Hey Dylan? How much did the driving characteristics change with the lift? Or was it already there when you got GM? I'm thinking of lifting mine but want to have some idea what it will handle like if I do. Going from the 31's to the 33 made mine handle better. I'm talking open highway driving without snow.

I looked through LMC's on line catalog last night. Came up with a $600.00 wish list and that without a lift kit.

 

Well Rich, When i bought TGM it already had the lift BUT i can tell you you will notice a difference, i don't think do much in the highway aspect as much save for the steering and stuff but when you are doing a lot of turning even at 3 inches i have a lot of body roll. The other problem is seeing as the PO probably did the lift himself and didn't do some things correctly, one being he didn't extend the 4wd lever or cut into the removable panel surrounding it. So now when i go to, say, shift to 4 lo (which doesn't work i think...) it ends up hitting the edge of that removable hump thing and will barely click into the lock position. Most people would say to stay clear of body lifts but i find it is all up to the owner of the truck, ya they can make your ride more dangerous by extending the length of the bolts holding your cab on among other things but it can be just as dangerous with a suspension lift with the whole center of gravity deal and throwing axle wrap into the mix etc. Though if your going to do a body lift i wouldn't recommend anything over 3 inches or less. Plus getting the bumpers to get up level with the body can be a PITA at times.

 

Ya that's what I figured. I'll see what she will do like it is. All I would ever run would be 35's. So just 2" be plenty.

 

Ya, 1.5-2" would do you good for running 33s.

 

Got the 33's on her now and they work fine. Haven't been off road with it yet. For a set of 35's I prolly would have to lift it 2 inches

 

Ya 2-3 to be safe, mine is 3 and i only have an issue when i am at full lock left or right cause the tire rubs on my radius arms. Makes it a bit hoppy but i can't do much right now about it besides not crank it hard. I haven't really done any REAL 4 wheeling yet so i don't know how the flexing and suspension travel will affect it but with dual sway bars i don't think i will bottom out. I got pretty stiff springs under there.

 

My 33's rub a bit one way in the same place. When I get out 4 wheeling I will be able to check the flex and suspension travel. I am hoping that with the wheeling I'll be doing that the 33's will be enough. That is with the 8K winch. Damn a new winch bumper from what I have researched is pretty spendy. I could build one or have one made but I am holding out for a junk yard or abandoned vehicle salvage. I plan to put in air lockers as well. I have looked but not seen any for the front carrier. Ya know if they are even available for the front? Ya I understand all the bad stuff about lockers in the front. So I know how and when to use it without tearing it up. I want to be able to lock either the front or back or both at a time. It would be to just move her a few feet in a straight line. Or for pulling someone out of a ditch or snow bank.

 

Sorry i don't know anything about lockers.. Hell i don't even know how my own manual locking hubs work... I sort of know about like a limited slip system but thats about as far as i have learned. Though i also learned that as a make shift locker people have welded their gears in their rear end... Seems dangerous but if thats what they want to do, so be it.

 

Welding up the spiders dates way back. Like prolly the 30's. Bill would know. He just knows that stuff. Anyway than it is fully locked up and both axles pull the same. If ya got one off the ground the other side will still pull. I want to be able to do this on either end at the flick of a switch. Or both at the same time.

I finely got the locking hubs on today. What a nice kit. I pre lubed them lightly with white lithium grease, The same stuff I use to pre lube an engine while assembling it.

I also set the windshield in the 90 Ranger I rolled this winter. The top was tweaked about 7 different ways. Was pretty bent up. I got about 10 hours into getting it good enough to set the windshield. Now a quart of Bondo and some paint and we back on the road again. I am still waiting on the back glass. It should be here this next weekend. But it's going to have to wait. We all got cabin fever so rain or shine we are going out to Sandy Beach and pitching the tent. Set up camp Friday night and home Sunday. The only electronics we will have is the first alert NOAA radio and CB. Cell phones won't work there anyway.

 

Oh very nice, going to do any dunning? i should probably go camping some time...

