[azchaosmotorsports]

Okay I just wanted to see what input i can get out of this I havent started yet. I got all the parts that I think I may need to get started I just havent taken the step to doing it. I got a complete axle off a 2005 F250 which is a coil sprung axle. I measured the perches off the ttb and then to the 05 axle and they measure up pretty much the same. I also got on a trade a procomp 6 inch lift springs and the radius arms that go to this axle. I also went ahead and grabbed the track bar mount off a stock truck which I know will need some fab work done to work. So the only thing left is to fab up some rear radius arm brackets. and last but not least which I havent really thought about is the drive line I figure when i get to that point it shouldnt be much of an issue. I never have heard of anyone trying this swap on a bronco. Im trying to think of any complications that may come up when trying to do this swap. any ideas?

 

[helirich]

You can see this axle on a 92' Bronco frame in my "Molasses project". But there are several on this site that are complete and running. You should do a search.

 

[azchaosmotorsports]

thanks for the tip. I did look it up and it looks easier than doing the 44 or 60 swap out of an older 250. I did a search and that was basicly the only one i found with this front axle. Is there anyone else i can look up that you know of on top of your head?

 

[fatoldman]

http://www.fullsizebronco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162366
believe this is what you are looking for. It was on the second page. Took me ummm....... 5 seconds. Any who, keep it in the newb section until you start a build:twak. Personally, those axles suck. And quite a few have done it.

 

[helirich]

That's a good one. Also theres a guy that put one in a older Bronco. Real nice job. Try this. http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=193877

 

[azchaosmotorsports]

im not new to broncos or fords giving i have 2 one a dd and the other a toy. I just happend to get parts from a family memeber who works at a dealer. I got front and rear for free minus the springs and radius which i got in a trade. I figured this is the right place to get the info. Newb to this site yes to fords not at all. But thanks for the tip on past posts on this swap.

 

[fatoldman]

im not new to broncos or fords giving i have 2 one a dd and the other a toy. I just happend to get parts from a family memeber who works at a dealer. I got front and rear for free minus the springs and radius which i got in a trade. I figured this is the right place to get the info. Newb to this site yes to fords not at all. But thanks for the tip on past posts on this swap.

No one called you a newb. read it again. The sas section is for sas threads. Real ones, not hypothetical ones, or ones that you are thinking about building. That is what the newb section is for.

 

[azchaosmotorsports]

Sorry for the confusion and thanks again for the info.

 

[BoulderBronco]

Don't worry about these guys. They're just busting balls. There is nothing wrong with that axle, assuming it's a 60 which I think in 05 they all were. Some people don't like the unit bearing hubs but I don't think thats a big deal. The axles themselves are plenty strong. The other thing is the bolt pattern being metric. But if you have the matching rear thats not an issue. What will be an issue is the VSS sensor in your current rear axle. You need that sensor for abs, speedometer and transmission contol. So you will need to figure out how to swap that over to the new axle. I don't think the connectors are the same. There is a kit out there that puts the sensor on the output flange of the t-case. From what I understand it works but I would rather have it in the axle.
Speaking of the rear axle I'm not sure if the spring perches are the same width as the Bronco so you may have some cutting and welding to do there.
Last thing I was wondering about was the radius arms and how they mount. Stock arms on those SuperDuties are strong but don't allow for squat in terms of flex. With the new arms I would use a good heim joint or the like on the frame end to allow for some better articulation.
Thats all that comes to my mind at this point. Start hacking away at it and provide plenty of pictures.:rockon

 

[fatoldman]

