ok, this is my good friend, Shane's truck, we spent all summer building it. we're debating what this truck is good for, i think it's basicaly a mud truck, but he thinks its a good "multi-purpose vehicle" we want to know what you guys think about this. the guy that owns this is 17, a senior in high school, was his only vehicle till a week ago when he aquired a totaled 85 nissan pu that he's gonna fix to be his daily driver.
specs:
1986 ford bronco
3/4 ton D44 front, FF 14bolt rear, 4.10s both open
Rear 6" Superlift bronco leafs with a two or three inch block, shackle fliped to be the normal way. (in my mind, like a jeep)
front 6" chevy 1/2 ton or blazer leafs, not sure of the brand.
ramps about 882 (we used a bobcat)
3" body lift
the engine, tranny, and t-case were lowered about 8" to lower the center of gravity and redue the driveline angles.
the engine was put in by the previous owner, it's a 5.0 roller motor, and is was way faster on 38s than my dad's stock 5.0 bronco.
tranny and t-case are stock.
tires are 42" swampers, on 16.5x14 alloy rims.
the hub to flare measurement is 19" taller than my dad's stock 86 bronco.

so the question is, what is this truck good for? why isnt it a good multi purpose vehicle? and what do you think of it?

and we already know it needs lockers, that's a given, we're thinking detroit rear cause its only $300, but what about the front?

BTW, it didnt make it through the mud pit at hollister this last weekend :D

lowered the motor trans hu:eek: :eek: :eek:

HUH? That's not good for rocks or mud. If street driving is you main goal then you have a winner. :confused:

Try giving Jess at highangle a call and he can help you with those angles after you get the tranny and T-case where they belong.

Put your flame suit on while your at it. :flipoff2:

Originally posted by Jeffh555
the engine, tranny, and t-case were lowered about 8" to lower the center of gravity and redue the driveline angles.

take off about 10" of lift and you'll be alright....or at lest better. Did ya hack out the whole front cross member?? With it there their's no way you could drop the motor 8"

Way too tall for a mud truck. Needs to have no more space than necessary between metal & rubber, and the rear needs to sit lower than the front for weight transfer. Drop it down & then get rid of the sub-frame. Multi-purpose, or mud-only, it's definitely too tall. Has potential though.

TEX

Wait-- This is a trick question right--Where's Alan Funt?

Well, I'll get the ball rolling with the obvious: IT'S TOO TALL. Jesus H. Christ that thing looks like it'd blow over in a strong wind... Chop a foot outta the fender wells and lower the suspension a foot and we'll talk...

Jake

If you were running 66" firestones it would be just the right height:D

Seriously, it looks like a pretty decent wheeler.

My recommendations would be to:

lose the 16.5s or at least put screws in them to keep the tires on the rim until you do replace them with some beadlocks.

You've got a fast motor but you may want to go bigger for more torque.

Get bigger and wider tires (44x19.5x15) or lower it some

Get a RC dana 60 for the front

Keep the 4.10s for good tire speed in the mud

:beer:

Gee do you think you have enough lift? :rolleyes: You could fit those tires with 6" of lift and then you wouldn't have had to muck around with the drivetrain drop.

thanks, keep em coming, no one could give me any good reasons why this truck is such a bad multi-purpose vehicle, so i'm asking you guys. and i agree on the front 60 and the bigger tires, but he's only 17 years old.
i'd love to hear some details on the 66" firestones.
thanks,
Jeff

how does angle of the chassis help 'weight transfer' TEX?

Get bigger tires, get rid of the sub-frame, put the lockers in it and you will have a good mud runner. Down here you need the motor as far away from the mud & water as possible.

Needs lockers and less lift

or

bigger tires and a front diff.

I'll have to agree that for the current tires, it's waaay too tall. I'd rather see you guys go the other route and keep it the same height, do a little fender trimming, and see how big tires you can fit. Maybe 44s or bigger with some added offset for stability. Of course, this is with the qualification that it's not a daily driver. I'd probably only use it for mud since either way it's too tall and wide for rockcrawling or trails.

Just my $.02

-John

The 66" firestones (I believe) are the ones used on monster trucks. That is it for info on them from me as I don't run them or know anyone who does.;)

i've told him many times that he should bring the lift down some, but he wont. i asked him why today, and he said "if the body was any lower than mud and water would come in the doors onto the carpet and his feet, and that would be unacceptable"

beadlocks would be nice, but i'm not seeing the point of airing down in the mud, and beadlocks are expensive.

he also brought up a good point, everyone says the truck is way too tall, and not practical, but no one has any good reasons why. i know the center of gravity is high, but really, it isnt that bad for a truck on 42s.

and the only reason he's running 42s is because a friend had some extras laying around that he gave him.

i'm glad to hear i'm not the only one that thinks his truck is too big, but why cant anyone come up with any good reasons it is too big?

