• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Early bronco axles

XNorCalX

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Sacramento
Hey guys. I have access to a 44 and 9 inch combo out of an early bronco. I have searched the forums and find bits here and there but no solid answers on whether or not these axles will work. Is anybody running this setup? Any info would be great. Thanks
 
Driver drop (XJ style) will make things much easier on you than passenger drop. I don't remember what the front axle on an early bronco is though. Also, check how much, if any, the pinion on the rear axle is offset from center.
 
early broncos have driver drop with the pinion more towards center. The rear should be centered. Dont know if they are low or high pinion, depends on the year.
 
I know that the front axle is driver side and the rear is right on center. The front is not high pinion on the early broncos. I realy want to know if the width is ok and if the fact that the front pinion is closer towards the center is a problem. Also is it easy to connect the xj steering to the axle
 
I put a 30 in the front of my bronco2, i beat the shit out of it in the rubicon a couple times...no breakages. The design of these systems was brilliant and a great and cheap alternative for any straight axle conversions. Pretty much bolt in for my aplication, i don't think i'td be hard at all for an xj.
 
I put a 30 in the front of my bronco2, i beat the shit out of it in the rubicon a couple times...no breakages. The design of these systems was brilliant and a great and cheap alternative for any straight axle conversions. Pretty much bolt in for my aplication, i don't think i'td be hard at all for an xj.

Bronco 2 is not the same as an early bronco. FYI.
 
Of course it'll work, if you put some work into it. I might be able to get ahold of the same setup from a mid 70's F100 from a friend. I'll be interested to see what you work out with this.
 
i would think that if the front pinion is closer to the center then it will be tight. there isn't much room between the driveshaft and the downtube. if you move the front pinion over much at all it will puch the downtube into the oil pan and naughty things will happen, ask me how i know. you could cheat the whole front end over with the track bar (if your keeping the factory setup) which may look goofy depending on how far you go.

I think if your high enough this becomes a non issue.

I don't know anything about the width, they are narrower then fullsize so would probably be alright

on a side note, i know it can work, cause theres a 9" d44 set on craigslist in maine thats currently under an xj, they used the stock radius arm setup from the ford butchered onto the xj. but i would think it would still have a track bar and that would mean the pinion thing does work, but that ones pretty high too.
 
Bronco 2 is not the same as an early bronco. FYI.[/QUOTE


i put an early bronc axle in the front of my b2...the subject line says early bronco axle FYI

Damn, I had thought you meant you had installed an XJ D30 under a Bronco 2, and were just lost in your own little world. Makes more sense now.



Pretty sure Farmer Matt put early Bronco axles under his John Deere Cherokee.
 
I recently bought a front D44 that came out of an early Bronco. It is low pinion, and the diff is more centered than a D30. The axle is also a bit shorter than a stock XJ axle .... maybe 2 inches at most.

To run one in an XJ you will have to fab up some upper control arm mounts on the tube, and you'll need to fab up some spring plates in the right spots.

Its a decent option, but the low pinion, off-center diff, and shorter width mean it might not be the best option.

IMG_2218.JPG
 
I recently bought a front D44 that came out of an early Bronco. It is low pinion, and the diff is more centered than a D30. The axle is also a bit shorter than a stock XJ axle .... maybe 2 inches at most.

To run one in an XJ you will have to fab up some upper control arm mounts on the tube, and you'll need to fab up some spring plates in the right spots.

Its a decent option, but the low pinion, off-center diff, and shorter width mean it might not be the best option.

IMG_2218.JPG
good call. i was researching this as-well and its hard to find a direct answer lol just start it so you have to make it work then tell me how you did it :spin1:
 
Back
Top