need advice

[1986bronco]

hello i just got a 1986 bronco with a fuel injected 302. i want to build it for offroading and some onroad driving. where do i start. it has stock with 8.8 in the rear and 44 up front. do i do suspension first. or should i swap out axles. will they hold up as is? should the engine be built or swap out for 351 ** or something bigger. i would like to run 38's will every thing hold up as is. how big of a lift will i need and what about cut out flares. is the angle going to be to ******* the drive train. will ifs hold up? i want to be able to do moderate mudding nothing to deep or thick. i appreciate any advice griven

 

[BLADE262US]

Hello if your drivetrain is sound right now I would start with the suspension . The 8.8 is not a bad rear end I run 35x15.5x15 superswamper tsl,sx on mine and it has held up great . Same with the dana 44 ttb no problems other than the usual camber lean that drives me nuts so I do plan to put in a solid dana 44 up there just for that reason the ride is very good from the ttb though but at the price of tires cant have it eating them . Being an 86 you should have a C6 tranny if its an automatic so that will be all good , I am not a fan of the 302 the 351W is my choice , If available funding is an issue and your drivetrain is sound like I said I would start with the suspension , Get a good kit ask others about experiences with different manufactures I have had great luck with superlift if your going to keep the TTB then I would definately look into there kit get a 6 inch for sure the brackets have the holes for 4 inch in them too so if you ever want to go down a little all youll have to get is a set of front springs . The steering kit they have called a superunner kit is a very nice kit gets rid of all the bump steer from the ttb when you lift them and there the only company I have seen that makes anything like that , Make sure you keep the front sway bar by whatever means necessary it makes a huge difference on the handling of the truck also keep in mind that 35 and bigger will hit the sway bar if you crank the wheel all the way but dont take it off . I always by the bigger springs for the back to get away from having to use tall blocks they have there purpose but strret use isnt one of them . I make my own traction bars its just a bar ( round tube ) with 3/4 hiem joints in each end then I made brackets to mount them to the frame usually just in front of the rear spring forward mount and they run down to the underside of thge axle to brackets that are welded on there is NO axle wrap with this setup shifting is very firm with no spring action , On that subject shifting TCI makes a transcat shift kit for a C6 think jegs had it for like $24 its very easy to put in and well worth it tanny shifts very firm no slipping . After the suspension find the tires you want , I say do the suspension first because if you buy the tires and have them laying in your garage you know it wont be long before the sawzall lift kit comes out so you can see them on your truck then later after the lift it will be hard to make the body look really good quarters are expensive /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[89Bronco58]

I run 38 x 15.50 tires and i have a a 6 inch suspension lift and 3 body with no cutting, just bolt on flares, stock axles in both rears with IFS...all i did was put 4:10 gears and posi in both rears, i run an ** 306 motor with a small cam , full exhaust with headers, and a K and N filter, and shes drives very very well, no pickup problems at all...if i were you id start by the suspension lift first , if you just do an 8 inch lift u can clear 38's without a body lift, it will cost some money but once its done youll see its all worth it...good luck /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[green streak]

on my 93 f-150, i ran a skyjacker 8" suspension lift and performance accesories 3" body lift, and easily cleared 38.5x16 m/t baja claws on a 15x12 rim. plenty of room and unless i was extremely off camber, there was no clearance issues with the fronts. make sure you get a drop pitman arm with the suspension lift and get the front end aligned after your finished. your tires and front suspension will thank you. i didn't like the way the flares looked, so i didn't bother with them. you might be able to get by with an 8" suspension lift with the bushwacker cut out fender flares if you want to run 38's. good luck.

 

[wtfdissux]

gotta find the web site that had the drop brackets and post it here forget the name but the relevence is that they offer ones that have built in adjustment for camber mine went from \---o---/ to l---o---l and only used the ball joint cam for caster and they will work on 2-4-6 and 8inch lift's (two different models)

 

[johnski]

I'm amazed people are saying it'll be just fine to run 38's on stock axles. When did it 1/2 ton running gear under a 6000+lb. vehicle and big tires equal no problems? If you're going to run those tires and wheel it, upgrade to a D60 solid front and at least a D60 rear or Sterling 10.25. No matter what other people say, you will break your **** if you wheel it halfway hard with stock axles and 38's. Just a matter of time before u-joints, bearings, and ball joints will go, followed by axles and gear breakage. Build it right from the start, you'll be happy you did. If you think I'm wrong, just get a second opinion here: http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/index.php

 

[Big Country]

I always went wheelin with mine stock. Never with 38s. Personally I don't think you need them that big anyway. I have 33s on mine and get through everything everybody else does....Maybe I am just that good. Maybe there is different mud in TX.

 

[johnski]

I always went wheelin with mine stock. Never with 38s. Personally I don't think you need them that big anyway. I have 33s on mine and get through everything everybody else does....Maybe I am just that good. Maybe there is different mud in TX.

"Wheeling" is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

 

[wtfdissux]

thats my opinion as well never needed anything bigger and I beet the snot out of my truck rocks dirt mud downed trees water never a problem and haven't needed the 4x4 even in the snow for over 2 years but still use it just cuz its fun to spray from all four when launching in the mud

 

[green streak]

I'm amazed people are saying it'll be just fine to run 38's on stock axles. When did it 1/2 ton running gear under a 6000+lb. vehicle and big tires equal no problems? If you're going to run those tires and wheel it, upgrade to a D60 solid front and at least a D60 rear or Sterling 10.25. No matter what other people say, you will break your **** if you wheel it halfway hard with stock axles and 38's. Just a matter of time before u-joints, bearings, and ball joints will go, followed by axles and gear breakage. Build it right from the start, you'll be happy you did. If you think I'm wrong, just get a second opinion here: http://fullsizebronco.com/forum/index.php

he said he wanted to do "moderate mudding--nothing too deep or thick". if this is all he wants to do and drive it on the street the rest of the time, i think he'll be ok. if he's in mud, his tires are gonna be spinning, taking some of the strain off of his drivetrain. maybe i'm a lone exception, but my stock axles held up fine for 4 years of abuse on my 93' f-150. i had 35x12.50's on 15x10 rims for the first year, then got a body lift and threw on 38.5's and 'wheeled the crap out of it--hard. the only carnage ever suffered was a broken leaf spring, a few u-joints, and a busted shock. i do totally agree that it is a good idea to build it right the first time, and i know he wouldn't be sorry for upgrading the drivetrain, but that's a bunch of money to shell out for a rig that see's moderate mudding. good luck. >-