Sharp Motorsports 4600 Class Early Bronco

[landshark99]

are you able to use one of the ruff stuff caliper brackets for that 60?

https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.co...0&Screen=CTGY&Sort_By=disp_order&axle=Dana 60

If i was closer I would definitely be helping ya...

 

[LSharpNM]

Looks like a good project! If you still need a hand during race week I would probably be able to help. I crewed on Andrew's KOH rig also.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

Thanks, I'll take you up on that! I'll PM you my phone number.

are you able to use one of the ruff stuff caliper brackets for that 60?

https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.co...0&Screen=CTGY&Sort_By=disp_order&axle=Dana 60

If i was closer I would definitely be helping ya...

I think one of those would probably work if I end up picking up a drum brake axle. I would just need to verify that the Dana 60U flange is the same as the older 30 spline Dana 60s. I would love to run some bling aluminum hubs and solid rotors to save a ton of weight, but that isn't in the budget right now.

I've been slowly working out how to mount an Explorer RDB system to my D60. The rotor will need to be machined and I'm not too excited about that. Then I need to make two adapters. One that bolts the rotor to the backside of the wheel hub's flange, and another that centers and correctly spaces the backing plate / caliper mount relative to the housing flange. I think for a street driven truck on 35's or less that this RDB system is a good choice. For taller tires on the street it may not be.

For really tall tires (let's say 40"+) on a hard core crawler I'm pretty sure they won't be. At that point I'd look at the typical RDB kits that use the GM 'Metric' caliper (ala some of the "Cadillac Kits"). These appear to use the front rotor from a K20 or something like that. Just don't expect an actual, functioning parking brake from such a brake set-up because it either isn't going to happen or it isn't going to last.

I would probably use one of the chevy "3/4 ton"-based disc brake kits since they are cheap and effective, and I am thinking I'll probably just run a hydraulic line lock as a parking brake. I am aware of the inadequacy of the El Dorado caliper parking brakes, but thanks for the warning ;D

 

[LSharpNM]

I didn't post any pictures in my last update, so I figured I would go ahead and add them in this post.

Here is how I crated the tranny to send it across the country. I built it out of 7/16" plywood and 1/4" veneer around the outside with some 2x4s for cribbing. I filled some trash bags with expanding insulation foam and packed them around the tranny. All together it was 24" wide, 15.5" deep, and 19.25" tall and weighed 106 Lbs in case anyone else needs to quote a C4 for shipping ;D

After sending off the tranny, I cleaned up the bell housing which was pretty disgusting. Unfortunately, once it was clean I could see the big cracks around a couple of the mounting holes where it bolts to the tranny :shaking: Fortunately Dynamic was able to supply me with a good 6.25" deep take-off bell housing for a 164 tooth flywheel.

Dynamic shipped the tranny back on Monday, so I should be getting it very soon. This week a miracle happened and a 2007 E350 with the full-floating, disc brake Dana 60U showed up at the local yard. I pulled it after work the next day

I also got in the majority of the engine parts this week. I ordered up a balanced 347 rotating assembly from Skip White Performance with the 10cc dished pistons which should put me around 10:1 static compression with the GT40P heads depending on the head gaskets I use. Speaking of head gaskets, I've got some standard head gaskets with the Felpro complete engine gasket set I ordered, but I am thinking about springing for a set of MLS head gaskets. I am not sure if they are worth it for a relatively mild engine build like mine though, so I am open to input from people smarter than me. I will probably be upgrading to aluminum heads after the first year of racing or so, so maybe sticking with the standard head gaskets for now is alright. Other goodies include the Comp XE264HR cam I mentioned earlier as well as ARP head studs and main bearing studs.

 

[BanditBronco]

Sounds like a solid engine set up! What type of fuel management are you going with? Can't remember if we touched on that yet or not. Honestly I would just run the felpro head gaskets, as long as you install them correctly and your temps are good you won't have any issues. Its not like you are running a ton of compression or boost through it. I would spend the money on arp bolts or studs to hold them down instead.

 

[LSharpNM]

Sounds like a solid engine set up! What type of fuel management are you going with? Can't remember if we touched on that yet or not. Honestly I would just run the felpro head gaskets, as long as you install them correctly and your temps are good you won't have any issues. Its not like you are running a ton of compression or boost through it. I would spend the money on arp bolts or studs to hold them down instead.

I am planning on running the EECV Explorer computer that I pulled with the engine and having it tuned for my build and lack of emissions components ;D

I've already got the head studs (look at the bottom of the pile of parts ), so I think you are probably right that standard Felpro gaskets will be alright. I just need to measure/look up what their bore diameter is and compressed thickness to see where it will put my compression ratio. I want to be able to run pump gas and not have to worry too much about detonation if it starts getting hot. With my cam and ~10:1 compression, I am going to be flirting with slightly over 8:1 dynamic compression at sea level, but I doubt I will ever be running it at that low of elevation. The lake bed at Johnson valley is above 2,500', and all the places I generally wheel are above 4,000', so compensating for elevation, that should put my dynamic compression in a more iron head and pump gas friendly sub-8:1 range.

 

[BanditBronco]

I see you have an aftermarket balancer in your box stack, what pulley and trigger wheel set up are you planning on running?

 

[LSharpNM]

I see you have an aftermarket balancer in your box stack, what pulley and trigger wheel set up are you planning on running?

Honestly I hadn't given that any thought until you mentioned it. Looks like I have some homework to do...

 

[BanditBronco]

Post up what you find out during your research and where you end up. I know what I would do, but I am curious if you end up at the same conclusion from your own research.

 

[LSharpNM]

Long time no post.

I have been putting off making this post, but I came to the realization a couple of months ago that there is no way I will be making KOH 2022 with the Bronco.

My project management has been piss-poor to be honest (ironically my wife is finishing up her MBA in project management). I completely failed to identify long lead items, and as many of you know, current supplier lead times are insane. I have ordered almost all of the major components at this point, but my shocks for instance are still 6+ months out and I am still waiting on my Atlas to name a few hangups. I still have tons of smaller items I will need to order as the build progresses. I identified and priced out major components and safety items I would need at the beginning of the build, but I consistently blew way over my estimates with the parts I actually ended up purchasing. My original intention was a build that had a reasonable chance of being able to finish, but I have ended up trying to build a rig that will be competitive. I am still going to continue on with the build and hopefully it will be ready in time to catch a Western Series race or two next year. In a sense, it is a bit of a relief not to have KOH as the debut race due to the logistics involved and how much I still need to learn.

I will be pitting for the Team Trail Rig Racing 4653 Toyota, and I am hoping to learn a lot from that to be better prepared for KOH 2023.


In other news, I got my 32 gallon Jaz fuel cell in, the C4 back from Dynamic, and my leaf springs from Alcan.

The leaf packs from Alcan are 58" with a centered pin. They are basically 5" longer front and rear than a stock Bronco pack and arched for 4" of lift (obviously this depends on how I set up my perches). They are also 2.5" wide compared to 2.25" for factory Bronco packs, and are an 8 leaf design with a half leaf on top to help control axle wrap. They have Alcan's "orbit eyes" at the back which should help the bushings and springs themselves live longer while providing more articulation.