11-22-2010, 11:10 AM
Welcome aboard. Glad you decided to take the plunge. To address a few of your thoughts:
A short wheelbase bronco is not ideal for towing. Not to say that it can't be done, but if you already have a daily driver pickup or SUV, it might be best.
I had a Bronco similar to yours a while back. You are thinking correctly. I can just imagine how it drives right now. My advice (take it for what it is worth- it is free), is to get a nice set of 33" BFG AT's (not mud terrains), a 3.5" lift, and a 1" body lift. Nick makes a nice aluminum body lift. Any of the major vendors all carry suspension kits. Go with the 11 pack rear springs (not add-a-leafs), new coils, and nice shocks. Done correctly, your Bronco can be driven comfortably once again. You can off your old parts on ebay. You can also go to a bone yard and get disc parts off of a full size Bronco. Much cheaper than the new disc kits. Wouldn't be a bad idea to do ball joints and the like while you are doing it. Always use new calipers, brake lines, and proportioning valve.
One other thing to consider is your track bar setup. It should be parallel to the drag link (the steering link going from the steering box to your tie rod). This is the main problem area for most front ends.
For the trans, while an overdrive trans would be awesome, they can be VERY expensive. It is not a very easy retrofit. If you must get one, you can either go automatic with an AOD or use a 3550 5spd, if wanting a manual. Either way, you have to get the trans, get the adapters, usually change drive shaft lengths, fab up a crossmember, and other misc. things.
I hope I didn't sound too negative. You have a nice looking truck. It can be made to drive as well as it looks.
A short wheelbase bronco is not ideal for towing. Not to say that it can't be done, but if you already have a daily driver pickup or SUV, it might be best.
I had a Bronco similar to yours a while back. You are thinking correctly. I can just imagine how it drives right now. My advice (take it for what it is worth- it is free), is to get a nice set of 33" BFG AT's (not mud terrains), a 3.5" lift, and a 1" body lift. Nick makes a nice aluminum body lift. Any of the major vendors all carry suspension kits. Go with the 11 pack rear springs (not add-a-leafs), new coils, and nice shocks. Done correctly, your Bronco can be driven comfortably once again. You can off your old parts on ebay. You can also go to a bone yard and get disc parts off of a full size Bronco. Much cheaper than the new disc kits. Wouldn't be a bad idea to do ball joints and the like while you are doing it. Always use new calipers, brake lines, and proportioning valve.
One other thing to consider is your track bar setup. It should be parallel to the drag link (the steering link going from the steering box to your tie rod). This is the main problem area for most front ends.
For the trans, while an overdrive trans would be awesome, they can be VERY expensive. It is not a very easy retrofit. If you must get one, you can either go automatic with an AOD or use a 3550 5spd, if wanting a manual. Either way, you have to get the trans, get the adapters, usually change drive shaft lengths, fab up a crossmember, and other misc. things.
I hope I didn't sound too negative. You have a nice looking truck. It can be made to drive as well as it looks.