The "Donkey" build/rebuild

[Bracket racer]

Ahhhh....I gotta stop impulse buying. Was looking for a right axle today, stopped at two junk yards, one has one but has to pull it out. I said I have one other place to try first.
Stopped at a guys place that has a couple Rangers and asked about an axle. Nope, but after a long story told me about a 1/2 ton that he'd sell. It's just a frame and axles so hey that might be my d44 knuckle swap right?
Comes with a 300 six, a 5spd and tcase that's been removed as well as a rad. Huh...well....$100 and you can tow it away!
Done deal! I'll stop by tomorrow with a 100 dollar bill. Drove away thinking, I still don't have an axle..but I got parts for the knuckle swap. Or maybe, swap the whole front end in, longer beams, so what if the tires stick out a little bit right? Maybe...aaahhh! I'm doing it again!

Don't know the gears but I'll figure it out when I get it home tomorrow.
Maybe double up the tcases? 300 six huh? More power than my 4.0......

Pictures when I get the frame home tomorrow. (Towing it, it's on tires)

 

[bobbywalter]

Yup.


Put the ranger on it

 

[Bracket racer]

Well, went to pick up the axle and the guy said the inner stub or the splined outer doesn't go with it. $150 for the outer splined axle and the outer stub that goes in the hub. I said I don't need that, I need the inner spline/joint and stub that goes in the diff. Oh, that's another $150. Starts trying to ride me "well I took the outer off for you and if you don't want it, I still have my time into it" trying to hint that I should pay him for his time??? I said all I want is the inner, when can you get it out? He's saying this week or weekend.
Even though he's one of the only guys around with ranger parts I won't be back.

 

[bobbywalter]

Dana 35 Axle Shafts-Broncograveyard.com

shop.broncograveyard.com

Dana 35 IFS differential and axle parts for Ford

Dana 35 IFS front differential and axle parts for Ford Bronco and Ranger at Denny's driveshafts

www.dennysdriveshaft.com

 

[Bracket racer]

DANG!! $63 but that's US, so like $140 by the time it gets here with exchange/customs/excise tax/shipping... Thanks for the link though, totally forgot about that place!

Oh great, now I'll spend the next 2 hours shopping instead of working, lol!!

 

[bobbywalter]

For a new part verse that guy's junk.


20 bux for a whole used shaft. If I was home I would go get you one.

 

[Bracket racer]

Yeah, the problem around here is the salt on the roads which means everything is rotted out by 5 years old and in the wrecking yard by 10. After a short time everything is crushed and there's not much to go on. Its only the odd guy who has a couple of whatever vehicles in his back yard that are still available. We have a scrap yard that is online and can haul in parts from elsewhere but the markup is crazy because there is no parts around here.
Regardless, just waiting for the call that the axle is available.

Got the diff out last night....wow, that's a pretty shitty design there ford!
Had all the bolts out and even the nut spun right off the one big bolt, diff would swing out but no way would it go by that bolt! I frigged with it for an hour and finally said...you tube! There was only one and it wasn't much help (looking for a short cut or easy way) Went on firefox and found several threads about pulling the diff...on the ranger station. lol.
So I read through and someone said about grinding the top of the radius arm. So that's what I did. Ground a half moon shape in the top of the radius arm and pulled the bolt out then wiggled and frigged and got the diff out.
The c clip popped right out! It shouldn't have, you're supposed to pull the pin and slide the centre pin over, etc, etc but I see on this they put a roll pin! I was like, how the heck can I pull a roll pin out when I can't get at it?? Frig it, I'll just whack the clip and..holy poo, it came out!
Here's a picture on my disgustingly dirty bench. (just put a front diff and axles in a 2010 dodge and never properly cleaned up before moving on to the next job...)

 

[Bracket racer]

I guess I should weld it up too, now that it's out....

 

[bobbywalter]

Don't weld it.

Just do brake bias.

 

[Bracket racer]

Brakes? My,my aren't we uppity!

We don' need no stinking brakes meestor!

LOL! I'm concerned with breaking u-joints but I do like all four pulling. (and I welded the rear) The other option I would use is shimming the side gears and making it tight enough that it will only slip in exceptional cases. More wear on the spider/side gears but it's not like I'm driving it 25,000km's on the highway per year. Anyway, I'll figure that out before I bolt it back in.

I have traction control in my f150 that uses the brakes and while it does a great job, it sure burns up the shoes if you spend a lot of time in bad conditions. I'd much rather have the electronic locker some of the newer trucks have. Hit the button and both tires spin with no reduction in power. Tire spins on my truck and the computer shuts power down to 2000rpm or so and applies the brakes. That's great if you don't need momentum or wheel speed to clear the treads! Anyway, all that to say, not a fan of brake biasing.

