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Best Upgrade You’ve Done On Your Bronco?
- Thread starter 76BroncoPete
- Start date
The extended wheel base helps in many situations such as steep hill climbs and especially going up ledges. Many Moab trails have ledges where the extra few inches over a stock Bronco allow you to get the front wheels over the top to help pull you up and all 4 wheels are not trying to climb at the same time. It can help going down ledges too. It does hurt tight turns (such as the switchbacks on Black Bear in Colorado) but I’ll happily accept that for the advantage on climbs and ledges.
OP
OP
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2013
- Messages
- 402
Thanks for the explanation Scoop, makes since.
Sounds like it’s time for rear steer!
Best bang for the buck$, which wasn't much --- Hood Struts. Opening and closing the hood is a breeze with these. Installation was a breeze! :-*
How far did you move the front?
Did you move the box as well?
Lower gears and locker.
Better drivers seat.
OP
OP
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2013
- Messages
- 402
Hey Scoop, any noticeable difference in the road ride at 103?
Ranked by cost vs benefit
Cost not an issue
1) 4R70W
2) West Coast Broncos Rockcrawler PS set up (box and pump)
3) MSD Atomic EFI
4) Junkyard Hydroboost
5) Centech wiring harness
Cost vs Benefit
1) Centech wiring harness (approx ~$600)
2) Junkyard hydroboost (~$200 all in)
3) West Coast Broncos Rockcrawler PS set up (box and pump) approx ~$1000 incl install
4) 4R70W and US Shift controller
5) Atlas 2
Cost not an issue
1) 4R70W
2) West Coast Broncos Rockcrawler PS set up (box and pump)
3) MSD Atomic EFI
4) Junkyard Hydroboost
5) Centech wiring harness
Cost vs Benefit
1) Centech wiring harness (approx ~$600)
2) Junkyard hydroboost (~$200 all in)
3) West Coast Broncos Rockcrawler PS set up (box and pump) approx ~$1000 incl install
4) 4R70W and US Shift controller
5) Atlas 2
OP
OP
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2013
- Messages
- 402
Great breakdown
LOL! Actually trying to keep it as much “Bronco” as I can so it’s still very streetable. Still have leaf sprung 9” rear (Currie housing), D44 front, C4, Dana 20. It does have the NW Fab doubler, reverse pattern manual valve body, Duff long arms, WH Wrap Trap, and a few other goodies.
1 1/2 inches. Max I could go without moving the box.
Seems to be a little less choppy. Not hugely noticeable though.
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2019
- Messages
- 130
OP
OP
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2013
- Messages
- 402
Best one yet
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2007
- Messages
- 81,983
That is beautiful work too, super clean install !
I just took time out of my Day to read every one of these.
as I've been a member here for a long time . But these days I spend most of my time in the OFF Topic section .
This post is a revived from way back in the past.. Of all the post since I'VE BEEN A MEMBER THIS IS MY FAVORITE POST.
.... as I've quoted many times, that Hood Shocks still seem to be no. one.
P/S
P/B.
HYDRO'S
& Getting off the 3 on the TREE.
....... But I'm amazed at how Hood Shocks are still up at the top.
....I feel that for the new owner of a Bronco .. Especially a new guy or Gal whose not sure about driving a Classic . or Driving a 4x4 on a trail.
... New owners sure need to read these list to help them love the Classic Bronco even more.
.... & Then for us old guys. I feel we need to read these also .. Finding what I can do to make my Bronco driving time more pleasant.
..... The 1st post came out before I added DISK Brake & or Power Steering, or NP435.. on mines. . BUT I was in the mist of my 1st rebuild . I bought my Bronco about 2005 & I'll say it took me very close to 2 years . I kept doing something else to it.
Mine was not a frame off but It went way down close to the Bone.
I GOT my Bronco running . With almost no parts on it . SO EACH NIGHT I drove mine around a 5 ac track in front of my house. I Drove a few night on a 5 gallon bucket.
..... DON'T DO THIS MY FRIENDS .. tHAT JUST AN accident waiting to happen .
SO I CAN'T BELIEVE A GOOD SEAT WOULD NOT BE MY BEST CHOICE.
... I DISCOVERED REAL FAST THAT MY BRAKES were worthless. But I waited about 5 years before I got my DISK ADDED .
... While driving mine at home I knew I wanted Power Steering .
& My 3 ON THE TREE I hated . I'd drove many different cars & trucks with 3 speeds But I didn't like 2nd gear on these Broncos .
& Taking off in 1st gear shock your teeth out of your head .
.... SO AFTER I got mine together The NP435 was my 2nd upgrade.
But my 1st was the Power Steering upgrade as I did mine while I had the front fenders off. I found a gear box & sent it to PSC. & GOT IT BACK IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS . TRIED TO BUILD my own Brackets . But I Didn't like my build & odered brackets .After which I believed mine would have worked.