The reason it's too big IS center of gravity. Which encompasses a lot of reasons within itself.

If you get a too tippy on the trail it's gonna flop, if you take a turn too fast it's gonna flop, if you combine getting too tipsy with trying to steer around an obstical on the trail it's gonna flop, those big tires comibned with a tab bit too much speed then hitting a stone/rock it's gonna flop....basically it's gonna roll because it's too tall.

Plus it just looks silly.

I have to admit the drivetrain sounds kickin' but the lift is just outrageous.

I do also have some hang-ups about beliveing that it ramped an 881, mostly because it's got 6inch chevy lift springs, I don't even think S-J softride 6-inchers flex that well, and I SERIOUSLYdoubt that 6-inch superlift springs flex that well either, so the only thing it has going for it in that arena is the shackle flip which I've herd WONDERS about but question weather it alone could pull off such a miracle.

........anyway NICE TRUCK :D:D:D

Originally posted by mj
how does angle of the chassis help 'weight transfer' TEX?

If the rear's lower than the front, it'll get more of the weight than if it were the other way around. Most 4x4's are nose-heavy & that's the exact opposite of what you need in the mud.

TEX

wash it up real good, crome such things as shocks, tie rods, driveshafts, and brake lines. then get a 5 gallon drum of armor all, and go over the tires REALLY well.

then park at the end of the high school parking lot and cruise for chicks.

oh ya... remove all factory speakers, get a pair of horns from radio shack, mount em ON the dash, and build a box with 6- 15" pyramid woofers for the back. oh, and NEON. LOTS AND LOTS of neon.

this is Shane:
I just read everyones comments on my truck. Yes I know it is tall and more topheavy then many 4wheel drives out there. but in reality it is not that bad. I havent yet wheeled it a lot yet but it seems that with the amount of flex it has the suspension moves a lot more then the body keeping it pretty stable. Also the picture is deceving on flat ground my truck sits level. The first mud pit my truck saw was a good reason for the lift, the water came right to the bottom of my doors. I also intend on running bigger tires but these were free and my budget dosent really accont for anything thats not. Also Lowering the motor 8 inches allowed me to only need to buy a lengthend rear driveline, the stock front one still fits, since I also mooved everything forward 3inches. My truck still has enough ground clearance and I didnt need to double the value of my truck by buying high angle drivelines that wouldnt have worked daily on the street as well.


:flipoff2: jeeps without frames :flipoff2:

Yeah, but you still haven't registered your own login name yet.
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Newbie :flipoff2:

TEX

Originally posted by Jeffh555
i've told him many times that he should bring the lift down some, but he wont. i asked him why today, and he said "if the body was any lower than mud and water would come in the doors onto the carpet and his feet, and that would be unacceptable"


.............http://www.freakygamers.com/smilies/s/contrib/blackeye/lol.gif

Hey Shane,

I think if you (or your friend in this case) posts on the BB with the Topic of "What's wrong with this truck"... you're going to get the types of responses that you got.

Which is.... it's too tall and too stiff.

And when you reply:

"... in reality it is not that bad. I havent wheeled it a lot yet"

In that one statement, you answered all the questions we had about you.

Obviously you haven't wheeled a lot, because if you had, you wouldn't have built a too tall, tippy, stiff truck.

As you gain more experience with fourwheeling, you will come to realize that a tall, tippy, stiff truck is NOT what you want offroad.

Soften up the suspension, and bring it down a bit, and if you don't like getting your feet wet... wear rubber boots.

Other than that, nice tires. :)

I'll take those 42's off your hands :)

Got mud?

Its a muddin truck, there isnt anything wrong with big lifted trucks, all you guys do is bash on them (some of you) when they are doing thate same thing in mud as you guys do in rocks. We all share a passion for building 4x's just some of us build them for diffrent purposes, I have ben on the rubicon and I have had a blast wheeling, I have also been to a southern mud bog and had a hell of a time.

The truck needs to get rid of the sub frame, put the drive train back were it belongs, get a Dana 60 and lockers and you should be ready for the mud, get a detriot in the fornt also, its worth the money.

Originally posted by FullWidth
Its a muddin truck, there isnt anything wrong with big lifted trucks, all you guys do is bash on them (some of you) when they are doing thate same thing in mud as you guys do in rocks. We all share a passion for building 4x's just some of us build them for diffrent purposes, I have ben on the rubicon and I have had a blast wheeling, I have also been to a southern mud bog and had a hell of a time.

