Ford Performance Debuts Bronco 4600 Race Trucks

[BAUS67]

I wouldn't be so quick to upgrade. The Bronco axles are spec'd for 35's. On other vehicles 35's are oversized and require the upgrade. Time will tell.

I'm sure once they come out they will have some sort of spec for the Bronc.

This is from the FAQ section ....................


Q: What is the max tire size for RCV shafts?
Dana 30 - 35"

Dana 44 - 40"

Dana 60 - 47"

Toyota solid axle - No limit

RCV Independent Front - 40"

RCV Big Bell - No limit

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[Nickp]

the only thing about upgrading axle and drive shafts is your front dif. Especially if you’re running 5.13’s or 5.38’s with 37’s+ you’re starting to get into territory where I’d be worried about grenading the front dif rather than one of the aforementioned items that usually would go first. and that is going to be a BAD day.

Then again, if Ford trusts the front dif with this setup it should be fine for 99% of us even on 37’s...

 

[BAUS67]

The winch bumper, seeing the Dana 60 rear and front axle setup with portals and RCV’s is killer. This says a lot for the aftermarket world!
I went through 3 pages of negativity before responding. I think it was a great update!

That's because all of us gear heads were watching the Hammers. j/k

I wish @OX1 was posting more around here, haven't heard from him in while . He would be in heaven !!!... he already has portals on his Ford pickup.

I thought maybe you saw or heard something official.


I'm more interested in the IFS bolt on portals if I HAD to have IFS.
My portal rig (78, 400/C6/Mog 404's/42 IROKS) routinely beat out my buddies 89 bronco.
We both had the same 42 IROKS for years, but he has more gear
(5.13's and 4:1 doubler, vs 7.56's and 2:1 case for me),
better motor (him 460 EFI, me stockish 400 on pane),
more suspension travel (since I was very limited uptravel
due to mog 404 diffs, especially).

But 6" more clearance made it seem like I had 54's compared to him
and could make up for a lot of deficiencies from a downgraded axle/suspension
system like IFS/IRS.

Lots of good conversation in the old days.

 

[BAUS67]

the only thing about upgrading axle and drive shafts is your front dif. Especially if you’re running 5.13’s or 5.38’s with 37’s+ you’re starting to get into territory where I’d be worried about grenading the front dif rather than one of the aforementioned items that usually would go first. and that is going to be a BAD day.

Then again, if Ford trusts the front dif with this setup it should be fine for 99% of us even on 37’s...

You are correct about those gears making it tough on the diff. But for the most part portals have a gear reduction themselves. so you don't have to run as much ring gear in your diff because you get the reduction from the portals making your axle survive longer.

.......ask your crawling buddy he should know all about the pros and cons of portals.

 

[OX1]

Portals can be more than 2 gears, to maintain correct rotation @ the wheels. They are expensive, because parts have to be beefy. Just think of the torque reaction of the entire hub with a 5-6 inch radius between the actual axle and the tire.

My original setup used stock rear leaves on a 78 bronco. Didn't need any lift, just the 6" from portals and maybe 3/4 inch from a shackle flip. I had made a torque arm from part of a beefier driveshaft slip yoke. The first time I goosed it just a bit in 2WD, sheared that slip yoke in half instantly. Over the next couple years, I ripped pretty much every suspension mount to shreds. The stress portals put on susp links is ridiculous.

Here is what I ended up with for just that rear torque arm. 2.25", 3/8" wall DOM, with a 1.5", 1/4 wall inside it, so it can flex (for/aft). Then 1/2 inch plate structure mounted directly onto the stock pinion mount. 404 mogs use a torque arm suspension, so the main susp link is a tube on a ball socket at the transfer case end. It's kind of like a one link if you've ever seen them, but driveshaft runs inside torque arm/link.

Tore right through 3/8 plate on the axle end, upper front link (on a custom 3 link). Doubled it up, so 3/4" thick on both sides. It's finally held.

The 404's use a 3.54 diff and a 2.13 portal gear ratio (total 7.56). The diff's spin the axles backwards, so the 2 gear drive spins them the right way again. Kind of freaky watching your CV's (yes, they used double cardan CV's in front axles, instead of single U-joints) spinning backwards, while you are going forwards. Hence I run a stock 2:1, 205 case with 43's and gear is plenty adequate, even with crappy 2.X first gear in C6.

The main downside to portals is you raise every single pound of the vehicle (cept tires/brakes) up 5-6 inches, and get no more up travel on suspension. That is why I roll often, my rig is super tall with 43's and an effective 7" lift. But there are few rigs that can keep up with me in big rocks, especially @ the speed I travel.

Mercedes had some really cool features on an axle effectively designed in the 60's. Like

Rear steer for tie rods that bent down under diff (front diff was shaved flat to allow tie rods to not really hang below diff).

Steering arms angled upwards to keep drag link and tie rods higher, out of harms way.

Mechanically locked diff's (which I put 2 additional stock transfer case levers connected to cables for actuation, see pic, next to center console).

As mentioned, grease-able CV's in front axles, vs single U-joint.

High pinion diff's (although pinion was SUPER long).

