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74 EB Sandrunner under development

77bronco_ed

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FYI -Insurance... You may want to check into this before going anywhere with your idea. My wife and I had come up with a novelty product for kids, for ha ha's add a little fun to our camping trips.
(maybe see a few tossed on the ice at the Joe...) www.octodog.net

Basically it slices a hotdog. yes slices a hotdog... We are required to carry a 2 million $ liabilty insurance policy just for a small plastic gadget.

I could not imagine what you would be required to carry for such a product. I am not sure if everyday bronco owners are willing to kick out thousands for a susp kit??? They may mention that there is interest, but when it comes down to shelling out thousands, it becomes another story. How about plans for such a suspension?


-ED
 

77bronco_ed

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I added a couple of pics of my bronco in the Michigan Bronco owners post.
(Where i am now... -top)
-ED
 
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77bronco_ed said:
It will be nice to see the comparison from the two different trucks....

I am thinking that once you get a chance to test it you may also come across a few minor things that you may like to have done differently or may even make adjustments to refine your plans.

How does this travel compare to stock?

Is the travel key? for the ability to handle the whoops and landings from the air born jumps? Does this soften the landing?




Thanks...

The travel and shock type really seem to make all the difference for jumping. The theory being that you have more time to decelerate everything. It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end.

I'm sure there will be things that I'll want to change (and probably will) The whole idea behind this truck is getting a capable dune runner built, frame-up, for around $13K. I paid 5K for the truck, 3K for the suspension so far, about 1500 in cage/bracing, that leaves the rest for engine, etc. That Green Bronco was over $50K in parts alone....I can't float that kind of $$$$.
 
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sstlaure

sstlaure

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Last one was me, I wasn't signed in.

I believe that stock travel is somewhere in the 5" front/7" rear, but I'm not sure, all I know is those stock shocks look like a bad joke next to these King bad boys..
 

77bronco_ed

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I agree... with all of your comments

50k is a bit much,OK more than a bit! If I had it, I still couldn't justify it. I am in the same boat, wife and kids come first. Actually that is why I am STILL not driving mine.

(King Bypass shocks and air bump stops)
I started looking at the different shocks they offer after I seen your pictures, and I was wondering what one could expect by running them dual? (with hoops)

Obviously the travel wouldn't be as great... However you did say these shocks work best when they are bottomed out right? With less travel they are sure to bottom out. Those are some serious shocks!

What are you planning on doing to the engine? Lets see... you have about 3,500 left in the budget ;)

-ED
 
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sstlaure

sstlaure

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There isn't any need to run these shocks dual. Some of the higher end trucks run what appear to be duals, but they are really running a single bypass shock, then a separate coil-over spring carrier (looks just like a shock, but has little to no damping characteristics.)

The shocks perform best when they are able to go to full compression (otherwise you may not bottom the shock enough to utilize the bypass). Whatever set-up/travel you go with, make sure you buy the correct length shock. For jumping, the more travel the better, so long as you use all of it. If you just want cool coil-overs or bypasses, King (also Fox and others, I just like the King's the best) offer a full range of sizes to fit any custom application. You'd want to set up your suspension where the absolute bottom of travel is dictated by the bottoming of the airbump, with maybe 1/4" clearance from bottoming the shock. You'd also want to run limiting straps to avoid over-extending the shocks.

The bypass shocks are position sensitive, meaning that as the shock is compressed, the damping rate increases. (The small tubes on the outside of the shock are the bypasses, fluid runs around the bypass until the piston passes the bypass tube, then all fluid is directed through the piston.) The shocks I purchased (2.5" Prerunner, 2-bypass) essentially give you 2 compression damping rates and 2 rebound damping rates, all tunable, combining this with the airbumps (also tunable) allows for a 3rd compression damping rate to really slow things down smoothly. By changing the shims in the shocks and the nitrogen pressure in the airbumps you can dial these in perfect.

The coil-overs on the Green Bronco are dual spring-rate, but are speed sensitive with respect to damping. i.e. if the tire is moving upwards quickly, the shock becomes very stiff, if the vertical movement is slower, the damping rate is lower. That truck also has the airbumps. By eliminating the leaves/coils of the stock set-up & 4-linking, he was able to get greater total wheel travel with similar size shocks.

