Ford Bronco front d44 c-bushing question

[Lonestar]

Is there anyway to effectively get rid of the c-bushing area? They look like they are just slid over the tube and then welded to the tube on one end then welded to the knuckle on the other, I think. Or would I be better off using a radius arm type setup?

 

[Redcbr007]

depending on the yr, some of them are 'cast' into the axle itself. Let us know the YR.


-Red

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[Lonestar]

its a 79

 

[Lincoln]

Nope those are seperate cast pieces with tube in between. Like diff/tube/radius arm brackets/tube/inner C.

The only way to get rid of them is to retube from the diff out.

 

[old_man]

Have you ever thought of going with the stock radius arms on that axle? It works well and is cheap. Check out FarmerMatt's rig. I'm in the process of doing it right now. I'm keeping mine full width and I am just putting wheel spacers/adapters on the rear D44 to go from the 5x4.5 to 5x5.5, and in the process it increases the rear width to close to the front width. If you want it a bit narrower, you can change the backspacing on the rims to help. It really simplifies the conversion a lot.

 

[motorman]

Spacer/adaptor

Tom, I am headed down the same road. Where are you buying your spacer/adaptors from, price?

 

[ryurabbit]

Me too!!! I just picked up my axle last weekend. Spacers on the rear and full width on the front. How are you guys doin your radius arms? I plan to use heims at the frame end. Yea how about the bushings were do you get those poly ones FarmerMatt was talking about for different degrees?

 

[old_man]

I'm not buying any adapters. I fab all my own. I am going to just swap the coil buckets from side to side, angle them a bit and then tilt the upper spring base a few degrees. It works out fine. I've seen a lot of people make brackets for the spring buckets and weld them on the axle, but using the existing ones that mount on top of the radius arms, and just swapping them from side to side yields a spring spacing only a couple of inches wider than stock. By angling both the top an bottom brackets you end up with springs that work well, maybe even better than having the same width. Have you ever noticed how a spring ends up at an angle when you go full stuff on spring pads that are the same width?

I would have mine on but my hours at work have been cut back and I don't have the extra $$$ for the gears themselves. I have everything else including the lockers already and I do my own gear setups.

I'm going to use RE super joints, the spherical ones like I used on my existing long arm setup. I will weld a coupling nut to the shell, and then weld a 1" grade 8 bolt to the radius arms. It turns out I can even use my existing frame mounts that I use on my long arms. The RE's run $30 a side and you can replace the internals if they wear. You can see them on a writeup I am working on about the long arms at

http://www.4x4getaways.com

 

[Lonestar]

I plan on leaving mine ful width too. I thought about just using the radius arms but I hear that they bind at the axle end when articulated. Any thoughts on how to relieve the bind?

 

[old_man]

Check out some of FarmerMatt's pix. If that isn't enough flex for you, I don't know how much is. If done right, you will get as much flex as a long arm setup.

 

[FarmerMatt]

Polly "C" bushings can be found at just about any 4x4 shop around with caster correction degrees ranging from 2 degree's to 7 degree's. My polly bushings held up for about 2 years than started to rip in half. I've since gone back to the stock style rubber with no caster correction & have been happy with them. The bind of the radius arm design has been hashed out & debated for a long time. Here's my take on it for what it's worth. I like the bind. It acts as a sway bar with the more force place on one side of the axle the "bind" places force on the opposite side as well. It helps the rig feel more stable on off camber situations too. The ford style radius arm design will not bind as bad as an RE style radius arm because of the big bushings to can deflect a huge amount. The RE style arms only have small bushings to absorb all the defection. Many who wheel these RE setups on a regular basis say they have to change out the bushings once to twice a year. As to pure flex, the limiting factor on my front in is the 14" travel shocks. I don't think or feel I need any more than that. HTH

Matt

 

[THE_OWL]

I am also doing the Radius setup. I agree, how much flex is too much? Especially if keeping the rear as leaf.If I can stuff the 37" up to the snorkel, and pull the limiting strap tight, I think thats prob enough (without getting technical, **cough cough**). There was an article a while back about fully eliminating bind, and it seemed from the article that you reach a point (like Matt and the 14" shocks) where other factors limit yopur travel.
Anyway heres some progress pics:

You like that 1" tubing holding the whole truck up on that last pic? bootay fab

 

[MC-92]

Those arms look alot like James Duff for an early bronco........