I'm trying to add a new drop bracket on my '71 EB to compensate for my lift. Any suggestions on how to remove the bolt on the stock drop bracket? I've attempted to grind the weld off of the bolt head but I can't seem to grind off enough of the weld to unbolt that top bolt that goes through the frame. I'm trying to keep from grinding the bolt head but it's not going as planned. Any help on how to get this unbolted would be appreciated.

 

Most of the time, those welds are just tack welds. With the grinder pointed at an angle into the weld, I try to make a cut in the weld. And then I will use a breaker bar with a cheater bar (a 1/2" impact works great too) to break it loose. There are times that I have been able to break the weld just by using the breaker bar without grinding.

HTH,
Jason

 

They must of put more than a tack weld on this one. I've attempted to use a breaker bar but I've only tried twice. The socket popped off and rounded the edges of the bolt a little. I don't want to round them off completely. I'll continue to grind and be more careful. Thanks for your reply.

 

If you have a Dremel or other small rotary tool, try that for the grinding. Sometimes it's tough to fit an angle grinder into tight places like that. I have a small air cutter that uses 3" discs that works great for getting into tight spots too. You can pick one up at Home Depot, Lowes, or Harbor Freight for fairly cheap. Good luck with the grinding!

 

Why not just buy an adjustable track bar???? Its a direct bolt in, no cutting grinding etc. Did you try a sawzall to just cut the bolt off?

 

I had originally planned on getting the adjustable track bar but the guys at James Duff recommended to go this route. It happened to be less expensive so I didn't argue too much. I p/u a Dremel like tool for $20. 8 hrs later, I successfully broke the weld and backed the bolt out with a pipe wrench. I'd much rather spend 8hrs on my EB than completing my wife's honey-do's. The tack weld on my EB happend to be on 6 sides of the bolt head. Unbelievable. Now I need to concentrate on the wandering. I still have problems with the front end wandering. I believe the 4degree C bushings are giving me too much caster for my lift. Thanks for all the replies. I'm getting closer to getting my EB back to where I can enjoy to drive it again.

 

The adjustable track bar only recenters the front axle under the body. But it doesn't bring the angle of the track bar back in relation with the drag link.

STechsan,
How much lift do you have on your Bronco? How does the steering feel? Does it wander all the time, or does it have a tendency to do it more when going over bumps? What is the condition of the steering linkage, steering box?
Have all the front end bushings been changed? Have you had an alignment check done to determine where the caster sits at with the lift?

Jason

 

The lift I have is between 1 1/2 and 2 inches. The alignment shop showed a -2 and -2.2 caster. I ordered and installed the 4 degree bushings because I thought the bushings I had were 2 degree. When I pulled these old bushings off, they were 1) installed wrong and 2)they happened to be 4 degree instead of the 2 degree. I'm wondering if the old bushings, being reversed, gave the negative caster. In that case, I'm guessing I had a + 2 and +1.8 caster. Therefore when I installed the new 4 degree bushings correctly, I have a +6 and +5.8 caster. Can too much + caster have the same effect as - caster? I plan on having the caster checked at an alignment shop and if needed, order the 2 degree to correct the caster to a +4 and +3.8. Is my logic correct? Re the track bar bracket, I believe I'm going to have to use the hole designated for the 3" lift because the front axle still isn't centered using the hole designated for a 2" lift. I'm going to have to use a come along to do this but I wonder if I have to use that much pressure to pull the axle over to get the bolt through. Will that cause any long term problems? Also, all front bushings previously installed are still in good shape and I don't believe they need replacing. Just the C bushings. Pwr Str box and components all seem tight. The steering seems stable until I get to around 50 to 60, then the bumps in the road create a scary situation.

 

The factory specs for caster are 2.5- 4.25 deg. In very simplified terms, too much positive caster causes heavy steering feel and steering feedback on bumps. Too much negative caster will cause wandering.

Rule of thumb is 2 deg bushings for stock to 2" lift, 4 deg bushings 2 1/2- 3 1/2, and 6-7 deg for anything above that.

It is possible that the previous owner was trying to compensate for the wrong bushings by installing them backwards, but only made things worse.

I would start with the 2 deg bushings and have the alignment checked. That should get you back in spec, or close to it.

As far as the track bar drop bracket, I would install it in the hole that makes the track bar as parallel as possible to the draglink. If the geometry between them is off, it can cause poor handling and bump steer. If the front end still isn't centered, then you need the adjustable track bar. One thing to keep in mind. You may have more lift than you are figuring if you need to go that far to center the front end. What is the measurement between the bottom of the frame and the bumpstop mounting pad on the axle?

If you need to use a come along to get the track bar bolt in, it won't cause any problems later on.

Another overlooked problem with a lifted Bronco has a similar effect as the track bar. After a lift, you will notice that the steering wheel is offset from where it was originally. The quick, easy and most obvious fix is to remove the wheel and put it on straight. But what has actually happened is that the steering box is moved off center. The tightest point of adjustment and feel in the steering box is at center. What you need is an adjustable drag link to recenter the box to the tightest point.

Jason

 

just a thought, i had the drop bracket installed on my bronco(5" lift) it drove on the street fine, except th axle was shifted 1" to the left. but such was the way of the trac bar drop bracket & stock trac bar.
however when rock crawling with this drop bracket the extra lenght of the bracket allows the track bar extra leverage, & in my case pushed the drop bracket to the left far enough to brake the welds on the inside of the frame & begin to push it into the outside frame(partally crushing the frame.
my solution: no more drop bracket!(after i repaired the frame straightened & rewelded the origional bracket) i took a piece of 1" x 5/16" wall dom tubing custom bent to allow for proper steering geometry & added 3/4"x3/4" heim joints at both ends. all this for about $45. now my axle is centered, my steering has th correct geometry & it is stronger than stock.
just an option for you to ponder.

 

The other reason for a track bar drop bracket and drop pitman arm is to keep both as paralel to the front axel as possible. This helps keep the front axel from shifting from left to right as the suspension compreses and extends.
Iggy has found why 5 inches of lift on an EB is considered extreme. It puts alot of stress on the frame and steering parts when put to real 4wheelin.
One other note: radius arms were originally designed to pivit in line with the front drive line. When extended radius arms, or radius drop brackets are used the front driveline slip joint will need to be checked for bottoming or overextending during full front suspension compression and droop.
One other thing, not enough positive caster and the steering will not recenter its self after turning a corner.

 

Another solution to the extra stress from a drop bracket is a track bar riser.
You can read a thread on it HERE
Be sure to read the whole thing, alot of good points brought up on that thread.

 

Thanks to all for the advice. I finally installed the 2 degree bushings and it seemed to help. It's still not perfect but I can at least cruise at 60 without getting white knuckles. I may try the adjustable drag link to center the steering box but I can at least drive it for now. I thought I could pull the pitman arm and center the box but I've been told the splines won't allow it. Stands true if I need the adj drag link.