Is this overkill for me?

[Broncocoyote]

Question! I dont go hardcore offroading but I am curious if this setup is too much to pay for that I won't use. I do go offroading but not harr trails. Just to get out in nature. Here's the specs:
Front end is a kingpin Dana 60 cut to bronco width Detroit locker 538 gears rear end is a 9” center housing 35 spline full floating 1 ton outer Detroit locker 538 gears cryo frozen rear inner axles chromolly front inner axles 5.5 james duff suspension lift 302 engine np435 tranny Dana 30 tcase.

 

[Madgyver]

Just drive it and smile....

 

[BGBronco]

Oh wow. You don't need it but if you like the look, go for it.

 

[Broncobowsher]

That is a lot of axle and a lot of gear. How large of a tire are you running?
Is this what you have now? Or what you are planning on running?

I'm guessing a fairly large tire. The large axles are nice as they typically have large brakes, which are a nice pairing to the large tires. As long as you don't have too much rear brake. Tall and short wheelbase mean the front brakes do even more braking.

If this is going to be small tires, it will suck. Ground clearance will suffer, the gearing will really hurt fast paced driving.

 

[DirtDonk]

And are you planning to use it as either a daily driver, or a fun go to town on Saturday night with the family kind of a vehicle?
If so the Detroit lockers are not going to add anything to the fun factor.

Is this in a bronco that you want to buy? Or do you have a bronco and someone is selling the axle set up?

 

[Broncocoyote]

I am thinking about buying it and daily driving it. Thoughts? Tires are currently 38s

 

[DirtDonk]

Sounds impressive, but it doesn’t sound like a fun driver to me.

 

[DirtDonk]

And even that little bit depends on whether it was built correctly or not.
So many of them out there are being sold because they were put together so haphazardly and shoddily that nobody wants to keep them.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Probably not a good daily driver. So much has been modified. Not that modified is bad, but often not every part is up to daily driver quality. Stuff like steep driveline angles. For a weekend toy, you can run that stuff pretty steep and it will last for years. But daily driver and you will be eating through those drivelines. Heim joints work really good on toys and race cars, but start putting lots of daily miles on them and they get loose and sloppy pretty fast. The ride quality probably isn't going to be that great with that much unsprung mass to the relitivle light weight sprung side of things.

It's one thing to daily drive something you built and know what parts are in it and what it takes. But to buy someone else's toy and suddenly decide to daily drive it. That isn't a smart thing to do. I hope you have a backup plan for a daily driver that can be driven daily.

 

[Broncocoyote]

Great information you guys thank you so much!

 

[Broncocoyote]

I want to buy one but maybe this is not the one for me I'll have to keep looking

 

[DirtDonk]

Probably the best decision. Unless it's so inexpensive you just can't pass it up. That way you might have some left over to bring it back down into the normal realm of mildly modified Broncos. Much better to drive that way!
I know it's hard to find one that's reasonable in any condition these days, but i figure the decent ones are still out there. So unless it's practically a giveaway (or you do all your own work and don't mind fiddling around with it some) it sounds like a pass so someone that is going to utilize the equipment in it's proper element can claim it.

Good bragging rights at campfires, good conversation starters at Bronco events and car shows. But not a daily driver candidate just from what your description is listing.

Paul

 

[Rustytruck]

It will go everywhere you want it to go. but the furthest it will go is the Gas station. adding 2500 pounds to the truck un-needlessly does not make a good street driver. You need nothing more than a stock 1977 Bronco. and if you want to play then you go for alloy axles front an rear with and arb or trutrac up front and a Detroit soft locker in the rear unless dealing with snow then an ARB in the back too. if your rich change the output shaft on the dana 20 good move but not needed. all good up to 35 inch tires.

 

[Cooper]

Good morning Rustytruck. I just want to confirm that I am reading your post correctly. You say up "to 35 inch tires." By that do you mean up to but NOT including 35 ? Or do you think 35's can still be run (maybe in a lesser/narrower width, say 10in ?) while keeping breakage to a minimum. I have found posts that go either way but saw that you've chosen 33's and wondered what it was that made the decision for you.

 

[Rustytruck]

You can run 35' tires with good results with aftermarket alloy axles as long as you not planning to be a rock crawler. your quote "I don't go hardcore offroading" then you don't need 35" Tires there are still allot of 40+ year old broncos still running stock driveline. My own Bronco Has stock rear axles with a Detroit in the rear and up graded axles in the front with a tru trac in the front I have an automatic transmission and 33 inch tires. I wont power up rough terrain hopping the tires as I go. I personally believe there is a division between 33" tires and 35" tires and at 35 inches you really have to be careful or start building up the areas of the driveline. I wouldn't run 35 inch tires on stock 40 year old axles. I have seen allot more breakage with 35 inch tires than 33 inch tires. hell the stock power steering box starts breaking on a bad day with 33 inch tires. Just my opinion with 40 years of experience running trails that actually need 4wd with traction aids. to get there and back. everyone has their own opinions and only you have control how you drive. when you come upon an obstacle on the trail you have to make a decision take the easy line or take the hard line You can save the stress on your truck or add stress to your truck. the early Bronco was the best balanced drive line of all 4wd made and almost every 4wd out there had to make upgrades to keep up with it in mostly stock form. But its not invincible if you have the money you can go anywhere. Most people have never even drove a stock Bronco before when they were basically stock. I drove my Bronco for almost 10 years as a daily driver before changing its personality. before just throwing lunch and a fishing pole in the back and traveling down some forest road. much simpler and no fear of not getting back. The stock Bronco at the height of its carreer was a wonderful machine that almost no body knew about. so good only Ford could screw it up.

 

[Cooper]

Thanks for the reply Rusty, that response took some work !! And to the OP, please excuse the tangent.