TTB Removal and Dana 60 install
May 8th, 2004
Getting it up in the air
Choppin' Out the D44 TTB; the removal process took about two hours to do by myself; I used my air chisel to remove the rivets on the radius arm brackets and my 4" grinder to cut off the bolts. It basically fell out and I dragged it away:
All cleaned up and ready for a test fit
Here comes the D60 for a test fit
Sittin' on the front axle...still needs to be aligned and bolted in, don't need a lift kit with this:
May 15, 2004
The axle has been removed again so that the final prep work can be done. The frame was drilled and the bolts were installed and tightened one at a time. This was the most time-consuming part of the process. It is absolutely critical to get the leaf spring brackets in exactly the right spot. The second bracket is actually more critical than the first one. The first bracket [driver's side] was positioned to center the axle inside the fender....getting this anywhere within 1/4" of perfection is fine. However, the second bracket [passenger side] must be perfectly placed with respect to the first bracket to keep the front and rear axles in alignment.
I wanted to ensure that this second bracket was perfectly placed, so I made comparative measurements from the leaf spring bolt hole on the frame bracket to several places on the Bronco; such as the front frame horn, the rear axle tube, and the front bracket on the rear leaf spring.
You can see the top bolt inside the body mount....this one had to be drilled from the inside....the passenger side required the exhaust to be removed and the use of a "custom" 2-inch long drill bit. The things I do!
When I removed the coil spring buckets, I cut the bucket off at the bottom of the frame so that I could keep the rubber bump stops. I have begun the cleanup process on the frame rail. In the last picture you can see the new brake bracket and the new pitman arm [from the F350]. I also chopped out a small bracket inside the cross-member that supported the TTB, but no longer serves any purpose.
May 31, 2004
I have cleaned up the frame horns boxed them in and cut the holes to accept the tubing for the shackle mount. I have tacked all the pieces where I want them and I am waiting for the welder to come and burn it all into place. You can see in the last photo that there is a little gap to be filled.
Into the tubing will go the same urethane bushing that is in the leaf spring eye. I will drill and cut some 1/4"-2" flat bar to make the shackles. Next step is the leaf spring and axle installation.
June 12th, 2004
The welder did not make it this past week...so I decided to check out the NP435 tranny that came out of the F350. It shifted very smoothly when I drove the truck home, and it did not make any bearing noises that the T18 tranny in the Bronco has been making lately. I cracked open the case by removing the shifter cover and took a look....I should have taken a picture because it was immaculate. Even the nylon tabs on the shifter forks looked new. So...I spent Saturday changing transmissions. I also changed the rear cross-member; installing the one that I kept from the F350. It made a better fit with the tranny and it looked like it would also give me better clearance on the front driveshaft.
June 15th, 2004
The rain finally took a break and the welder could come by to begin his work. It started to rain again after he was finished...hence the surface rust the following day.
The frame ends are all painted and the bushings are installed with the shackles. I will be hanging the springs and the axle tomorrow [if it doesn't rain again]. I will brace up the shackles once I see how far they move when the suspension flexes.
June 16th, 2004
I installed the axle, it went in very well. The driveshaft clearance is excellent, with about one inch of clearance at full axle drop. Looking at the shackles, I think that they will need some bracing.
All that is left now is to bleed the brakes, install the shocks, torque the u-bolts to spec, add gear oil to the axle, and connect the parking brake adjuster. Then it will be time for a test drive.
I wanted to check for square, so I measured from the front axle shock mount to the rear axle tube. It was exactly the same on both sides [103" in my case]. It looks like my tape measure work paid off.
June 18th, 2004
The Bronco is on the road again!
I drove it around town today, very slowly at first, and then out on the highway to see how things held together. All seems well. The Bronco tracks straight down the road and turns nicely in both directions; it also handles very well, much better than with the old TTB axle. The following pictures show just how much clearance there is between the TTB cross-member and the axle.....loads of room. The axle is placed where it will fit up inside the cross-member if necessary. The last pic shows that the front end is slightly higher than the back. It is only an inch, but there is a slight dip in the pavement where the vehicle is parked...lowering the rear even further. New rear leaf springs would probably take care of this...but for now I will live with it.
June 26th, 2004
I found some BFG Mudterrains in the local Bargainfinder. They are 35x12.5x16.5...the tread measured at a little over 80% and they came mounted on rims. Definitely improves the look...and off-read performance.