But after about 2 months I had working Power steering .. I was again driving it out front of my house each evening as I started working on it .
... Later I got it back together & After I started driving it into town & around . Brakes were so back . It felt like I HAD ONE BRAKE WORKING .
... so I started gathering up more of the Chevy Disk parts .
Finally I got what I believed was all I needed . & Put them on .. I spent maybe about 3 weeks getting them put on.
.... Man did I love my DISK BRAKES .
... Later I bought 3 4speed trans for 75.00 each . & A fRIEND PUT ONE IN HIS 1ST Before he could get the choice of trans . After his was done his had a grind going into 2nd gear .. & Mine didn't.
But He had a guy working for him who'd done a ton of gear box work so He worked over both out Dana20.
& put the dana onto our NP435.
.... I loved mine But Buddy was never as happy with his AS I was mine .
..............................................
............. WELL That may have seemed to some like an ODD Spot to STOP for a while.
But I kept hearing a cow bauling .. I live in the country .. She'd had a calf & the BUZZARDS HAD moved in on her to kill the calf. I got there just in the nick of time . She was busy fighting off Buzzards . SHE was not a happy Mother but she settled Down & Let baby get up & get his CHRISTMAS DINNER.
........
..........
.....But I use my Bronco mostly on the farm.. But while it had the 302 in it Summer time I could never go to the pasture with out it getting hot. SO ABOUT 2010 I installed a 4BT CUMMINGS IN IT .
.....................
... NOW THIS WILL make the PUREST MAD. But to me the 4BT DIESEL motor was the best upgrade I've done to mine .
The Diesel motor never gets hot. Fact is in the winter its about 45 minutes before the heater even helps.
.. But my fuel mileage went from 4 mpg to about 16 /20.
& I can pull lots of heavy equipment on the farm.
It's like have a more comfortable tractor on the farm.
In Granny gear of the NP435. & THE DANA 20 BEING IN UNDER DRIVE . You can fine some hole that's just perfect to crawl along on the farm. Hunting or just looking at cows. Or pulling a hay rake or a grain drill.
& I've got Bucket seat, P/S , Radio . & a hand throttle on mine .. Taco my Dog has his seat to set in & look out the window .
... I'd not recommend the DIESEL to everyone but it sure made me love my BRONCO.
as I've been a member here for a long time . But these days I spend most of my time in the OFF Topic section .
This post is a revived from way back in the past.. Of all the post since I'VE BEEN A MEMBER THIS IS MY FAVORITE POST.
.... as I've quoted many times, that Hood Shocks still seem to be no. one.
P/S
P/B.
HYDRO'S
& Getting off the 3 on the TREE.
....... But I'm amazed at how Hood Shocks are still up at the top.
....I feel that for the new owner of a Bronco .. Especially a new guy or Gal whose not sure about driving a Classic . or Driving a 4x4 on a trail.
... New owners sure need to read these list to help them love the Classic Bronco even more.
.... & Then for us old guys. I feel we need to read these also .. Finding what I can do to make my Bronco driving time more pleasant.
..... The 1st post came out before I added DISK Brake & or Power Steering, or NP435.. on mines. . BUT I was in the mist of my 1st rebuild . I bought my Bronco about 2005 & I'll say it took me very close to 2 years . I kept doing something else to it.
Mine was not a frame off but It went way down close to the Bone.
I GOT my Bronco running . With almost no parts on it . SO EACH NIGHT I drove mine around a 5 ac track in front of my house. I Drove a few night on a 5 gallon bucket.
..... DON'T DO THIS MY FRIENDS .. tHAT JUST AN accident waiting to happen .
SO I CAN'T BELIEVE A GOOD SEAT WOULD NOT BE MY BEST CHOICE.
... I DISCOVERED REAL FAST THAT MY BRAKES were worthless. But I waited about 5 years before I got my DISK ADDED .
... While driving mine at home I knew I wanted Power Steering .
& My 3 ON THE TREE I hated . I'd drove many different cars & trucks with 3 speeds But I didn't like 2nd gear on these Broncos .
& Taking off in 1st gear shock your teeth out of your head .
.... SO AFTER I got mine together The NP435 was my 2nd upgrade.
But my 1st was the Power Steering upgrade as I did mine while I had the front fenders off. I found a gear box & sent it to PSC. & GOT IT BACK IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS . TRIED TO BUILD my own Brackets . But I Didn't like my build & odered brackets .After which I believed mine would have worked.
But after about 2 months I had working Power steering .. I was again driving it out front of my house each evening as I started working on it .
... Later I got it back together & After I started driving it into town & around . Brakes were so back . It felt like I HAD ONE BRAKE WORKING .
... so I started gathering up more of the Chevy Disk parts .
Finally I got what I believed was all I needed . & Put them on .. I spent maybe about 3 weeks getting them put on.
