This is a 10.25" Sterling axle I got from a 97 F250 (newer body style). it is semi-floating, has 3.55 gears with open differential. it has an odd 7-lug pattern instead of the normal 8-lug but this shouldn't be a problem regardless since I am going to be converting it to 5-lug in the end.

I am going to have custom axleshafts made that will be just like the stock axleshafts but they will use a custom flange that will be similar to the 8.8" 5x5.5" pattern my original axle had. they said they can also make it use any other pattern no problem.

As for the brakes, I have ordered a weld-on disc brake conversion. there are bolt on kits avalible but they will use the bigger 3/4" Chevy brakes. Because I want to fit inside of a 15" rim and unsure of clearance issues, I went with a weld-on bracket for a 3.5" diameter tube Ford 9" axle from Ruffstuff. it is going to allow the use of stock bronco front rotors with 5x5.5 pattern.

While at the junkyard I was looking for any semi floating Sterling axle I could and they are harder to find than I imagined they should be but I knew they exist and my F250 has one even. the only one I was able to find was for a newer body style 97 F250. I didn't see any immediate reason it wouldn't work. I tried to measure the distance between the leafsprings as best as I could and it seemed like it is the same or really close (within an inch or so) to the olderbody style. just incase it isn't close enough I ordered a pair of 3.5" leaf spring perches to weld on which will greatly help with axle wrap.

I never knew Ford used a 7-lug axle in a 3/4 ton truck or ever for that matter. I figured they would use 8-lug for all 3/4 ton applications and am unsure why they even would want to switch to a 7-lug.

Either way it wont matter in the long run

I went ahead and pulled the cover and drained the fluid. Pulled the spider gears out and then the axle shafts.

I measured the axleshafts for any info I needed to in order to have Dutchman Motorsports make me a custom pair with the 5x5.5 lug pattern.

Also I pulled the drum brakes off simple by removing the 4 bolts holding each bracket to the flange.

I wasn't entirely sure if my leaf spring perches were the same distance apart than what my truck used. Ever time I measured it seemed close but still off by about an inch. wasn't sure if I was just measuring bad, which is a big possibility, or if I could get away with it if it was off an inch. Decided to just get a new set of perches from Ruffstuff just in case.

I cut off the old perch on each side using a simple angle grinder. just have to be carefull and avoid cutting the axle tube. even if does it can be welded back up to patch. I just cut the parch the best I could then used a mini-sledge hammer to bust if the rest of the way off

Once busted off then grind down any remaining weld on the tube that can be in the way

both perches have been cut off successfully and ground down almost smooth

new leaf spring perch from Ruffstuff. I had to grind them abit to make them fit good around the axletube but nothing too much. these perches are great and designed to be long to prevent axle wrap, and have 3 different holes for moving the axle forward or backwards an inch.

I am going to wait to weld these on till after the axle is under the truck and weight is on the axle. Once its under the truck with weight on the suspension, im going rotate the axle so I can get the pinion angle of the driveshaft perfect. this will eliminate the need for the factory angle blocks found on the broncos and it will also make it better for 3" lift I got from my F250 springs

this is my weld on disc brake bracket from Ruffstuff. this one specifically is for a 9inch axle with 3.0inch tube which i accidentally ordered instead of for the 3.5inch. the reason I choose this bracket was because it was designed to work with the same rotors found on the front of my truck and should work great with 15inch wheels. there are other brackets they sell but I was unsure if they fit inside the 15inch wheels or the 5x5.5inch rotors because they are more for 8-lug setups and bigger rotors

I cut alittle more than half of the back circle off the bracket so I could get them on. even though these are only 3.0 inch instead of the 3.5inch circles I meant to order, I will grind a fair amount to make them sit flush.

have them ground down to now be pretty flush to the axle tube.

I will weld them on once I know for sure where they need to sit. I have to wait for my custom axleshafts to be in before that

both sides are done and ready to be welded up. just waiting on my custom axleshafts

I got my custom axleshafts in today from Dutchman Motorsports. they were great to deal with and I highly recommend them.

7-lug axleshaft vs my new 5-lug axleshaft.

the hub doesn't stick out very far. this doesn't bother me too much but it would have been nice if the hub went far enough to reach inside the wheel more.

I also ordered new bearings and seals with the shafts

the C-clip was alittle loose on the new axleshaft. as you might be able to see the groove was alittle wider than it probably should have been. however, as long as the 'button width' (width between the c-clip and end of shaft) is the same as, this will not be an issue. the crosspin shaft will keep the clip tight inside the spider gear. you probably couldn't fit a fatter clip in there once you assemble it.

got the shafts in and axle all buttoned up ready for gearoil.

just as I thought, once assembled, the c-clip being alittle loose is no issue at all. there is virtually no play in the axle

im having issues finding a correct rotor to use. the hub pilot on the new axles are 3.440 inches to match the same as the 8.8 inch hub pilot. however the rotors I want to use are 3.88 inches so they will not be hubcentric or lug centric meaning I have no way to make them stay centered.

welded up the disc brake mounts. I mocked up the brakes and rotors to find out exactly where to weld it. it turned out to be perfect alittle bit away from the axle flange leaving a 1/8th inch gap that I was able to fill. I used an arc welder to weld it and the gap made the weld look abit ugly but its strong

brakes all assembled

checking clearance on a 15 inch wheel. it was close in some spots but cleared. defiantly want to make sure to use a disc brake adapter for a 1/2 ton axle that uses smaller brakes. I wouldn't be surprised if I find some scrapes on the rim next time I pull it off

got the axle swapped under it and made the axle so its got an equal amount of distance between the leafs and the rotors, put the wheels on, and had it on its own weight with no jacks supporting it. this will provide the correct pinion angle and driveshaft length. put the u-bolts loose and perches not welded yet. I ditched the factory angle blocks as I am going to set the pinion angle exact. I used a straightedge on the pinion to determine the exact amount of pinion angle needed by pointing it exactly to transfer case yoke. I was lucky enough to have a 48inch pipe wrench from work that made it easy to spin the axle even with the weight of the vehicle on it but using a jack under the pinion to raise it should work also.

once I got the pinone angle where I wanted I went ahead and welded the leaf perches on and tightened the u-bolts

had to make a new brake line. the brake hose is a stock Chevy brake hose for JB5 brakes to match the JB5 caliper I used. the brake hoses are quite long so this is how I have them by bending the hard section of the hose.

I had ordered a couple weld-on brake line tabs and clips from Ruffstuff that I used to hold the hose ends in place.

got the driveshaft in place. length was perfect and the pinion angle is pretty much exact.

brand new driveshaft thanks to a local company called Precision Shaft Technology. they did an excellent job on it and very easy to work with. cost me $300 and it uses 1350 joints.

its a few inches shorter than stock. when I measured from axle to transfercase and vehicle sitting with full weight, I THINK it turned up being 25-26 inches. it also has 3" of lift in the back and E4OD tranny.

due to the axle being from a newer body style 97 F250, the shock mount was different and would work with the way our shocks are. I ordered a pair of shock mounts from Ruffstuff that made this very easy. if the axle was from a 96 or earlier then it wouldn't need them.

because I am planning on building a pretty strong engine for this truck, I might take advantage of the stock shock mounts and use them for mounting traction bars

all done!

swaybar i got from a F250 w/ 10.25 axle at the junkyard. direct swap on but i bought extended swaybar links to help with the lift. stock 8.8 axle swaybar brackets will not fit on the 10.25 axle. i like driving fast and turn sharp so i felt a swaybar would help me some

swaybar installed