Reminded me, in the old days, I had an open diff on my 73 mustang, to drag race I'd push the park brake on two clicks and it would spin both tires equally. Without it I could lay 300ft of rubber with one tire with the built up Cleveland I was running.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Finally, someone else that knows this trick;

The other option I would use is shimming the side gears and making it tight enough that it will only slip in exceptional cases. More wear on the spider/side gears but it's not like I'm driving it 25,000km's on the highway per year.

I did this on the d28 on my b2. Made for an awesome snow wheeler.

 

[Bracket racer]

I guess that's the thing about getting old, you think everybody naturally knows what you know.
I was at the track last year and some young guys were in my pit asking about making their car quicker/how to lose weight. They were talking big items and I said "you can't take 800lb's off a car in any one spot, but you can take off 1 pound in 800 spots, right"? Not to tell them but to remind them or confirm they knew this. They were blown away with my "wisdom". lol. I said, simple stuff like taking the intrusion bar from inside a door, that's 9lb's and you can't see it from the outside. Replace brackets and mounts with aluminum, like the front bumper, get rid of the shocks and all the crap for the 5mph bumper system and use a piece of aluminum tube to hold the bumper in place, that's like 30lb's right there. They freaked out.
I was thinking, but everybody knows this, at least the guys I hang around do.....

As far as shimming the spyder gears, did it on a street vehicle (67 falcon) and after a summer of hard driving it was back to a one wheel peal. (then I welded it, I was 18 hehe)

 

[Bracket racer]

So, an update...pictures still to come

Got the axle, and got a spring for the c clip eliminator. Took the axle to work to weld the plate and noticed the joint is..well...there's a touch of movement, so..since I didn't want to rip it out in a month, I tore it apart and did the snap ring mod (and all the grinding) and got snap rings that fit the cups. Then I called the parts store and found out the 5-760x is $45 and the 5-297x is $34. Told them I was coming to get the 760. Half way there and I stopped in to parts for trucks. Spicer joint there is $40 so only 6 more than a stock joint. Getting that tomorrow.
As far as the spring goes, only thing I could find to fit was a support spring off a short garden hose! Lol.
So, after supper, putting the diff in and getting the drivers axle in. Hopefully get the other axle in tomorrow .

On it goes.

 

[Bracket racer]

Well here's a hard right turn.....I bought a boat....impulse buy. We live on a lake and long story short I want to build a pontoon boat instead of paddling around in a canoe/kayak/paddleboat so I got the plastic 45gal drums, I already have a poopload of 2x4's, 2x6's etc. Well while heading out with the 4 wheelers last night I had to wait for a car to go by before we pulled out of the driveway. It was a neighbor and they waved, went down three driveways and pulled into their place. I see there is a for sale sign up so I pull in and ask what are they doing with the boat down by the lake which hasn't moved since they bought the place 3 years ago. I'm thinking, if they are moving...maybe a cheap boat? (12' or maybe 14' aluminum) So we don't even haggle, I ask what he wants and he asks what I'll pay. We talk a bit and he says "how about $30?" Sold! "Yeah, I don't know if the motor runs or not but there's paddles there and the lifejackets..." Motor?? I was just looking at the boat! Yeah well it all goes together. I spun around, went home and grabbed the cash. I'm at work today so I'll grab it this afternoon when I get home.
And since we're on the subject of boats, I already had a 2 stroke 3 1/2hp outboard but I hate the sound of a blubbering, stuttering 2 stroke. So...I grabbed a 6 1/2hp lawn mower from the dump and got the engine running and now am swapping the engines.

Next...I got the f150 frame home and was measuring etc. Checked the gears, 3.08. Blah. So, I'll do the outer knuckle swap when I get time. Will put the donkey back together and get wheeling with it first, but down the road.

Pictures...where are my pictures....

If you look you can see the lovejoy connector I used to mate the engine/outboard shafts together. I got 1/2" lovejoy connections and made brass bushings in the lathe then drilled the lock screw holes deep and will be using extra long set screws. Just have to make the mount today after work.

This frigging covid...now you know what happens when you give a whole bunch of unexpected time to work on stuff to a gearhead with adhd!!

 

[Bracket racer]

Oh, and a shout out to all the guys at home distiller!
I am on several sites, one being homedistiller.org which is about, you guessed it, home distilling for your own personal consumption. In the States it's still illegal and technically it is in Canada too, but you can buy stills off the shelf in brewing shops and nobody really cares anymore.
So, what I was doing yesterday from 9:45am to about 5pm was running a batch in my 114L still. Put in 100L of 10% sugarwash and got out about 20L of 65% low wines. Ran that through the second time and got about 18L of 73% neutral. (vodka) I'll cut that to 40% for drinking when I get home tonight.
Again...pictures...

The whole set up;

Close up of the parrot (where I put the hydrometer to measure ABV (alcohol by volume) as it's running

and one of during the run, hydrometer is low as it started out at 89% (this is the foreshots, acetone, etc, the stuff that's thrown away)

Garbage pictures, apparently the "autofocus" isn't so auto on my BB and I don't see anywhere to make it manually adjustable.
But, you get the idea.

How many other projects are on the go....lol