RMC's el hefe build.

[Rmc]

...

[Tanner287]

Sweet!!

[Rmc]

So Thursday my wife told me the desiel was acting up. Then she called me and said it wouldn't start. Tow truck jumped it and it started and it was surging, missing and all that junk so it looks like the injector replacement time has finally come (I've been putting it off since October). This time I didn't even bother with messing with it. Had it towed to my buddies shop and awaiting an estimate. Which brings me to a problem... Bronco's in pieces and my work truck is our only other wheels.

So I worked on the bronco till after midnight Thursday and fashioned the guages and any necissary connections for the thing to drive. I installed one seat and one seat belt, and was ready to see if this beyotch was going to get me to work. Well the brand new battery I bought last week when installed was dead as a door nail. ( you know when it rains it Poors) so I charged it all last night. This morning I tested it which made me late for work cause kids needed to get to school and I had to test this thing before I decided to dive it 100 miles round trip.
Trans was in limp mode and shifted harder than a full manual valve body at 12k. So I took it home swapped cars a went to work. Fast foreward... Tonight I couldn't get the speedo to read no matter what I did. So just for the heck of it I tried the psom re- calibration. Well what do you know I have a ride to work Monday. That is of course if I don't sieze my new gear set. Ill keep you guys posted on how the break in goes. So if you see some jackass in a white bronco stranded between here and sd point and laugh when you drive by at a bare minimum if you don't happen to have a rear end with you.

[Rmc]

So I drove it around a little over the week end and the new gears were quiet on acceleration but whined pretty bad on coast. I chauked the tires, removed the driveshaft and checked the pinion shaft. Found a little end play. Tightened it up and put and indicator on the pinion. I tightened a little at a time until the end play was gone. I have a new 1/4 drive torque wrench that's supposed to arrive sometime this week. In the mean time ill try to take it fairly easy on the gears but by hard preload wasn't excessive at .0 endplay. I set it up to spec before installing the crush sleeve. I'm guessing at final install I just didn't get it quite tight enough. I reinstalled the drive shaft and took it for a 1 mile loop started getting warm as expected. Cooled the housing with the hose and repeated. I'm pretty sure it should be fine. By the last trip I did a 15 mile loop and temperature stabilized. We shall see but there's no noise no whine ect. But I was reminded I need to order that bassani y pipe this thing sounds like crap but is running strong.

[ChaseTruck754]

Congrats on the progress. Tight situations like this sometimes force our hand & make us move forward.

[blueoval8493]

Just a quick suggestion. I know you don't have time right now but have you ever thought about putting a crush sleeve eliminator in?

[Rmc]

This was my first "doityourselfbecauseI'macheapass" rear end jobs so if there's a crush sleeve eliminator I was unaware. Is it just a ground spacer set up for pinion depth when properly measured? Not that I know how the initial measurement is done but I've seen the tools when doing my preliminary research. I figured if I can build worm assemblies, transmissions and spindles for my day job what the heck ill give it a go. I figure ill try my hand at the d44 next.

[hobbyturnedobsession]

Basically yeah Rob. Its got a collar and a good amount of shims that come with it to get the correct spacing.

[Rmc]

I see. Learn something new every day. I just bought extra crush sleeves in case I had to do it agian.

[BDKW1]

Being the skilled guy you are, you don't need no stinking shims. Make a spacer out of some thing hard, leave it a little long. Install and measure end play. Remove and take off enough to give you the preload you need.

[hobbyturnedobsession]

That works too

[blueoval8493]

They're popular with truck pull and rock bashing guys. Under enough shock load they tell me the crush sleeve can get crushed down more and create slop. You having the tools and know how it would be a cheap and pretty easy upgrade.

[Rmc]

Ya I think it would cost peanuts but ill hold off till my 9 inch if I can, easy is the the harder part of the cheap and easy comment. I usually can't remove a pinion bearing with out destroying it. So that becomes its own deal cause I have to recalculate all the spacings. I appreciate the insight guys and Brian thanks for the compliment.

But ya suprisingly I made it to poway and back. Maybe 100 miles or so round trip with no sounds louder than the song the tires were singing. So I think I'm in the clear. I was putting it down on the way home just to get it hot. Oil change should be in a day or so, so ill give the oil the sniff test when that time comes. I'm curious if I burned it at all but it had to get between 170 and 200 degrees a few times. I couldn't count to 3 while touching the cover. Time to dig out the infra red gun and see what were really looking at. But honestly I've never payed that close of attention in the past so these could be normal temps for the wore out pile that it is. I'm definately not to proud to say I have no idea.

[hobbyturnedobsession]

Those temps are normal. My old bronco ran 180-202 no matter the radiator size or ambient temp. It could be 116 with the ac on and it'd be 198. Same if it was snowing.

[Rmc]

Cool thanks randy that eases my mind a bit. Last night I was nervious, the way to work a little less nervious, the way home... Ah f* it I got AAA!

[Wrightracing.net]

I think he was talking about the axle not the motor.

[Rmc]

Yes axel, not engine.

[hobbyturnedobsession]

Hahah no worries. Fords in that era always ran that hot for smog reasons.

[BDKW1]

Did you put a magnet in the third member? They catch an amazing amount of swarf off new gearsets. Keeps your break in from turning into a wear out. The newer diff's I have taken apart have a strip magnet on the back cover inline with the ring gear. They are always fuzzy.

[Rmc]

My full cap had a magnet in it, should I throw a few rare earth ones in The case? I highly doubt they would move much once placed.