I own a 1991 SAE Bronco and I used to have a 1990 F150 4x4 SWB RC. I had both of these trucks simultaneously from 1993-2003. The Bronco could turn considerably sharper than the F150, even tho they were very close in overall length. Now, I have always puzzled over this because, presumably, they have the same front-end components. Is there a difference? Is it the knuckles, the spindles, or the steering box? The reason I ask is that I am collecting parts to convert my current 1991 F150 to 4x4 and I am wondering if I should be looking for a Bronco front-end exclusively, or is this my imagination and there really is not a difference? TIA for your opinions and thoughts.

 

Axles were closer on the Bronco, overall length isn't what you should measure, it's the distance between the axles, that's why your Bronco had a smaller turning radius.

 

You make a good point, the WB of the F150 I had was 117" and the Bronco is 105" so that's a 12" advantage for the Bronco. I guess that's a bigger deal than I thought. You Bronco guys know what I am talking about, right? That thing really spins a tight circle.

 

Yeah, I love that about the Broncos. The other thing that helps is the driving position. If you look at other vehicles - cars, vans and pickups - the driver is sitting much closer to the front wheels whereas with the Bronco you're pretty much centered on the wheel base so turning is much more intuitive. I drove a 15 passenger van for a while and it took the same kind of thought as an 18-wheeler, just on a smaller scale of course. In urban areas I was always having to remember, "okay, where's my butt again?", but with the Bronco the front is just as far away as the back.