Broke, But Want A Lift

[gledhillt]

Okay, I know, not another lift question. But I need your help.
I want to lift my 74 Bronco 3 1/2", but I am broke. My question is, Do I need everything that comes in a lift kit? I already have extended brake lines.
So do I need a TRACKING BAR DROP BRACKET?
Do I need a DROP PITMAN ARM?
Some kits come with one or the other of these, but not all.
Do I need a C-BUSHING KIT? The bushings on the 74 are not that old.

Here it is, CAN I SAVE $$ BY JUST BUYING LEAF PACKS AND COILS OR DO I NEED TO SUCK-IT-UP AND GET A KIT?

 

[73stallion]

you'll need some way to either drop or raise your track bar, or your front axle will be WAY off center. you can do a tie rod over conversion instead of a drop pitman. even though your C bushings are not that old, i'm sure they're the wrong angle so your truck isn't gonna handle well.

get coils, bushings, and an add-a-leaf for now. you can change out the leafs later. $65 for add-a-leafs vs $340 for leaf packs.

 

[tasker]

Search craig's list too. I find some smoking deals on there. I have a set of add a leafs and some lift coils, i'm sure we could work something out.

 

[Scrapper_MV]

Is there a local Bronco club in your area? I scored some great deals through So Cal Broncos on used parts. I got WH 3.5 lift coils and rear leaf springs for $200.00. And then I went to the Ford dealer and got some F-250 shock towers for $30.00. You can save a lot of Money if you're willing to buy used parts.

 

[cgbexec]

What are you trying to accomplish by lifting? If you just want to run bigger tires, the you may be able to cut the fenders and accomplish that with no lift. Another thing would be to do a body lift. A one inch body lift would keep you from having many issues such as fan shroud, fuel fill hoses but allow you to do a smaller suspension lift so you don't have to worry about drive shaft angles, castor angles. Even a 2.5" lift is going to require a trac bar risor or drop.

Good Luck and think it through before you commit.

 

[Broncmeister]

If you want to avoid a tracking bar drop bracket, drop pitman arm, etc. but still want a good 3.5" of lift, why not go a different route? You could install a 2 inch body lift, and a 2 inch suspension lift. that buys you 4" of lift, but still don't have to mess with all that other stuff. I personally know somebody who did a body lift by drilling a hole through the center of hockey pucks, 2 pucks for each body mount gave him a 2 inch body lift, I think it cost him like 30 bucks when all was said and done.

 

[tasker]

got a drop braket for the track bar too i think

 

[Hal9000]

Check the classifieds, there's a guy selling a 2.5" WH lift right now. You could couple that with a 1" body lift and be in good shape.

 

[sprdv1]

Avoid the drop bracket & go with stock pitman, and a track bar riser bracket... More strength...

 

[450rbronco]

i have a wildhorses kit that is 2.5 inch that is basic with add a leafs and shocks that ill sell ya pm if interested then you could add a body lift and run 33s

 

[broncnaz]

If your broke and want a lift what are you going to do for tires? Bigger tires also cost more. Save up and do it right all those parts are there for a reason. Any lift over 2.5in pretty much needs all the parts you have mentioned to safely run down the road. A 2.5in lift doesnt require some of the parts you mentioned ie drop trac bar bracket or drop pitman arm. As others said shop around ditch the rear spring pack and go with a add a leaf or block. Or just do a body lift.

 

[Broncoholic1]

I got a new JBG 3.5 front springs and full rear springs, all you need is a $60 drop 4" and either cut and extend your arm. Or suck it up and get an adjustable one. $300 bucks
Got it for a truck and going 4 links and extended arms???

give me a call 248-343-4398
ocb123@sbcglobal.net

 

[Broncobowsher]

Do you need all the parts? no.
Will it work right without all the parts? no.

Lets review the parts.

Track bar and pitman arm go toghther. If you do one, do the other.
The track bar angle gets a little steep at 3½" so that starts putting a lateral motion into the chassis as you go over bumps. Using a long bar does nothing to address this angle, just centers the axle under the truck. Frame drop or axle rise brackets bring the track bar back into normal range. But with a normalized track bar the steering drag link is still at an angle. It will suffer lateral shift not matched with the arc of the track bar, now you have bumpsteer. Drop pitman arm is there to fix the problem created by fixing the track bar problem. How much do you want to deal with this part?

Bushings. If waht you have is new, great. But the c-bushings try to correct the caster angle when you lift. So if you want the caster correct you will need more angl in the bushings to roatate the axle back into spec. But the rest don't need replacment.

So with a simple set of coils up front and a set of blocks out back, you will get your lift. Tracking will suck until you put in the C-bushings. The softer the springs the more noticable the track bar angle will be. When you start playing with the front steering and track bar it gets ugly until it is all taken care of.

I would consider the C-bushings a must to get the front caster fixed. the trackbar and pitman arm could wait and it will still be very drivable, just not as perfect as it could be.

 

[Silverhorse]

3" body, easy and cheap. Don't believe any negative hip about having a body lift. Tthey make it much easier to get to things when working on your rig! I have had them on every rig I've owned for over 20 years with no problems.

 

[Hal9000]

Guys,
I have been (and often still am) in Gled's situation where I have more desire than money. Let's see if we can take this a slightly different direction and help him out with those low buck DIY recommendations...

First, I guess we need to know what skills you have... Can you weld and do you have access to a welder (and what type)? Do you have the time and inclination to find the local junkyards and search them for various parts? Can you/do you do your own work?

If you lay hands on some 1/4" plate steel, you can fabricate your own track bar riser very easily. Just look at photos of the commercial ones and copy it. You'll substitute a few hours of labor for the cost of a pre-made product, the track bar issue will be solved, and you can say you did it yourself.

If you don't mind sacrificing ride quality a bit, Stock F150 front springs will give you between 1-3" of lift depending on exactly what they came off of. They'll be stiffer than stock, but probably not as stiff as some of the el-cheapo lift kits. Used stock springs are a dime a dozen due to all the people lifting F150s.

In the rear, you can gain a few inches by doing a shackle flip/relocation. Again substituting time and effort for money.... You can correct the rear pinion angle by cutting the spring perches and rotating the axle, then re-welding the perches in the new location (so no need for wedges if you really don't want to spend the money)

 

[450rbronco]

the kit that i have that i mentioned above that is 2.5 inch wild horses is brand new never been installed

 

[gledhillt]

Guys,
Thanks for all the replays on my lift.
Hal9000, I can weld a little, but I do have some buddys that can. As far as search for a junkyards, I have looked,(need to do some more looking) all the yards in my area have sold everything for scrap. A lot are closed, the ones that are still running only have late modle stuff. I like to do my own work, use it as a stress breaker.
It sounds like some are telling me, if I am going to do thism, I need to do it right the first time and use the parts needed. There is no need to do something half way now and go back later an wish I had done it right the first time.
There is so much I want to do and do it myself. I just need to commit to it and do it.

I do thank all of you. This is a great site for someone like me. A EB lover with the want to but with no experience working on the suspension.

I hope all is well with all nad may God bless you all. THANKS AGAIN

 

[tasker]

have this stuff if you're interested-

 

[matt w]

have this stuff if you're interested-

Those yellow coils are sitting in my trash can right now?;D I took them off Saturday afternoon!;D

Do you know who made those things and how old they could be?

Man my truck rode like a tank...I'm hoping my new 3 1/2 inch springs will ride nicer!?

 

[tasker]

eh, people are used to cushy rides now....back when i was a young lad there was no stinking progressive springs....we didn't know any better! ;D