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Cheaper Than Therapy: A Build Thread

bronkenn

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Apr 27, 2017
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Just thought I'd share a story from this morning...

I ordered a set of RCV's for the front axle back around cyber Monday. I had them quote fronts and rears originally, but the quoted prices I was getting for the rears (which are straight splined shafts!) was astronomical. I got a ship notice yesterday for three boxes...weird. Turns out RCV 'accidentally' made me a set of rears. Now here's where things get interesting...

If a company makes a mistake, how should they handle it? RVC fully admitted that they screwed up. So, they offered to sell me the shafts for cost with the full lifetime warranty...or they would take them back and scrap them. Should they have just said "Merry Christmas, enjoy your free rear shafts"? Now, the cost was low enough (after some negotiation...$350 for the pair) that I said 'ok, I'll just buy them'...but realistically I will likely never break a 35 spline rear (well, not before I break the RD99 ARB!). Can't help but wonder if I had said 'nope, it's your deal'...would they have really paid to have them shipped back?!?

I already have a set of rear shafts on order from Branik, so I sent them a message to see if I could stop the order. It has been almost 5 weeks though, so I doubt that will happen...we'll see! [Edit: the Branik's just came out of heat treat - looks like I'm going to have a set of spares!]
I think you are a stand up guy for accepting them and the company was willing to make it right also. Sucks to be out 350 bucks when you could have used that money for something else. Especially with the caliber of build your doing. Seems like they could resell them even if it took a while. Ken
 
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marjama

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I think you are a stand up guy for accepting them and the company was willing to make it right also. Sucks to be out 350 bucks when you could have used that money for something else. Especially with the caliber of build your doing. Seems like they could resell them even if it took a while. Ken

Thanks Ken - as I said, they never tried to force me to pay for them...they were just hoping to offset their costs. I figured it can't hurt to have a spare set of axle shafts around just for peace of mind.

The R-block that the 331 is based on is good for up to roughly 1200 hp, so maybe I should just build an engine that is capable of breaking 35 spline shafts?? ;D
 
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marjama

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Suspension brackets...

Moving along to all of the 3 and 4 link brackets...

I'm quite fortunate here. I have full access to the shop where I work, and I like to think that some of the equipment out there is on site because of the seeds I planted over the years...like the cnc plasma table. So, every bracket has been designed specifically for this truck (often of a similar design to what others produce).

I spent (too much!) time measuring and modeling parts in Solidworks in the last year so I could model the axle and frame brackets to fit. It has been working out quite well so far...time well spent!

Attached are a handful of pics of the process, and the front axle tacked up. Apparently I never took a photo of the rear with all of the brackets in place! Most of the parts have been cut from 1/4" plate at this point.

(Sorry, most of these images came through upside down!)
 

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JSmall

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Feb 18, 2004
Messages
3,223
Hey Jeromy - turns out quite a few of us probably have pretty similar dreams! Ha! Between your build and Brian's (nvrstuk), I think you guys covered pretty much everything I'm going to be doing! Thanks for documenting everything you did...I refer back to it often, and loved watching yours come together too!

That’s great! I’m glad I could help a little. I need a shop and tools like that :eek:
 

sprdv1

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REBEL
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Mar 8, 2007
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Good luck. No issues with mine so far

Pissed me off a little when the "warranty" didn't cover what I thought it should have but I'll still keep em
 
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marjama

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Nov 24, 2004
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Panhard bar & links...

Still not quite caught up to where I'm at today. Let's add a few more images!

For any of you who have built any kind of link suspension, or have relocated 'stuff', you know how tight clearances are on these Bronco's. I pushed the PS box forward 3", but could only get 2.75" forward on the front axle. Just not enough clearance up there!

I think I built 3 different frame side brackets before I had it at the right height AND cleared everything. The axle side bracket turned out pretty good on the first shot...just required a lot of fitting. My PS box is ported for hydraulic assist, and I was trying to give consideration for that as well but eventually stopped worrying about it. The panhard bar will still be roughly 2" shorter than the drag link, but they are lined up and follow each other quite closely.

