last week i stripped a 77 F150 of the Front Disc brakes and the 9" rear end to rebuild for Pebbles .
I will be doing the cleaning and painting of both at the same time .Then rebuilding the 9" new bearings, 3.50 gears,mini spool ,new brakes then i will dive into the Front all new everything .
here's the pics
donor truck 77 F150 302 auto 2.75 gears

front end Disc to Disc removed

The score in my garage waiting to be taken apart

 

started taking it apart , labeled everything in separate bags
caked with 5 years of desert weather and dirt

discs apart

rear axle , actually was easy to pull apart




shields were a little bent up , did a quick bend back and hammer/dolly .

need to finish straightening them after cleaning

 

I see tapered roller axle bearings. Cool. Don't forget to remove their outer race from the axle housing tubes. Have fun workin' on them this weekend Mike.

 

radius arms didn't want to come loose , so I soaked them with Aerokroil going to try them again tomorrow . also going to continue pre cleaning , scrapping major crud off with putty knife and hard wire brush . fun

 

I suggest firing up an electrolysis vat to let physics remove the work on the spindles, RAs, and shields.... unless you can get them bead blasted of course.

 

A mini-spool will be fine if you plan to spend a lot of time at the dragstrip (straight line driving) otherwise, I think it's a mistake. A factory type Traction-Lok differential isn't very expensive and will respond well to any type of driving, particularly when it involves turns.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/9-Inch-Ford-28-Spline-Posi-Unit-Trac-Lok-Loc-Traction-Lock-9-Inch-NEW-/221914754655?nav=SEARCH
....but, not my truck or my call to make on that.

 

.....the Dentside donor truck front bumper in your photograph.... I've been wondering about this. Was '78 the first year the oval opening (in the license plate area) was stamped into the Dentside front bumpers?

You had posted a photograph of the 3rd member tag. It had a September assembly date on it. If the truck was built around September, 1977, wouldn't it have been titled as a '78 model?

You had a photograph of the warranty tag too. On it was stamped "1978" at the middle, bottom portion of the tag.

It may not make much if any difference if the truck is a '77 or a '78 but with these three things, it makes me wonder if the donor truck is actually a '78 instead of a '77?

 

FWIW... the 78 I-beams I just sold to Sam's1967 were cast with D8TA-xxxx.

 

My right side '77 beam is cast with D5TA-8-GA 58.

 

I was going to same the same mini spools are not the best for the street. They chirp the tires going around corners because the change of wheel speeds.

 

Well yeah, D5 is before 1977.


If Mike's donor is in fact a 1978 as you had postulated above, then it **might* have a D8TA casting.... that's all I was eluding to. Dig??

 

I have a trac-loc. It's nice. Wouldn't even know it's there most of the time. Except when it lays two black stripes on the pavement instead of one! Haha

If I was to do it again though, I think I'd get a automatic locker instead.

 

[QUOTE=HIO Silver;15858510]Well yeah, D5 is before 1977.


If Mike's donor is in fact a 1978 as you had postulated above, then it **might* have a D8TA casting.... that's all I was eluding to. Dig??[/QUOTE

I wasn't implying anything wrong with what you said. I was just giving out what's on my '77 beam.

If Mike's has a D8 casting, maybe it's a '78. If it has a D5 casting, maybe it's a '77.

My guess is there was an I-beam casting change in '73, '75 and '78.

I could see where there would have been a change in the '75 beams from the '73/'74 (longer kingpins than previous years). I don't know what would have been different between the D5 and the D8 casting or where within the model year the changes took place.

 

Ah... OK. I understand your point now.

Mike... I believe we are suggesting you reconsider that mini-spool.

 

current owner said it was a 77
but door tag says 78 so ?