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Decided to get the tracbar for the Better Half done this week:  Mocking it up, the bar needs to be roughly here, to match the draglink angle  Took some time with the upper mount, as i wanted something that would bolt up in place of the original TTB pivot, so i didnt have to drill any more holes in the frame:     ...and installed!  The lower mount on the axle  ...and done!  Im not in love with the lower mount, but i think itll do the job ok. I would have preferred to put the mount closer to the knuckle to get the bar longer but im pretty sure it would have hit the springs when the pass side drooped out, so i had to compromise. Im not building a hardcore long-travel rock crawler anyways, so i think itll be ok as is.  Threw on an old diff cover i had, RuffStuff maybe? Dont remember anymore. Lube locker gasket as i have them on multiple trucks now with no leaks:  Pretty sure thats the cover i used to run on the D70 in the rear of the 88 as the lower edge is ground down pretty good. Got that Carolina Squat yo!  Pretty sure its sitting at 4" of lift. i was surprised at how good the the drag link angle looks considering its stock F350 steering with a stock bronco pitman arm. I might try to get my hands on an F350 arm since theyve got ~1" more drop just to level it out a bit more, but i dont think i need to spring for a proper drop pitman arm. I gotta root around in the garage and see what i have. I have parts to build a tracbar but thats coming later. Tires are a junk set of 305/70R16 on stock Ford wheels, because its what i have for rollers. We have a set of 315/70R17 we bought on CL for cheap in the garage ready to go, just dont have a set of wheels for it yet, that one is up to the wife since its her truck.  I have a set of F350 shock towers in the garage that will go on the front eventually. For now my goal is to get the rear lifted and the 10.25 in so i can pause, clean up, take a trip to the scrap yard, and then roll this thing into the garage for the rest of the rebuild. It hasnt run in years so its gonna need a major tuneup at the very least (it also needs a gas tank, fuel pump & skid plate) and who knows if the transmission even shifts. I want to open up the tcase to inspect the pump, the exhaust is rotted out and falling apart.....the list goes on. Cant leave it like this forever!  Scored a set of leaf springs out of an Excursion pretty cheap a while back, so we're going to use the front set!  the Excursion guys hate these leafs, they think theyre too soft and usually switch to V-codes out of the Superdutys. So hopefully these will be just right for a bronco! These things are a bit rough though. All the anti-friction pads are shot, and the center pins look rough, so its all getting replaced  New anti-friction material from Speedway, and a set of new pads from Dorman:  Wire wheel, paint, new pads, bushings, center pins and done!  We're using the 2wd version of a 2" shackle reversal for a 85-91 F250/F350 from Sky's Offroad Design, along with quite a few other parts from them that you'll see show up as this project moves along  Sky's low clearance shackle hangars
...and the front hangar installed! The 2wd hangar fits right up on the bronco's frame like it was made for it. The 2wd version comes with plates for the inside of the frame horns to box them up a bit so its nice and stiff once its all bolted together.  New shackles  ...and the leafs installed!  Next up: getting that D60 installed! This is the new Superduty Shackle Reversal kit for 92-97 F350s offered by Precision Metal Fabrication. I purchased this to replace the Sky 3.5" Shackle Reversal I have been running ion my F250 since 2005. Why you ask? Because my F350 leafs from 1995 are pretty much worn out, and the SD leafs ride better, that's why! The new kit, ready to be installed. I ordered their 2.25" lift kit, with the optional tow points & front receiver.  I think its pretty nicely built, and the welds are superb. This kit was designed primarily for the diesel crowd, is designed to fit around the 6.0 PSD intercooler, and comes with tons of different ways to bolt to the frame to make install as painless as possible, regardless of whats under the hood/behind the grill.  My 'new' leafs, next to my old ones. Specifically theyse are X-Codes, which not everyone likes, but they were cheap ($30 for the pair), and are arched enough to add the additional lift I needed to clear my 37s. Also: They ride a tad better than my old leafs do, despite being a much higher spring rate.    This pic shows how much farther forward the front spring eye goes. Also, tight clearances around the OEM bumper   the lift ended up pretty much right where I was before, which was exactly what I was hoping for. So the X-codes add ~1" lift over the more popular SD leafs.   I swapped it in in two afternoons after work, it was easier than the old Sky kit as it uses existing holes in the frame whereas the Sky kit I had to drill a ton of holes. I finished it ~ a month ago now, and id say it rides a tad better than it did before. the springs are stiff, but I can feel the suspension working more than it did with my 95 F350 leafs. Add in all new tracbar & swaybar bushings, and its a cornering mofo now |
