First of all before you get anything have the truck runnin strong. Change out all fluids, filters and get her doen nice. Then get ya a detroit locker in the front, a lock right or power trax in the front, slap a small 4 inch lift, 33 inch swamper radials not ssr's, throw on a heavy KM wincher bumper, a 12,000 warn, and go anywhere you want. Those are just the base things id do if i had the money. And of course 4 inch and 33's are only cause its a daily driver!

Mooseykat

 

No, no, no! He needs a TrueTrac in front, a Detroit in back, no lift, 32-11.50 Dueller MT's, a RAMSEY worm-drive RE12000RX, a bumper like mine to hold it, a ZF tranny, a PTO generator, a turbo, and an ejection seat (just in case!-)

Steve
83 Custom w/95 4.9L EFI, 78 NP435, 83 NP208, 83 D44IFS 3.07, 87 Ford 8.8ABS 3.08, Michelin LTX AT 31x10.50R15

 

mooseykat
how much is the winch bumper you are talking about? i am looking for one for my bronco and am trying to decide wether or not it is worth the money. how does it look? i am also thinking about making a plate that will go into the reciever hitch but i am not sure what i am going to do yet

89 Bronco XLT, V8 302, superwinch hubs, 31x10.50 trailhandlers, and many more mods to come!

 

I second the notion of keeping the lift to a minimum. i have 6" and it's more than I"d like to drive around every day. 3" body lift and 33x12.5's would be how I would do it all over again, just to keep it a little closer to mother earth. I can't speak on lockers but i really like my factory limited slip, although I think the clutches are getting pretty worn. A winch is good because you can winch chevy's out of holes without putting strain on your drivetrain...my auto tranny was out of commission for 2 weeks after i pulled out a chevy and dragged it around while he tried to clutch-start his truck. But as usual it fixed itself one morning and I haven't had a problem since. Oh yeah, and make sure if you're gonna be in water to extend your breather lines and move your air intake. Good luck and have fun.

It's a Jeep thing? My Bronco thing will run over your little Jeep thing.

Muddybronco

 

MuddyBronco, you really think putting a body lift on is a wise idea? I want to lift mine, however with the college thing going on right now....funds are limited. And where can I find a complete kit to do so?

Ignore me,
cmg

1989, 351, C6, 15x10's and 31's

 

First real quick before work im answering everyones questions. The Kennesaw mountain wincher bumper is heavy heavy duty adn is all 1/4 inch steel and it hold a 12,000 lb warn easily. It is all blacka dn looks very rugged. Their servive is very shady though, some good reports some bad. When i called they were very helpful About the reciever plate, I wouldnt mount a reciever mounted winch on a bronco as they weigh around 5800 to 6200 lbs and those mounts are only good on winches up to 8500 lbs or so. But it depends on how bad you think you'll be stuck as to whether or nto you need a 12,000 but you will say i wish i would have gotten a bigger winch before you say this 12,000 is too much! On the body lift and 33's. lets be honest here. If your not doing hard core rockcrawling adn its nto a 8 inch body lift!!! I think you will be just fine, use grade 8 hardware and go no bigger than 3 inch. I haev offroaded a modified Bronco 2 wiht a 3 inch body and haev not only tore the tranny out of it and raced up hills, through mud and up creeks and the body lift was just fine. Remember if tis a daily driver a body lift might be the way to go but there are some mods you may haev to make when putting it on suck as e brake, adn unsightly bumper placement.. Good luck and any mroe questions just fire away.

Mooseykat

 

If you wanted to run 33's you could get a cheap suspension lift by using 2" leveling coils and add a leaf, I did it to my truck and got 2" of lift for about $180.

John

 

Where can I find a complete kit?

I've looked and looked and for some reason, none of the kits I've found include the bumper brackets?

WHat about radiator hoses, steering linkage..etc?

cmg
1989, 351, C6, 15x10's and 31's

 

Re: Where can I find a complete kit?

Nevermind, I found a kit a wrenchead for $90 plus shipping.

Still, what do I need to look out for or extend? ie. hoses? steering?

cmg
1989, 351, C6, 15x10's and 31's

 

Re: Where can I find a complete kit?

notoj,
smittybuilt makes the brackets, and also a kinda cool plate that fits in between the gap.
-mike

 

Re: Where can I find a complete kit?

