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**crawlin68** · 12-15-2011, 07:16 PM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

Right on! Looks like a great Bronco. Keep up the good work!

**pippinmader** · 12-15-2011, 07:33 PM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

Toyota steering box:
It turns out the reason people don't use toyota steering boxes (beside it not being a ford product) is that they have a 7 inch throw, and a dana 44 needs a 8 inch throw to turn lock to lock.

Bumpers:
I am using 3.5 inch 1/4 wall tube bumpers because.....they were cheap

I modified the front bumper to fit a 8472 winch....I need something to pull jeeps out

ZF 5-speed:
I used the AA kit that everyone seems to use, although I did choose to clock it as far as it would go, the advantage to that is you can run the cross member under the front drive line, the problem is I can't find a twin stick kit for a clocked transfer case. Time to make a McMaster Carr order.

I briefly considered a 203/dana 20 doubler but even with 2 inches of wheel base stretch I would end up with a rather short rear drive shaft and I liked the idea of having equal length front and rear drive shafts. I also considered shortening the whole ZF by cutting down the tail housing of the ZF and re-welding the rear mounting portion back on. I talked to moser engineering and they could re-spline the transmission main shaft fairly cheaply (less than $100). In the end I kept it fairly simple, I can always go back and put in a doubler later.

I made the cross member after looking at pictures of the one BC broncos makes. Clocking the transfer case allowed me to keep it from hanging down quite so low and I used the stock transmission mount.

Floor boards:
Like lots of broncos my floor boards had some bad rust and the transmission cover had been pretty hacked up when the NP 435 was put in. I ordered new sheet metal from Jeffs bronco graveyard and thought it would make a good weekend project

I might have got it done except the neighbor came over

and nicely told me it was a little late to be running the air chisel on Sunday night.

Suspension:
First off, 1 inch WH body lift, it just makes a lot of things fit so much easier.

I decided the blocked rear lift was not going to work and the 2.5 inch lift in the front needed some help to clear 35s. I often hear that ~100 inches is a good offroad wheelbase and since I was going to be taking the suspension all apart anyway.....................why not stretch it 2 inches front and rear, the idea was to end up with a 8 foot wheel base and with some care I hope to have it appear stock....ish.
Rear:
I am toying with the idea of a 4-link in the rear, but I just don't have the time or patience to do that this winter, so I went with the next best thing, cut the spring perches off and welded them back on 2 inches back. Ryan hooked me up with some 3.5 inch rear leafs and I should be good to go until I decide what kind of final suspension I want. By pushing the flares back as far as I could and adding some metal to the front I hope I have given the impression of stock location.

Front suspension............

Attached Files

**CityHick** · 12-15-2011, 08:10 PM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

You're off to a good start, I wish I'd have started with a 5-speed. Keep it up and you'll have her wheeling in no time

**JimmyJack** · 12-16-2011, 08:30 AM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

Lookin good.

**pippinmader** · 12-16-2011, 09:54 AM

Re: Pippin's Painfully Pricey Perpetual Project

Thanks for the encouragement, I have a new member of the family coming in January so I better get moving while I still have a chance.

Front:
The front suspension had two parts, first I wanted extended radius arms and second I needed to move the front suspension forward 2 inches. I decided to make Lars Bars, and since Lars lives right down the road he was nice enough to lend me his jig. I decided to try going with 8 inches longer than stock (as opposed to 6 inches like most I have seen). In the end I ended up with 7.5 inches longer because I didn't accurately account for the bend and the 1/4 inch I lost when I radiused the axle end of the DOM tubing to fit the curve on the radius arm. The more difficult part was sorting out the front suspension brackets. I originally was going to use the ballistic fabrication adjustable coil spring buckets with the idea that I could always go with longer springs (say 5.5 inch lift springs) and get more flex but keep my 3.5 inch lift height. After looking at the actual spring rates it turns out that would not really work anyway without having some custom springs made. It also turns out the ballistic spring buckets would not work with bronco coil springs, so I cut the original spring buckets and welded the top part of them to the ballistic parts, it worked good but was a lot of effort when I think I could have just used brackets from a 78/79 f-150.

