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New owner from Germany

sprdv1

Contributor
REBEL
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
81,734
well, this project will take much more time than i hoped for.
there's no way this will be a quick and dirty job to get it back on the road - the rearend is already showing more things that need attention then expected :(

Just tackle one thing at a time, it'll get there
 
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tody

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Joined
Mar 22, 2017
Messages
207
first batch of parts is cleaned and painted.
IMG_2139.jpg


inspection of the trac lock produced some surprises yet again.
clutches still look fairly decent, but the metal plates show some wear.
and there is no shim whatsoever in the housing.
so that will need some attention as well.
IMG_2137.jpg

IMG_2138.jpg


i hope i can save the axles. bearings are off, driver side has severe marks under the bearing area. looks like the last one was put on with a lot of debris under it. also, there is a scorch mark just a hair off the seal surface. i'll post some pictures when i put the new bearings on.

also, i removed the leaf springs. they have ford part numbers, so they must still be the original ones. shackles need new bushings, also new bolts. driver side bolt is literally ground through halfway :eek:
 
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tody

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Mar 22, 2017
Messages
207
checked the axle housing for straightness. i made my own tool a couple of years ago - a precision bar and a couple of aluminum chunks machined on a lathe.

IMG_2140.jpg

IMG_2141.jpg

IMG_2142.jpg


passenger side is just a hair off:
IMG_2143.jpg


driver side a little more, that gap is around 1/16" - i guess i'll leave it that way. the versailles housing on my comet was much worse:
IMG_2144.jpg


new axle bearings pressed on:
IMG_2145.jpg


project for tomorrow:
IMG_2146.jpg
 
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tody

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Mar 22, 2017
Messages
207
some good news: i have a lead on an nv3550 for sale locally, only about an hour away. they're scarce over here, a jeep buddy told me no one has the 4L TJ over here. i'll try to grab it and stash it away for a future swap!
 
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tody

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Mar 22, 2017
Messages
207
here's two more pictures.
pressed in the new shackle bushings. used a moog part, fits like it should.
it was indeed tough to get the old sleeves out, just as expected after reading some other threads on the subject.

IMG_2148.jpg


i also have a picture of the mark on the rear axle shaft. it's just above the seal surface, and as it was not losing any oil there, i hope i'll be fine.

IMG_2149.jpg


i also got new stock leaf springs and bolts. i hope to get the rearend back together by next weekend.
 

74BroncoCO

Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
2,374
Looks like someone was using a cutoff wheel to remove a bearing and nicked the shaft. I wouldn't be concerned with it either.
 
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tody

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Mar 22, 2017
Messages
207
rear brakes are back together with all new parts.
went from this:
IMG_2151.jpg

to this today:
IMG_2152.jpg


also managed to set the correct shimming on the trac lock.
slapped the differential back together, but i'm not too happy with the tooth pattern. needs a thicker shim, will try to set this up tomorrow.
 
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tody

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Mar 22, 2017
Messages
207
i tried to set up the differential today.
started with the shim that was in it before, .023.
that left me with a pattern way too much towards the toe on the drive side:
IMG_2154.jpg


tried a few different shims and ended up with .028.
looks pretty decent on the drive side, pretty much in the middle:
IMG_2160.jpg


i do not like the coast side too much, but i couldn't get a better pattern:
IMG_2161.jpg


backlash is now around .011 - i guess i'll leave it this way. put the differential in the axle housing, it's now ready for final assembly. new leaf springs are already in, with all new hardware.
IMG_2163.jpg
 
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markw

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
2,047
Your photography is outstanding. What camera are you using?
 
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tody

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Mar 22, 2017
Messages
207
just my iphone 6. with decent light, the pictures do turn out fairly well.
 
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edmedlin

Full Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2014
Messages
260
Loc.
Republic Missouri
Great work.. I like the commitment to detail you have. Some folks just skip over some of the things you are doing and checking out. It will all pay off in the end. My '75 still has drum brakes all around, but I redid the system and made sure it was all done right. I don't do a lot of serious off-road stuff so heat and fade are not a big issue. It stops straight and will lock up all four if I stand on them. Even our old muscle cars of the '60s had drums and I survived... :) My Corvette C6 LS2 stops on a dime, but it just does what it was made to do. These EBs are not, and were never meant to be sports cars..... I like the vintage experience of driving it like it was built. I do have a 302 roller motor that puts out about 360HP to the rear wheels with about 400 lb/ft of torque. I am older (68yrs old) but not dead yet.. Keep us advised of your progress, it is very interesting.
 