Oh! And Lift Lips!!! Don't forget the Lift Lips. They'll cost ya about fifty bucks, and they fill those unsightly gaps between the chassis and the body. Totally worth the change.
-mike

 

Re: Where can I find a complete kit?

I just put in a 3" body lift and gap guards.
I did a write up at
http://www.mybigbronco.com/94bronco
let me know if I can help.
I got everything from http://www.macromotive.com total with gap guards was $165. It took about 11 hrs but they were pretty easy hours.

Denver
94bronco

 

Re: Where can I find a complete kit?

Okay, I looked at the site posted right above, and found a lot of cool things. First, help me understand this since Iv never done any offroading mod like this before. First off, are there two lockers, one for the front and one for the rear? If so, are they both pretty much the same? What would you recommend for each? I was looking at Detroit, and wondinng about the TrueTrac unit. Ya think I should use this one? It says for medium-dudy 2wd and 4wd applications. I will not be doing real hard-core off roading, just some sandy jeep trails and around the lake here. I really like the idea behind the ARB Airlocker, but its a little pricy and doesnt include the compressor. And then, on to lift kits. Which to use? Body lift, or add-a-leaf? Or both. I was thinking a 3" body lift and a 1-2" add-a-leaf. I was also wondering about something else, the Throttle Body spacers. Worth it? Really work? I asked because we tried a similar idea on my Fiero and we actually LOST power with it! On both the Stock 2.8L engine and the new NorthStar engine I installed in it. Well, thats all I have for now, but will probally think of some later. Is there a web site I can look at about the winch bumpers? Thanks

Sean Heberly
'85 Bronco 5.8L 4-V XLT: 266K still strong. Winter Truck now.
'86 Pontiac Fiero GT: 4.9L Caddy NorthStar Engine, 11.6 QM @ 107.1 MPH, Poly Susp, KONI's all around, 2 1/2" drop.

 

Re: spacer and lockers

Check the recent thread "TRANSPLANT" - it covered these same issues.

Yes, you can put a locker in each diff, and they can be different types - most people reccommend a full locker in the rear (Detroit, ARB, etc.) for max traction, and a partial in the front (TrueTrac, Auburn, ARB, etc.) so that steering is less affected.

Body lifts serve a different purpose than suspension lifts - get the one you need. Suspension lifts increase wheel travel, ground clearance, and ride height, but decrease on-road performance. Body lifts give more tire clearance without as much cutting of the body, increase strain on the body, and raise the center of gravity, but cost less.

Warn & Ramsey show bumpers on their web sites, and check Reunel, TMJ, and Steel Horse.

Steve
83 Custom w/95 4.9L EFI, 78 NP435, 83 NP208, 83 D44IFS 3.07, 87 Ford 8.8ABS 3.08, Michelin LTX AT 31x10.50R15

 

Re: Where can I find a complete kit?

sean,
u can't use add a leafs unless you want to raise the rear of the truck....and unless you want to slide off the seat everytime that you get in the truck, haha. I have a body lift, and really don't have any complaints about them, but when I get custom axles, I'll take it out and get a custom lift put in. But, the only reason that I have the body lift in is because since suspension manufacturers don't make anything above a 6, I had to get it to compensate for my 39's. One other good thing I will say about them is that u can route yer exhaust much more easily. Oh, and it keeps the center of gravity lower.
One thing that I will say against it is that because I don't pansy my truck, my bodylift on the right corner has become slanted, and I am getting afraid that if I jump something too hard it might come out.
Go ARB's if you plan on making it a kickass truck later on. If you just want to make it pretty badass, detroit in rear, and trutrac in front. (just my 2 pennies)
Forget the throttle body spacer, and get a K&N with some hundred dollar headers and some flows.
....and u might want to try warn.com for some winch stuff.
-mike

 

Re: Where can I find a complete kit?

Okay, Thanks. I understand it alot better now. I would really like to have the ARB, but that is a little to expensive for my taste. I am also thinking Detroit in back and True Track up front. 3"-4" body lift (havent decided yet) 33" Tires, probally not Swampers, but off-road max tractions whatever brand I use. It never really occured to me that I cant use the add-a-left kits like that, just wasnt thinking. As for winches and bumpers, I was looking at a nice Front Bar from Manik www.manik.com and a Warn M12000 winch to pull out Chevys and Jeeps. Is the increased stress on the body caused by a lift kit a problem? One other thing, have any of you guys added a second battery up front? I will definatly need 2, since I will probally install a 10,000W stereo system(saw an awsome system w/5 15" JL Audio W3's and 5 amps, 171.8dB, puts mine to shame) and I will add 2 aux lights on the front bar, and 2-4 on top of the truck. For some reason I really like lights.

