"Blanc-Oh!", my distraction

[hobbyturnedobsession]

The only thing i can think of is the size of tires they run. The u joints just aren't big enough for a tire that weighs more than the driver. From what I understand, they do hold up quite well though. I will say this, alot of issues in the axle area are caused by over cycling the parts.

[ntsqd]

After building up a rather extensive model in Solid Quirks I've convinced myself that the Exploder RDB's won't work. The p-brake drum is too small, which forces the shoe retraction springs into the wheel hub. There is no alternate position that fixes this. Anyone want to buy a new Exploder RDB kit? The rotors are drilled some small 5 lug pattern because I knew that I'd have to change that in the least and I didn't want the 5x5.5 pattern interfering.

Need to make a trip to the junk-yard to look at and hopefully acquire a complete Expedition RDB system. Their p-brake drum ID is almost 2" larger than the Exploder drum (thanks ToddZ!!). I guess my hybrid Chase/Expedition Bronco is going to get Expedition brakes.....

[ntsqd]

Expe RDB's looking like they'll work

They register and bolt on! Bloody amazing that 2000 vintage SUV brakes exactly fit a ~1976 work truck housing!

Needs a little detailing of the housing flange to bolt-on correctly, but that's easily done.



Thinking to reverse them; Expi LH become Blanc-Oh RH to make the p-brake cables work well.

Clears all of the whirrly bits:


Even more amazing, now that I know to look for a 2000 Expedition on Rock Auto I'm finding that I can buy it all new. Including the caliper brackets! The lone part that I've not found available on RA are the rear caliper hose banjo bolts. An odd thing to not have. They have those for the front, but not for the rear. All-in, I think that you can "kit" this RDB conversion from Rock Auto for under $500. My'96 8.8 has what looks like the 'Torino' housing flange bolt pattern, but my donor Expi had a 8.8 not a 9.25 I'm thinking that if a later F-150 8.8" housing or a 9.25" housing were used that these brakes would possibly bolt on.

[ChaseTruck754]

That's awesome!

[ntsqd]

It sure is! This has the potential to work for a lot of guys. The rotor is large than the Exploder rotor, but according to Rock Auto the Expe rear caliper piston is 50.9mm and the Exploder's is 47.9mm. Assuming that I did the math right, that's a 11.4% increase in piston area. Going to guess an increase in rear braking in the range of 20% over the Exploder set-up. For an F Series this might work extremely well. For a shorter WB FSB I wonder if the weight transfer in a panic brake event will make it too much. Just have to try it and see!

Looking like a simple spacer between a modified rotor and the wheel hub's flange is all that this conversion will require in custom parts. Wonder where a guy can buy those rotors un-drilled? I have used the old drum pilot diameter on the wheel hub as my jumping-off point for piloting the spacer to the wheel hub and the rotor to the spacer. Unfortunately that diameter interrupts the 5x135 bolt pattern in the rotor. Could make the rotor pilot diameter smaller, but that adds material back into the spacer that I'd rather not have. Can possibly also make it bigger, I'll need to look at where the rotor mounting bolt holes will end up. That pattern's diameter can't get too big or the bolts will hit the p-brake shoes or hardware.

[ntsqd]

Got the rotor spacers made except for the final reaming to size of the stud holes. Waiting on a 9/16" R8 collet. Normally I'd put the collet closer in the lathe and turn the shank down, in this case to .500. Two problems, the reamer's size etching is right where I'd be reducing the shank's OD and I don't have a 9/16" 5C collet either.

Am using Dorman 610-189 wheel studs. They will press thru the spacer and into the wheel hub with their splines engaging both the spacer and the flange. These are a 9/16UNF thread to match the front GM wheel stud's threads. Need to ream both the spacers and the wheel hub flanges. The flanges are close already, I'm mostly reaming them for GP. There is no way that this truck needs eight 9/16 wheel studs per wheel, but that is the path of least resistance.

The wheel hubs have a 5.000" pilot step on the rear of them for the original drum. The spacers index on those, and then have a 5.000" pilot step on them for the rotor. This diameter interrupts the OE wheel stud holes in the rotor. Placing the rotor's mounting holes on the same 6.5" bolt circle in between each wheel stud made making them easy. I turned the spacers to their profile on the lathe and then placed them on a wheel hub and using a reducing bushing transfer punched one hole location to the spacer. Drilled and tapped that M8x1.25 Then I turned a locating bushing that piloted in a wheel stud hole in the wheel hub and bolted the spacer to the wheel hub before transferring the other 7 holes to the spacer. I drilled those with a Ø3/16" 135° split-point and then marked 1/2 way between two adjacent holes. Then those holes all got drilled and tapped M8x1.25. Aligning my 1/2 way mark in one of the flange holes I repeated the process of transferring one, drilling and tapping, then transferring all of the rest of the holes. These holes were thru-drilled Ø39/64's and had a Ø1-3/16" X .50 deep counter-bore machined centered on them. The head on the wheel studs is roughly Ø1.10" so the C-bore has a little clearance around their OD's.

