[updated:LAST EDITED ON 03-Jan-03 AT 00:00 AM (EST)]My '72 bronco's rear end is not aligned and it rides crooked. Any way to straighten the rear up?

thanks in advance.

Brett

 

Welcome to FTE Brett!

If it's not riding straight, I believe you may have something broken. Maybe the leaf-spring pack bolt, or maybe a leaf spring. If it is attached correctly, then the alignment is there. Check every mount, leaf, etc. If that checks out, maybe the frame has been warped somehow.

Again, welcome!

Chuck

 

Hoping it is not the frame but if it is, is it repairable or do i need to replace the frame?

 

Sure, provided it's not cracked.
There are plenty of frame shops that can chain her down and straighten her out.

I think you'd know if the frame were warped. It would/might be severe misalignment and would kinda go down the road sideways.

Upon very close inspection, I think you'll find something's broken somewhere.

Let us know what you find and we'll go from there. There are people on this site who know how to fix ANYTHING!

<I'm not one of those people....but I know who they are!>

Chuck

 

Well, thanks for all the help so far. I've inspected the suspension and it looks like the u-bolt's may have shifted out of place. There is some space between the leaf spring packs and the u-bolts and the axle mounts seem small for the leafs. Does this sound like it could be the problem? Are the mounts supposed to be smaller than the leaf packs? Should there be a gap between the u-bolts and leaf packs? Thanks again for helping me.

Brett

 

Brett,
Did you buy this bronco new? Does it have a lift kit on it? If so was it installed correctly? Take a look at your tire wear while you're at it. Any odd wear?

From your last post, there may be a problem with the leaf springs. There is a gap between the sides of the pack and the u-bolts, but it's very MINOR. If you have someone who can help you, have them get in and put the truck in reverse, and then drive, a number of times while you watch SAFELY to see if anything shifts. Make sure they keep their foot on the brake. If anythings broken, you should detect some movement.

Give that a try.

Chuck

 

 

I am guessing it is a problem with the suspension. I did not buy the bronco new and it does have a kit on it and I don't know how well it was installed. Probly time for a new kit. It was straight when I got it but I drove it off road and noticed the rear end was crooked driving home in the side view mirrors. Sounds like something could be broken but everything looks secure and it does not shift or move when reversed. Thanks for all of your help so far, I'm kind of clueless.

Brett

 

If you have a lift kit then you are going through what I am currently experiencing, barring everything else is correct. The front track bar is positioning the body over to the passenger side. This causes the vehicle to go down the road sideways. Jeffs Bronco graveyard has the adjustable Trac Bar on their website to bring the vehicle back into alignment. It is pretty basic, if you measure from the side of the vehicle to the outer edge of the tire (front end), this measurement should be the same on both sides of the vehicle. This is again if you have everything else correct and tires straight. I just realized mine did not steer correctly and did this measurement. The body was shifted over to the passenger side about an inch. When I disconnected the Trac Bar the body immediately shifted back towards the driver side where is should have been. I need an adjustable Trac Bar and it sounds as if you do as well.

 

I don't know why I have a post on this one about "Dipsticks"

If you can measure between the front bumpstop mount (on the axle) and the frame, I can tell you what size your lift is.

Ideally, you want the front end to be centered and the track bar to be as parallel to the draglink as possible. Either by using a drop track bar bracket, adjustable track bar, or both. You may also need a drop pitman arm to keep the steering geometry correct. I have found that every Bronco is different. What may work on one, might not on another that is set up similarly.

Somewhere on the net, there is a chart showing frame dimensions for the Bronco. If you think that the frame is bent, you can measure and compare to it. It might be difficult to do with everything assembled though.

Jason

 

Yes it is true you need to check everything. I installed a 3 1/2 inch lift kit, drop down pitman arm and drop down trac bar bracket and mine is still off by about an inch. If I did not use the drop down bracket it would be much worse due to the distance the trac bar would have to go in order to be installed. It is highly recommended to use all three to center the vehicle. Simple mathmatics and logic. If you are still worried about the dimensions of the frame I believe they are on Jeff's bronco graveyards website. I have them in one of their old catalogs so I can only imagine they are on the website. It is true bronco's are not all alike, this is simple vehicle lifting knowledge that many overlook when installing lift kits. I see many vehicles going down the road sideways because they did not purchase the extra drop down pitman arm and did not even consider the trac bar.