Front Drive Unit Swap (M190 to M210) - In Depth DIY Video

[mpeugeot]

It occurs to me that this video (and the earlier one where we swapped in the M220 rear) are good enough arguments for opting for Sasquatch in the beginning rather than thinking "oh, I'll just save the money now and slap 'em in there down the road some time" LOL. For me, and the research we wanted to do when we first bought The Cheapest Bronco You Can Buy™, I'm still glad we did it the way we did. And I do think we proved that you don't "need" lockers for most of the off-roading that most folks will ever do (see our videos).

But if you know that you will eventually need lockers and bigger tires, just ordering it with Sasquatch from the factory is WAY easier, and cheaper, in the long run. I did this upgrade with every money-saving trick in the book, including waiting for used parts to pop up and buying them for a fraction, taking advantage of industry connections to get parts at very low prices (or free in some cases), and using a buddy for the only part of the labor I wasn't comfortable tackling myself (setting up gears). In hard costs I did save some money over the Sasquatch price, but anybody without the patience and connections I had will spend more just on parts, not even including labor, compared to Sasquatch. Yes, I did most of the work myself but if I paid myself the hourly rate I make for my regular job (not to mention the premium I would charge for using my "free time"), it would have been even more than what a shop would charge to do the work.

That said, it's a fun project if you want to tackle it. But if you don't enjoy shop work or the satisfaction of knowing your rig is "built not bought", then I don't really recommend tackling a job like this yourself. For me, the reason I work on stuff myself is because, despite the frustration things like this bring, and the fact that I'd rather spend my weekends out on the trail than in my shop banging my knuckles, I get great satisfaction from the knowledge that a job like this brings. Knowing how something comes apart and goes back together can bring you incredible peace of mind when you're out on the trail doing things that have the potential to break something. It takes the mystery out of that feeling of "what would I do if something goes wrong?" There's a lot of security in knowing you can actually fix something that breaks, if needed. And as difficult as some of that work looks in our videos, let me tell you, it's a LOT easier doing it in the shop, with full tools, a 2-post lift, air and electric power, and a fridge full of beer...than doing something for the first time out on the trail when something breaks.

I just need to move my lift indoors vs outdoors, in air conditioned comfort with a beer handy, this would not be too bad.

I have been putting off my swap for a while now.

Sponsored

 

[Dusty]

My gut says 5.13/35s would be perfect with the 7MT and I'd really like to learn what it's like before spending the money.

My gut (and the Grim Jeeper gear calculator) told me different

5.13's with 35's comes very close to the final drive ratio the 7MT Broncos had stock (with 30" tires and 4.46 gears). I remember from those days that it was geared a little too low for normal on-road driving. Very torquey, almost had to use 2nd for initial take-off. When I put my 35's on (pre-gear change) yes it was then a bit under-geared (geared slightly too high for highway but still did OK off-road in low range). I never drove it on 35's with the 5.13's so I can't give a seat of the pants comparison, but the numbers in the calculator are close.

I took a gamble with the 5.13's for 37's. Most folks said they thought I should go 5.29 or 5.38. But after driving it like that for about a month and a half I think it's just right with 5.13's and 37's. Acts perfectly on-road, has usable highway gears in 5th and 6th, is low enough for just about anything off-road. In Crawl gear it is still VERY low. If it can get the traction, it can drag itself up anything with very little throttle. There's nothing we've done so far that the tiny bit of extra crawl ratio the deeper gears would have given, would have made any difference.

So overall I think this gear and tire size combo is just right. With 35's it would have been back to being slightly too-low geared, IMO. But hey, if you like yours to drive like a Massey-Furgeson, have at it

 

[SierraBronco]

I just appreciate the poster in the background at 20:35

This is the first install video I’ve seen that talks about those bolts on the top. Ordering a 22mm crowsfoot now.

Consider the like button smashed

 

[Dusty]

I just appreciate the poster in the background at 20:35

I mean, I'm not gay. I'm a man with a shop, so there's going to be girly posters LOL.

This is the first install video I’ve seen that talks about those bolts on the top. Ordering a 22mm crowsfoot now.

Consider the like button smashed

Disclaimer, I didn't actually use a Crowfoot there as you saw, only opined that it might have worked better if I had one. Still not positive that it would have been any more helpful by the time you put the ratchet on the Crowfoot, is there even room to get much of a turn before having to reset the wrench, etc.

Thanks for the Like! As the yootoobers say, please subscribe too

 

[SierraBronco]

I mean, I'm not gay. I'm a man with a shop, so there's going to be girly posters LOL.

