Next weekend is the Mud Bogs in Montana and i am going to run them for the first time. just wondering if you have any tips or tricks that you do to: keep power, keep mud from some places, water out of the engine, anything. i have a 74 F150 Stock rebuilt 360, headers dual exhaust, stock air cleaner, 37" Xterrains, 7" lift. So with that info can you help to know what to do or what to expect. thanks guys its going to be fun.

 

Study the boggs prior to setting up, stay out of the big ruts and big holes.
Seal the distributor to keep the water out of distributor.
Run some supreme gasoline, high octane, fuel.
Make sure to tune up the engine and install a set of new points and condensor.

Make sure the vents hoses on axles our connected and mounted properly.
Check all fluids.
Check all u-joint for wear, R&R worn joints.
Check slip yoke, grease.
Grease all grease zerks.
R&R any worn steering parts.

Install a tow hooks on front and rear of truck for pulling out of boggs.
Try to keep your engine running in boggs.

Once the clutch is released, and once the pedal is down, and RPMs are up, don't let up unless you really got to. Use your descretion.

Make sure transmission inspection plate is mounted to transimission for clutch or there going to be lots of mud between clutch and flywheel and lost of contact.

 

What are you running for Differentials? You better be running dana 60's.With those tires I wouldn't dought you destroying the dana 44 and 9".

 

ok i will go a little deeper the dist. is electronic so no point should i put some sealent on the cap? just spray the water free crap in there? duck tape? the fuel i will do. i have a rear tow point in the front idk where. i have a piece of one inch square bar stock that i bent into a U and welded to the front crossmember. dont know if that is strong enough or shoud i do " \U/ " and brace it triangulate? have the flywheel ispection plate on there. axle vent tubes? is that the roung piece that has a clip on the axle with no tube connected to it? it just goes to the frame and thats it? run the dual or take it off and run headers?

 

well **** i wish i had the 60's just putting in 5.13 with the 44 and 9" i will run ***** out but with a little snese when to stop. i mean its not like i am running 44's. i would be a little worried then

 

full spool in the rear (30 spline) with a new or used open carrier in the front

 

should i air down my tires?

 

5.13 gears in a D44open/9"spooled combo and 37" tires.....I smell carnage when he pops the clutch! atleast the 360 isnt putting out tremendous amounts of torque.

Have fun and listen to all the guys before. They are right on.

You can bolt up J hooks under your front bumper very easy. One bolt hole is already there and you can drill the other 1/2" hole.

 

FTE has an "Off-road forum " for these type of topics.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum63/

 

Really? Instant carnage? Wow I guess I better go change my diffs immediatly cause I must have really gotten lucky for the past 3 yrs

 

hey moster baby do you have a similar combo. why would you think something is going to break? where is the weak link. what are some tips for getting through the bog. or to keep it running. headers or the dual exhaust. tire pressure? help with those those are thing i can change

 