The truck needs to get rid of the sub frame, put the drive train back were it belongs, get a Dana 60 and lockers and you should be ready for the mud, get a detriot in the fornt also, its worth the money.
He asked, re-read the question. people have just told the truth. It's not even set up right for mud, it's not set up right for anything but cruizin:rasta: :rasta:

Originally posted by WOLF359
Obviously you haven't wheeled a lot, because if you had, you wouldn't have built a too tall, tippy, stiff truck.


i just wanted to respond to this, he has wheeled alot, just when it had an 8" lift and 38s, and the truck isnt stiff, you guys mignt not belive me, but it will ramp about 882 on a 20* ramp, (it lifts a tire 31" on a bobcat, and has a 106" wb).

and dont think i'm defending him, i think the truck would have been a thousand times better if he left it at 8" when he did the SAS. and it should make it through the mini-rubicon at hollister, if the radiator doesnt blow like it did last time. :nuke:

Jeff

Rip the body lift off. Seriously. Body lift gaps look uber :rainbow: esp. on bronco's. Do some minor fender trimming and you'll clear the 42's fine w/o the body lift.

The suspension should be fine for mud running, but don't even TRY to say you'll go run the 'con or anything. If it's a mud truck, it's a mud truck.

Get a detroit rear ASAP, and get another for the front once you go D60 front. Don't worry about steering bind, you're not steering much when you're mudding. You can unlock the front hubs for the street.

Seriously, take the body lift off. :rainbow:

If you're gonna mud, half the fun is getting dirty.

http://www.geocities.com/xbabyjesus/P8120020.JPG

Oh, and talk to White Knight

-J

Originally posted by Jeffh555's buddy
"if the body was any lower than mud and water would come in the doors onto the carpet and his feet, and that would be unacceptable"

oh dear god please help me i think i'm gonna die laughing!!!!

BWAHAHAHAAHA!!!

does this kid even get his hands greasy workin on his own truck?

good GAWD man! getting slop everywhere is the name of the game!

lower that bad boy and slice the fenders. handling a 5000 lb truck in slippery goo is hard enough without the truck being taller than it is long.

if he's got something else for a DD, go to town on the bronc with a sawzall and trash that lift, relocate the motor where it belongs, and bring the xcase and tranny back up there too.

having a wierd driveline like that is just gonna cost you more money in repairs than a high angle driveline would ever cost.

then again, if he's worried about getting his feet dirty, maybe he should just sell the bronc, lower that nissan and slap neons on it...

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Yea that fawker is MULTI-PURPOSE!!! :D

It'll do two things.

1) It'll find all the slutty slut bags in town
2) It'll find it's way upsidedown with the quickness :D

:grinpimp:

On a more serious note. FInd a f60 or ditch the 42's for 38's again.

subtract all lift adding agents in favor of f-150 rear springs all the way around. move the rears under the frame. cut the fenders weld the rear diff. put the motor back in place.

probably will do really well w/ out a front locker. f-150 springs are cheap at pick and pull. So these mods will cost shane less than 200 bucks. sounds doable to me.

More lift, smaller tires... yeah thats the ticket!

Might be a good mud truck except for the D44 and the open but even lowering the drivtrain it's CG is to high and it would not be a good trail truck.
Personaly for a trail truck I would get back to a 4-6 inch lift and 36's max and hack fenders till they fit. Get the drivetrain back up so you got clearence under the case. Reason I would come down so much in tire size is the 3/4 front is going to be breaking shafts all the time with that big of a tire. D60 up front I would say 38's max but still try to keep lift hight down. Still would think about 36's. Taller the tire the worse the CG the easier to roll bead or in aired down even with bead locks the tire will roll under and get to be an issue of tipping it over on off camber stuff.

Ok, I saw that truck last time I was at hollister. I was laughing a bit. In my Opinion, that truck has too soft of a suspension for it's hitgh. While driving I could just see the whole frame and body swaying back and forth... And also some tires with more tread will help. And while the body wasent in the mud pit, the engine was... so I woudl lower the engine, and lower the body. Plus, when you get stuck in mud, and then floor it, dont keep your foot on the gas. Expecally when they are hooking up the tow strap. Doesent. I say that he needs to wheel the truck more, and learn it;s limits before he goes on, oh, and also get a detroit in the rear end.. 14 bolt detroits are cheap enough... but I do have to say, that truck has the most over built front suspensions i have ever seen...

Haven't met a 17 year old yet that really wanted any advice...

Wheel the piss out of it. All of the problems will become obvious. And if you like the mud, lose the carpet.:flipoff2:

Haven't met a 17 year old yet that really wanted any advice...

Wheel the piss out of it. All of the problems will become obvious. And if you like the mud, lose the carpet.:flipoff2:

This tread is from 2001 :rolleyes:

way to bring back a 5 year old thread.