Disclaimer, I didn't actually use a Crowfoot there as you saw, only opined that it might have worked better if I had one. Still not positive that it would have been any more helpful by the time you put the ratchet on the Crowfoot, is there even room to get much of a turn before having to reset the wrench, etc.

Thanks for the Like! As the yootoobers say, please subscribe too

I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it, as the old adage goes. We’re about six weeks out for swapping all our stuff so this was helpful. We’ll be doing the steering rack at the same time so it’s good to know the planned order of disassembly was correct.

 

[dgorsett]

It occurs to me that this video (and the earlier one where we swapped in the M220 rear) are good enough arguments for opting for Sasquatch in the beginning rather than thinking "oh, I'll just save the money now and slap 'em in there down the road some time" LOL. For me, and the research we wanted to do when we first bought The Cheapest Bronco You Can Buy™, I'm still glad we did it the way we did. And I do think we proved that you don't "need" lockers for most of the off-roading that most folks will ever do (see our videos).

But if you know that you will eventually need lockers and bigger tires, just ordering it with Sasquatch from the factory is WAY easier, and cheaper, in the long run. I did this upgrade with every money-saving trick in the book, including waiting for used parts to pop up and buying them for a fraction, taking advantage of industry connections to get parts at very low prices (or free in some cases), and using a buddy for the only part of the labor I wasn't comfortable tackling myself (setting up gears). In hard costs I did save some money over the Sasquatch price, but anybody without the patience and connections I had will spend more just on parts, not even including labor, compared to Sasquatch. Yes, I did most of the work myself but if I paid myself the hourly rate I make for my regular job (not to mention the premium I would charge for using my "free time"), it would have been even more than what a shop would charge to do the work.

That said, it's a fun project if you want to tackle it. But if you don't enjoy shop work or the satisfaction of knowing your rig is "built not bought", then I don't really recommend tackling a job like this yourself. For me, the reason I work on stuff myself is because, despite the frustration things like this bring, and the fact that I'd rather spend my weekends out on the trail than in my shop banging my knuckles, I get great satisfaction from the knowledge that a job like this brings. Knowing how something comes apart and goes back together can bring you incredible peace of mind when you're out on the trail doing things that have the potential to break something. It takes the mystery out of that feeling of "what would I do if something goes wrong?" There's a lot of security in knowing you can actually fix something that breaks, if needed. And as difficult as some of that work looks in our videos, let me tell you, it's a LOT easier doing it in the shop, with full tools, a 2-post lift, air and electric power, and a fridge full of beer...than doing something for the first time out on the trail when something breaks.

Well said. I came from a Rubicon and debated the Sasquatch/non for a long time (from July 20 to January 21 order time) Ultimately went non Sasquatch with a rear locker and am happy, but once in a while I turn around on a trail I might have tried with Sasquatch. You were (an still are) the hero of the non Sasquatch crowd, but now have graduated to the push it to the limit crew.

And nothing is like the knowledge and the satisfaction gained by a job you did yourself. My Dad was a mechanic and I have always done my own work, sometimes getting in over my head, but with perseverance (and now youtube) I've made it through. Knowing how things work and go together helps in a lot of way when out in the world.

 

[Dusty]

Ultimately went non Sasquatch with a rear locker and am happy

Had they offered a rear locker as a stand-alone option on the Base, I might have sprung for it. And perhaps left it that way LOL.

 

[Dusty]

I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it, as the old adage goes. We’re about six weeks out for swapping all our stuff so this was helpful. We’ll be doing the steering rack at the same time so it’s good to know the planned order of disassembly was correct.

Yeah I have a HOSS3 rack sitting in a box in my shop, I'm not looking forward to diving back in for the swap LOL. I'm probably going to take it down to Quinn to turn it into a Stage 3 before I do though. Sort of waiting for folks to sort out the ProCal issues around it first.

 

[SierraBronco]

Yeah I have a HOSS3 rack sitting in a box in my shop, I'm not looking forward to diving back in for the swap LOL. I'm probably going to take it down to Quinn to turn it into a Stage 3 before I do though. Sort of waiting for folks to sort out the ProCal issues around it first.

I’m under the impression that Quinn takes care of the programming and it is supposed to be plug and play. Is that inaccurate?

 

[Tricky Mike]

My gut (and the Grim Jeeper gear calculator) told me different

5.13's with 35's comes very close to the final drive ratio the 7MT Broncos had stock (with 30" tires and 4.46 gears). I remember from those days that it was geared a little too low for normal on-road driving. Very torquey, almost had to use 2nd for initial take-off. When I put my 35's on (pre-gear change) yes it was then a bit under-geared (geared slightly too high for highway but still did OK off-road in low range). I never drove it on 35's with the 5.13's so I can't give a seat of the pants comparison, but the numbers in the calculator are close.

