I wanna lift my 78 but have no idea where to start

[jcuervo1988]

I have no clue someone please point me in the right direction.

 

[adamnflorida]

I have no clue someone please point me in the right direction.

body lift,or suspension...how high? lots of options..

 

[Justshootme84]

Read this thread, since it will apply to the 78/79 Bronco as well as the 80-96:

http://broncozone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7590

I'm running 38' tires on my 78 with a 3" cut out of the front fenders on stock suspension, but suggest a 6" lift for that size tire. My 79 F-150 has 6' lift just to clear 35's, JSM84

 

[jcuervo1988]

body lift,or suspension...how high? lots of options..

Suspension definetly, about three to four inches. i was told to look at a spring over leaf.

 

[bronco_83]

look into cage lift kit, i think the website is www.cage.com but not sure. If i was going to lift my bronco that is what i would use. Depends on what you want to spend also, you gonna pay someone or try it yourself

 

[Broncobill78]

Suspension definetly, about three to four inches. i was told to look at a spring over leaf.

Nope, a spring-over only applies to Jeeps and others that mount the leaf spring *under* the axle tube. You can swap it to the top of the axle and gain several inches of lift but it's a lot of work and fabrication, NOT a bolt on deal and NOT for a newbie (unless you have a well equiped garage & friends who know what they're doing)

A body lift will be cheap to buy but expensive & time consuming to install. All the body lift consists of is spacers to lift the body higher above the frame & longer body bolts, but to install it you'll need to modify the fuel filler neck, fan shroud, brake lines, fuel & transmission linkages, and the list goes on and on. On top of that a body lift does nothing to increase your wheel travel.

A suspension lift will include replacement springs to lift the truck higher as well as drop brackets for the major suspension pieces. It's more expensive but a lot easier to install (on a 78/79) and has legimate performance benefits. A suspension lift for a 78/79 is pretty cheap compared to one for an 80-96 because the 78/79 has the very simple and durable straight axle instead of the Twin Traction Beam(TTB) suspension. Anything much above 2" of lift and I'd also spend the money on new C-bushings with the proper offset (either 2 or 4 degrees for a 4" lift, it's been so long I forget) OR get youself a set of radius-arm drop brackets (a bear to install). Also look into a track-rod drop bracket and an adjustable drag-link. The Bronco specific shops like K-bar-S and Jeff's Bronco Graveyard will carry them, call for catalogs if you don't already have them.

Stop listening to whomever told you about the spring-over conversion because he either doesn't know Jack about Fords or only knows what he reads in a magazine (maybe both) and friends like that can cost a new guy a lot of money & frustration.

 

[jcuervo1988]

Cool thanks for the info.

 

[Crude dude]

jcuervo, where are you located? I am possibly going to part out my 78 Bronco XLT. It has a Superlift 6 inch and it rides like a Cadillac. There is maybe 2000 miles on the truck since the lift was installed. The reason I want to part out is the rust over the fender wells that someone painted over just before I bought it. Lots of good parts. I have used Superlift a couple of times and they always work great on and off road.

 

[bidibronco]

BroncoBill, when you do a body lift if you add all the stuff to make it "correct" doesn't it even out the cost almost?

 

[Broncobill78]

BroncoBill, when you do a body lift if you add all the stuff to make it "correct" doesn't it even out the cost almost?

Bidi,

I dunno if it actually costs as much out of your wallet (depends on if you're doing the work yourself or just writing checks to someone else) but it's just as much work and quite possibly more. Personally I don't get involved with those freaking things unless I REALLY like the guys sister or Mom. So yeah, *MY* suggestion would be to stick with a suspension lift because it's just as much work (but probably less), everything involved it pretty straightforward with no surprises, and once it's done you get the benefit of additional suspension travel. A body lift is generally speaking a pain in the a$$, there are all sorts of things that hang you up & you don't see them until you try to try to drive the damn thing, and almost every solution requires fabrication which is always a bitch if the damn truck isn't yours & you don't freaking love it like a child. I HATE body lifts and I try to only get involved with them if I *really* need the clearance (swapping in a larger engine and you need firewall clearance, etc) or if the guy has a really nice wife, sister or Mom (you get the idea). Other than that, f*ck-it, I don't want to hear about it, go & write someone ELSE a check for all the bull$hit. If it ain't my truck I'm not doing it. The only thing you derive from a body lift is additional firewall & fenderwell clearance. If you're doing it because your suspension lift is maxed out then i can understand, but it's certainly no shortcut. Sticking a few hockey-pucks under your cab is no solution. You have to deal with brake lines, fuel filler necks, accelerator, brake & Xfer case linkages, fan shrouds, all sorts of harness-length issues, and that's just what I can think of off the top of my head. They're a bitch and I do everything I can to stay away from them. That $hit is worse than a ******-off prom date & I've had my share of THOSE.

Could I be any more clear ?

 

[bidibronco]

Well, point taken. I personally don't see any reason for a body lift even with a bigger motor. It's just as much work (in my oppinion) to cut into the firewall. Didn't mean to hit a touchy subject... SORRY!

 

[Broncobill78]

Didn't mean to hit a touchy subject... SORRY!

Once again it didn't come out exactly the way I intended <grin> One of the problems of communicating online, no way yo lend inflection to your words & the way they sound to me as I *write* them is not always the way they sound when someone else *reads* them. Just some good-natured sarcasm. On the other hand, I've had more guys than I care to remember ask me for help either installing a body lift or straightening out one that someone *else* installed. You're just trying to help out a buddy at work and the next thing you know you've got 30hrs into the damn thing. It just seems like there's no end to the headaches those things cause and then when you're done you've got to ride around with that big huge gap between the body & frame that just screams "Body Lift !!!" I know that sometimes you can't get away from it, like when you've maxed out the available suspension lift & need more clearance for those 44's, but I'd just never install one *instead* of a suspension lift. A lot of guys get hung up looking at the $99 price for a 3"-4" body lift and saying "I'd be crazy to spend $1000+ for a suspension lift" especially on the new IFS trucks. A suspension lift for a nice solid-axle truck is affordable but these IFS nightmares send the cost thru the roof which I think is why you see so many guys turning to body lifts. But like I said, there's just no end to running down all the nickle & dime bull$hit you have to do with the body lifts. One way or another you're gonna pay & put in the time. I just prefer for it to all be easy to see & upfront with a suspension lift.

Gosh, here I am ranting again & I haven't even cracked one open yet <grin> I guess that means it's time to go grab one & sit on the porch scratching my belly.