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tody

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Mar 22, 2017
Messages
207
On many accounts, Germany is quite different from the US.
When it comes to cars, it boils down to applicable laws and taxes.
Cars older than 30 years can get a large tax exemption, compared to the usual taxation by displacement. They only cost 190€ a year - but only if they are in their original state with only contemporary modifications allowed.
Also, cars are checked by the officials every two years whether or not they are roadworthy.

Thus, I wouldn't have been able to register the car as I received it. It wouldn't have survived even a basic brake test.
This also means a limit on what I can do to modify it. I think I can get away with a five speed, but an EFI would hardly go unnoticed.

But then again, I will not have many opportunities to go hardcore offroading with the Bronco. We have some places to go to, but as with drag racing, these spaces are few and far in between. So I'm building it more for the road than anything else.
What I have learned restoring or working on my other cars is that original does not necessary mean bad. The Mustang has drum brakes all around, and also stops on a dime - even with the considerably higher Autobahn speeds over here. I drive it 80mph all the time. I will leave the drum brakes on the Bronco, and might not even switch to a 4v carb. It will mainly be a fun cruiser, and I do not intend to over restore it. But I think I have learned which areas need attention, and which things I do not want to go over twice...
 
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edmedlin

Full Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2014
Messages
260
Loc.
Republic Missouri
On many accounts, Germany is quite different from the US.
When it comes to cars, it boils down to applicable laws and taxes.
Cars older than 30 years can get a large tax exemption, compared to the usual taxation by displacement. They only cost 190€ a year - but only if they are in their original state with only contemporary modifications allowed.
Also, cars are checked by the officials every two years whether or not they are roadworthy.

Thus, I wouldn't have been able to register the car as I received it. It wouldn't have survived even a basic brake test.
This also means a limit on what I can do to modify it. I think I can get away with a five speed, but an EFI would hardly go unnoticed.

But then again, I will not have many opportunities to go hardcore offroading with the Bronco. We have some places to go to, but as with drag racing, these spaces are few and far in between. So I'm building it more for the road than anything else.
What I have learned restoring or working on my other cars is that original does not necessary mean bad. The Mustang has drum brakes all around, and also stops on a dime - even with the considerably higher Autobahn speeds over here. I drive it 80mph all the time. I will leave the drum brakes on the Bronco, and might not even switch to a 4v carb. It will mainly be a fun cruiser, and I do not intend to over restore it. But I think I have learned which areas need attention, and which things I do not want to go over twice...

I am like you, I want to feel safe, but still like the "vintage" experience of driving it the way it was built. I am older and grew up driving '40s, 50s and '60s vehicles. I raced Triumphs in SCCA road racing in the mid '60s. I have owned several '60s muscle cars and have built a few '50s cars. I have a later model Corvette C6 and a new F-150 Ford Ecoboost. The Vette and my Bronco share the shop with a 2nd gen Camaro I am building. I am in my late '60s and still like some performance, and would rather listen to a nice exhaust sound than a radio.... :) I don't even have one in my Bronco, just a radio delete panel. Mine also cruises quite well at freeway speeds, but love just cruising around the mountain roads here in the Ozark Mountains of MO. I want to do some shows, but whenever they come up it seems I have something else to do. My Vette is also 'show' quality and would love to take them both. Good luck on your build... It seems you have gotten on the right track and are driving it rather than keeping it in the shop.
 
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tody

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Mar 22, 2017
Messages
207
so the rear axle is back in:
IMG_2174.jpg


will order a set of shocks, but will need to fix the driver side shock mount first.
i think i will go the bilstein route. even though bilstein is a german company, the shocks are not that cheap over here.

started to look at the front half of the bronco. it's loosing coolant somewhere, maybe thermostat housing. also engine oil, i suspect the rear main seal. thinking about pulling the engine...
 
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