Suggestions: SAS vs TTB & Lifts

[Spinaldex]

I just picked up an '86 Bronco. Stock height still w/ a 351.

I have a lot of experience with Toyota, Samurais & Jeeps .. rock crawling, trail rides and Mud.

This time around, I want to build something that is mostly for trail rides, mud, and just fun .. nothing to hit the Hammers with ...

So, I had a Bronco II once as well, so I'm familiar with the postives and negatives of the TTB suspension. I had a James Duff lift on it, body lift, 33"s, I use to race it a bit, and had a blast. Surprisingly good flex ... not great on the rocks, but better than most independent suspensions in my opinion. Was great on the road, great on sand and in mud. With that said, I normally wouldn't be opposed to stay with the TTB ... except that it can't support a very large tire from what I hear.

Now, I've seen people on the Pirates and on this site with 36-38" tires on those .. they tend to advertise they run Yukon axles (do they make upgrades for the front as well?), and I'm wondering if they have replaced any other components on the TTB to withstand the extra tire size?

So, with that said ... if I wanted to run something in the realm of 37/38 at some point, would I be forced to move to a straight axle? If so, then I have some questions there as well ...

Is there an *easy* swap... what I mean is, I live in an apartment complex now. So, is there one where I can put the front end on jacks, unbolt everything, shove a front end I pulled from a junkyard, and bolt up the parts (radius arms, coil buckets, etc) and do zero welding & torching? If so, what is the biggest axle I can get that I can do that with? AND, can I do it WITHOUT a $2000 kit from a company? I don't mind hitting up the local yards, or even driving 6 hours to get a good $100 deal on a front end, scavenge for the right components, but I don't want to spend $2k on a conversion kit and still have to worry about everything else to put in to the front end.

So, some insight would be great ... Normally, I would be all for tearing out the front end, torching and welding .. but I just moved and I don't know anyone here in the Portland Oregon area that would help me on doing that over a weekend. If you are, you are welcome to get in touch me too .. I'd be happy to pay for your shop time to help me put it together /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Sorry for the long post .. I tend to rant /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Justshootme84]

Lots of folks are running 37-39" tires on the TTB suspension with a lift kit, but expect more wear and tear on the drivetrain. Balljoints, u-joints and axle shafts will be more apt to break than normal. I ran on 35's with a 6" lifted TTB for a few years on the 84 Bronco without breaking anything except a u-joint yoke on the driver's side axleshaft after installing the spool. For me the biggest advantage of the SAS was the stronger parts all around so I could run taller tires than the 35's. I personally feel that 35's are the limit on a 1/2-ton axle. There is no "bolt-in" straight axle kit that I'm aware of, but I think a Dana60 front/ Gm 14bolt or Sterling 10.25" rear would be the best choice for 38" and taller tires. The leaf spring D60 swap I did is prolly the easiest, and only requires welding a front crossmember to the frame to hang the springs on. I did modify mine to bolt on for alignment and centering of the axle, thten welded it to the frame and boxxed the frame horns for more strength. So, you could possibly have the front crossmember made, bolt it on along with the rear hangers and intall the axle. Then take it to a shop to finish the welds. I just wouldn't drive it without welding, or you might crack the frame.