d44 swap

[wakullabronco]

I WAS JUST WONDERING HOW HARD IT WOULD BE TO PUT IN AN SOLID D44,I GOT THE INDEPENDENT FRONT END,PLZ HELP..

 

[ocalabronco]

not "hard" but techinical. go to fullsizebronco.com and search till your eyes bleed.

 

[johnski]

not "hard" but techinical. go to fullsizebronco.com and search till your eyes bleed.

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Yup. Just go here for the SAS bible: http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=29

 

[BLADE262US]

Can any of you that have done this post some pics Im interested in it too . Howd ya clear the crossmember without a mile of lift ? /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[johnski]

Can any of you that have done this post some pics Im interested in it too . Howd ya clear the crossmember without a mile of lift ?  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

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I guess you missed it, so here it is again: http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=29

 

[BLADE262US]

No I didnt miss it I was looking for someone here at this site that has actually done the mod and drives the vehicle everyday to give up some pics and input as to how it handles after the swap . Thanks for the link though . /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[ocalabronco]

here ya go your grass hoppa. before you ask, no i dont drive it everyday, but that has nothing to do with the suspension. if i had 1/2 ton springs all the way around and not a 1/2 ton front, 3/4 rear, it wouldnt ride so much like a tank. but gone forever is the vague, slightly floaty feeling of the TTB. it now rides very squarely and confident on the road. it does ride a bit rougher on bumpy sections, but that is going to happen since the tires are no longer independent of themselves. what i am NOT missing, however, is the ****** alignment and utter lack of articulation suffered by the TTB. i can lift it as tall as i want, and all i have to change are springs, trac bar length ( no prob since mine is adjustable, and C-bushings.) much easier than TTB lifts. and it all can be accomplished in half the time. i'll give you some highllights of my swap. and i didnt need to trim my xmember, but since the extended arms give me more flex, i didnt see why it would hurt.

new suspension consists of superlift 78/79 9" lift springs, radius arm extensions from Bent & Twisted Enterprises, and a superlift adjustable track bar.

this shows how much longer the extensions make the arms. and before you ask how it helps, think of some simple geometry

driverside bucket bolted up. in retrospect, i should have pushed it forward to the slot just aft of the steering box

this is a view of ride height with 9" springs. for an idea of how it would look with 6" springs, visually subtract 3" from the top of the housing to the bottom lip of the xmember

radius arm location

another view of ride height

as it sits

track bar bracket. consists of 1/4"x1/4"x2" square tube, 3/16" plate gussets, and .120 wall DOM brace welded to xmember. it aint budgin'

'nother view

looking at the tire

and how does it perform?

 

[BLADE262US]

Thanks for the pics . Have you noticed the radius arms bending at all where those adapters went on ? Seems like there pretty long . I have a 99 ranger that I narrowed a 44 from a 79 F150 to put in it . The threaded stub at the end didnt seem very strong on them was thinking of redoing it . I think the coils I got for that were from a 9 inch lift would you mind measureing yours so I can verify ? Thanks /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[ocalabronco]

it will be difficult for me to give you an accurate length on the springs, since they have been installed for some time now, and i dont feel like taking them off. what you can do, however, is reference them off of the extensions. they are ~13" ( 11" longer than stock, not counting the stud), so use something to reference in the first pic. that should help a bit. concerning the factory stud on the radius arms, i havent had any trouble with that, nor have i heard of anyone having the snap off. if you want to extend the arms and you are concerned with bendage, take some thick angle iron and box the arms. that seems to cure any bending problems at any point on the arm. if given the option, i would not hesitate to do this mod (extensions and/or SAS on any other bronco, provided i was compensated adequately for my time) it is very worthwhile if you wheel your rig hard enough to be concerned with breakage, or you simply are tired of the issues accompanying the TTB and want improved performance

 

[jeffm]

can u use the stock trac bar mount because i got all the parts like the stock shock mounts and the upper spring bucket of a 79 ford bronco and the shock monut has the spot were the trac bar goes so would it work

 

[ocalabronco]

you can, but i wouldnt trust it. i modified the stock bracket and it held for a while, the when steering against a tree (tight trail, dont ask) it peeled right off. actually tore clean through 1/4 *** steel. on a bracket so crucial, dont skimp. i think the metal for that bracket cost me 25 bucks, and 45 to have a mobile welder come weld it up. like i said in the pic, that junk aint moving

 

[Justbust1n]

looks like fun might do it myself