You'll see modifications made to the Artec high steer arm in one of the pics. I was super hesitant to do this, but...had to if I wanted the panhard bar to be as long as possible. The Artec arm has a bunch of extra meat that just isn't useful on the Bronco.

Once the panhard bar was in place, I was able to start moving the axle around and see how my clearances looked. All was pretty good, until I articulated the passenger side up. Drag link and tie rod just hit the frame...but I'm not moving it again! I'll create some clearance later ;-)

Side note: spent the whole day in the shop today...making a lot of scrap metal. Just one of those days I guess. I'm good at learning things the hard way though!
 

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marjama

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Good luck. No issues with mine so far

Pissed me off a little when the "warranty" didn't cover what I thought it should have but I'll still keep em

Hey sprdv1,

Are you referring to the RCVs? What issue did you have that wasn't covered?

Thanks!
 
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marjama

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Ok, after a couple of weeks of work travel, I'm back at it. Still need to catch up to where I'm at today.

I mocked up all of my links using SCH80 PVC...then had to create an upper link for the front out of tubing. The plan is for 2 X .250 wall DOM for all links, using 1-1/4" hex adapters from NW Fabworks and Johnny Joints all around. Steering and panhard bar will use the 3/4" joints from my previous setup.

A few pics here of the results once I got all of the links and panhard bar mocked up. Things are TIGHT up front when trying to keep a low ride height! Generally things went pretty well, but I still have some work to do to the oil pan to make this all work.

The last pic is at full bump in the rear, but with no articulation...as soon as the opposite wheel drops, sheet metal contact occurs. Doesn't look like a crazy amount of trimming necessary, but we'll see once I get the shock mounts made.
 

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marjama

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Oil pan, & front shock mount fail...

A few more pics...

First one is current status of the oil pan, followed by a few pics of how tight it all is. More trimming is still needed, and I'm running a standard volume pump just to gain a little extra clearance (std vol is about 1/4" less than a HV pump, and everything I've read says std volume is a-ok for this kind of application). I believe this was a Canton or Milodon pan of some sort...came on the 331 and has seen mods previously. I'm going to have to remake the passenger side motor mount entirely, and at least trim the drivers.

Then...my first attempt at making front shock mounts from 1/4" plate. All was good until I tried to bend 'em with the 'globally sourced' press brake we have at the shop. It's just not big enough, and we definitely don't have very many tooling options. I pretty much wasted almost a 1/4 sheet of steel there. Back to the drawing board!

That more or less gets us up to today - we'll just skip the part where I made multiple failed attempts at the front shock mounts. In one case I had Torchmate issues, in another I just kind of forgot that there was a steering shaft on the drivers side. Making good progress now though - stay tuned for more updates!
 

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marjama

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Front & rear coil over mounts...and progress!

I hit a milestone today...for the first time in almost 2 years the Bronco sat on its own tires once again! Still a million things to do, and the axles/frame/suspension are all just literally tacked together..but it feels like progress!

In my last post I mentioned my struggles with the front coil over mounts. After a couple of tries, you can see here what I came up with - 1/4" plate sides, top cap and shock mount tabs, with a formed 1/8" sheet back plate. I modeled things in Solidworks and did some basic analysis, and even without any bracing I think they'll be more than strong enough. Turned out pretty good!

Just got the rears started today - they aren't done, but they'll hold up the truck. I got mentally sidetracked thinking about air bumps and where to mount them. I plan to integrate 'em into the rear mount where there is plenty of room. No idea where I'll be able to squeeze 'em in up front! I wasn't thinking about them when I designed the front mounts...

Anyway...here's a bunch of pics! (Truck is sitting at ~full bump in most of them - sitting on the shock bump stop.)

Anyone else running air bumps?!? I'd love to see some pics of how you fit them in. I've searched, but I may need to head over to race-dezert to find more ideas. Time to get some on order along with sheet metal and a bunch of DOM...
 

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marjama

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Interference...

Alright, started cycling the front to where I knew worst case conditions existed...and it looks awesome! Don't get me wrong, I have stuff to fix. I was just somewhat elated that things worked as planned and there were no major issues!

