79 bronco

[fordcrazy]

hey im a teen looking to buy a 79 ford bronco and me and some buddys are going to put a 4" lift and 3 " body lift with 38" tires this summer, now i was wondering and i going to have to make or buy extended radius arms, a pitman arm, and the axles will they be fine for 38" tires some friends were telling me some of the strongest axles are in the bronco they are better than most ford axles, i believe then and i think thet are dayna 60 but does anybudy know any info on thi ssubject or know where to point me in the right way? e mail me at pumphreypunk@hotmail.com:D :cool:

[MAC702]

Yep, I remember those days. I guess it was neat driving a 6" Superlifted Dodge Power Ram with 35" Mud-Terrains on Mickey Thompson ALCOA wheels, but looking back I could've done a helluva lot more productive stuff with what that cost me!

Then again, I miss that truck... Go for it!!

But, don't even think about "making" extended ANYTHINGs!! BUY all suspension/steering parts and make sure they are installed by EXPERIENCED people.

[shorttrakracr07]

If your Bronco is stock it has a High Pinion dana 44 front end and a Ford 9 inch rear most likely with 3.50 open differentials. As far as making radius arms/pitman arm etc... the lift you buy should come with all the drop brackets to keep front end alignment correct. Have you considered a 6 or 9 inch lift? That way you wont need a body lift as they can be a pain. The axles should be fine as long as you don't jump it or beat on it too bad. I had a 1980 F-150 on 39.5 boggers with the same axles and all I broke was locking hubs. And also dont forget to regear to about 4.88 or 5.13 depending on how much street driving you do. If your gonna be doing a lot of off roading you might want to invest in some alloy axles front and rear.


Jared

[Keith_L]

I had a 1980 F-150 on 39.5 boggers with the same axles and all I broke was locking hubs.

If it was really an '80 you had TTB 44 front, a considerable step down IMO

Fordcrazy, lots of guys get away w no drop pitman arm and 4" of suspension lift on those trucks. You can always try it sans arm, and if you get bumpsteer you'll have to pony up the $$ for a drop unit.

You shouldn't need extended arms but you may need rad arm drop brackets, which essentially make for a lever arm on the frame, so look for quality brackets which incorporate as much frame engagement and anchoring points as possible to spread the load.

Your D44 front and Ford 9" rear are decent axles, standard half-ton issue. If you find the need to upgrade, price carefully the difference between upgrading half-ton stuff (polishing a turd) vs simply swapping to larger axles.

Since you say you're a teen and it's clear you're new to all this, I also wouldn't reco fabbing anything steering or suspension related. Once you get some more experience it's not a problem, but be safe.

The Ford Talk section of pirate4x4.com could be a good resource for you, but don't even think about posting newbie questions there, everything you're asking here has been answered a million times before.

[shorttrakracr07]

Well since you mentioned that, i must have forgot to mention it had a 78' straight axle in it with spicer joints and hardened axles.:cool: And if I remember everything from the knuckle out on a TTB is the same as the solid axles. And I do agree that the TTB is weaker as I broke axles,spiders,joints, and just about everything else on it.:rolleyes:

[DarkHorse]

hey im a teen looking to buy a 79 ford bronco and me and some buddys are going to put a 4" lift and 3 " body lift with 38" tires this summer, now i was wondering and i going to have to make or buy extended radius arms, a pitman arm, and the axles will they be fine for 38" tires some friends were telling me some of the strongest axles are in the bronco they are better than most ford axles, i believe then and i think thet are dayna 60 but does anybudy know any info on thi ssubject or know where to point me in the right way? e mail me at pumphreypunk@hotmail.com:D :cool:

Factory axles are Dana 44 front, and the Ford 9" rear. Both are good up to about 35" tires. People do run larger, but maintanence become much more frequent. Street wheeling and trail drives they should survive with 38s,Provided you take it easy. If you like the loud petal or you play in the rocks or mud step up to one ton stuff. Dana 60 fronts and 14bolt/sterling/Dana 70 rears.
Go with a 6" lift and skip the Body lift. The 78/79s will fit 33s stock, at full stuff they don't rub ( on most ), full turns they will rub the Rad arms. There are a few Extended Rad arms made for the Older Broncos, Check out Pirate 4x4 and fullsizebronco.com for more Info.

Jim