BMXking's Axle Swap 1st gen. Coils/Radius Arms!!!

Well, I finally decided to start a thread on it. For those of you who don't know, I will be doing a full-width swap. High-Pinion Dana 44 front and Ford 9" rear. I am still looking for the HP D44, but I picked up the 9" Monday. I have never really done a lot of work on axles, so this will definitely be a long process, but I have already done a lot of research about this(and am still learning a TON). I plan on doing as much of it myself as I possibly can, but will have a shop do the regear for me.

FRONT AXLE
-1977 F-150 HP D44 Full-Width $200 - Moved Forward ~1.5”
-Myers Machine Coil Seats $40 shipped
-6* Pro Comp Pinion shims under coil buckets (to fix coil angle) $18
-CAGE Offroad 5.5” Coil Springs $150 shipped
-Coil Buckets Spaced Out 2.5" (3/16" x 2.5" x 6.5") $FREE
-Bronco Graveyard 78-79 Coil Spring Tower, Pair $90.80 shipped
-F250 Shock Towers $28 shipped
-Stock Axle Shafts(for now) $FREE
-Warn Premium Hubs $72
-Extended, Plated, Heimed, Wristed 1978-1979 Bronco/F-150 Radius Arms $222 shipped
-CAGE Radius Arm Mounts $FREE w/ R/A's
-Adjustable Superlift (p/n 1080) track bar (76-79 Ford f150/78-79 Bronco) w/ Energy Suspension poly bushings $125
-Skyjacker Stainless Steel Braided Lines for lifted D35 TTB's $90
-Bronco Graveyard 66-75 Early Bronco Adj. Bracket $45
-New F150 tie-rods & stock Explorer drag link (w/ red poly dust boots) $121
-Stock pitman arm $FREE
-Raybestos Professional Grade $19.95 shipped
-Powerslot slotted rotors $120
-Rebuilt Calipers $26
-Completely rebuilt (seals/bearings/ball joints/u-joints/etc.) $260.23
-Energy Suspension Red 7* C-Bushings $21
-Stock Explorer D-shaft w/ 1310 D44 pinion yoke for stock Explorer u-joints $FREE
-Rancho RS5000 shocks $20
-Bronco Graveyard Upper Coil Spring Retainers $22
-Rancho RS5000 steering stabilizer w/ custom bracket $25



REAR AXLE
-1983 Ford 9" $85
-Rubicon Express Anti-Wrap perches welded SOA $35
-Wild Horses Weld-On Shock Mounts $15
-Stock Springs w/ AAL and red rear poly bushings $10
-Stock Axle shafts w/ new bearings, seals, collars, etc $140
-94-99 Dodge Ram 1500 front rotors $58 shipped
-'76 Cadallic Eldorado Calipers w/ e-brake $155 w/ core calipers
-'78 F150 Extended Stainless Steel Braided Rear Brake Hose $45.34
-Custom Bent Brake Lines (w/ 3/8" ends) $8
-'79 Caddy Eldorado Brake Line end box thing $FREE
-7/16" Banjo Bolt for '76 calipers $5
-Bendix Brake Pads $35
-Speedway Motors GM Large Caliper bracket (7" mounting points) $40 2-day shipped
-Cut off mounting points from Ford 9" drums to use as spacers for the disc conversion (no longer a backing plate behind the shaft) $FREE
-Third Member from eBay (4.88s, mini spool) $150
-BC Broncos Disc Brake Conversion Wheel Studs $15
-Wild Horses Super Duty U-bolt Kits $60
-Extended/balanced rear driveshaft w/ stock 1310 to match the 1310 on the axle $123.63
-Skyjacker Nitro 8000 shocks for 2" lift Explorer $FREE
-Copper Third Member Washers $12.24