I don't know how you guys are fitting tires bigger than 37's with a low ride height. I'm extended just shy of 3" up front, and about 6" of up travel, and there isn't that much clearance between the tires and the passenger part of the tub!

Anyway...a few pics attached. The only show stopper today is when the tire is turned full lock to the drivers left - the steering arm is literally in the space where the coil will sit on the shock. I have room to move the bottom in, so hopefully it is as simple as making new lower shock mounts! (Super excited that my modifications to the steering arm clear the panhard mount!)

Dropped orders in today for Fox 2.0 X 2.5" air bumps, new wheel tubs and rear 1/4's. Figuring out where to put those air bumps up front seems like it is going to be a big challenge! (Rear's were actually planned for...not so much on the front...ha!)
 

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marjama

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To grind...or not to grind?

Already falling behind on updates here! I'll post something more substantial later this weekend. Here's where I'm stuck today:

Pulled the doors and mounted the front sheet metal so I can figure out what the engine cage / tube front end is going to look like, and ran into an issue - the steering box is hitting the grill. Grrr. I took a bunch of measurements when I moved it, but...clearly still got it slightly wrong!

So, question is - do I grind on the box to make it fit? See the pic. I think if I grind an angle on there, I can sneak it in. Just concerned about what is in that upper part of the casting! Anything?

Before you ask...no, I can't move the entire body forward without hitting the engine (or tires at full articulation!). I could relocate the box again, but it's SUPER tight in the area where literally everything converges!

I'm tempted to grind away, but...this is also a brand new PSC box. I don't really want to ruin it! (Option 2 might be to add a little more body lift. I don't want to, but...everything is a compromise. Whaddya guys think?
 

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Howard2x4x4

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Apr 19, 2014
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With your out of the park skill set, you might try a grill bump-out, or, even more simple, a grill cut-out that leaves the gear box exposed. Mucho macho build, very impressive, your fab skills are stellar and your shop and equipment quiver are very impressive! Nice, nice, nice..... Howard in beautiful west Michigan
 
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marjama

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With your out of the park skill set, you might try a grill bump-out, or, even more simple, a grill cut-out that leaves the gear box exposed. Mucho macho build, very impressive, your fab skills are stellar and your shop and equipment quiver are very impressive! Nice, nice, nice..... Howard in beautiful west Michigan

Well, thanks Howard! I'm super fortunate to have access to a lot of equipment where I work (along with a bunch of tools I've collected at home over the years)...and a willingness to fail miserably a lot. HA! I appreciate the kind words!

I sat there and stared at the grill for a long time trying to figure out how I might modify it. Even with all of the other hacking I've done on this truck, for some reason the grill feels sacred and I just can't cut a hole in it. Sheet metal and body work aren't really a skill I posses yet, so...still thinking...
 
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marjama

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Well, MIA for around 3 weeks...took me a while to solve the steering box issues. Things got a little out of hand. Ha!

I ended up grinding a bit on the original box. Bad choice. In hindsight it was pretty silly, and I ended up replacing the casting purely because I didn't want to redesign the whole thing. Then I ended up redesigning all of it anyway? Ha!

SO, back in action!! Ended up doing some major surgery to relocate the box - see pics for details. Due to there already being so many holes and reinforcement in the frame, it was impossible to just move the holes. To add some complexity, I had to swap from the Bronco pitman arm over to the Astro flat arm (which is shorter) to create clearance. This resulted in flipping the drag link to the bottom, and changing all of my geometry. So, total redesign of I'll finish welding it when I have the body off of the frame, and plan to plate it a bit too. I feel pretty good about the solution at the moment though.

First few pics show where I started and how the frame looked before. Last pic is the new structure tacked into place.

Off to the shop to sand blast and paint the steering gear housing and arm, and bend up the new panhard bar. Progress!
 

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Howard2x4x4

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Very spiffy solve! That Bronc of yours will be an engineering marvel!
 

JSmall

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Feb 18, 2004
Messages
3,223
When mine is back on the road I need to drive out your way to check this thing out. I'm so impressed with the quality of your work :cool:
 
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