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Axles - Gears - Lockers - SAS
Rear Axle

The rear axle was complete but needed a gasket on the diff cover. It's kind of cool looking and adds more gear oil capacity and has a rock guard.

With the cover off I took a good look at the gears. They are precision 4.88 ratio with an ARB air powered locking differential. 

The front axle is a Dana 44 from a '79 Ford F150. It is missing the knuckles out and the radius arms and coils. I can reuse some of the parts from my TTB suspension and will have to fab up others. I will keep visiting junkyards and looking online for the rest

This is the ARB air compressor with tank for locking the rear diff when I'm off road.

I was looking for a good place to mount the compressor but with California smog there isn't a whole lot of room to mount it. I decided to remove the stock bottle jack and mount it there since the bottle jack wouldn't even reach the axle fully extended with the 6" lift. After removing the jack I took the mount and cut off the part I wouldn't need.

I then tack welded the bottom plate from the compressor on the jack mount and test fitted. It would have hit the hinge spring from the hood so I cut the tacks and re-welded it in a better position. Here is the mount after painting.

I removed it and bolted it to the compressor.

It's a good fit.

It now clears the hinge spring.

Since I don't have all the parts for the front axle I started with the back one. My Bronco is outgrowing the jacks and jack stands so I had to jack it up, remove the tires then set it down on the jack stands. 

After removing the drive shaft, brake lines, shocks, ABS sensor and parking brake cables I called it a day.

The next day I removed the axle and dragged it in the garage. The dirty one is my old axle.

Since the yokes were different I had to switch them out. 

I muscled the axle under the Bronco and using two jacks got in place.

I reattached the brake lines and called it a day.

I next installed the U-Bolts, bled the brakes, attached the tires, shocks, drive shaft and started the parking brake lines but one was sticking so once again I called it a day. 

I like the look of the new axle.

The next weekend I removed the passenger side parking brake cable from my old axle and moved it to the new one. This is easier typed than done. I realized how much I hate working on drum brakes. Not so much taking them apart but putting them back together. It's a PITA. 

I got it back together and took it for a test drive. The lower gearing did wonders for the performance. It was like going from a 4 cylinder engine to a V-8. I still need to connect the air line to the locker and hook up the wiring harness so the ARB will work.

Note to ARB owners who are removing the unit to sell. Please take the time to unbolt the air line and not cut it. It is a PITA to get the fittings back on the line. Even new ones.

I did manage to get it re-attached.

I mounted the switches on the dash using the original metal switch mount to add strength.

Now to finish the wiring harness.