TIRES
-37x12.50-16 Maxxis Creepy Crawlers $400.00

WHEELS (5 on 5.5)
-16x8 Black Rock Crawlers $293

Grade 8 Hardware: $200

Tig Welding: $200

Parts Sold
-Stock Third Member w/ 3.50s and open diff -$50
-Lower Coil Mounts -$25
-Stock Radius Arms -$25
-31x10.50 Dunlop Mud Rovers, 15x8 black rock crawler wheels, Skyjacker 2” lift coils, drop-in K&N, front Skyjacker Nitro 8k shocks, Dual CB Antenna Mounts/Coax, and 235/75r15 spare tire, APC Ultra-White Bulbs, Radius Arm Bushings, Sway Bar Bushings -$415
-Ford 8.8 - 3.27 gears, 31 spline, stock limited slip, drum brakes, SUA, great condition. -$70
-Front Axle Shafts -$60

TOTAL: $3156.24





Future Upgrades:
Dana 44 -
-30 spline ARB
-Yukon 4.88s
-Warn Chromoly Inner and Outer Shafts, Moser Max 44 shafts, or Superior Axles
-Dedenbear flat top knuckles
-Blue Torch Fabworks Hi-Steer Arms
-Rancho RS9000X adj. shocks
-Late 70s T-Bird calipers (1/4" bigger piston, and still use Bronco pads )

Ford 9" -
-New Strange Nodular Iron Case w/ 3.250 carrier bearing (STR-N1906) $359 Summit Racing
-Moser Spool and Axle Package Number 1 (ASP1) - 35 spline full steel spool for 3.250 case, 35 spline custom alloy axles, Axle bearings, 5 on 5.5, 1/2" studs $590 Moser Engineering
-Yukon 4.88s (F9-486) $139 PORC
-Daytona Pinion Support 3.250 case (STR-N1914) $115 Summit Racing
-R&P Master Install Kit for 9" Ford-3.250 Case, Daytona Pinion Support(R9FDD) $100 Moser Engineering
-Pinion Yoke 1310 - 28spline pinion (may upgrade to 1350 if I get a new t-case) (PY210) $90 Moser Engineering
-Axle Breather Vent $12 Bronco Graveyard
-Axle Truss
-Rancho RS9000X adj. shocks
-94-02 Dodge Ram 4x4 Powerslot Slotted Rotors

Now on to the pics!

 

[JS91X]

bryan, did you get the spare mounted ? got some pics ?

 

[rynstvy]

hey bmx ho do you get them coild in there, can you even get some spring compresors to squese them?

 

[410Fortune]

typically you drop the axle to full droop (as far as the links will allow) disconnect the shocks, etc, then you put the coils in the bucket and lift the axle up to the coil, then install the lower retainer.

 

[bmxking5]

No James. I have the wheel and tire, but haven't gotten it mounted yet. I'm trying to see if my friend at Hendrick's Chevy can mount it for me this week, and get me an alignment finally.

You don't need spring compressors for these. Just let the axle drop to full droop, and pull them out or install them.

 

[rynstvy]

No James. I have the wheel and tire, but haven't gotten it mounted yet. I'm trying to see if my friend at Hendrick's Chevy can mount it for me this week, and get me an alignment finally.

You don't need spring compressors for these. Just let the axle drop to full droop, and pull them out or install them.

kool sounds easy sort of

 

[IZwack]

lol

 

[410Fortune]

took me 12 minutes last time I reseated the coil on my Bronco

 

[rynstvy]

took me 12 minutes last time I reseated the coil on my Bronco

ya it sounds easy i'm just used to doing a arm coil suspension where i have to compress the spring and pull up the aarm to mount it

 

[splodo49]

Just an idea.

I know that the trac bar chat has been beaten to death. But i saw this idea and when i get home im gonna tear of my mount and incorp something like these. And it could still be bolt on if you dont wanna weld direct to the frame. I would still extend it all the way out to the frame though i wouldnt leave it that short.

