project mud beast
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From: ford country
project mud beast
im building a 1984 bronco full size with the body of a 1981 f-100 2wd. interior out of a 1992 and a 3 inch body lift with 35" marshal m/t. im goin to be adding a 6 inch suspension lift and 38" swampers in the summer. if you have any comments or ideas please let me know. thanks
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Pittsburgh
If you're making this thing a serious mud runner and really want the 38's then you're also going to want a set of D60's under there. Stock a D44 and an 8.8 are only good to about 35" and a 9" to about 37" and that's for street or light off road use, mud needing 38's qualifies as heavy wheeling. You could just run it as is and then replace the axles with 60's when they blow, but I'd do it all at once if I were you.
Justin
Justin
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From: ford country
i agree
im gona swap out to the dana 60 once i blow the 9" and the 44 ifs, plus ill have to becuase im dropping in a 460 that i hope to have pushing around 550hp also with a T-18 and probly a dana 20 T-case
also with a T-18 and probly a dana 20 T-case
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From: Alberta
I am doing the same thing! Using a 83 Ford Bronco frame with a 86 F150 cab. I think I will have to fab rear cab mounts though. What do you think? My other consern is frame rust on the rear of the frame on the Bronco. But all in all it should work well. I really like the ultra short wheel base. Any tips on this body swap?
Clayton
Clayton
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From: ford country
i cap help ya out there
let me guess here..... your bronco has rear cab mounts that are riveted to the frame and then bolted to the cab and the truck has 2 big rubber blocks that sit on a cross member right?.....well if that is so you have the same style i have and if you flip your bench seat ahead you will see 2 little rubber plugs about 2 inches across(round), pop them out and it should access a flat braced plate underneath, this is where you drill your holes for the style cab mounts like the bronco frame has, that is what i am doing except im also keeping the other style too so that my cab will be mounted in 4 places in the rear and 2 in the front. im doing this because i am putting in a 3 inch body lift too and the 80's cabs dont take to a body lift every well if you intend on wheeling it hard. so i recommend using both if you can. hope that helps ya and if you have any more questions just ask me
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From: East Coast
If your eventually gonna swap out the dana 44 and 9", your probably better doing it now, rather than after they blow out. At least now they are worth something to someone going from 2 to 4 wd, and lots of people want 9" rears for all kinds of cars and trucks. You can make up some of the money now selling it, as opposed to after thier destroyed from wheelin' and then you still have to buy the dana 60 and your old parts are worthless junk.
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From: ford country
true but
a 9" housing with gears is only worth about $150 cnd unless you have a set of low gears it it. i have 3:50's and they are pretty common in most cars and trucks that have the 9".i can get any set of gears i need for $50 and a housing for $100 so even if i go to sell it i wont et much for it, i also dont have my dana 60's yet so i have no choice but to run these for now..lol... i also dont recomend EVER trying to make a 4x4 out of a 1981 f-100 2wd frame they are just way too light.
as far as i know you can run 429 scj heads on a 460!! so i have been told, anyone else know if that is right??
as far as i know you can run 429 scj heads on a 460!! so i have been told, anyone else know if that is right??
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Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Stanchfield,MN
if i were you id keep that 9". just take out the axles and compare them to a dana 60 axle the 9" is much bigger. why else would they use them in drag racing
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From: Pittsburgh
The 9" center section is as strong as, if not stronger than, a D60 center section. It's the hubs and axles that leave something to be desired. My recommendation is to keep the 9" (it's ligter and has better groud clearance) but do some building to it. Convert to 35 spline axles and you're as strong as a 3/4 ton D60 then go to full floating axles and you're as strong as a D60 1 ton. I even heard somewhere than someone came out with 40 splines for the 9, but i haven't seen them yet so i don't know if it's true.
Justin
Justin
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From: ford country
lighter is better
my end goal is to keep it as light as i can for in the mud. i find it pretty funny to watch these chevy boys put 15,000+ into there silerado's and scottsdales just to watch them sink up to the doors in the local mud boggs. meanwhile a stock 85 bronco witha 300 6cyl smokes right past them...lol... im goin with a fiberhlass hood and front fenders and making my box floor and side pannles out of aluminium as well as the cross members for the box.
should skate across the mud:P
should skate across the mud:P
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From: GANS
a 9" center is not as strong as a dana 60. The 60 has a 9.75" ring gear. The 9" design has a good bit pinion deflection (ie the pinion gear tries to climb the ring gear). The reason why is because the way it is designed. (the dana 60 pig has a lot more meat around the ring and pinion).