I took a gamble with the 5.13's for 37's. Most folks said they thought I should go 5.29 or 5.38. But after driving it like that for about a month and a half I think it's just right with 5.13's and 37's. Acts perfectly on-road, has usable highway gears in 5th and 6th, is low enough for just about anything off-road. In Crawl gear it is still VERY low. If it can get the traction, it can drag itself up anything with very little throttle. There's nothing we've done so far that the tiny bit of extra crawl ratio the deeper gears would have given, would have made any difference.

So overall I think this gear and tire size combo is just right. With 35's it would have been back to being slightly too-low geared, IMO. But hey, if you like yours to drive like a Massey-Furgeson, have at it

It's all in your preference I guess. I don't like 4.70/35s at all, 1st is too tall and requires clutch slip on the slightest hill start and 6th is unusable at any speed without piling on the boost. 5.13 should improve both.

 

[Dusty]

I’m under the impression that Quinn takes care of the programming and it is supposed to be plug and play. Is that inaccurate?

He does, but he's a friend of mine and he was more interested in doing a quick, "while I wait" turnaround on it for me if I already had ProCal and didn't need him to do the programming too. I'm sure he would do that for me too but I'm in no hurry so if the folks working on it in the other thread and dealing with Ford Perf customer support can get it figured out, I'd rather do it with the ProCal I already paid for than bother Quinn with that part of it.

 

[87-Z28]

I appreciate the video on the FDU swap and the attention to details. Thanks for the effort. I am eventually going to tackle this job on the floor with jack stands. nice to clearly see the pita I am in for. Definitely going to do the steering rack at the same time.

The guys on this thread probably already know this but others viewing may not.

HOSS 3.0 rack programming steps for those that are unaware that this can be done without ford performance tuner. Pioneered by @BigMeatsBronco

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...ford-performance-m-3200-wt.51284/post-1680448

 

[kodiakisland]

My gut (and the Grim Jeeper gear calculator) told me different

5.13's with 35's comes very close to the final drive ratio the 7MT Broncos had stock (with 30" tires and 4.46 gears). I remember from those days that it was geared a little too low for normal on-road driving. Very torquey, almost had to use 2nd for initial take-off. When I put my 35's on (pre-gear change) yes it was then a bit under-geared (geared slightly too high for highway but still did OK off-road in low range). I never drove it on 35's with the 5.13's so I can't give a seat of the pants comparison, but the numbers in the calculator are close.

I took a gamble with the 5.13's for 37's. Most folks said they thought I should go 5.29 or 5.38. But after driving it like that for about a month and a half I think it's just right with 5.13's and 37's. Acts perfectly on-road, has usable highway gears in 5th and 6th, is low enough for just about anything off-road. In Crawl gear it is still VERY low. If it can get the traction, it can drag itself up anything with very little throttle. There's nothing we've done so far that the tiny bit of extra crawl ratio the deeper gears would have given, would have made any difference.

So overall I think this gear and tire size combo is just right. With 35's it would have been back to being slightly too-low geared, IMO. But hey, if you like yours to drive like a Massey-Furgeson, have at it

It really depends on personal preference, driving style, terrain, etc. Factory ratios were too high for my likes. For me, lower is better, especially when you have upper gears you don't even use. Many of us cut our teeth on rock crushers that you used first or second as your starting gear, depending on conditions.

After a re gear, few people ever wish they had gone higher. Many wish they had gone lower. For the time, money, and effort spent, I'd go with the 5.38s.

 

[Dusty]

It really depends on personal preference, driving style, terrain, etc. Factory ratios were too high for my likes. For me, lower is better, especially when you have upper gears you don't even use. Many of us cut our teeth on rock crushers that you used first or second as your starting gear, depending on conditions.

After a re gear, few people ever wish they had gone higher. Many wish they had gone lower. For the time, money, and effort spent, I'd go with the 5.38s.

If I ever go to 40's I'll probably wish I had done 5.38's. But with 37's there's no place I won't be able to go, that I would have been able to with 5.38's. And for what it's worth those of us with the 7-speed technically take off in 2nd gear already . As it is now, I use all of 6th gear on the highway and sometimes even wish I had 7th. I feel like I'd be winding it out too much with 5.38's, on my commutes. This is still my daily driver first and foremost, as gay as that sounds for me to admit LOL.

 

[Dusty]

BTW have you seen the size of the pinion gear in these things, in person? They're already teeny-tiny. The one for my 5.13's already has me concerned, and of course the lower gear pinions are even smaller.

Sponsored