1976 Bronco Axel Question - Newb here.

[broncnaz]

If I'm not mistaken, all of the 400s were M motors although, I remember reading somewhere that certain year LTDs had 400Ms with smallblock bellhousing bolt patterns or is that what you were refering to?--------Hans

Well I think the cleveland guys here will argue the point that there is no 400M. but yes there are 2 versions. I'm refering to the earliest/rarer version which I believe is really consider a FMX motor with the small block bolt pattern not the late model 400 with big block bolt pattern.
Im no expert on the early 400 I believe there were only made for like 1 year. but being able to use the smaller bellhousing would really help in a bronco.



As for axles well throwing a lot of power at any axle will take its toll sooner or later but mud mostly mud slinging with only 33in tires I would say the 1/2 ton axles would hold up fine. You'll probably have more issues with front axles than the rear. I've never heard of 3/4 ton 6 lug axles every 3/4 ton and up I've ever seen had at least 8 lug axles.
Welding more metal on the housings wont really make the axle stronger if you intended on jumping your bronco then it would help. But its the power running through the axles that will be the problem not the housing strenght. there are plenty of upgrades for a the ford 9in to make it all arouind a strong setup and they are about as strong as a D60 when built right.

 

[dolbs4082]

Well the reason i dont think the half ton axles are strong enough is because the first time i took my f100 out with its new motor in, it shelled the rear end. twisted the axle shaft off and did all kinds of damage.

Then after building the rear end up, we shelled the front axle out. so i worry that there isnt enough strength in them.

I found a set of dana 44 axles from a 76 scout II, would it be fairly easy to swap them out?

 

[mavereq]

if you're "shelling" axles that easily then you must be driving really hard on them. if you're gonna run half ton axles they last longer if you aren't launching from a dig on asphalt.

 

[broncnaz]

No it wouldnt be a easy swap and you wouldnt be increasing strenght any as the bronco uses a D44 in the front as well. And the D44 is weaker than a 9in.

Sounds like you have a heavy foot so you'd best step up to 3/4 ton axles. they will take a bit more to break.

 

[dolbs4082]

Well when we shelled the rear end, we had just pulled my sister's dodge out of the mud (so there was quite a bit of resistance) and when we unhooked we were driving away and out of no where the rear end just dropped. both axles still hooked up to the tires went out from under the truck.

When the front end shelled it, we were just driving down the driveway when all of a sudden the front tires locked up and by the time the truck came to a stop, the spider gear went threw the front cover.

As for the D44 axles, the axles under the bronco held up just fine, the only reason i have to replace the rear is because it snapped when he hit a bridge.

 

[mavereq]

9" axles shouldn't come out when they snap

 

[broncnaz]

Some of the F100's had D44 rear axles as well. although I thought it was only very early F100's.
As for the front well thats more of just a parts failure probably from previous abuse or just a simple roll pin that failed, I've seen that happen in D60's as well.

 

[dolbs4082]

They've got retainer clips on the ends dont they? not sure how the rear did it, but they both shot out.

 

[broncnaz]

The 9in uses retaining plates on the outboard ends. I've never messed witha rear D44 but they might use clips like gm and the 8.8 ford axles.

 

[dolbs4082]

Would the ford 8.8 rear end and the front end out of a new explorer work under the bronco? i would think that the width would be similar?

Does the explorer even have a front axle or do they use cv shafts?

 

[mavereq]

independant front

independant rear starting in 2002

 

[dolbs4082]

Well cause i know that the mid 90 model used 31 spline 8.8 solid rears (i put one under the back of my mustang to hold its power)

So i know that the 31 spline explorer rears are built tough. Since my front end is still beefy under the bronco currently, can i just gear an 8.8 rear to match the current front and use it that way?

 

[broncnaz]

The 9in is still stronger than the 8.8 but they have been swapped into bronco's not a common swap as there is no real gain.

 

[DirtDonk]

Not worth the effort. More bang-for-the-buck in just fixing the one you have now unless it's really tweaked. And even if it's in need of a complete new housing, they're not all that expensive for stock or slightly upgraded ones. The expensive ones mentioned previously are the super-stout upgraded aftermarket housings.