.... Man did I love my DISK BRAKES .
... Later I bought 3 4speed trans for 75.00 each . & A fRIEND PUT ONE IN HIS 1ST Before he could get the choice of trans . After his was done his had a grind going into 2nd gear .. & Mine didn't.
But He had a guy working for him who'd done a ton of gear box work so He worked over both out Dana20.
& put the dana onto our NP435.
.... I loved mine But Buddy was never as happy with his AS I was mine .
..............................................
............. WELL That may have seemed to some like an ODD Spot to STOP for a while.
But I kept hearing a cow bauling .. I live in the country .. She'd had a calf & the BUZZARDS HAD moved in on her to kill the calf. I got there just in the nick of time . She was busy fighting off Buzzards . SHE was not a happy Mother but she settled Down & Let baby get up & get his CHRISTMAS DINNER.
........
..........
.....But I use my Bronco mostly on the farm.. But while it had the 302 in it Summer time I could never go to the pasture with out it getting hot. SO ABOUT 2010 I installed a 4BT CUMMINGS IN IT .
.....................
... NOW THIS WILL make the PUREST MAD. But to me the 4BT DIESEL motor was the best upgrade I've done to mine .
The Diesel motor never gets hot. Fact is in the winter its about 45 minutes before the heater even helps.
.. But my fuel mileage went from 4 mpg to about 16 /20.
& I can pull lots of heavy equipment on the farm.
It's like have a more comfortable tractor on the farm.
In Granny gear of the NP435. & THE DANA 20 BEING IN UNDER DRIVE . You can fine some hole that's just perfect to crawl along on the farm. Hunting or just looking at cows. Or pulling a hay rake or a grain drill.
& I've got Bucket seat, P/S , Radio . & a hand throttle on mine .. Taco my Dog has his seat to set in & look out the window .
... I'd not recommend the DIESEL to everyone but it sure made me love my BRONCO.
Last edited:
OP
OP
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2013
- Messages
- 402
Dig it. Enjoyed reading your post great perspective.
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2018
- Messages
- 585
I've only had my bronco for 2 years, and I did not know about this forum when I first got it. I did not get the advice to drive it for awhile before tearing it apart. I started pulling the body off the day after I brought it home. I was not a bronco purist, I just love the looks of the classic bronco. I am a restomodder at heart, I have built a few mustangs over the years, and so when I started my ground up rebuild I had no intention of keeping it remotely stock, so my Bronco has very few original parts, and I have no real idea of what it is like to drive a classic bronco so picking the best upgrade I have done to mine is a bit difficult. I will list a few of the things I changed because I didn't like the stock version.
I am no great artistic designer, most of my modifications were borrowed from things I have seen other people do, I borrowed the ideas and fitted them to what I wanted.
-complete custom dash with personalized gauges. I've never liked the stock single gauge, the dash is probably the thing I liked least about the original bronco. I had this dash custom made by Double D fab. it is not a modification of my original dash it is an entire new fabrication.
wild horses fender flares and cut rear fenders. (I know this one is very controversial, but you either like the LUBR look or you don't, I don't, and this is the appearance that made me love bronco's)
I didn't care for the 71 style external fuel cap I considered replacing it with a 77 style, but ended up replacing it with a capless version that I think looks great.
5 speed manual transmission
amp research power steps. I love these, not only are they very functional and make getting in and out of the truck much easier, but they are just cool and unexpected by most folks looking at the rig.
but probably my favorite modification is one that was rather expensive, completely unnecessary and basically just for show. my dual quad sniper EFI system. I know a carburetor or single sniper would be just as good or better from a functional standpoint but I love car shows, and one of my favorite things is a nice looking engine compartment. I love the way this looks under the hood, (the hood shocks are nice too lol)
I am no great artistic designer, most of my modifications were borrowed from things I have seen other people do, I borrowed the ideas and fitted them to what I wanted.
-complete custom dash with personalized gauges. I've never liked the stock single gauge, the dash is probably the thing I liked least about the original bronco. I had this dash custom made by Double D fab. it is not a modification of my original dash it is an entire new fabrication.
wild horses fender flares and cut rear fenders. (I know this one is very controversial, but you either like the LUBR look or you don't, I don't, and this is the appearance that made me love bronco's)
I didn't care for the 71 style external fuel cap I considered replacing it with a 77 style, but ended up replacing it with a capless version that I think looks great.
5 speed manual transmission
amp research power steps. I love these, not only are they very functional and make getting in and out of the truck much easier, but they are just cool and unexpected by most folks looking at the rig.
but probably my favorite modification is one that was rather expensive, completely unnecessary and basically just for show. my dual quad sniper EFI system. I know a carburetor or single sniper would be just as good or better from a functional standpoint but I love car shows, and one of my favorite things is a nice looking engine compartment. I love the way this looks under the hood, (the hood shocks are nice too lol)