Anyone here ever used anything from "Road Armor"? Any comments?

Sean Heberly
'85 Bronco 5.8L 4-V XLT: 266K still strong. Winter Truck now.
'86 Pontiac Fiero GT: 4.9L Caddy NorthStar Engine, 11.6 QM @ 107.1 MPH, Poly Susp, KONI's all around, 2 1/2" drop.

 

Re: Where can I find a complete kit?

10 kilowatt stereo system? are you serious? You better also add 3 or 4 200+ amp alternators while you're at it. I'm looking for a light bar for mine too...anybody know a good source for gutter-mount or permanent mount bars?

It's a Jeep thing? My Bronco thing will run over your little Jeep thing.

Muddybronco

 

Re: Where can I find a complete kit?

As for your stereo, I've added 2 batts to mine and I still have a drain problem. Right now, I'm running (1) 4-channel Soundstream (running 1 ohm Mono) on 3 JL W6's and (1) 4-channel Soundstream on my Highs. Pretty soon I'm going to add some Power Cells, however with funds limited.....I CAN'T DO IT!

cmg
1989, 351, C6, 15x10's and 31's

 

Re: 2 batteries

What alternator are you using? If it's not rated for more than all the stuff that's running at any given moment, the batteries WILL drain. You shouldn't add batteries to solve an engine-running drain problem; spend that money on an alternator. More batteries increase the time you can run accessories with the engine off and still be able to crank the engine later.

Steve
83 Custom w/95 4.9L EFI, 78 NP435, 83 NP208, 83 D44IFS 3.07, 87 Ford 8.8ABS 3.08, Michelin LTX AT 31x10.50R15

 

Re: 2 batteries

Very true Steve, I miss the 130amp I had in my 5.0! That is another thing on my wish list, however I need funds! Planning on dropping all the stereo stuff for the time being, till I can do it right!

cmg
1989, 351, C6, 15x10's and 31's

 

Re: 2 batteries

I will be putting on a 185amp. Alternator in my new truck, and then I got to thinking that I could probally fabricate my own mounts and put another alt where a smog pump goes.

www.macromotive.com has a nice light bar that mounts in the rain gutter and will hold like 5 6x9 lights. Its called the Carr Light Bar by Carr Mfg. Company. Its under "Light Bars" on the Products page.

Sean Heberly
'85 Bronco 5.8L 4-V XLT: 266K still strong. Winter Truck now.
'86 Pontiac Fiero GT: 4.9L Caddy NorthStar Engine, 11.6 QM @ 107.1 MPH, Poly Susp, KONI's all around, 2 1/2" drop.

 

Re: 2 alternators

That will be a delicate mod. If their outputs are not TOTALLY isolated, they could (at worst) set each other on fire.

If they are connected, their voltage regulators have to be perfectly balanced and they should spin at the same speed. Otherwise, the alternator running at the higher votage will try to charge the other one as if it was a low battery.

If the second alt is wired into its own discrete fuse panel and only runs certain accessories (like a set of amps and/or a winch), and ONLY shares ground (as it almost must), it would work. Be careful.

Steve
83 Custom w/95 4.9L EFI, 78 NP435, 83 NP208, 83 D44IFS 3.07, 87 Ford 8.8ABS 3.08, Michelin LTX AT 31x10.50R15

 

Re: 2 alternators

I was wondering, how do you think they should be set up? One running (and charging) 2 main batterys and the factory connecting and all aux driving lights. The second running a third battery running the amps and the winch, I think I could bear without a stereo while I am pulling out all those Chevys and Jeeps. I was wondering though, couldnt Diods be used so that current flow does not go back into the alternator?

Sean Heberly
'85 Bronco 5.8L 4-V XLT: 266K still strong. Winter Truck now.
'86 Pontiac Fiero GT: 4.9L Caddy NorthStar Engine, 11.6 QM @ 107.1 MPH, Poly Susp, KONI's all around, 2 1/2" drop.