Ford Guys...SD axles in a 79

UTfball68

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2008
Location
Granite Quarry
Got a set of 350 06 axles for a song. Yeah yeah...I know, unit bearings, metric wheel patterns and ball joints...but 35 spl outers, discs all around and 1/3 the price of a 78/9 HP60, can't argue with that...and should be able to recoup at least half of what was spent in selling the 44 alone. Anyway, looks like a relatively easy swap to my 79 Bronco. My questions though are:

1) what are you guys using for a drag link? Tube and heims?
2) whose using something other than factory radius arms?
3) Has any flipping body figured out how to make the e-brake functional? Not that I ever use mine, but any thread I've found it's just left non-functional on the 10.5.
 
I'm running the kingpin 60 on a 78 f150 so I can't help much there I've got an adjustable bronco graveyard track bar. Running Chevy one tone tre using the one with the hole for the drag link to attach and James duff long arms. The duff arms are great it uses all of the shock travel up front so its not binding too bad. Duff sells a weld on adapter that will bolt to their arms so you don't need the wedges to eliminate one more bushing. Plus its skinnier than the wedges so it'll fit the driver side better since the SD diff is closer to the knuckle. As far as park brake I'd try to get super duty cables to attach to the bronco equalizer bar. Maybe use tiny cable clamps. That's how I attached the gm cables to the ford cable so the ebrake on my 14b works.

Also from personal experience with a 10.5 on my 2003 tow rig only use ford dealer park brake shoes. They're not much more dollar wise but the auto zone and Napa brand shoes would not hold my empty six speed f250 on a driveway with 1" drop over 50 feet I shit you not! The ford shoes hold even with a trailer on pretty steep hills. The ford shoes are soft enough to dent with a fingernail.
 
Thanks man...got looking and it seems ruff stuff has a pretty decent adjustable long arm kit, but I like the sounds of the duff kit. And that adjustable bar from JBG looks like it might fit the bill...beefy piece???

And you'll have to send me some pics/detail of your tbi set up. Been piecing together a sequential efi system using W and 460 off the shelf parts myself, but damn TBI is too simple/cheap not to reconsider.
 
I'll try to get some pics and info on the TBI for ya. The adjustable jbg bar is beefy enough it didn't bend when I slid my 7000# truck 20' down a wet clay hill into a tree but I did taco a flat center on a h1 wheel. I did replace the adjustable end with a Heim after I ruined the bushing twice. The axle end still uses a poly bushing. The Heim wasn't as long as the jbg factory bushing end so I cut the tube and extended it with a sleeve. Its probably 1/8" thick wall tubing.
 
I'll try to get some pics and info on the TBI for ya. The adjustable jbg bar is beefy enough it didn't bend when I slid my 7000# truck 20' down a wet clay hill into a tree but I did taco a flat center on a h1 wheel. I did replace the adjustable end with a Heim after I ruined the bushing twice. The axle end still uses a poly bushing. The Heim wasn't as long as the jbg factory bushing end so I cut the tube and extended it with a sleeve. Its probably 1/8" thick wall tubing.

Thanks for the info...much appreciated.

This is the best thread I've seen for the newer superduty stuff into a bronco.....


http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/ford/998069-79-bronco-05-superduty-tons.html

Thanks...been following that one on FSB for a while. But that's about it as far as threads on SD axles in the old junk are concerned. Given the price and sheer volume of the SD axles, I'm calling it now, they're the wave of the future.
 
I agree

On the surface ball joints and unit bearings are shit but I think dollar for dollar you'll be into a SD D60 vs. an older F350 by the time you get it to where you want to be with shafts, hi steer, etc.

I also remember reading some comparisons that the SD arms and housings stock are much beefier than the old stuff. Either way, the axles we go after are getting long in the tooth. The last time you could get a Waggy D44 or a traditional D60 (not including the Dodge 94' model) was 20+ years ago. I think down the line you will start seeing JK, SD, and Dodge AAM front axles becoming the new standard for fab work unless you want to go uber bling high dollar custom stuff.
 