And as was just said, you're correct that the Exploder is not far off in the width, but the 8.8, although a very nice setup, is not quite as strong as the 9", doesn't have the aftermarket support, the axles have the smaller wheel bolt pattern, may not be as large and beefy as a 9" even though they have the 31 spline count (not sure of the actual diameter), and, if I'm not mistaken, uses the less desirable C-clip axles rather than the 9" more robust outer retainers.
For your Mustang it was a nice upgrade. For a 4200 lb truck, with 33" tires trying to find traction, and a lower gear ratio putting the torque out to the ends, it's not necessarily going to have a long and healthy life under a Bronco.

For the front end, same story, only more of it. The new style Explorers do have an IFS setup with CV shafts if I'm not mistaken, but the older Exploders used a smaller version of the Ford TTB setup that was in the rest of the trucks from '80 to '97. A VERY SMALL and weak version.
So neither the front nor the rear is a great swap in your case in my opinion. You're pretty much saying you're quite hard on your hardware. So UP is the only way to go for you.
The previous poster was not referring to anything "stock" with regard to the 9" either, if I recall. He was saying that the 9" "can be made" super strong with the help of the aftermarket. It's a great setup as-is, but not for high horsepower, larger tires, and a heavy right foot. For that you need larger axles, more rigid 3rd members, and reinforced housings.
All of which are readily available.

Either that, or as was also mentioned, the larger, heavier, 8-lug Dana 60's, 70's, GM corporate 10.5" 14-bolt rear ends, or something totally custom.
I know you said you have some Ford full-size axles, but when you say "1/2 ton" do you mean Ford? Or GM or other? I'm asking because you say 6-bolt sometimes, and you busted some others, so I'm trying to make sure we're on the same page.

Paul

 

[dolbs4082]

The axles i have right now are 5x5.5" f100 full sized axles.

I know that the front axle under the bronco is still healthy, all i really need to find is the rear axle. because the original one is in pieces, it snapped the housing and sent it threw the gas tank and threw the floor pan. im pretty positive its beyond repair at this point.

So im trying to figure out what route to go as far as replacing the rear. and if i have to, i'll replace front and rear so that they are matching.

 

[dolbs4082]

This may come as a completely stupid question (im jumping from building a 10 second mustang into an off road bronco so bare with me)

ford 9" rear end vs. the D44 rear end.

Is the 9" much stronger? how bout modification wise?

Because i've found where i can get a pair of D44 axles that are my width and everything for cheap. Then can i replace certain parts to make them stronger?

What would i need to do?

Thank you guys for all your help!

 

[mavereq]

9" is stronger. i think it's easier to modify because of the dropout third member

 

[broncnaz]

The 9in is hands down stronger as is. Then comes aftermarket parts. The D44's main weakness will be gears they are smaller and will tend to break/strip gears easier especailly in the rear with lower gearing.
The 9in gear set is strong and with the extra support in the pinion that makes it one of the strongest setups around but they can still break. but you have to consider that the 9in is used widey in many forms of racing so it can be buiilt to take the abuse.
As for aftermarket both axles have a lot of support although I would say that the D44 is usually better supported as a front axle than a rear. And the 9in has tons of support and can be made to be stronger than a D60.
Might be worth a try just sticking in your F100 axles and going from there. The Front D44 should be a high pinion and they are a little stronger than a standard low pinion D44 plus it will have larger ujoints on the axle shafts than the stock EB axle.

 

[dolbs4082]

is it un-heard of to put a ford 9" in the rear and leave the d44 up front. Also, would it be easier to have my 9" cut down and put new axles inside the housing, or should i just try to find a narrower 9" rear.

Because i dont want my rear end sticking out 3 inches and my front flush.

 

[broncnaz]

The 9in and D44 are stock axles for a 76 bronco. Actually the 9in has always been the stock rear axle for a bronco. 66-71 broncos had a D30 front and 72 up had a d44.
Axle housings can be cut down and new ends put on but they have to be on correctly and straight otherwise wheel bearings wont last long. Usually a jig is used to align the ends while welding them on. If you can do it and it comes out right then thats a cheap way to do it if not then your forever losing axle bearings or breaking axles. Good EB axle housings can be found for relatively cheap or you can even buy a new HD one for about $500 but you will still need axle shafts. which can be bought for around $250.
All said it done there's no real cheap answer if your staying stock width.