LD50 Full-size axle thread `93 Ex

LD50 Full-size axle thread `93 Ex SAS

Hey fellow Explorer enthusiasts!

Well I never thought I`d do it, but it`s time.
I originally thought I would go to a smaller rig one day but I`m going to beef up the Explorer instead. Since I already have a huge thread on my previous work I decided to start fresh.

If you would like to see my previous mods, you can navigate from my signature link, or click here:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=523171#post523171

~

My plans are to install a D44 and 9-inch into the station wagon and run 35 inch tires. Hopefully she`ll still get in the garage, but if it don`t then oh well. During this I also have some body work to do.

Right now I have the rear end out, I took off the spare tire hanger and removed the muffler and rear most heat shield. (doors are off for body work)Next the gas tank comes out so I can prep the underside for rust protection, from the t-case back. In the meantime I am trying to sell some parts for cash.

First big decision is what gear ratio. The 4.10`s on 33s was nice, but I think I`d like a bit more torque than that so I`m thinking 4.88 or 5.13s.

 

[ld50]

Well thanks guys, I guess it will remain a mystery for now, I am having a new set made. I have to give the shop the axles so they can copy the dimensions, because well, they travelled here through another dimension, like those Ebay ones. week to ten days I`ll be driving it to work to put my jounce shocks in.

Thanks again!

 

[Burns]

Good news

 

[ld50]

Well still waiting on those darn shafts, apparently 2 more days or so.
I did some some more legwork about that donor truck and a neighbor of my father in law used to be good friends with the guy who lived there before. He says the vehicle in question was definitely a 72 or 73 Bronco. He said he was with the guy when he apparently rolled it onto it`s roof in a gully. Of course this makes no sense at all because EBs just weren`t that wide, they are like 58 inches. Intersting that my 3rd member was cast in 72 though, I just don`t get it.
The one great thing about using these axles for a swap (whatever they are) is not needing to worry about the u-joints, both yokes were a 1310 u-joint and a perfect match.
But anyway I`m climbing the walls waiting for the axleshafts, finding little things to fix on the Ex here and there, staring, planning, dreaming, fondling, pimping, preening, etc.

 

[ld50]

Back in business!
Rear Ends Only supplied me with these, took a hell of alot longer than promised (FFS). I`m putting them in tomorrow but won`t get to doing the front coil seat reinforcement and jounce shocks till next weekend I guess.

 

[ld50]

Spent yesterday putting my Jounce shocks in and straightening and reinforcing my lower coil seats.

For the coil seats I just pounded them flat and welded a circle of 1/4 inch plate steel under them and re-drilled the holes. I grabbed some slightly longer bolts to mount them with.
I bent them racing, and it was an effect of having my coils bottom out I figger.

The Jounce shocks installation requires a strike surface for them to hit, and this surface is usually on a moving part (axle). I welded the upper mount to the bottom of my upper coil mount structure and made some seats to weld on the axle.
The Jounce shocks need to be set up so that the limit of their travel is where you want your suspension to stop moving upward. I wanted my suspension to stop about 1/2 inch before the coils could bottom. This is also where my track bar bracket just contacts my tie rod.
The JS also need to be as close to a straight hit as possible, although it is okay for them to "scrub" a little as they hit the flat strike plate.

They work by way of a shock absorbing system using nitrogen and oil.
As they compress, the force needed to compress them further increases, creating a suspension that supposedly never feels like it is bottoming out. There is also rebound dampening which will not allow it to kick back after compression faster than the suspension wants to fall away, creating a smoother feel. They are adjustable through adjusting nitrogen pressure, and completely re-buildable.

The manufacturer recommends using a jounce shock within the last 1/3 to 1/4of suspension travel and come in a 1.5" travel and a 3" travel version.

I need to limit my upward travel to 4.5", so I opted for the 1.5" version.

 

[carsonm]

Looks great James, when are you going to try them out?

 

[ld50]

Tried `em today, they work as advertised. I can hear and feel them hit, and it really softens any hard blows.

 

[colindo94]

You live in such a beautiful spot.

 

[ld50]

It`s funny but it becomes so natural I really miss it when I have to go east to Calgary or something. In my line of work we sometimes get people who have come down from Edmonton for the first time in their lives and taken the Yellowhead highway to get here and they absolutely rave about the scenery, they just can`t get over it. hwy 1 through the fraser canyon is quite stunning as well.
"Super-Natural British Columbia" was always the catch phrase for the province.

 

[ld50]

Hey,

Well I haven`t gotten out much lately because work has been busy as hell.
I`m trying to decide whether to work on my winch mount this weekend or just go wheeling....

In the meantime, my alignment felt a bit off last time I was out so I decided to check it again. All I can really adjust myself here is the toe, and I`m afraid when I did it with my son last time, he may not have been holding the tape measure properly, because I had toe out instead of in. This makes a vehicle wander everytime the road surface changes, or you give or let off the gas.

