Ogeechee's Bronco

Ogeechee

New member
I bought my '95 bronco when it was about 4 years old. I've always liked off-roading and exploring with it, but I just couldn't bring myself to make it into a hardcore rock crawler or mud bogger. I still wanted to drive it to work and around on the weekend. I've also spent a lot of time hanging around FullSizeBronco, so you've probably seen some of these pictures and write ups over there.

I bought the vehicle stock...wish it still looked this good.

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A couple years later, it got a 6" Rough Country lift.

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Ogeechee

New member
Back in the summer of 2006, I decided to jump in and complete a solid axle swap. It's not perfect by any means, but it has held together for about 22,000 miles now. There are several "adjustments" that I would like to make if I was to do it again, but they're minor enough that I won't bother with them right now. I can try to find part numbers for something if anyone is interested.

So I started with a Dana 44 out of a 1979 Bronco that I located through a fellow bronco owner. $200 later, all of this followed me home. Most of it I could reuse for my application. Some just had to be replaced (like the steering parts)

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And my bronco when I started. It already had a 6" rough country lift and 35" Ground Hawgs. Gotta love that droopy TTB look!

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First order of business is to remove the TTB. Yes, i know the jackstand "extentions" are dangerous--really. Notice how the TTB looks as it sits on the floor. I'm pretty sure that's the same geometry it held while hooked to my frame, too!

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Now the fun begins. Break out your finest angle grinder and/or air chissel and remove the stock coil buckets. I replaced them with the 1979 coil buckets. After careful measuring and pondering and consulting several of my old Trig text books, I just moved these buckets as far foward as I could on my 1995 frame. Have fun drilling the 6 holes per coil bucket.

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Passenger side

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While that was happening, my D44 was at a Dana Spicer dealer getting re-geared with 4.56 gears and a Detroit TrueTrac. I blame my ignorance on the subject of regearing axles on my taking it to them. They actually did decent work, but charged me about twice what it was worth. Oh, well. Live and learn.

You can also see my Bent & Twisted radius arm extentions that are welded onto the stock '79 radius arms. Nope, I didn't box them. Nope, they're still not bent.

The springs are 6" Skyjacker coils for a 78/79 application. I want to say I used 2* c-busings

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For my next trick, I bolted up the springs to determine where to mount the radius arm brackets.

d44-install-1.jpg


Of course, they ended up in the middle of my transmission crossmember on the passenger side--so I cut it. I meant to go back and fab up a replacement, but I honestly forgot. I used the factory '79 radius arm brackets. Several people asked me if i layed the face of the brackets back to 23*. No, they're 100% stock. For what I do, they work fine.

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The drivers side wasn't as bad.

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For front shock mounts, I used a Ford shock mount for a 80's-90's F250/350. The mounts are about $18 each from your Ford dealer. I'm running the Cage shocks in the front. 18" travel, I think...

Brake lines are Skyjacker braided stainless steel for a 8" lift application. Instead of running one line to the hard line on the axle, I just ran one line to each caliper.

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For steering, I used (new) stock 78/79 left & right tie rod ends and a 1995-ish F350 4x4 drag link. I reused the drop pitman arm from my Rough Country lift.

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The trac bar is the Superlift adjustable model.

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For the upper trac bar mount, I reused the lower 1/2 of the stock trac bar mount. I test fit it to get the proper angle, and then cut the mount to the correct length. It's welded to the bottom of the frame with a couple of gussets and a brace that is welded to the engine crossmember. It's not pretty, but it works.

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And here it is back on it's tires again

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SuperCal

Adventurer
Looks good... Makes me really miss my '86 Bronco. I've been meaning to buy another one (in fact I still have the softtop after 10 years). That blue/tan Eddie Bauer color scheme is awesome.
 

Ogeechee

New member
Thanks guys!

Around 2008 or so I got tired of the E4OD randomly going into limp mode...and I've always wanted a manual transmission anyway. Sooo i figured "there's no time like the present"

Thanks to an early bronco guy this followed me home. He had it behind a 393W in his 69 bronco and said he was always in the wrong gear with it, so it got replaced with a C4.
1977 NP435 & NP205.
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A little disassembly & cleaning
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Few coats of paint
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Add some additional parts & tools
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And remove the BW1356 & E4OD
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So that's why you drain the torque converter first!! :shock:
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Then you switch brake pedal assemblies. I used a hydraulic clutch set up.
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And this sorta ended up happening. It's all back together now.
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New flywheel & pilot bearing installed
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Trans being bolted up
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It fits!
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Had to make a new crossmember. It's a piece of 5" c-channel i found laying around the shop.
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205 is bolted up, too
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Ogeechee

New member
Got the clutch bled, the trans tunnel & carpet cut and the shifters reinstalled.

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I couldn't resist these pedal pads
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I really wanted to twin stick it...actually i really wanted to go ahead and slap a 203 doubler on it while everything was out, but my wallet demanded that i just install everything as-is. :(

Got my new starter installed.

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Bypassed the neutral safety switch by finding these 2 "Red & Lt. Blue" wires and jump a wire between them

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Yes, i did go back and make a permanent splice with heat shrink and all that good stuff.

I had the stock driveshafts modified. The rear lengthened and the front shortened.

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I also replaced the rear yoke on the np205 with a flange from Tom Woods Driveshafts

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Then it was test drive time!!


Yeah...4.56 gears without OD isn't gonna cut it.

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I attempted to swap my rear 4.56 gears for a set of 3.55 I had laying around. Turns out that when i removed the 3.55s, i mushroom'd the threads of the pinion and couldn't get a nut back onto it. :aargh

I was this close --><-- to ordering a new set of 3.55 from Summit when i realized that I could get a whole axle cheaper from the U-Pull in Savannah (I was living in Statesboro at the time) I went down and pulled a 8.8 from a t-boned '95 4wd Flairside F150. $114 with tax and some strange core that i can't return.


Anyway... I got it all installed and washed up. Now i just have to swap a spare D44 with factory 3.50s I have laying around for the one currently in there and then I can reinstall the front d-shaft.

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And the RPM are MUCH better now. Almost perfect with the 35x12.5, 3.55 gears and the 4 speed.

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I have about 5000 miles on the manual trans swap and I absolutely LOVE it!
 
Last edited:

spaceace

Northern Monkey
passenger-side-radius-arm-mount-1.jpg


Bringing this back from the dead LOL

Please help me understand how you got the 2 vertical bolts in place with a box chassis?

Thanks
 

MikeBoyle

Observer
The Bronco does not have a full box frame. The middle section where the cross member is located is a C channel.
 

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