 

You ever figure out what was up w/ the starter and flexplate? my 83 just started doing the same thing. Never had a prob till the bolts on the starter suddenly worked themselves loose one day and it was hanging funny. got a new starter and bolts and it lasted for 4 days. since it was warranteed i got another one, that lasted for 2 months and it started making that dreaded noise. took it in and had it bench tested, they gave me a better brand and its still not fixed. if i manually move the flexplate with the starter off i cant find any seriously messed up teeth. theres no way the flesplate is warped either. Im at a loss. i have a new flexplate, but i'm affraid once i drop the tranny and t case i'll find something else i dont wanna mess w/. replacing the flexplate is already a 6 hour job w/ 2 guys i dont wanna spend my whole weekend down there.

My wifes starting to get jealous, i spend more time under that truck than i do w/ her.

as far as your gas mileage....if its a 351 w it shouldnt be much different than my 302. however i have tru dual exhaust and 31's. if your kickdown is removed like mine is on that eddy, chances are your secondaries arent even hooked up which is why u have no power to pass over 50 mph. check the distrib too, if its an optical pick up toss it and buy a magnetic style. also a bigger coil. i get about 10 in town and 15 on the highway. if i had the carb eq'd and some other things sussed out i could prob get 18 highway. premium gas that is. i dont put anything less in my truck.

 

I am still running the same starter. I am not sure what is wrong. Mine don't go deep enough into the teeth. It's like the starter is to far away from the ring gear. I hope someone that knows will chime in. As I understand it there is two different tooth count fly wheels. A 164 tooth and a 156 or something. And that the starter drive is the same. If true than I must have the smaller gear and need the bigger on. BUT if that was the case I don't think it would even work at all. I went to the link that was posted a few pages back but could not learn anything there that I did not already know. So for now I will replace the starter drive on the old starter so when the new on that is in the Bronc slips for the first time than I will change the starter out. I have very little if any wear on the ring gear. But the teeth are all but gone on the old starter drive. Now the 351W in my boat don't do this. So when I can I will lift the engine and pull the starter and try it or compare it to the one in the Bronc. If anyone has any input on this let us know. The link I mentioned earlier may be in my other thread in the engine forum here

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post11729448

I asked over there and got that If I remember right.

As for the engine it is running great. After about a half dozen tows the other weekend and two bottles of "Turbo 108 Octane boost" per tank since I got it. She don't miss a lick. It has no kick down or passing gear as I need a kit to use with the Edelbroc. Weather I shift manual or let the C6 do it her self she will clime steady to 85 MPH. Than I run out of road and back off. That is not her top speed but as fast as I want to go on these roads. I will be getting a complete header exhaust system for her soon. I know that the stock manifolds are robbing a lot. The Duraspark seems to be doing very well. Also going with "Slick 50" in the differentials. I would never use it in an engine because I have had to rebuild engines that have had it used in them. It really gums them up and cleaning with solvent won't hardly cut it. But it sure slicks up a gear box nice. Tomorrow I go to town and will check the mileage both ways as I just put the lock out hubs on. I was getting 6.8 MPG. I expect it to do some better but not a heck of a lot. I have a 650 Holly on the FE in the 66 F350. I am thinking about kitting it and trying her. At worst I would be over carb which it isn't now.

 

thanks for that link, my truck keeps chewing up the bendix, w/ the same problem that it doesnt seem to be kicking back far enough to engage the flexplate. and every so often i gotta turn it by hand to get it to start.

i'm not positive but i think u can take the stock headers off of a fox body 5.0 and they should work in your truck, unless ur exhaust bolt pattern is different. i did that in my truck and it was almost interchangeable w/ the oe manifolds i had.

good luck w/ the cruise control, i just disabled mine completely. if u have that old vacuum style like i did u cant trust it for anything. not in my opinion anyway.

 

Okay guy's next up is a Front Tow Hitch so I can use an 8 to 10K winch on the front. I have been looking at some class 3, 4, and 5's on line. Anybody have any recommendations or pic's of yours? I plan for an 8K Warn that I can just quick change from the back to the front. And still retain the stock bumper. Any pointers on wiring with quick chance connectors? The winch will live in the back of the Bronc until I head off road on a hunting trip. That starts the second week in July for deer and Elk and runs till the end of the year for us. We can take 4 deer or use one deer tag for 1 elk.

Well I am going to get dressed and head for town. Pay bills, get some food, Check Out The TGM look alike and try and get some pic's.
If it's for sale and within reason I will snag it I think.

 

Well best of luck to you on the sister bronc, hopefully it is in good cond. I don't know anything about winches or the front hitches so i can't advise anything. I don't even have trailer wires yet for my hitch...