Don't worry about these guys. They're just busting balls. There is nothing wrong with that axle, assuming it's a 60 which I think in 05 they all were. Some people don't like the unit bearing hubs but I don't think thats a big deal. The axles themselves are plenty strong. The other thing is the bolt pattern being metric. But if you have the matching rear thats not an issue. What will be an issue is the VSS sensor in your current rear axle. You need that sensor for abs, speedometer and transmition contol. So you will need to figure out how to swap that over to the new axle. I don't think the connectors are the same. There is a kit out there that puts the sensor on the output flange of the t-case. From what I understand it works but I would rather have it in the axle.
Speaking of the rear axle I'm not sure if the spring perches are the same width as the Bronco so you may have some cutting and welding to do there.
Last thing I was wondering about was the radius arms and how they mount. Stock arms on those SuperDuties are strong but don't allow for squat in terms of flex. With the new arms I would use a good heim joint or the like on the frame end to allow for some better articulation.
Thats all that comes to my mind at this point. Start hacking away at it and provide plenty of pictures.:rockon

speaking of bustin' balls, wtf is a transmiton? Seriously though, for har core wheelin', they suck.

 

[mwalsh9152]

the speed sensor for the Bronco will go right into the 05 axle, just do yourself a favor and buy a new one so it doesnt leak, they're less than $20.

I believe that the spring perches are only 3/8" wider center to center on the superduty axle, a slight nudge on the spring and they will pop right in. As for the axles sucking.....its all in what you do,, not everyone builds their trucks to wheel em. If someone sees my truck in the woods, call the cops because its been stolen! Mines just a fun toy that I built for plowing and transportation when I'm not in the work truck.

 

[BoulderBronco]

speaking of bustin' balls, wtf is a transmiton? Seriously though, for har core wheelin', they suck.

Ok. I'll admit, that was bad (edited). I type so quick sometimes my brain doesn't think. Your probably right about the axle sucking for hardcore wheeling. But then again if your really doing hardcore wheeling you could make a case for any stock 60 sucking.

 

[magnumpi]

as far as the unit bearings....some people have started "Greasing" them thru the abs hole. They claim to have made the stock bearings last much, much longer or not go bad at all.

 

[azchaosmotorsports]

I wouldnt say its for hardcore wheeling giving it is a toy to take out and have fun with. My main goal is to make the font better than the ttb even though I cant really speak down on the ttb it has served its purpose.

 

[helirich]

I wouldnt say its for hardcore wheeling giving it is a toy to take out and have fun with. My main goal is to make the font better than the ttb even though I cant really speak down on the ttb it has served its purpose.

When someone makes a blanket statment like "sucks for hardcore wheeling" and then no explaination, it is of no help.

Think about it. Is he sugesting it breaks, doesnt get traction, doesnt flex, doesnt turn sharp, is too heavy, has lousy ground clearence or what?

The next thing that comes to mind is, compared to what, and for that matter, what is "hard core wheeling".

The axle is a good axle. In fact, it's one of the best axles for wheeling. It's not the best axle for everything because there is no such axle.

But what do I know, I'm going to use mine for "soft porn wheeling"

 

[fatoldman]

Ok. I'll admit, that was bad (edited). I type so quick sometimes my brain doesn't think. Your probably right about the axle sucking for hardcore wheeling. But then again if your really doing hardcore wheeling you could make a case for any stock 60 sucking.

and then I make a typo while correcting you :rofl: the old kp d60s are pretty damn tough.

as far as the unit bearings....some people have started "Greasing" them thru the abs hole. They claim to have made the stock bearings last much, much longer or not go bad at all.

Interesting. I still don't like them. Why did they ever start using them anyway?

When someone makes a blanket statment like "sucks for hardcore wheeling" and then no explaination, it is of no help.

Think about it. Is he sugesting it breaks, doesnt get traction, doesnt flex, doesnt turn sharp, is too heavy, has lousy ground clearence or what?

The next thing that comes to mind is, compared to what, and for that matter, what is "hard core wheeling".

The axle is a good axle. In fact, it's one of the best axles for wheeling. It's not the best axle for everything because there is no such axle.

But what do I know, I'm going to use mine for "soft porn wheeling"

The ball joints and unit bearings don't hold up to street driving. It is difficult to add high steer. When I say hard core I mean rock crawling with 40"+ tires with the axle locked. The axle itself is fine. I consider high steer a necessity. I don't enjoy replacing ball joints and unit bearings, as I replace them on a daily basis for a living. I know some of you love them. Good for you. No one runs them on rock crawlers. For mellow wheeling, it would be fine. Just buy your self a ball joint press.

