"Blanc-Oh!", my distraction

[ntsqd]

So...... RS upper shock mount bolt broke and messed up some stuff while testing the paddle shifter set-up in Jav's race truck at Barstool. This was a Solo supplied G8 with a prevailing torque lock nut. Given the awkward access I doubt that I was able to over-torque that 1/2" bolt and start the decay. At this point I'm guessing either a faulty bolt that made it thru or a counterfeit bolt.
Most pressing part need is that I need a new remote reservoir hose. Bils warehouse is closed for a month according to the answering message. McMaster has a similar hose for ~$50. I gotta think that the Bils price isn't that much, but I shouldn't have this rig down that long. Either way, that unused double exhaust hanger riveted to the cross member is coming out! Looks like it did most of the damage to the hose. I've resisted removing it because I'm expecting it will be a PITA and it wasn't (until now) hurting anything.

[toddz69]

So...... RS upper shock mount bolt broke and messed up some stuff while testing the paddle shifter set-up in Jav's race truck at Barstool. This was a Solo supplied G8 with a prevailing torque lock nut. Given the awkward access I doubt that I was able to over-torque that 1/2" bolt and start the decay. At this point I'm guessing either a faulty bolt that made it thru or a counterfeit bolt.
Most pressing part need is that I need a new remote reservoir hose. Bils warehouse is closed for a month according to the answering message. McMaster has a similar hose for ~$50. I gotta think that the Bils price isn't that much, but I shouldn't have this rig down that long. Either way, that unused double exhaust hanger riveted to the cross member is coming out! Looks like it did most of the damage to the hose. I've resisted removing it because I'm expecting it will be a PITA and it wasn't (until now) hurting anything.

Double-check with Lee at Raceshock - he might have the hose you need in stock.

Todd Z.

[ntsqd]

Thanks Todd. Didn't even think of Lee. Sent him an email.

It is sad that a suspected possibly counterfeit bolt no longer invites comment or speculation.

[ntsqd]

Lee @ Raceshock had it and the missing spacers, went in the mail yesterday. Too bad I likely won't get them in time to fix it this weekend.

[ntsqd]

Time for a little update. Got the shock fixed (I thought) and took the truck to NW Nevada. 1625 miles later I'm home and I see that the hose is leaking where it screws into the shock body. Not sure that I can screw it in any more. Did get this pic somewhere up there: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-SX9 ... hrnx-L.jpg

The drive gave me lots of time to ponder a V8 powered truck that isn't a heck of a lot more powerful than my old '84 Xcab with a 22R in it. Being in KA, meeting emissions is a requirement. A friend dearly wants to put a 408 in his EB and that is tempting. I suspect that I could do that with no issues. But would it gain me anything? Right now the truck drives not all that unlike my old yota, but gets an average of 11 mpg. If it made 350+ HP and got 11 I'd be OK with that (& I'd build a bigger fuel tank!), OR if it drives like it does and got 15+ mpg I'd be OK with it. But getting the bad end of both compromises sucks.

That got me to thinking, what about simply putting an '04-'08 5.4L in it? 300 HP, 365 lb-ft, the same or nearly the same trans (likely more gears which never hurts). Anyone done this? Is there a thread on it? The '09-'10 5.4 gets me to 320 & 390 respectively, but my uninformed intuition is telling me to avoid those.

[mobil1syn]

Time for a little update. Got the shock fixed (I thought) and took the truck to NW Nevada. 1625 miles later I'm home and I see that the hose is leaking where it screws into the shock body. Not sure that I can screw it in any more. Did get this pic somewhere up there: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-SX9 ... hrnx-L.jpg

The drive gave me lots of time to ponder a V8 powered truck that isn't a heck of a lot more powerful than my old '84 Xcab with a 22R in it. Being in KA, meeting emissions is a requirement. A friend dearly wants to put a 408 in his EB and that is tempting. I suspect that I could do that with no issues. But would it gain me anything? Right now the truck drives not all that unlike my old yota, but gets an average of 11 mpg. If it made 350+ HP and got 11 I'd be OK with that (& I'd build a bigger fuel tank!), OR if it drives like it does and got 15+ mpg I'd be OK with it. But getting the bad end of both compromises sucks.

