BlueBronco budget build

[66sprint6]

Originally Posted by LoneRanger

I was going to suggest flipping the axle and taking the knuckles off and swapping sides, but I had figured you had already tried that.

L.R.

Thats what I did on the TF2 axles and worked just fine but the Yota II knuckles and mounting holes on the axles arent drilled straight up and down but rather they are staggered and the axle comes out of the knuckle at an angle to make it all straight. Ill take pics tonight and show what I mean. If you flip the axles and flip the knuckles to be correct you achieve Ricer Camber out the wazzooo LOL. Ive got it all sorted out AND Im almost done shaping and detailing the diff cover. Its gonna be bigger than I like but itll work!

Matt

[66sprint6]

FINALLY took some time to get the new front axle together and almost ready to go under the Bronco. Here you can see the shaping done to make the stock Yota II cover look somewhat more like a Dana.



Yes, I know I could get the ARB cover from RC4WD and even went as far as having it in my cart but a couple things made me hold off on finishing the purchase. 1) its still round and tho noone would really notice I didnt like it 2) its a beater bronco so I wanted a more stock looking, laid back cover nothing fancy and 3) I figured if I ruined the stock cover then I would send out for the ARB.

TONS of time tinkering with it, some new holes drilled and scale hardware added to try and mimic the dana bolt pattern and I think it turned out pretty ok. Looks even better with some paint on it. It will get some black paint and some weathering before its put under the Bronco which should be very soon.



Matt

[Grizzly4x4]

Awesome to see this rig still evolving. The axle looks sweet!

[66sprint6]

Thanks!!! It looks even better in black now and will probably look right at home with some mud, rust and rock rash on it but Ill add that the natural way!

Matt

[obijuan]

It's the time investment and an eye for details that set apart the best. Great job as a builder.

[66sprint6]

I appreciate that!!! I love to build em, mainly because I want it to be close to realistic but I also have to dance a fine line between looks and performance because I also abuse the piss out of this rig and if it wont hold up I wont use it. Speaking of which...the next round of pics that come in will be of some carnage from this weekends run down a nasty river bed. From what I can tell the transmission mount twisted in the frame, the input gear in the transfer case came apart from the case somehow and the tiny driveshaft connecting the two ruined the spur gear on the trans. The transfer case also appears to have stripped itself from the mounting screws holding it to the skid. Deep mud 1, Bronco 0. Sad thing is I was hearing bad noises but was almost out of the nasty mud and went for glory rather than prevention and carnage ensued. Ill post pics when I tear it down later...hopefully the transfer case is ok but theres no telling till I pull it apart.

Matt

[LoneRanger]

imo you should think about the new rc4wd tranny and the GCM LRT-case

a little birdy told me they have a printed 302 and maaaaaaaybe an inline straight 6 for us early Bronco nuts!


just throwing that out there!

L.R.

[LoneRanger]

https://www.facebook.com/54024977939...193889/?type=1



L.R.

[66sprint6]

Thats pretty slick and hits home with the love on inline motors. Could pass it off as a Ford 200ci with an Aussie 250-2V head and removable intake. Slap a turbo on it and itll look like the new motor Im putting together for the Mustang as we speak!

Matt

[LoneRanger]

Any updates Matt?

L.R.

[DaddyJeep]

I love what you did to make the front axle look like the D44. The Yota axle already looks pretty close to the 9". I am running Bronco Axles under my 1:1 Yj and will be building a 1/10th of it soon. I will most likely borrow your idea.

[66sprint6]

Borrow away!!!

As for updates, I got the old girl dusted off and took it out for some abuse. Ended up running roughly 5 miles worth of trail with no major issues which was amazing to me. No pictures as I believe they are on an old phone and I cant find them anymore lol. I did eventually (not sure if it was that ride or one right after) suffer some carnage. Was trying to plow through a bit of mud that was a little much and ended up stuck with no forwards or reverse despite the motor giving it all she had. Took her apart to find this...



Heres what I figure happened. The bolts in the transfer case...ALL of them escaped. The case opened and cause issues with the main driveshaft from the trans to the transfer case. This eventually locked everything up, the torque of the motor then bent the transmission mounts and the gears stripped out relieving the pressure. Im hoping to drops some new gears in the case, toss some loctite on the new case bolts and fab a new trans mount...then it should be back together again!

Matt

[66sprint6]

I took some time this past weekend to cut down the remaining CI closed cell foams for the Bronco's little TSLs. They are a little firm BUT the rig is heavy for its size and Im hoping it all pans out. Ive got a fresh transfer case on its way thanks to Ben88RRC so once it shows up the Bronco should be back in action. Im still toying with the idea of putting a front hoop in to help protect the windshield in a rollover but not sure just yet. For now I just need to get it back rolling again and focus on trying to make it bulletproof again.

Matt

[lil' bear 4wd]

thats some nice carnage! how heavy is your rig?

[66sprint6]

Im not sure on total weight but its heavy for its size...I know cause Ive carried it out quite a few times and cuss its heft every time LOL. When its all back together Ill try to toss in on a scale and see what I get.

The transfer case should be in any day now, so in the mean time I thought ide address the poor aftermarket exhaust tips that got destroyed and then some. Thats what I get for trying to put something pretty on the ole Bronco. This time around I went with some el-cheapo turndowns.



Now thats more like it. The are better protected, look more at home and I made em outta steel brake line so they should last this time around. Thats it for now but I hope to have more updates soon.

Matt

[lil' bear 4wd]

what solder did you use on the bumpers? or did you use brazing rod? i want to try my hand at making some

[66sprint6]

I used Harris Safety Silv 45. I now have a welder and will be using it from here on but the Safety Silv with a good torch is very strong and on bumpers like these, works great and is easy to use.

Matt

[66sprint6]

New transfer case is in and while putting the driveshafts all back together I found this...



The picture isnt as clear as Ide like but the ouput shaft by the spur is bent. This is the same output shaft I broke way way back and repaired using a piece of solid steel and some pins. Luckily, since I only use one ouput now with the new transfer case setup, Im gonna cut the bent piece off, flip it and use the unused straight ouput to get things back rolling again. Everything else in the trans was good to go outside of being really disgustingly dirty. Its all cleaned up, greased and ready to be reinstalled.

Matt

[LoneRanger]

looks like that spur could use some love too! lol

L.R.

[66sprint6]

Yep, but its ok, the pinion gear on the motor came loose in the madness as well but moved inward so it didnt fall off then the wobbling driveshaft barely dug into the middle of the spur putting the dents in the middle of each tooth you see. Its just cosmetic and the gear still has life in it so Ill clean it up some and roll with it.

Matt