 

[helirich]

and then I make a typo while correcting you :rofl: the old kp d60s are pretty damn tough.

Interesting. I still don't like them. Why did they ever start using them anyway?


The ball joints and unit bearings don't hold up to street driving. It is difficult to add high steer. When I say hard core I mean rock crawling with 40"+ tires with the axle locked. The axle itself is fine. I consider high steer a necessity. I don't enjoy replacing ball joints and unit bearings, as I replace them on a daily basis for a living. I know some of you love them. Good for you. No one runs them on rock crawlers. For mellow wheeling, it would be fine. Just buy your self a ball joint press.

I brought up the question about unit bearings on several sites. I was told 90 percent of the problems were with the early "small" unit bearings. All coil sprung superduty axles have the big bearings. Are you saying that you are replacing alot of those?

One guy said he was running 46" michelins for a couple years without troubles. I have to say I like King pins, But now they have aftermarket balljoints that are suppose be very good. All the big time axle makers are doing balljoints now. I have not seen high steer for the coil sprung SD axles yet. I expect it will only a matter of time. If it is a nesessity you can always be the first.

When you say no one uses them rock crawling. You've got to be kidding. Theres people using Jeeps with Dana 30's for rock crawling. If your talking about pros, well their not using KP60's either. They all use custom built up axles.

I'm not saying it's the best axle ever, but for the price and eaze of install in our rigs, it's a pretty good choice. A whole lot better than a TTB or solid D44.

 

[fatoldman]

dana 30s are not capable of serious rock crawling, because that requires large tires. Show me a rock crawler with one of these axles under it. Short of a rock well, the next best thing is a kp d60.

 

[Red91XLT]

I don't think there's anything hypothetical about this. This is how most SAS' start... a guy gets parts, inquires, and builds. Nothing wrong with that, and generally, as a rule there is no better forum to ask this question than the SAS forum. Good on you for posting in the right spot.


I cannot vouch for the durability of the axle in question, but I can say that I have seen many '05+ Super Duty trucks on the trails. I can't speak of the unit bearing or ball joint issue either as I have no experience repairing/maintaining this axle. But I have seen them take some abuse.


As far as your radius arms go, I have seen some fairly innovative solutions to extended radius arms online. Google around for it and I'm sure you'll find an applicable solution.


As far hardcore wheelin, I don't even think of rock crawling as hard core. I don't really think of anything as hardcore. There are many different terrains to take a rig, and there are a lot of challenges presented by these different terrains. Lets face it... almost anything solid is better than the stock TTB.

Looking forward to seeing this. I like that people are using newer axles these days. Nothing wrong with the solid D44's or king pin 60's, but it's refreshing to see something new and innovative.

 

[79F150]

http://www.fullsizebronco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162366
believe this is what you are looking for. It was on the second page. Took me ummm....... 5 seconds. Any who, keep it in the newb section until you start a build:twak. Personally, those axles suck. And quite a few have done it.

OK here we go again. This is your opinion. There is nothing wrong with ball joints I run one on my D60. The only difference in strength on a king pin vs a ball joint is the amount of service time you get out of them.

As for unit bearings well welcome to the new age. KP D60's are getting harder to find and cost a ton of money when you do find them. Honestly if you hate unit bearings so bad convert them. I know your going to say that is $1800 to convert them but when your looking at $1200 worth of unit bearing the extra $600 for this mod is not bad. If you are so hard core why don't you post up pics of your rig and how well its holding up on hard core rock crawling?

speaking of bustin' balls, wtf is a transmiton? Seriously though, for har core wheelin', they suck.

The only bad part about the axle I personally don't care for is the huge RA's. They seem like they would drag on everything.

For the simplicity of the swap this might actually be in my Bronco's future.