do was hold in it's grease. So the inner seals were needed to keep the oil away from the bearing.

This is not anything aftermarket-exotic. It's what Ford did on their heavier duty 9" rear ends anyway. The axle shafts are slightly different size, so the two bearings are not interchangeable, but they fit the same large-bearing housing ends.
The new bearings are thicker however and will stick out about 1/4 or so proud of the housing end. So when they don't look like they're all the way seated, don't panic!
The ball bearings had a life expectancy of about 100k miles. The Set-20 tapered bearings could conceivably live as long as the vehicle if they're not abused, but because the seals will eventually leak, that's the time to replace the bearing too, since they're not sold separately.
Too bad, but it's also probably a smart thing to do. Still probably end up renewing the bearings every 100k miles or so.

Paul
 

DirtDonk

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Oh, and you can return them no problem. From FL, that might not be as desirable as selling them to someone local, but hard to say yet.
Did you order online or by phone? Either way, someone "should have" (in theory) perhaps asked you if you were planning to install them on the same vehicle.
We're getting used to customers working on multiple Broncos, so it's getting kind of commonplace to sell dissimilar parts, and the thought gets lost in the shuffle.
But if they had been thinking it through harder they would maybe have brought it up in the conversation at least.

Let me know what you think. I can have a return label sent to you if needed.
Or throw them in the Post Office and we can credit the parts and knock off the shipping on your next order.

Paul
 
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rguest3

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Thank you for the heads up and clarity.

it was a phone order and spoke directly to someone. No big deal though.
 
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rguest3

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Now TDK Frame.
 

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rguest3

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4-Link Going under 77 Bronco tub.
 

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jasonmcc

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Nice! I have a coyote build I'm currently working on and worried about axle wrap. I'm contemplating either a 4-link or wrap trap/torque tamer. This set-up looks good, what shocks are you going with? Why did you choose 4-link over a wrap trap or torque tamer?











.
 
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rguest3

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4-Link is something different than the rest of the builds I have done. As the title of this truck says, "Project Overkill". Oobviously Not needed. Duffs Torque Tamer will work great and the Coyote will not put down too much torque for the Rear Spring Set-up.

The 4-Link, however, will ride much better than stock set-up with rear springs.

I already had the Inboard Rear Shock Hoop and had plenty of shock with just the one per corner, so I will stick with that. Everything clears really nice with plenty of room. I will also install 5125 Bilstein shocks with 255/70 Valving in the Rear.

There is a lot going on back there inside the frame. 2-Into-1 Exhaust will be fun to figure out.
 
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rguest3

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Stepping back and looking at what I had in the shop a few months ago, and seeing what was finished, I have changed some things around.

This Magnetic body, which is a full replacement body tub, is now on the aftermarket TDK frame. The body is done and so is the Frame. Suspension, Rolling Chassis with Axles are done.

Plans:

351 Cleveland - 4-Bolt Main Block Bored and stroked to a 408
4R70W Overdrive with Baumann Controller
Atlas 3.0
4.88 Gears with 31 Spline Axles and TruTrac.

The Drivetrain should be complete within the next couple weeks and installed.

Pictures soon.
 
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