Since you asked and I didnt know where else to put it so you'd see it UTFball, here's some info on my TBI swap. Mostly copy/pasted from a post on fullsize bronco, I've got a post about it on Ford Truck Enthusiast too, name is the same on all the sites if you want to search.

I got the holley adapter plate from jegs that allows you to put a gm tbi on a 2 barrel intake (had to machine it slightly so it would fit on top of the egr plate). They have a plate for 4 barrel intakes too. Im running a 89 bronco frame mounted pump (E2000) to feed the engine and a low pressure pump which feeds a surge tank that the bronco pump pulls from (you can google gas surge tank for ideas on how to set that up), but you could just get a newer style (93+) tank with the high pressure pump in the tank and get it to fit so you dont need the surge tank. The surge tank or in tank pump is needed on the old tanks since they have no baffles inside if the fuel gets below 1/4 tank and you go around an intersection the engine will die out until the pump picks the fuel up when it sloshes.

The TBI units regulator drops the bronco pumps pressure to the requred 13 psi and returns the excess to the tank. If your going to use a high pressure pump like that make sure the return line is the same size as the pressure so it doesnt back up. I have used a holley blue electric pump on stock tbi also on a friends jeep so that is an option too.

I put the computer under the dash inside the truck. Im using a 88-91 gm fullsize truck computer from a manual trans truck with a 350, since i have a 351m and a 4 speed the prom is an ASDW. The harness came from a wrecked s10 blazer with a 4.3 in the junk yard (the harness is pretty much the same with the 4.3, 5.0 and 5.7 engines). The thottle body needs to be from a 5.7 truck as well as the sensors (coolant, knock, esc module, etc.)

As far as triggering the system Ive got the gm coil firing my stock 351M distributor. I took the ignition module out of the chevy distributor and mounted it on a piece of steel on the firewall as a heat sink. Where the gm pick up hooked up to the module (two wire connector inside the dist. cap) I hooked those wires to the purple and orange wires coming from my duraspark dist. Purple goes to the P terminal and orange goes to the N terminal. Now the ford dist signals the chevy module which signals the computer. The timing, idle and fuel are all controlled by the gm computer. Youll have to lock out the weights in the duraspark distributor, I tack welded mine, and unhook and plug the vacuum advance can.

Im running the vehicle speed sensor from a 88 bronco as well as the speedo cable. It will read 4 times faster than you're really going, but I noticed the idle is more stable and its less likely to stall when crawling with it hooked up. The early 7747 tbi computers do not have a speed or rpm shutoff so it wont matter if it thinks youre running 100 mph at 25:)

It fires up after sitting for weeks by the third revolution, idle smoother than the stock carb and doesnt die on hills or rocks off road. Ive got about 500 in it total. Sorry for the long post, but if you decide to do it you can pm me or start a new thread and Ill try to help you out.

Ill post some pics from my phone in a few.
 
Here are some pics of the setup
 

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Few more pics
 

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I'm currently running a 93 7427 tbi computer thats been converted to mass air, and I'm playing with tuning for max power, but I ran the truck for almost a year on the stock gm tune and then with a slightly modded gm tune (I bumped the timing, and changed idle speeds and fuel tables some) It ran as well as it did with the stock two barrel with that setup, but I built the engine and put in a RV cam and wanted some more power. With the MAF setup it's pretty quick compared to before considering it's a 6500 lb truck.

The first pic above is the cadilliac air hat on top of the tbi and the adapter plate. Next is the ESC (knock) module, GM coil, and ignition module bolted to angle iron on the firewall. The knock sensor is bolted to a bracket on the back of the right head that I fabbed up. The third pic is a shot of the intake setup with my onboard weldernator in the foreground. Forth pic is the EGR solenoid and MAP sensor on the stock GM bracket that was slightly modded to fit the ford intake. Fifth pic is the coolant temp sensor screwed into the 351M's waterpump. There was a pipe plug in that hole from the factory. Sixth pic is of the thottle linkage setup, the factory rod attaches to a holley throttle ball from advance auto. I ground the GM adapter off and used the hole to mount the holley ball stud. The cables go to a hand throttle and a jeep cruise control servo i use as a throttle kicker when welding. If you have a c6 trans you just get the cable and bracket from a 88 bronco or F150 and attach it to the bottom unused stud on the lever. Next two pics are of the O2 and the vss. The next to last pic is of the fuel filter that I use as a fuel surge tank, the last pic in the first post is of the low pressure lift pump that keeps the surge tank full. Since there are no baffles in my fuel cell it will stall if the fuel is lower than 1/4 tank if it sloshes away from the pickup since theres no reserve like the bowl of a carb. A newer model tank and intank pump or surge tank system is needed.

