​So now that im done with the electrical upgrades, the next step is to inspect my neglected axles. So, tuesday i got the truck up on jackstands!

Pulled the steering off so i could inspect the ARB. it has seen better days!

I am replacing the whole steering setup with the system the Boulder Proof HD Steering Kit from Broncoair​. Unfortunately backordered for a couple weeks due to COVID, but ive got enough to do just yet that it shouldnt delay me anyway.

So i took a look at the ARB, to see if i could find my air leak. Figuring after 15 years an o-ring was leaking. Well.....

...the copper supply tube is ruptured, so that needs to be replaced. So the ARB is coming out.

Breaking it down:

Probably 5 years since i inspected the bearings. Was super happy to find nice clean grease!

spindle seal is shot, on both sides

Difficult to see, but i cracked both upper kingpin bushings, so theyll need replaced

stripped bare, ready to start cleaning the housing:

parts!

As of today, the knuckles, wheel bearing hubs, spindles & caliper brackets are now cleaned & painted!

and i got my new collar for the ARB in the mail yesterday too

So now im putting together a shopping list of parts that i need to get it back together. I was looking at bronze kingpin bushings. Pricing seems to be all over the place, with RuffStuff @ $90, Branik @ $95, Ballistic @ $100, TMR @ $130, NWF @ $149, ECGS @ $159, etc etc. I cant see much of a difference in them, so not sure why the price is all over the place like that. This is the second set ive cracked, so i think while its apart im gonna upgrade to em.

Probably going to run them in conjunction with the springless kingpin bushing kit from PartsMike.
All my bearings & kingpins are in good shape, with the exception of the lower kingpin bearings. After cleaning theyre looking a little rough so im going to change them, and get new seals.
upper kingpin seal, Spicer 620058
lower kingpin seal, Spicer 41777

for the spindle seal i was going to use the Spicer 708084 kit, which is the updated '2 seal' version for the 92-97 Ford axles, as im pretty sure this will fit the 79 D60. Comes with spindle bearing.  Spicer 708084

The hub seal should be the same as pretty much every other D60 out there, National p/n NS 415960

From there i think im going to order a set of the 35 spline Yukon locking hubs for street use. The Spicers, while bomb proof, dont lock/unlock very easily, and im just tired of always disassembling them to get them to work again, so theyre getting replaced. I also need to spec and order a new pair of shocks for the front. So yeah, lots of parts to buy!

Im gonna try to get everything ordered this weekend, and then next week yank the ARB out, change the orings, replace the collar and reinstall. If i get done before i get my parts in, then i guess ill move to the rear and start taking that apart (it needs wheel seals and rotors). Im hoping to drive this thing down the road before Xmas!

So the next big part of the wiring job is the electric fan.
I opted for a can controller from DC Control, specifically his model FK-75 controller. Its a PWM controller, rated for 75a continuous duty, and fully adjustable. For those that dont know what PWM is, its pulse width modulation. The short version is, it doesn't just turn the fan on, it pulses the power on & off, to control how fast the fan spins. This means you can run the fan at any speed you want, and it also means theres no big load on the electrical system when the fan starts. Most OEMs are now going this way for their electric fans, and its all over the industrial world as well since its so effective for motor control. Anyway....

So im running the windstar fan, which i installed on the radiator some time ago:

Its 2 single speed fans that Ford ran in parallel. Its not a high/low thing.

Fan controller:

Came with everything required to wire it up, so lets get to it!​

So this took a while, but the end result was well worth it.  All the aux wiring is done!!

So, i bought a relay box off amazon:

​Switches for the locker, line lock, light bar & winch control are installed:

​i bought 18ga 12 conductor cable to wire the switches:

​Wiring up the fuse/relay box:

I have one standalone circuit for each accessory, plus one spare already run from the box to the dash, so if i ever want to add another switch, all the wiring is already done.
Everything is color coded; the switch wiring is color matched to the individual +12 for each accessory so i cant mix up any wires. There is also a key-hot power source turning on 2 of the relays; one is for the OBA system, and the second is for the elec fan, so i dont have to worry about remembering to turn either on.

...and installed!

A​t this point, every accessory has been wired, and tested for function.

​Made a trip to the junkyard last week to find parts for a buddies car, but i couldnt come home empty handed!

• One tan passenger panel, in great shape!
• One gray driver panel in decent (repairable) shape
• one non-cruise 87-91 horn pad
• one 87-91 dash panel in great shape
• and (not pictured) one really nice black dome light.