This time I took some pics because I thought some may be interested in the process.
What I did was put the truck on jackstands under the axles so that it was sitting level. I did this so that I could spin the front tires while I adjust.

Measuring from ground to hub, I found the center of tire measurement from ground.
Then I put a couple layers of masking tape as close to center of each tire tread as I could, and marked a horizontal line on the tape. Then I marked the center of tire on the tape. (To speed up the process, I cut two pieces of wood the length from ground to tire center, all you have to do is rotate the tire and line up the horizontal mark to the top of the wood thingy)

Once you have these marks you measure from tire centers at the front, then rotate the tires 180* and measure the back.
I got a friend who is good with tape measures to sit on one side and hold the dumb end at exactly the same spot as I spun the tires to measure the front width and back width. I`m trying for 3/32 toe in as a guideline told to me by an alignment guy.

Once I had a backside measurement 3/32 more than the front, in theory, I have my proper toe-in.

 

[ld50]

Okay, before you say "just build a winch mount bush bumper" I`ll defend myself.
I enjoy the stock body look, and want to maintain it as long as possible.
And for the amount of use a winch actually sees, I want a hitch mount winch I can stow in the back till really needed.

I`m not saying I won`t build bumpers one day, because odds are I will damage the stockers, even if I have been lucky so far.

I did some fabbing off the front end crossmember for my cheapo hitch winch $400 dollars at Costco. I don`t know how good these are, but mine will be kept in the back which I hope will prolong it`s questionable lifespan.

Here it is mounted:

 

[ld50]

I sat the plug in inside my frame rail -that is only accessible because my my bumper relocation, BTW. I ran the wiring inside the rail and out a hole in the inner top side, to my main battery.

 

[ld50]

...

 

[Burns]

Nice i like the stock bumper look to.

Good idea

 

[ld50]

I am going to make a reciever hook up for my front plate that I can pop out for winch install.
Here`s a pic of how it will look hooked up in the rear. Sometimes this can be nice if you just want to get out of something. I still have to get wiring for that. Probably after I build my rear tire carrier, which is one of the next things on the never-ending list.

 

[colindo94]

Very nice. I like the idea with the removable winch. I also have been wondering about the costco winches. My dad gave me a rewards money back thing because he buys a lot from costco. I guess we will se how long yours holds up. Cheapthrills also has one and he said he's never had any problems with it. Just slower.

O and have you started the coil seats yet. I'm interested in this writeup.

 

[ld50]

Oh, the straightening of the coil seats?
Yeah I did that when I did the jounce shocks. I didn`t take pics though. All I did was cut some 1/4" plate into rounds, heat and pound the seats flat, weld the rounds to the bottoms and drill the holes through the original holes.
I used 1/4 inch longer bolts to account for the extra thickness. It was an easy fix.

But as long as we're on that subject, I do think the extended beatings on my upper coil seats has created a slight twist in the frame where they mount, making them slightly crooked. My jounce shocks being slightly out from the frame may cause forces that would make this worse. Sometime in the future, maybe in the spring when I re-pack my bearings and have the tires off, I will look at reinforcing them with some kind of gusset(s) above the mount points.

 

[ld50]

Remember that oil leak I had?
It never started leaking again, did I mention that?
lol can`t remember if I did..

I made a rear spare tire carrier.. finally.
And I did it a lttle differently. Its a design I had in my head since day one though.

I built it off my home made hitch, and it swings down if need be.
The hinges are the leaf spring eyes from the axle donor vehicle, and it bolts to a bracket mounted from the rear-most frame cross-member. Bushing replacement only costs 12 dollars.
I figure if I have to get in the back, it is for a situation where undoing one bolt to swing it down won`t be a huge effort. Oh and the bolt has a 3/4 inch head, same as my wheel lugs.

I still may get my hi-lift mounted on it, but I might keep it nice and dry inside the back somewhere.

I have my rock sliders about 1/3 done, wheeling time is coming quick, boy I find it hard to get off my ass and work on my truck these days, it just never ends.

Anyway, the tire rack is very sturdy, if I grab it I can get it to flex the hitch part a little, but no worries with that. Oh yeah, the 2 inch body lift was essential in designing the bolt-to bracket. I`m afraid I don`t have any good pics of that bracket yet.. but here`s a bunch of pics!

 

[ld50]

...

 

[ld50]

okay well here is a pic of my bolt-to bracket before I modified it a bit further. I was worried it wouldn`t be strong enough so I added another piece of square tube and bolted it through from the top. I wanted to be able to fully remove the system if I want.

The tubing that comes out above the bumper has a nut welded inside it, nice and simple.

Why didn`t I or don`t I build a whole new bumper/ bumpers?
I like the stock look kinda, I dunno. I`m wierd that way, but if I start wrecking the bumpers I just might have to build something else, but for now, I dig it.