If you want to jump your truck and not break parts, I highly recommend either of these set-ups (in my opinion, the airbumps are also a must-have, if you're already spending $2000 on shocks, what's another $800 in the pot ;) If you've got the ca$h, go 4-link. Your truck will hook up better. Zero axle wrap, zero bind.

It's going to be very interesting to compare the suspension performance of these (2) very different trucks. Just wish I had the cash to go nutz on the motor like Sean.

The motor will be a slightly built 302, Forged pistons, Victor Jr. Intake...shooting for 325-350 hp out of the motor, then I'll add a 100-150 hp shot of Nitrous for dune shenanigans...

I've got most everything purchased for the motor already except for the cam, lifters, pistons and NO2. The Nitrous will probably be a couple of years, easy enough to add it on. That $3500 has to get me fuel lines, brake lines, 4.56 D44 Ring/Pinion, rebuild on 9", paint, etc., etc., etc.....%)
 
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sstlaure

sstlaure

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Found some old pics of some of the rest of the truck...

Engine, still going to tear it apart, install new cam, lifters, and forged pistons....
 

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sstlaure

sstlaure

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Firewall
 

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sstlaure

sstlaure

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Thanks, I printed it and will look closely at it tonight. Not too much will apply (as I can't remove the bed), but the part about removing most of the leaves and adding a spacer block to the pack so I can cycle it to full compression (without making my EB a loaded gun with a full compressed/loaded pack :p ) is a great idea.
 
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sstlaure

sstlaure

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Pulled all leaves except the main (2), made a spacer block to make up the height difference....cycling the suspension is now a breeze. I can now locate where the holes need to be in my floor for the shocks to pass through. I'll be starting the fab work after Labor Day. Shouldn't take but a couple of weeks to have a rolling chassis...

Full Compression in the rear
 

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sstlaure

sstlaure

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Leaving this Thursday evening, we'll be there all weekend. We'll be on the dunes Fri/Sat/Sun.
 
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sstlaure

sstlaure

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Had a change of plans...the front 5.5" coils are getting scrapped for a set of King Coil-over spring carriers. The more I thought about how I was getting my travel with the stock type springs, the less I liked it. Using those springs, during most of the droop portion of the travel would have been stretching the spring, so I don't think it would work the way I want it to. I'll be running duals in the front (1 bypass and 1 coil-over), but I may/may not actually have the coil-over doing any damping. The benefit would be better heat dissipation for long high-speed runs. If I don't get the forged pistons, camshaft, etc and just bolt up the motor I've got and go, I can swing the $$$ for the coil-overs. Also, by using the coil-overs, I can dial in the ride-height to sit perfectly level to match my leaves. (I'm building with 9 leaves now and may add the 10th back in if needed.)
 

77bronco_ed

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Sounds like the stiffer suspension will also handle better on the road... You did say that you will be driving it places other than on the dunes right? After we left your place we were talking about street handling. From your explanation of expected handling it seemed like it may be a little to soft for turns on the road.

I have been working pretty hard on mine... I am focused on getting the body together. It is coming along.

-ED
 
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sstlaure

sstlaure

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The suspension won't necessarily be stiffer with the dual shocks, especially if I run the coil-over as a spring carrier only (no damping) It will just make sure that my springs are doing something throughout the entire range of travel.

I'll be adding a sway-bar similar to that used on the Green EB to aid in handling. I won't drive it on the street all that much, but I will take it to work and to cruise nights every once in a while.

I'm not going to sacrifice any off-road performance to keep it "streetable", so I guess I'll just have to take it easy on-road. Sean's Bronco handles perfect at the dunes, but it a little twitchy on the road. Mine should be similar.
 

toddz69

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"The benefit would be better heat dissipation for long high-speed runs"

Where are you going to find "long high-speed runs" in Michigan? :)

Todd Z.
 
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sstlaure

sstlaure

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Where are you going to find "long high-speed runs" in Michigan? :)

Todd Z.

There aren't any :'( , but I'm building this so I can go blasting around Glamis in a couple of years.

In the truck my friend has, we've noticed that the remote reserviors on his Kings heat up. That's doing high-speed runs(60 mph) @ short bursts over 2ft+ whoops, and repeated jumping (about 10 times per lap around the dunes ;D ) If the cost difference between having the coil-overs valved w/a remote reservior or spring carrier only is only $50-100, I can just valve it super light for now and revalve in the future if I need it. That's a lot easier than trying to add the reserviors and mounts and everything later.
 
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