Crazy large bearing sets in diff, although I did manage to break one once
(in 17 years). Here is a mog 3rd compared to 9"

and of course the portals. 74's original design was based off the 404 mog, and even used
stock 404 mog bearings and seals.

A 404 box torn down, you can see how large they had to make output shaft bearing.

 

[395N]

A little some thing else to point out that look great on this race Bronco is the Rigid 6 inch 360 series lights. They look much more in scale than the 4 inch which is what Ford is offering through the B&P.
Also, save some money. The 4 inch B&P lights are $650...those can be had for $350 retail. The 6 inch lights are $600.00 retail.

 

[BAUS67]

Portals can be more than 2 gears, to maintain correct rotation @ the wheels. They are expensive, because parts have to be beefy. Just think of the torque reaction of the entire hub with a 5-6 inch radius between the actual axle and the tire. ....................................

................ That's what I'm talkin bout

Well damn I stand corrected I guess with all these threads now our paths must not cross much.

How the hell 'ya been buddy !!! Hope everything is well. not much of the old guard around much that I see. Guess I'm just not in the right threads. Anyway Glad to see ya dude !!!!

Thanks for posting.

 

[BAUS67]

A little some thing else to point out that look great on this race Bronco is the Rigid 6 inch 360 series lights. They look much more in scale than the 4 inch which is what Ford is offering through the B&P.
Also, save some money. The 4 inch B&P lights are $650...those can be had for $350 retail. The 6 inch lights are $600.00 retail.

we just put those on a Raptor a couple of months ago,............... nice lights.

 

[395N]

we just put those on a Raptor a couple of months ago,............... nice lights.

Sweet! Love Rigid stuff.

 

[OX1]

................ That's what I'm talkin bout

Well damn I stand corrected I guess with all these threads now our paths must not cross much.

How the hell 'ya been buddy !!! Hope everything is well. not much of the old guard around much that I see. Guess I'm just not in the right threads. Anyway Glad to see ya dude !!!!

Thanks for posting.

No, you are right. I don't post much (I just stumbled on this thread). I'm not buying new at this point (don't want a variable displacement engine, not sure yet if solid axle, especially a mog, will even fit in front, etc..) and very few threads have been geared around hard core modding or "crawling" (so far).

I am staying in touch in hopes that someone with some stones (meaning not afraid to break their rig) in my area builds a bronc on 40's or better. As mentioned in the past, would love to have some Ford wheelin partners again. I realize it's a tall order to expect anyone to spend 40-50 grand on a new rig, another 20 modding it and then beat the hell out of it like I do.

Anyway, nice to hear from you too, always liked reading your posts.

 

[MYBRONCO]

I'm very excited for these 4600 class broncos. Like was said earlier, its the motherload of invention and ingenuity for the guys who have minimal fab/work time on their rig. I'll be excited to see the progression of the IFS front, and will be even more excited when someone starts swapping the fronts into older Broncos(cough 2nd gen cough).

 

[rkj__]

I've enjoyed all the talk of the portal axles in this thread. Portals are certainly not a new idea, but they remain a pretty rare modification. Outside of their stock applications like HMMWV and Unimog, I only tend to see them under scratch built race buggies or rock cralers. It remains pretty rare to see portals end up under something like a Bronco or a JK.

As some know, portals have recently become popular on RC rock crawlers. It is nice not to ram your front differential into a 1.5" tall rock you did not even notice on the trail. As mentioned above, one of the most significant downsides is a higher centre of gravity.

 

[vrtical]

.....do the Mustang axles have a warranty like this ?????

RCV Ultimate IFS CV Axles for Independent Front Suspension are designed to overcome the limitations of your Ford F-150 IFS axle shafts. Ultimate IFS CV Axles provide increased strength that original equipment axle shafts just can't match. Even if you have big tires and big power there are no worries. Ultimate IFS CV Axles are low maintenance, and are backed with a "No Questions Asked" limited lifetime warranty. Our IFS CV axles meet and exceed the strength of a straight axle swap, while allowing you to maintain the traction, smoothness and control of your IFS. Ultimate IFS CV Axles are race proven and endurance tested. Put the power down with confidence!

The Ford Performance and G-Force ones have lifetime on them.

 

[BAUS67]

No, you are right. I don't post much (I just stumbled on this thread). I'm not buying new at this point (don't want a variable displacement engine, not sure yet if solid axle, especially a mog, will even fit in front, etc..) and very few threads have been geared around hard core modding or "crawling" (so far).

I am staying in touch in hopes that someone with some stones (meaning not afraid to break their rig) in my area builds a bronc on 40's or better. As mentioned in the past, would love to have some Ford wheelin partners again. I realize it's a tall order to expect anyone to spend 40-50 grand on a new rig, another 20 modding it and then beat the hell out of it like I do.

Anyway, nice to hear from you too, always liked reading your posts.

I'm 'gonna have some fun on the 35's first. Been looking at these fenders ................. maybe 37's on a Squatch.

 

[OX1]

I'm 'gonna have some fun on the 35's first. Been looking at these fenders ................. maybe 37's on a Squatch.

They cover the entire rear 1/4?

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