That got me to thinking, what about simply putting an '04-'08 5.4L in it? 300 HP, 365 lb-ft, the same or nearly the same trans (likely more gears which never hurts). Anyone done this? Is there a thread on it? The '09-'10 5.4 gets me to 320 & 390 respectively, but my uninformed intuition is telling me to avoid those.

what brand of shock is it and where it is leaking, at the top cap?

i am in the same boat regarding the power in my 96. its a shame that CA is dumb, because if it was an OBD1 vehicle, you could grab a EROD gm crate motor which is CARB legal and have 430hp, 425ftlbs. i have looked at a few different options and they are all a lot of money and you as pointed out not much gain.

kritter has a stoker that was built and tuned that passes emissions.
https://www.gofastbroncos.com/forum/vie ... &start=280

[ntsqd]

It is a 7100 and it seems like the bung was taped too deep for the male NPT threads on the hose end to seal. I've yet to look at it up close, but I will soon because I'll need it operational for the supposed MORE race on 6/6.

I'd probably be disowned if I put a GM engine in a Ford. They're OK with me owning GM stuff, barely. No real interest either, even if it's numbers are attractive. Maybe the simpler thing is to move out of State.

I've read Kritter's engine thread and I'm not sure that's the route for me. I'll be struggling to remember that I bumped the timing on what I've got. I'm not likely to remember anything more that may need to be done. Not to mention that my pockets aren't that deep.
FWIW the FJ80 air filter assembly is a great choice! Buy the OEM washable filter element and it's a real winner for dust/dirt filtration and control. I have one set aside for the Bronc-up project and have one left over from the FJ60 meets a 5.7L TPI project.

[mobil1syn]

if you ripped the hose off, you potentially could have oblonged the bung and threads arent sealing. NPT threads have no place on a shock, but thats another rant for another day. you could weld a new bung on there or shave some of the top off with a grinder allowing it to get deeper

i always had good results with this as a sealant for NPT threads in shock applications
https://www.permatex.com/products/threa ... d-sealant/

[ntsqd]

Mangled the hose, probably stressed the threads in the bung, but the hose threads in like the bung was tapped too deep. That was an on-going issue when I worked at wilwood, each machining center had it's own NPT thread gage and the operators were supposed to QC that feature on the spot. Completely agree, pipe threads belong in houses and nowhere else.

I *think* that I used some lock-tite 545 on the threads, but I'll clean & back it out enough to make sure it has some in there when I tighten it this time!

[SteveG]

Those are some awesome rides!

[ntsqd]

Says the guy with this cool machine: https://www.gofastbroncos.com/forum/vie ... 834f33263d
Thanks!

A ~175 mile test run of slab, Original Grapevine Route*, Liebre Mtn Rd. dirt, & secondary roads today shows a still dry reservoir hose. So it is either English and out of oil, or it is presumably fixed. Just in time for the MORE race this weekend. Hoping to get a few other projects finished before then.

*A note about that route, the grandfather who lived in Powell Butte, OR worked on the original route as a young man. Drove a Chain-Drive Mack truck hauling dirt around. Nearly got fired for riding out a run-away truck. Foreman told him the next time that happened that he was to jump! Surreal to drive a section of it.

[ntsqd]

The gift that keeps on giving......

The rear axle. An 8.8 whose bearing caps may or may not be original to this particular housing. It seems that with enough load the carrier bearings can move fore/aft about .030" Destroyed a new R&P. I see that MW offers a steel cap and says that usually only the DS cap needs to be replaced. The machining required to fit it is just at the very outer edge of my skill-set. This axle has already cost way more than it should have.....

[biggiek]

Maybe time for a 9 inch?

[LvSteve]

Time for a 9" and don't look back

[ntsqd]

No 9" for me. I've been considering the next possible step if this doesn't fix the current axle. If it gets a new axle it will be a FF type with a pinion that doesn't drag in the rocks. If keeping some control of unsprung mass is going to happen (not to mention cost) that puts me into a Dana 60. One online ref puts the D60 at half the mass of a 14bff, and not that much heavier than the 9".

That uber-low pinion of the 9" is a double edged sword. Makes for a strong R&P, but puts the pinion U-J really low which causes headaches with rocks and drive-shaft angles. Not to mention that the deeper the pinion offset the more inefficient the R&P is at transferring power. I believe that is the reason that drove Ford to abandon the 9" They added-in other design features to make the 8.8 more economical to produce, but the underlying inefficiency vs. CAFE stds. is what killed the 9" Add in that I have a serious dislike for semi-floating axle shafts and it equals a D60. Given that MISF (who CAN break an anvil in a sandbox!) has only managed to hurt his D60 due to inferior Warn FF conversion parts (don't ask) in 20 years under an ~8k lbs Scout II with an IH 392 to twist things up, I should be OK.