Young that was a comment on the guys saying a D44/9" combo is going to instantly break. My combo is similar only in I have those axles. I run spools in both diffs, run 4.63 gears in the rear, 4.09 in the front with 39.5 rear and 16/35" front cut boggers with a stroker big block with 900+hp and over 800ft/lbs of torque and only broke one set of front axles in 3 yrs with this combo.
As to your questions, well one thing I would do is go to a junk yard and look for a early 90s mustang or linclon with a 5.0 in it. look at the dist and if someone hasn't already robbed it Ford put a rubber cover on the dist. grab that it really does help keep water and mud off your dist and wires and will help keep it running. Next look under your air cleaner and make sure the gasket for the aircleaner to carb is there, intact and good shape if not get one one there. I would also find some window screen and put it in front of your grill, some guys put rubber instead but I find the window screen is fine enough to keep out 90% of the mud. I don't know how old your spark plugs wire are but if there is any doubt as to age or condition I woudl replace those too, slight cracks or weather checking that in normal conditions doesn't cause problems can and will cause a missfire when really wet. If you can find a large hose like an RV sewer hose or equivelant that can be taped over the snorkle on the air cleaner and ran inside the truck somehow (homemade snorkle) this isn't imparative but it does work. If not that then make sure you take at least 1 extra air filter for your truck just in case.
The number one suggestion I can make is before you go make sure everything you can grease has been greased, repeat this as soon as you get home. you will probably want to repack your wheel bearings when you get home too unless they have been done recently.
Don't bother with high octane fuel, it doesn't gain you any power, doesn't help it run better in this situation an dhas no redeeming quality except to cost you more to buy. Run what you normally run in the truck or at most 1 grade higher anything more is a waste of money.
Go buy a bottle of Rainx and do your windshield a couple of times, the mud will dry and fall off so you can see.
As to running in the mud, well tire speed is what gets you through, use low range on your Tcase and probably 3rd gear play with it a little and see what is the highest gear you can start from without bogging down, run that gear all the way through the pit. DO NOT TRY AND SHIFT IN THE PIT I can't emphasis this enough, you shift a manual tranny and for one instant your tires will stop spinning and cleaning out at that moment in time your done. keep the throttle on, the tires spinning as long as you have forward momentum if you almost stop you can saw your wheels slightly side to side (do not go lock to lock, just about a half turn total ) this will gain you maybe a couple more feet and can make the difference between winning and losing. When your windshield gets blacked out by mud, don't let up even a little bit or your finished. when I was running slow enough to actually be in the mud I rolled my drivers window down about 2" and watched the side of the track to determine position and end of the track once my windshield got covered.
Airing tires down is ok as long as you don't knock them off the beads, no lower than about 25psi front and 15 on the rear, it probably won't help you much though since most of that benifit is for traction on the starting line with big HP motors to get you going, once the tires are in the deep stuff and spinning well it's not much different actually but if it makes you feel better then by all means it's not going to hurt you.
Hope that helps

But the #1 recommendation I can make in doing this is HAVE FUN. don't get upset if you lose, just go there and have a blast cause thats what it's all about.

 

Fabricate a wiper motor linkage arm with with the linkage as close to the motor shaft as possible, this will make your wipers go like stink. Also, cruise the salvage yards for lincoln wiper arms that have 3 or 4 sprayers that mount across the wiper arm. Use a
2 1/2 plastic gas can for your windshield solvent. Get an aftermarket electric fuelpump to blast the wind shield when you hit the button. Because when you do your first competition, you will have a hell of a time keeping the pedal to the metal if your view goes pitch black when the mud hits the glass. Good luck, and make Henry proud out there.Last but not least, drive that s.o.b. like you stole it!

 

If lift kit was installed, check your drive shaft lengths. I've seen and experienced where drive shafts were not lengthened, and once the bogger has entered the pit, the driveshafts either snap or come apart.
I agree you axles will be fine, just don't clutch or double clutch once the truck and wheels have stop moving. The mud will goop and cement to the tires, and make the wheel difficult to spin. Unless the axles become high centered.
Keep the tire pressure above 25 psi. You don't want to break a tire bead in the mud.
Don't run open headers in the truck, unless the headers are coming out of the top of hood. With open header under the truck, the water can enter the engine.

Might need to change the gear oils after the bogging. Water sometimes and usually will enter some of those housings.
Monsters right, try to get the best launch as possible and try to keep the pedal to the metal, and try not to flood out the engine with gas by letting off the throttle quickly and then trying to get back on the throttle.
Take a helmet, it might help if the course is rough and real bouncy.
HEAVY PEDAL TO THE METAL, AND HAVE FUN.

 

In the mud your axles and tires will do fine. I dont know about the races around there but here 36" tires will put you in a higher class so are you sure you wanna compete with guys in a higher class? What kind of air filter are you using? If its an open element type then put duct tape in the front of it to keep water out. I wouldnt worry too much about the distributor but it might be worth wraping it in plastic and sealing it with duct tape. Some guys like to run a big wide semit-truck type mud flap under the front of the truck from the bottom of the front bumper to the cross member to keep mud from splashing into the engine compartment. Make sure you have good windshield wipers and turn them on before you hit the mud. You cant win if you cant see where you are going and the mud will splash every where. Make sure the washer fluid is full and working. In the pits have one of those garden type weed sprayers full of water so you can clean the windshield between races and maybe clean out the radiator too. If you have a 4 speed tranny you can run in either 4hi 2nd gear or 4lo 3rd gear. Dont plan on shifting cause there isnt enough time. If you have an auto Im not sure if you wanna run in 4hi or 4lo but keep it in drive.