I'm not dissing the 9". You can put 40 spline axles and nodular cases, and axle braces. I've never seen a full-float kit for a 9 though. However, for about $350 bux, you can pick up a Sterling 10.25" with 4.11 gears that is probably stronger than a built 9, and half the cost. If you want to reweld the spring perches, you can get a chebby 14 bolt 10.5" with 4.56s from the factory for about $150.
The 9" will be lighter than a 1 ton floater. Trust me, i've swapped both
If you don't believe the above, look in any 4 wheel magazine, and they will list the axle strengths as:
Dana 44 / Chevy 10 bolt
Ford 8.8"
Ford 9" / Dana 50
Dana 60
Dana 70 / Ford Sterling / Chevy 14 bolt.
Dana 80
Rockwell 2 1/2 ton.
btw, down here in PA, a good 9" with run about $200-250 bux.
I'm not dissing the 9". You can put 40 spline axles and nodular cases, and axle braces. I've never seen a full-float kit for a 9 though. However, for about $350 bux, you can pick up a Sterling 10.25" with 4.11 gears that is probably stronger than a built 9, and half the cost. If you want to reweld the spring perches, you can get a chebby 14 bolt 10.5" with 4.56s from the factory for about $150.
The 9" will be lighter than a 1 ton floater. Trust me, i've swapped both
If you don't believe the above, look in any 4 wheel magazine, and they will list the axle strengths as:
Dana 44 / Chevy 10 bolt
Ford 8.8"
Ford 9" / Dana 50
Dana 60
Dana 70 / Ford Sterling / Chevy 14 bolt.
Dana 80
Rockwell 2 1/2 ton.
btw, down here in PA, a good 9" with run about $200-250 bux.
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From: Pittsburgh
The axle strength listings in magazines are for stock axles. Once you start modifying, those lists fly right out the window.
Check this out:
http://www.sunrayengineering.com/nine.html
The ring gear is smaller in diameter, but the 9 is wider and thicker than the 60. The pinion deflection is also countered by the pinion pilot bearing AND the reason it wants to climb is because it engages the gear DEEPER than any other axle which gives it more contact area and hence greater strength than a comparably sized "regular" rear end.
I also never said anyone made a kit to go full floating on a 9". It takes some junkyard running and some precision welding and jig work, but it can be done using D44 spindles and hubs and then a set of custom axles from either a local machinist or a big name like moser. If you can weld and use a square you can do 99% of the work in your back yard, but you need the axles and a set of plates to mount the spindles to machined.
A built 9 is significantly lighter than a 60 and at least on par in strength.
Justin
Check this out:
http://www.sunrayengineering.com/nine.html
The ring gear is smaller in diameter, but the 9 is wider and thicker than the 60. The pinion deflection is also countered by the pinion pilot bearing AND the reason it wants to climb is because it engages the gear DEEPER than any other axle which gives it more contact area and hence greater strength than a comparably sized "regular" rear end.
I also never said anyone made a kit to go full floating on a 9". It takes some junkyard running and some precision welding and jig work, but it can be done using D44 spindles and hubs and then a set of custom axles from either a local machinist or a big name like moser. If you can weld and use a square you can do 99% of the work in your back yard, but you need the axles and a set of plates to mount the spindles to machined.
A built 9 is significantly lighter than a 60 and at least on par in strength.
Justin
Last edited by hoxiii; Jan 11, 2004 at 08:28 PM.
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From: ford country
hmmmm
bremen are you saying your list is in decending order starting with strongest at the top?? i sure hope not...lol... cause around here the chevy 10 bolt and 8.8" are known as "peanut butter rear ends" dana 44, dana 60, and the 9" have proven them self time and time again, from what i hear the chevy 14 bolt is tuff but id rather die then put a chevy part on a ford, 12 bolt some people like too but not me, iv seen too many come a part and i have yet to see a 9" blow and i do alot of hard mud bogging and street drag. if your a seriouse mudder you also know you dont need a dana 60 so you wont snap axles becuase if you built your truck light enough there wont be all that extra stress on your rear end, you want the lightest truck with high power to get them big meats spinning, not a big heavy over kill slug that sinks up to the doors in the soup.
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From: ford country
very nice
very nice site hoxiii alot of good points made there, along with the 9" being the easiest to get parts for and coming stock with 1/2" studs instead of the chevy 3/8"(unless you go to 3/4 ton)