Currently researching the only fly in the ointment re: D60, and that is keeping the 5X5.5 BC. Solid Axle Ind makes 5X5.5 wheel hubs for a 14bff and I seem to recall that those can be used on a rear FF D60's spindle, but I've yet to find info on the exact set of parts that need to be used.

[Bftank]

No 9" for me. I've been considering the next possible step if this doesn't fix the current axle. If it gets a new axle it will be a FF type with a pinion that doesn't drag in the rocks. If keeping some control of unsprung mass is going to happen (not to mention cost) that puts me into a Dana 60. One online ref puts the D60 at half the mass of a 14bff, and not that much heavier than the 9".

That uber-low pinion of the 9" is a double edged sword. Makes for a strong R&P, but puts the pinion U-J really low which causes headaches with rocks and drive-shaft angles. Not to mention that the deeper the pinion offset the more inefficient the R&P is at transferring power. I believe that is the reason that drove Ford to abandon the 9" They added-in other design features to make the 8.8 more economical to produce, but the underlying inefficiency vs. CAFE stds. is what killed the 9" Add in that I have a serious dislike for semi-floating axle shafts and it equals a D60. Given that MISF (who CAN break an anvil in a sandbox!) has only managed to hurt his D60 due to inferior Warn FF conversion parts (don't ask) in 20 years under an ~8k lbs Scout II with an IH 392 to twist things up, I should be OK.

Currently researching the only fly in the ointment re: D60, and that is keeping the 5X5.5 BC. Solid Axle Ind makes 5X5.5 wheel hubs for a 14bff and I seem to recall that those can be used on a rear FF D60's spindle, but I've yet to find info on the exact set of parts that need to be used.

i know 14 bolt hubs fit on a d70. and im 99% sure 70 and 60 hubs are the same. we put 14 bolt hubs on a d70hd for a friends suburban build with h1 wheels.

[BDKW1]

The Pinion is a couple inches shorter on the 9" giving back some of what you loose with the lower positioning.

Just go HI9............

Just about anything is better than wasting money on the 8.hate.

[ntsqd]

Well, I've got the MW caps machined. Tomorrow we find out if our measurements were true and they're gonna fix this problem. If they do then until I'm able to put more HP in the truck I should be OK. Famous last words..... Wish that there was a D60 from the era of the rear axle diff mounted tone ring. That would make life so easy.....

I avoid proprietary solutions like the HI9. I know of one in an EB (actually several in that one) that repeatedly hasn't stood up to the use. Granted, that use is a 460ci Windsor powering what for all intents is a combo of a snowmobile & rock bouncer. He's given up and is going 14bff.....

[BDKW1]

Win the Lotto lately? LOL......

https://gearworksinc.com/product/gearwo ... irdmember/

It's just that a D60 is going to be at least a 50# penalty over a 9". Then you still have to weld the tubes in.

If your still running leafs, the low pinion will not effect your travel numbers.

[ntsqd]

It must be true, I read it on the internet. Right? LOL

I've been looking a axle weights for a week or more. According to this page: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech_l ... ghts.shtml the 8.8 is 167 lbs., a 9" is 245 lbs., a FF D60 is 260 lbs., a Sterling 10.5 is 333 lbs., and a 14bff is 550 lbs. Now I question if their FF D60 weight includes the brake drums or not. With drums I'd expect it to weigh closer to the 10.5 Sterling. If it does include the drums then why would I bother with a 9"? By the time I spend what it takes to build a FF 9" housing I could have bought several FF D60 housings and prepped them for service. I've looked into going this way (FF 9") with the Bronc-up at some depth because it already has an ARB'd & Exploder braked SF 9" under it.

The goal for this truck isn't to build an uber FSB, it is to drive it more than be working on improving it. A FF D60 looks way more cost effective to me. It should also future-proof the truck for when I move out of this State and can put more HP in it. If there was a 5 x 5.5 wheel hub option for the Sterling it would make even more sense as there is likely a version of that axle that does have the diff mounted tone ring. I don't mind 8 lug - it's actually appealing for the larger front brake rotors, but the options that I've found thus far for converting the TTB to 8 lug are not appealing.