With the mock-up rotor, a new pair are in the mail:




Can see how ineffective the "Black Beauty" blasting media was on whatever that orange paint is. Currently thinking that I'll just apply Steel-It black over it and call that good enough.

[ntsqd]

..... These holes were thru-drilled Ø39/64's and had a Ø1-3/16" X .50 deep counter-bore machined centered on them.

This would be edited if I could. The C-Bore depth should be .75" not .50"

[ChaseTruck754]

Progress is looking good. Almost there even!

[ntsqd]

Found that I could order an 8"x8"x 1/2" steel plate from amazon delivered for less than I can buy it locally. That's crazy! Anyway, it will become the jig for drilling the bolt holes in the (future) rotors to mount them to the rotor spacer. I need to make drawings for it and the mods to the rotors and post them too. The other rotor should get here today so by tonight I should have both ready to have the mounting bolts holes drilled in them and at that point they'll be ready to use.

Now I just need the guy that I have do R&P set-up's to be less buried. Once the gears & diff are set-up I can put it all together and plumb it.


The TTB is waiting on pivot bolts for the SRE's and camber/caster adjusters. then it is ready for the front to be torn down, the diff swapped over, and re-assembled with the new beams & 8 lug outers. I'm going to wait a bit on rebuilding the other diff with gears and an ARB. I've a trip planned for the middle of Sept that likely won't need a front locker and I've a lot of other things to get done before then.


Given what 2 gallons of Delo 400 just set me back I'm dreading ordering the diff oil. Haven't decided if Redline or Swepco yet, but those are the short list options. Break-in will happen with CarQuest house brand dino oil.

Rotor Spacer dwg:

[AussieRod]

Great job! I might have to get you to make a second set for mine. First, I'd have to work out how to get it all to downunder without taking out a second mortgage.

[ntsqd]

The 8" X 1.5" round blanks for the spacers cost me ~$65 each off ebay. As I posted above, can order literally everything needed off of Rock Auto except for the rear caliper banjo bolts (but it looks like the fronts will work), for about $500USD. Their shipping isn't the best in the States though. No idea how ugly it might be to have them ship directly downunder.

[ntsqd]

Looks like "Porch Pirates" stole 2 of the 3 new rotors. I ordered three so that I'd have an already modified spare in inventory. Replacements are supposed to arrive next Tuesday. I've also made a tool to put the 8 X 6.5" M8 clearance holes for the attaching bolts in rotors that have had the register diameter opened up to Ø5.000"Ive devised no good method of opening up the register diameter other than with a lathe.
I think that I'm at the point where it's time to get the gears set-up, but the shop that I have do that work is on vacation until next week. One more delay in a long sequence of them.

[ChaseTruck754]

I wish it was legal to shoot porch pirates.

That is all.

[ntsqd]

I wish it was legal to shoot porch pirates.

That is all.

It isn't? Oops.

[ntsqd]

I really need to get one of these signs made and posted. From somewhere in Nevada:

[AussieRod]

I really need to get one of these signs made and posted. From somewhere in Nevada:

If I put that up at my place, there'd be a zero dark thirty visit from the black coated thug patrol, with machine guns and stun grenades. At the very least, they'd cancel my licence and take my guns.

[ChaseTruck754]

I really need to get one of these signs made and posted. From somewhere in Nevada:

If I put that up at my place, there'd be a zero dark thirty visit from the black coated thug patrol, with machine guns and stun grenades. At the very least, they'd cancel my licence and take my guns.

Sadly we are getting near that here too Rod. More rights for criminals than those trying to protect themselves from being robbed, etc.

[AussieRod]

I hear ya.

Self Defence 4.jpg (53.35 KiB) Viewed 1834 times

[ntsqd]

The sad thing is that we're not going to run out of people anytime soon, yet the dregs are those who some folks are trying to save.

Bad news. My go-to guy for gear set-ups can't even look at the D60 until the first week of July and probably won't be able to start on it until the second week. I guess that gives me time to see if I can retrofit a same year PSD air filter assembly to make it look OEM, and to work on the OBA system as I'm going to need it to shift the OX locker. Don't recall if I posted about this or not, but after a pre-run of sorts thru Saline Valley I discovered that the OEM filter housing is allowing dirt to by-pass the filter element and enter the engine. I've long wondered if it was just filter size that drove Kritter to use that FJ60/80 assembly (I heard that he's since moved on) or if there were other reasons as well. I think I see why now....

Bummer is that IAT sensor being in the upper housing between the filter and the MAF. Were it downstream of the MAF then the filter assembly would be wide open as far as the smog police are concerned. The K&N FIPK kit does move the sensor to that location, but a savvy smog check person would know better if I just moved it in the OEM parts. Can't say that I'm all that fond of any of the parts used in the FIPK assembly.

[ChaseTruck754]

I think making it look factory is 90% of the battle there. Sure the knowing or best smog techs and of course any BAR referee will catch it, but chances are your run of the mill smog test guy/station will not. And heck, half of them if they do catch it I thought wouldn't say anything if it LOOKED factory.