Basically the low pressure lift pump pulls fuel from the tank and pumps it into that 1.5 quart fuel filter. There is a pipe extending to the bottom of the filter. That feeds the pickup for the E2000 high pressure pump. The return from the TBI goes through a T fitting the return from engine is on one side of the top of the T, the other side of the top goes to the surge tank filter, the bottom of the T goes back to the fuel cell. Since the fuel has to make a 90* turn to get back to the cell and flow through a restrictor in the line It will keep the surge tank full with return fuel from the engine just incase the pickup in the tank is open. This is similar to how the 88 bronco was set up stock. Of course you could use the new hydramat or walbro pickups too and eliminate the extra pump and stuff. As a bonus though my lift pump can keep the TBI fed not enough for full power but enough to get back from the trail if the E2000 pump craps out.

The second post of pics has a pic of the surge tank filter first, the computer wedged under the heater box second (I have it mounted to a bracket behind the dash under the glove box ususally, but it's down for easy access to the chips for tuning right now. The third pic is of the yellow led I put in my dash as a check engine light, and finallly the data link connector mounted on the passenger side of the dash.
 
The biggest issue I foresee is where will you mount the coil spring on the driver's side axle tube. There is not much available real estate on that side for a coil mount of some sort.
Also getting the coils centered on each side with the center section being offset so far to the driver's side may be a challenge without narrowing the axle.
 
The biggest issue I foresee is where will you mount the coil spring on the driver's side axle tube. There is not much available real estate on that side for a coil mount of some sort.
Also getting the coils centered on each side with the center section being offset so far to the driver's side may be a challenge without narrowing the axle.
If he ran the duff arms there should be just enough room to use a stock style coil bucket offset to the inside. Or step up to coilovers[emoji3]
 
Thanks Tim...a lot of great info. I was drilling some old streetmasters I had to throw on top of my 400 and go with a sequential system like Jopes did on FSB...just picked up a 1970 460, so now I'm eye balling that projection system in the classifieds here. I'll be building the 460 over the next couple months, so when the time comes, I may flood your inbox.

Thanks Jody...I was pretty concerned with that as well, similar problems with the 92-96 60 set ups Ford used as well...but it does look like if I go with the ruffstuff or duff kits, I should be good to go. And it's pretty obvious Tim is gonna be good for my wallet...haha.
 
I'm with Jody on this one. Its going to be pretty tough to package some actual coils over there on that small axle tube. I ran into this when I was about to pick up a SD 60 for the Tacoma I ended up selling to just buy something that was done :lol:. The feasible options were (A) 36.5" wide spring perches and rock it leaf sprung or (B) Coilovers and trim away a little of the casting for lower link mounts on that side of the axle which you may still end up needing to do if you run the RuffStuff DIY Radius arms.

Keep up with the project. Thats an awesome axle to build and the aftermarket is only getting better.
 
Honestly since they're 06 axles and already have the two big radius arm bushings on each side I'd build a set of radius arms similar to duffs setup then you can extend the arm over the axle some a coil bucket could sit there hanging over the diff some. There should be enough room to set it up like the super duty's are stock but use Heim on the frame end for better flex. It'll be similar to the stock bronco setup too so packaging won't be an issue like a four link could. I'm still running dever super flex 6" coils and shocks and I use all the up travel of the shock and had to limit the droop due to driveshaft bind. Zombhntr on here built a clone of my truck but he's running 16" coilovers up front and he uses the whole travel with duff arms.
 

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I got a couple on my phone and can take some more if you wanna see something particular.I'll also check my build thread and maybe link it here.I used ford Dana 60 axle mounting tabs from ballistic I think and they actually turned out pretty decent
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