anyone seen a suspension kit with more than 5.5 of lift? ive seen a few pics of driveline angles and i was wondering how high a bronc can go without getting too wicked for the double cardan. i am not a big fan of body lifts so i would like to steer clear of those if possible. anyone fabbed up some drop brackets for trans or transfer? whats the biggest meats i can run on the 9 and 44 without busting stuff. will most likely be a tar baby with an occasional trip in the sand. so give a yell, help me build her.
heres what i am figuring so far-
31 spline, gears and lockers
disc front and rear
shock hoops front and rear
prerunner bumpers front and rear
cage
winch front and (rear?,never seen one)
procar seats and harnesses
Superlift offers some taller kits than 5.5". But in my experience, they make the Bronco too top heavy and compromise safety. At 5.5", the stock steering (modified for the lift) is working near the limits as far as angles are concerned. The driveline angles will be the least of your worries. Front axle caster will need to be addressed so that it will steer properly.
There is really nothing wrong with a quality body lift, if it is done right. I have a 2" on mine for tire clearance and it has given no problems in 7 years of hard use. My advice if you want to run BIG tires, a combination of suspension, body lift and fender cutting will do it easier and it will actually be decent to drive when your done.
With the Dana 44, the biggest tires I would recommend would be 36-38" for a pavement pounder. If you are planning on wheelin' it more, I'd go no bigger than 36's. Even with upgraded F150 axles, they will snap regularly with hard use. The 9" can be built very strong. With the proper pieces, it should be able to handle 44's no problem.
>>heres what i am figuring so far-
>>31 spline, gears and lockers
Pick your gears and lockers once you figure your tire size you want to run. Definitely 31 spline, maybe 35 spline depending on your tire pick. You also want to upgrade the front axles to the HD variety with the larger u joints.
>>disc front and rear
Power assist too.
>>shock hoops front and rear
You may end up wanting to limit travel for tire clearance. Dual 9000's at each corner will keep those tires under control
>>prerunner bumpers front and rear
If you want a winch for the front and the rear, get a multi mount system and have receivers welded in your bumpers.
>>cage
Yes, stringers to the frame would be a plus
thanks crawler, so sounds like 38s then, any idea of how much body lift with the 5.5 susp lift would be needed to clear the tires? how about the fender flares, what brand or brands have you had luck with?are axle trusses worth it or a waste of ground clearance and cash? thanks again
It depends on how much suspension travel you will have, and how you plan to use it. With a stiff suspension and front and rear flares mounted to the body line, you might get away without a body lift to run 38's. But having at least a 2" body lift will help.
If you plan on using it hard or launching it, you may want more.
I have 3.5 suspension and a 2" body lift and I rub a little bit on the inner fenders with 35's. But I have pretty soft springs.
I like the Bushwacker duraflex flares. They hold up a lot better than fiberglass and don't shatter on impact. I have laid mine on its side a couple of times and the only damage to the flares was some minor scratches. Wild Horses 4x4 have some new flares out that have the widest fender openings available and are very flexible. There is a picture of them twisting the flare like a pretzel and it springs back into shape. They might be something to look into with the tires you want to run.
An axle truss is a good idea if you are planning to jump your truck or get really wild with it. Most of the guys that I know don't run them because they are more concerned with ground clearance.
But a properly engineered axle truss will help to keep the axle tubes straight. It all depends on what you want to end up with.
after a closer look and a little driving around ive noticed a crack in the frame by the steering box. so, is there a decent fix for this, weld, plate and weld, plate and bolt? is rust free and a 3.5 kbars susp. lift (quad shock) for 1500 bucks worth it for a rig with a cracked frame, or should i get my cash back?
It is not very common for frame cracking unless it has been driven really hard or jumped. Also some of the power steering conversions out there put a lot of stress on the frame because they are not engineered right. At that point, you want to do a little more inspection of the rest of the frame for being bent. Maybe have it put on an alignment or a body shop frame rack. If that seems to be the only problem you should be ok. There are no frame repair kits that I am aware of. The best way to fix it would be to weld it, grind it down and fish plate the area, if possible.
As far as being worth $1500, it depends on what year it is and what options it has on it. Also, how is the condition of the body? Is it rusted out, or pretty solid?
its a 75 with fac power steering, body is in decent shape, except for a lil rust on the driver and pass. floor pans. besides the cracked frame and a couple oil leaks its not in too bad of shape. so the frame crack is hopefully not that big of a deal, just a few extra bucks? also, it has the chrome trim midway up, is this a bronco sport, or just a regular bronc. thanks for the time crawler.
yep, its an auto, and nope, theres no chrome trim slots around the front and back window, but are slots on the side windows on the hard top. i did a search on here and still am courious. what is the diff between sport, ranger, and explorer packages? mines got carpet, but no headliner or interior quarter trim panels. also no sport badge on the fenders. any other tell tale signs of what i have? does the vin give me any clues? hehe, gettin sick of me yet crawler?
The Sport package had parchment trimmed seats and door panels, chrome moulding on the windows and on the upper body. They also had chrome headlight bezels, and chrome grille trim and raised Chrome Ford emblems. Chrome trim on the hardtop drip moulding. Front bumper guards. Chrome wheel covers It was first introduced around 1968-69.
The Explorer package was similar as it offered parchment interior and some trim. Some of the later years had special exterior decals. This package was available from 72-77.
The Ranger package was the "luxury" package. It came with similar chrome trim as the Sport. But they also had special interior pattern on the seats and door panels with the rear quarter panel covers. They also had special paint and exterior decals. And a "Ranger" badge on the glovebox door.
Still optional (depending on the year), were power steering, automatic trans, power brakes (76-77), carpet, AM radio, spare tire carrier, etc etc. But there isn't any specifics that say if it had the Ranger package that it would get a radio. I have also seen a couple of Ranger "Sport" equipped Broncos. So nothing is set in stone.
I have a '75 Bronco with the Ranger trim which I got in '98 for $3500.
It had the door panels, seats, rear quarter panels, headliner, carpet, external chrome trim (windows, windshield, body) and original 3 on the tree. Had a fair amount of rust along the body seams (still there too) and rocker panels (non-existent now). My floorpans were completely shot and after I removed the carpet (excessive dry rot) I would get a bath if it rained from the gaping holes in my floor pans and inner kick panels.
I'd say for $1500 it is a pretty good deal unless the body is completely shot like Crawler said. I subscribe to the BFix e-mail list and I believe I have seen someone selling a '75 frame for like $400 or something thereabouts (don't hold me to the price).
Factory power steering, D44 and Ford 9", electronic ignition are all pretty sought after factory options. Does it have any traction control devices like limited slip or lockers? AC? I say go for it. Now I notice you say it is relatively rust free and has a lift. Defintely go for it and either replace the frame or repair it.
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Suspension Lift