 

[IZwack]

I don't mean to be disrespectful but whoever designed this panhard bar needs to look at the rig's roll center:

 

[splodo49]

I don't mean to be disrespectful but whoever designed this panhard bar needs to look at the rig's roll axis:

Its the fabritech kit. I like the idea of using the engine cross member. But it would be a brace that would tie into a regular trac bar mount off of the frame. Plus i would want to keep it with in a stock size so it could be easily replaced if had too.

 

[IZwack]

Its the fabritech kit. I like the idea of using the engine cross member. But it would be a brace that would tie into a regular trac bar mount off of the frame. Plus i would want to keep it with in a stock size so it could be easily replaced if had too.

If it were me I would prefer a panhard thats more horizontal. It just seems like the axle is going to swing towards the driver's side a considerable amount during passenger side full extention and driver's side full compression.

With the panhard's very high chassis mount and very low axle mount, I think that rig will roll over quite easily once ramped.

 

[splodo49]

This is also a show truck with a total lift of 13 inches on 44 boggers. So i hardly doubt its ever gonna see a rti ramp. But actually i dont think it would fold the axle over it would just limit its movement. But hey you never know.I just like the idea of use the member as a another way to support the allready existing trac bar mount thats on bmxs frame. And like i said just an idea.

 

[IZwack]

I do like the idea too

If I'm looking at it correctly, its a bolt-in so it should be easy to change

Oh just as a side note for anyone interested in this concept, I would bolt the panhard onto the other side of the plate - the front side of the plate (of course you'd have to put another plate for the other side of the bolt in front of that plate). But what this will allow you to do is mount the axle end of the panhard bar higher for a better roll center - because as it looks now, it looks like the panhard would run into the engine cross member.

I know the pic below is a rear axle so the panhard isnt as restricted (drag link plane, engine cross member/oil pan, etc..) but this illustrates the concept of having a panhard as high as possible for a good roll center during off camber situations:

 

[bmxking5]

Yeah, somewhere in the 22 pages, I mentioned that I was going to add a brace to the engine crossmember using the existing holes in my adj. trac bar mount (using grade 8 9/16" bolts). This would then become the breaking point. I was talking to my neighbor, who has done some frame building and he was telling me how when you build these kinds of things, you strengthen one point and it will then create another weak link. So if this were to ever happen again (highly doubtful) I will have built the breaking point into it, as opposed to it ripping out the welds again (again...highly doubtful).

p.s. that dynatrac 60 is

 

[Kirby N.]

Its the fabritech kit. I like the idea of using the engine cross member. But it would be a brace that would tie into a regular trac bar mount off of the frame. Plus i would want to keep it with in a stock size so it could be easily replaced if had too.

x2. Mine is even a bit steep. My axle moves a ton laterally through suspension travel. If it were more level at static height it wouldn't force the axle to move laterally nearly as much. Hindsight...

 

[supergildo]

I know the pic below is a rear axle so the panhard isnt as restricted (drag link plane, engine cross member/oil pan, etc..) but this illustrates the concept of having a panhard as high as possible for a good roll center during off camber situations:

but to avoid bump steer on a front axle, you need to have the drag link and the panhard/ trac bar as parralel as possibble. thatde be nearly impossible to acheive your goal and not get bumpsteer like a ****...

 

[IZwack]

but to avoid bump steer on a front axle, you need to have the drag link and the panhard/ trac bar as parralel as possibble. thatde be nearly impossible to acheive your goal and not get bumpsteer like a ****...

Yeah I mentioned the "drag-link plane" because of that.

But also thats what hi-steer is for and 1-inch hi-steer arm spacers -- to move the drag-link higher on the knuckle and match a high panhard mount.

 

[034x4]

That trac-bar brack is going to snap in half, directly below the welds. You HAVE to connect it somehow to the bottom side of the frame. Right now it is a HUGE lever that is going to put alot more stress on those welds/bolts on the outside of the frame than if the bottom side of the bracket was firmly attached as well.

 

[bmxking5]

034x4, I already said I was going to add more gussetts/braces to it, two of them are going on the underside of the frame and one to the outside of the engine xmember. Whenever I get around to adding those, it will be plenty strong.