Well I guess you found out what you wanted to know...

holy old thead batman...

i was 18 when i posted this, i'm 22 now.

just to humor myself, update on the bronco. now it has a stroked 460, c6, np205, D60, spool in the 14b and 49" Iroks on stockton wheel 20s. and lifted a little more :rolleyes:

its waiting on the money to buy full hydro steerin and a klune-v.

every once in a while shane is like "so what would happen if i take my bronco to rubicon?" :rolleyes: he's never been.

to add a little tech, his wheels from stockton wheel showed up after about a 6 month wait, while they told him 2 months. not a big deal to him, but some people might have a project that needs to get finished in a reasonable amount of time.

So what your saying is he never did learn!

"so what would happen if i take my bronco to rubicon?"

I guessing it would roll...several times proabably :shaking:

edubreuil way to bring back a five year old thread... :flipoff2:

Tell him to bring it to the hammers!

ps. you are ready, bring your shit and lets get crazy!

ps. you are ready, bring your shit and lets get crazy!

nothing says "i'm ready for the hammers" like sitting on one axle stand in the mcdonalds parking lot waiting for a replacement shaft.

meh,

I have no brakes and broken steering. It should all be fixed this week.

GET IT!

this is probably shit chat by now, but...

we found another purpose...

btw thats his v10 dodge on 38s/40s/44s which does the job of picking up high school girls much better than the bronco.

I think it's Cool...........:D


:jester:

my advice:

go slow.

well this is shane i have my own user name now and the bronco still doesnt run again. when i was 17 it was deffinatly one of the coolest trucks around and if it was drivable it might still be. right now im working on a full with sami buggy wth a low center of gravity on 38's and a 100 inch wheel base so i have learne what a good trail rig is. but like someone said earlier in the post this thing will pick up slutty chicks like no other and ill also have a blast in the mud with it. but so far the rti ramp is the best use its seen also its getting an exo cage so when i do get excited hopefully there will be some protecting it because after more seriouse wheeling i to know what will happen

:rolleyes:

:rolleyes:

I read this whole post, and I think that about sums up my thoughts on this entire thread.

I 'wheel a fullsize truck, and I've hit some pretty rough trails that a fullsize should probably not be on, but the bullshit in this thread is so deep, it goes without saying.

Kid, I hope you grow up one day. A fool and his life are soon parted if you keep driving that death trap.

Soooo, this kid is 17, has a Nissan, a Ram V10 and this retarded Bronco as his vehicles? Sounds like a classic case of too much money and not enough sense or experience. Mommy and Daddy must have good jobs, lol. Tell this fool that if he wants to learn how to wheel, to look at other rigs that work. If he wants a buggy, look at how buggies are built. If he wants a multi-purpose truck, look at those. I guarantee he will not find a truck built like that Bronco anywhere other then in the hands of an overly redneck monkey or cruising the malls looking for underage chicks. Just my .02

Haven't met a 17 year old yet that really wanted any advice...

Wheel the piss out of it. All of the problems will become obvious. And if you like the mud, lose the carpet.:flipoff2:


you are 5 years and 7 months late:shaking:

Soooo, this kid is 17, has a Nissan, a Ram V10 and this retarded Bronco as his vehicles? Sounds like a classic case of too much money and not enough sense or experience. Mommy and Daddy must have good jobs, lol. Tell this fool that if he wants to learn how to wheel, to look at other rigs that work. If he wants a buggy, look at how buggies are built. If he wants a multi-purpose truck, look at those. I guarantee he will not find a truck built like that Bronco anywhere other then in the hands of an overly redneck monkey or cruising the malls looking for underage chicks. Just my .02

i'll respond to this, you are a moron... he was 17 when this was posted 5+ years ago, worked part time and lived with his parrents, and he just had the bronco.

now he's 22, has 4 vehicles (sami buggy in progress), and is a union ironworker, pays for all his broken toys and his rent. (thanks buddy)

Kid, I hope you grow up one day. A fool and his life are soon parted if you keep driving that death trap.

one day like 4 years later? when he learned the bronco wasnt the great trailrig he thought it was, when he wheeled the piss out of a sami, then cut it into a buggy?

that thing hasnt been on the road in like 3 years, i think thats been said.

as for it being a death trap, its no taller than any show truck on 49s, and as stupid as this truck is in theory, at least it isnt booty fabed together. it'll roll on the trail, yes. it'll roll on the street if you drive like an idiot, but i bet your truck will roll on the street if you drive like an idiot too.

hell he even came on here, with a red star, and told everyone he has learned better and the bronco is good for picking up underage sluts.

in conclusion... STFU

I'll concede that I am a moron on two points. 1) That I didn't notice this was a resurrected thread, and 2) for even trying to talk to people who refuse to listen to common sense and think they know everything. 4 years ago I was wheeling my bobbed '74 W100 on 32" tires and doing well in my area, not screwing around seeing how many times I can pull my hamstrings trying to climb into a truck that's way too tall to be useful. I got over that childishness in the 90s.