I now have everything to do the power window/mirror/lock upgrade on the green bronco, except for a tan driver panel. One day ill find one.

So ive had pretty good luck with the Badlands Wireless winch remotes. So i bought a second, and wired it into the bronco!

Hidden here in front of the battery:

and some simple wiring to the contactor:

The power source is the switched output of my disconnect, that way the receiver only has power when the winch does.

So from there i directed my attention to the dash. Removed the pocket from the dash panel, and made a switch panel (out of a cheap plastic tray from walmart) to take its place:

The finished product; i also added a hole for in-cab winch control, and that little LED is for my fan controller, altho we'll talk about that in another post

Laying out the wiring. I bought 12 conductor cable, so everything would be bundled together, and color coded:
Youll note 3 extra wires. The brown is going to be supplied with a key hot, which will turn on certain accessories (such as the OBA & elec fan) as soon as i turn the key on. The 2 black wires are spares, just in case i decide to add an additional switch down the road; itll all already be wired up and ready to go, ill just have to stuff a switch in somewhere and tie in to those wires.

Going in for the final install:

​...and done!

​I routed the harness thru the firewall where the cruise control used to enter, so no extra holes in the firewall. For now the cable is just laying across the engine bay, but the next step (starting tomorrow hopefully) will be to wire up the relay box for all this stuff!

Ok, decided the next step actually was to re-install the OBA. This took longer than i thought, but atleast its done!

So with the York on the passenger side down where the smog pump used to be, i had to completely rebuild my manifold. Started with the bracket to mount it:

​after multiple tries, the rough draft:

the oil return for the york crank case is buried down there. I can barely see it, let alone get to it

​So i bent up some 1/4" stainless tubing, to get it out and in the open:

Much better! manifold done and installed!
That round black cylinder next to the alt is my intake filter.

3½ gallon tank underneath the rear bench seat:

air chuck at front bumper:

...and the air chuck at the rear bumper:

​I still have to re-run the air line for the ARB. Now that the solenoid is on the other side of the engine bay,the supply tube is no longer long enough, so i have to get some more. But aside from that (and the wiring), the OBA is done! So with that done, it looks like i cant put it off any longer, and next week ill be doing a ton of wiring.

​So now i have a ton of wiring to do. I need to wire up the OBA, ARB, electric fan, line lock, and winch control. So im going to build a whole harness for control wiring so i can install the switches in the dash, and then run over to a relay box on the passenger fender liner. Lots of wires to run, and im surrently stil designing the harness, so this part will prob take me a week or two to sort it all out.

i bought a new relay box off Amazon, check this thing out:

6 relay box with fuses. Came with all the pins to make all the connections plus they include spares, and silicone boots to seal underneath. $20 on Amazon​

So now im working out the wiring diagram. Yesterday i got notification of shipment for my electric fan controller so hopefully ill have that this week since ill need it to build this harness. So i decided to test my winch wiring.

This is the switch im going to use in the dash, for in-cab controls, complete with temp wiring to see if the winch works

...which it does!  Winch cable is finally rewound!

​So i guess this week ill begin laying down wires to start building my aux harness. Hopefully i can get that done quickly, because im hoping to have the truck done by thanksgiving!

Ok seriously though. Got the gauges wired!

I decided to do it a little differently this time. So i made this harness that goes down into the dash, but it goes to a connector, so its not hardwired into the truck:

​That plug goes into the dash harness. key hot to power the gauges, ground, illumination, and then of course the two wires that go to the sending units. That harness is built into the dash so i dont have any pics of it. But!

​and lit up! Paired with some cheap LED bulbs for the dash, and they match perfectly, i love em

​That was the most important part of the job by far!

​Black windshield trim!

​...and new windshield installed!

​I got my center console cleaned up and ready to go:

Cup holder inserts were backordered, now look like theyll be arriving this weekend, so i guess next week we'll be doing the cupholder mod and getting this installed!

I took all 5 locks (doors, tailgate, glovebox & console) over to the locksmith to get them all rekeyed, to match the tailgate key for my 96. Yay for sharing keys! Ill get those back sometime next week.


I started wiring these up today too:

Theyre from New Vintage USA. They make some really nice gauges. These are their aviator series, but with a twist: normally the aviator series would illuminate red, but they custom made this set to be green like stock :cool: They even do full cluster replacements for our trucks, which is pretty cool.
Unfortunately i wont be able to complete the gauge install this week as my pod is cracked so i had to order a new one which i wont get until this weekend. But im hoping to get them all wired up so i can just install them once it arrives (and i get it painted).