Right in the middle of the front suspension work Lars talked me into buying a 5.0 explorer to use as an engine donor vehicle. I have to stay focused on non-engine things for a little longer

Locating the spring buckets on the frame was the next difficult thing, at first I just used a plumb-bob to locate the bucket directly above the center of the axle. Luckily I just tacked it together and mocked it all up, the spring had a S curve, it turns out the center of the lower spring perch is not directly over the axle, it also turns out that to get the spring to be straight the spring bucket has to be attached at a slight angle so it is 90 degrees to the radius arms.

I had to grind off and re-weld the brackets more times than I want to, but I eventually got it looking very nice.

I am using f-250 shock mounts and I wanted to double shock the front, but I am using a tie rod over design which makes things a little tight, it all fits although the front shock mounts have to be at a little bit of an angle. I also made a new trac bar and new lift and drop brackets for the axle and frame. Got it all together last week, the axle location looks good with the front flares pushed forward as far as they can go. My eventual plan is to section a set of stock fenders with steel flares to match the new extended wheel base in front.

Stuff left before I can try it out and questions

:

Modify t-case and build twin stick
Finish building transmission cover (has anyone built a removable transmission cover?)
Sort out rear brakes, or switch to the explorer brakes?
Build front and rear drivelines (does anyone have a rear driveline I can cut down?)
I have the parts to put in a 4x4x2 box and a 1978 f-150 steering column but there are a couple problems with them. The column has the wires running on the outside of the column, has anyone found a good solution to this? Since I have stretched the wheel base I really need to mount the steering box 2 inches forward, I cut off and re-built the front body mount so I have room to do that but now the radiator core support is in the way. I think I have two possible solutions, first I could cut the core support and mount the steering box forward or,... second I could mount the stock 4x4 box farther back and have the pitman arm face forward, the inner fender is in the way but I am sure I could sort something out. Suggestions?

Attached Files

**camomog** · 12-16-2011, 01:14 PM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

Looks good, moving a lot faster than mine.

**904Bronco** · 12-17-2011, 06:56 AM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

Nice Progress... Proper Motivation (Baby) can do that

**pippinmader** · 01-09-2012, 03:49 PM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

Been working quite a bit, I told my wife I would be "done" be new years, that didn't really work out but I did get it to move under its own power! I don't think she realized what I meant by "done", she though I mean I would stop working on it, I meant I would only work on it one weekend day and a couple days after work. Anyway......

Twin Stick; no one makes a twin stick for a clocked dana 20 attached to a ZF 5 speed, so I had to make my own, I used bronze bushings, stainless shifters and 3/8 rod ends. it took a little time and it was a little tricky to make sure that both shifters move the same distance but it worked out very nice. Finally I got all the floor boards in and welded, it is the first time in the last 10 years where the only holes in the floor boards were there for a specific reason

It's ALIVE; Installed the Versailles rear disc brakes put fluids in everything, put in a new rear drive line that Lars hooked me up with and built a new front one, and made some rear shock mount. I don't have insurance or registration so I only drove it out the driveway but it is nice to know I could drive it if I wanted...........to get a ticket

Attached Files

**seahawkfan** · 01-09-2012, 03:53 PM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

Nice work!

**Henry66** · 01-09-2012, 04:35 PM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

Sweet Pippen! Lot-o-work done there.

**pippinmader** · 03-29-2012, 12:57 PM

Re: Pippin's Pricey Perpetual Project

Steering box.
Well I had a baby, or more specifically my wife had the baby! It has made the bronco project S-L-O-W.

I decided to get rid of the Toyota box I had and go for the 4x4x2 conversion like everyone is doing. I have moved my front axle forward 2" so what should have been an easy project turned out to be a lot of custom work. I welded up all the existing holes in the frame, the front body mount has already been moved, but the new box does not clear the re-located trac bar bracket

The stock power steering core supports have a cut-out for the front of the box, I decided to do the same but not cover it, I think it is going to work. I bent a piece of 3/4 square tube to re-enforce for the lower brace I cut out. After thinking about it for a while I decided the frame does not need to be plated on both sides, as long as you plate one side and put in slugs, one side is enough. The advantage to this is the drag link does not have to be adjusted. I plated the inside so I could put a brace over to the cross member. I installed a single brace, but now I am thinking that the frame twisting may be a greater problem than it bending and therefore I should put in a brace on the top and bottom instead of the middle

With it all done it seems to be pretty good, although I don't know how it is going to work until I get my 351 all built and get to try it out. Still waiting on a cam, roller rockers, etc, etc, did I mention having a baby is time consuming?

Attached Files