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Ricks Bronco: 1and 1/2

Looks like you might need some longer brake lines :D
 



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Your right Kert. Was going to wait untill I get some longer travel coilovers, but that's not going to happen soon.
So now I'm going to play with the stroke/travel geometry of the shock. Going to design for more droop with what I have.
Might go as far as 30/70 down.
My thinking is that the front end is just so light that I'll be able to get away with it.
Wont have all that Kinetic energy stored up as a much heavier truck.
There is just so much weight that I removed off the front if you start adding it all up.
Being these are my first COs I did a conservative 50/50 just to be on the safe side.
But wasting to much up travel I'm finding out by the testing I'm doing.
This will make for new shock mount locations and spring adjustment heights.
Then I'll change brake lines. Not the brake lines themselves, but the mounting locations.
 






DSC05456.jpg


Driver side with original shock location. Note the length of piston rod.

DSC05457.jpg


Now pass. side after changing shock mount. Shorter rod length with out changing ride height of truck. Plus more droop.
The ride height was done by adjusting spring.
.
It was the bottom mount that I modified but I can still mount it in the previous location if need be, if and when I go to a longer travel CO.
After testing and I think I can get away with even less travel up, then I'll re-do the top mount by lowering it and then adjust spring.

DSC05450.jpg


The suspension has plenty more articulation, it's the shock that's limiting it and that will be corrected one way or the other.

Next I'll relocat the brake line.

What's the best axle limiting system other then my brake line ha ha. Nylon strap or chain?
I even have plenty of heavy nylon strapping, just need a way of securing nylon to hook ends?
 






DSC05463.jpg


Now to test for flex improvement after doing the coilover mod on pass. side.
Found some private property that I have permission to do some wheeling.
It has a mix of shale pits, plenty of huge rocks and piles of shale that remind me of the ski mogul (sp) runs in the Olympics.

The flex just keeps getting better. Also you can see that the brake line has been re routed and has plenty of flex left in it.
After even further evaluating, I'll see if I should even try for moor droop then what I just did.
Might as well squeez the inth degree out it.

DSC05475.jpg


After doing the driver side mount, I'll turn my attention to the rear to get more droop also.

DSC05472.jpg


Here is the other side of truck that is in the above pic.
Now remember a lot of sheet metal has already been cut of the bottom edge.
Looks like I'll need to address the extreme back end of the wheel well due to extending rear axle back. And this is only with 33s.

DSC05477.jpg


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Going to have someone take some videos of it soon doing some of this stuff.
Really fun watching the axles flex over these series of shale piles.

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Hope you like the new pics. Now to get back to working on the shock brackets.
Then it will be more testing (more fun actually).
 






I'd enjoy them more if I was the one doing the driving. :D

It's looking really good rookie. I was concerned about that rear fender clearance when you pushed the suspension back, but I figured you had a plan to fix it. Does it clear now with 33's at full stuff?
 






Having all that droop is good But, I wouldn't sacrifice Stuff. To get traction you need to have pressure on the ground. Droop is better than having the tire in the air but it is less traction that you will get if a tire is stuffed. When stuffed you have the vehicle weight on the tire giving you more traction.

Soo, I would set it so your up travel of the shock stops right after where you run out of "stuff" and if you need more droop at that point you change the shocks etc to give you more total travel.

~Mark
 






Soo, I would set it so your up travel of the shock stops right after where you run out of "stuff" and if you need more droop at that point you change the shocks etc to give you more total travel.

~Mark

Good info :thumbsup:
I'm out of steel plate anyway, but when more arrives that will be the approach I'll use on the back. The back needs changing for sure. Way too much up.

With what you just said, I think the front will be fine with what I just did. No more changing unless it's the shock itself.
 






I'd enjoy them more if I was the one doing the driving. :D

It's looking really good rookie. I was concerned about that rear fender clearance when you pushed the suspension back, but I figured you had a plan to fix it. Does it clear now with 33's at full stuff?

Once I change the rear shock bracket height I may just have to do some sheet metal work back there.
Right now there is just way too much shock travel going up, like over %60.
The front now is 35/65 where the back is 65/35.

Even if it does clear the 33s, I really think it will hit with any taller tire.
 






Are you trying to shoot for more 50/50 on the shock travel? I was curious about the 33's because if they didn't touch at full stuff I figured the 35's would. How would you go about pushing that fender up higher since you have the gas lid on the driver's side?
 






With what you just said, I think the front will be fine with what I just did. No more changing unless it's the shock itself.

This is the pic that made me think you didn't have enough stuff up front.

DSC05475.jpg


For comparison. My up travel stops right here.. and if I hit a bump hard enough I just barely top out the shock.

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To figure how much up travel I'm using on the shock I put a zip tie on the tube and with slow driving I have about 1/2" left. If I hit a bump hard (high speed) I'll push the zip tie to the top but not break it off so its not "that bad".

~Mark
 






What size tires do you have?
Now do remember those front wheelwells if left stock, the tire the way it is now would be way up inside, and may not be that far cause it would have hit the inner fenderwell.
I have really cut open the front wheelwell open, so that could also explain the gap above tire. Just a thought.
But ya, I need to flex it again and take some measurments.

