Flazer
Observer
Thanks for the encouragement. I'll start with the adjustment rod, I had recently read that. We'll have some nice weather this weekend, so I can work on that. While I was under the rear end, I checked the breather hose. It's clear and tucked up with a plastic plug loosely in the end. I'll grab a small filter like you're saying and put it on there.There are three things that can cause your current brake problems. 1: Your MC has bad seals and needs rebuilt. 2: Your vacuum booster is leaking and needs replaced. 3: Your brake adjustment rod, which connects the pedal to the booster and MC, needs adjustment. I'm thinking its 3 though you may as well rebuild the MC while your at it. It IS almost 30 years old. Anyways, for the rod, you simply need to disconnect it from the pedal and unscrew it from the firewall an inch or two. See if that helps. The reason why I say its the rod is because it sounds like the PO did a half assed job of rebuilding your brakes so its possible he threw a new or remaned MC and/or booster in and didn't make the necessary adjustments.
As far as your axles go, I wouldn't worry. Sounds like you got the job done. So long as there aren't any burs on the axles shafts to damage the seals, you shouldn't have to worry about them. I would make sure that the breather tube for the axle is clean and is run up to the engine with a filter installed to keep water and dirt out of the axle though. Should also help keep any oil from being pushed out around the seals as temps changed.
Good luck finding an I6 with the M5OD combo. Its the most sought after and rarest combo out there. If you have your heart set on it, you're better off finding the engine and tranny separately and bolting them together yourself. The hard part will be finding the output shaft adapter, since the bronco is so much shorter than the F series pickups you'll have to source for the transmission. Keep the 8.8 rear. Its actually tougher than the 9". The only reason most people like the 9" is so they can swap out diffs so much faster.
If you want any sort of simple lift, go with a 2" spring lift from JBG. Coils and leafs are cheap enough and easy enough to install. Just make sure you get the adjustable camber bushings so you can get the alignment done after the new springs. Keep the 15" wheels too. There are still plenty of tire sizes out there that use them. You just have to go to a place like discount tire or a tire specific place. Off road stores only sell what they sponsor. I run 33X10.5 Wrangler BFGs on 15" wheels and with the right alignment and a tie rod flip, they don't even rub on the frame.
Good luck on your build. Looking forward to seeing it in action.
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