Two other things that I need to figure into this is that these are only 10" travel COs and I still need the secondary spring up top. Reason I don't have secondary srpings is that I'm sure I need to go to a longer travel shock. With the secondary springs I think this would allow for more up also.

Maybe a pic on a more steeper bank might be helpfull?
 






I'm running 33x12.50's on 15x8's.. When the shock bottoms out (hard hit) the tire just scrape the bottom of the inner fender (whats left of it) and hits the airbox too.

I agree though, with your modified fender it looks like less stuff than it may really be (optical illusion/reference issue). Of course, that means you can get "More" stuff which actually helps the truck stay level.

Edit: I just re-looked at the pics. Look where the centerline of the hub is compared to the bottom of the Body.. But, don't forget to take into consideration that you have more lift than I do.

~Mark
 






To throw a monkey wrinch in there. All the metal below door was cut off and what was left was folded under.
The slider is level with the bottom of door, so again all the metal that's been cut off this truck probably has something to do with the illusions...maybe. But I like what you say and will have to go out and play some more and see what's out there.
Thanks for the insight.
And then there was an additional lift by the 3" body lift. coupled with the rocker panel cut off explains why you can see so much frame.
But you may be right regardless.

I think a 14" travel shock with primary and secondary springs would be the hot ticket.
But then the $$$ comes into play ha ha.

Maybe also I should try going down hill as you are and see how that looks?
Or is it even going down hill, kinda hard to tell from pic.
 






To throw a monkey wrinch in there. All the metal below door was cut off and what was left was folded under.
The slider is level with the bottom of door, so again all the metal that's been cut off this truck probably has something to do with the illusions...maybe. But I like what you say and will have to go out and play some more and see what's out there.
Thanks for the insight.
And then there was an additional lift by the 3" body lift. coupled with the rocker panel cut off explains why you can see so much frame.
But you may be right regardless.

Aha.. I forgot about the body lift too and the sort of boat siding. Hrm.. Soo, with the pics, I'm comparing Apples and Oranges..

BTW.. its easier to get stuff if you flex it on flat ground with Dips instead of "hills". If you need to use a hill, head down it to get it to stuff (more weight will be on the front).

~Mark
 






Great points you bring up.
Thanks for all your input as usual.
Please post back when I post some more flex shots. Your knowledge is helpful.
 






Are you trying to shoot for more 50/50 on the shock travel? I was curious about the 33's because if they didn't touch at full stuff I figured the 35's would. How would you go about pushing that fender up higher since you have the gas lid on the driver's side?

More like 40 up and 60 down. With really long COs this truck would do some crazy flexing. The back remember has the wristed axle with the removable pin.

About the gas lid. I would just add a remote filler cap in the bed, just like you see on some road racing trucks. Actually I was going to do that anyway.
Even to the point of building my own tank like we used to do is some of our old race cars.
Then just skin over where the cap is now. It was square at on time then I skinned over it after removing the square lid and cut the round one in.

And thanks to all the guys that sent me messages or emails.
 






DSC05471.jpg


Plus I was checking on Track bar and Drag ling clearances also...no problem.
I really need to get on the engine cross member so I can make it removable.

And most likely those travel/stroke percentages can be talked about untill the cows come home.
 






DSC05479.jpg


Working on the rear Coilover mounts this fine morning. Going to build a little droop into the system.
The original mounts have far too much up stroke that I'll never use, so might as well change it so I'll be able to utilize it in another direction ha ha.
This will let that long rear radius arm do it's thing.

DSC05480.jpg


Going to use 2x2" x 1/4" wall square tubing.

DSC05483.jpg


DSC05495.jpg


The end that comes to a point will set directly on the 1/2" wall axle tube and welded.
The vertical sides are radiusd for bottom of shock.

DSC05485.jpg


There's the driver side done. It's welded top, bottom and both sides. And then an angle piece just for grins.

DSC05490.jpg


DSC05493.jpg


Jacked driver side up untill it became a little tipsy and both tires still on ground. And don't forget, this is with a radius arm. So much for a rear radius arm not flexing.

Now to start Pass. side.
Can't wait to take out on the same course and compare the ride.
 






DSC05496.jpg


Pass. side done. And if I go to some long coilovers, there's plenty of room to drill more mounting holes.
So this evening or more likely tomorrow, I'll have some more pics of it comparing how it did in the flexing area concerning the rear :D
 



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DSC05475.jpg


Now this is the pic at the beginning of page 119 with only the front coilover brackets modified for more front droop.
At this point the rear was not modified yet. I only go so far up hill when that rear tire started to come up. That's when I stopped and took the pic.
In fact it's about 1/2" off ground.


DSC05503.jpg


I was extremely pleased with todays modification of the rear axle coilover mounts.
Even went further up and all 4 tires are firmly on ground.
I stopped before the back tire started up the hill.
You can really see the angle of the radius arm is much more pronounced in the bottom pic.

DSC05501.jpg


To say I'm pleased with the way that outboard radius arm suspension works is an understatement.
 






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