Lift Question

[jimmymac]

I'm thinking about putting a 3 1/2" suspension lift on my 77 stock uncut fenders.Besides the lift what else will I need to change or do.I see parts for sale for example, Fan shroud for 3" lift. Please advise

 

[77broncoguy]

You'd need the radiator shroud if it was a body lift as opposed to a suspension lift. You're probably looking at brake lines, trac bar (either a drop bracket or adjustable), and e brake mods for sure. Possibly driveshaft and other mods depending on how things all go together.

 

[daddyo]

A 3.5" lift is nice on an uncut rig. You can run 31x10.5 tires and it
looks cool.

You can use a drop pitman arm, or do a tie-rod over.

You can use a trac-bar drop bracket, or get an adjustable trac-bar.

I like the tie-rod over, and the adjustable trac-bar.

You only need a new fan shroud if you have a body lift.

Andrew

 

[ransil]

Don't use a trac bar drop bracket, get the adjustable trac-bar.

 

[67EB_in_619]

Don't use a trac bar drop bracket, get the adjustable trac-bar.

I have been seeing this suggestion a lot recently... Not saying it is wrong, just saying that I dont see how an adjustible trac bar is going to correct the geometry from a lift... especially if you to a TRO conversion or a drop pitman, a longer trac bar will not be parallel to the drag link. That WILL give you bump steer. All the adjustable trac bar gives you is a longer bar so you can center the axle under the bronco. Adding 3.5"s of suspension lift using stock mounting points will make the geometry of the trac/drag more verticle, meaning a more severe reaction to suspension compression than a flatter angle.. that reaction will cause the trac bar to move the axle to the passenger side, pulling on the drag link, causing the tires to turn to the left.
(I often confuse drag links and tie rods.. so applogies if I did that here)

If you DO get a drop trac.. get the heavy duty one from Duffs (about twice the cost of others at $70, but worth it)

 

[67PONY]

Below are a couple of links to some great tools that you can use to test different steering setups with the TRO conversion. The geometry description will be very beneficial to you.

geometry

measuring guide

 

[Broncobowsher]

I'm thinking about putting a 3 1/2" suspension lift on my 77 stock uncut fenders.Besides the lift what else will I need to change or do.I see parts for sale for example, Fan shroud for 3" lift. Please advise

As stated before, the shroud only needs to be changed if you do a body lift.
As for the suspension lift, it depends on how complete the kit is. Most kits are fairly complete. Park brake cables are not included in any of the kits I know of and can limit travel when you flex a bunch. Depending on how you drive this may not be an issue.

At 3½" of lift, steering and track bar geomotery start becoming a factor. The softer the springs, the more you will need to deal with it. Personally I am not a fan of the drop frame bracket that will come in most kits. That was the easy bolt on fix for lifting in the 70's. Bolts don't hold tight enough so everyone learned to bolt it on and drive it over to a buddy who would weld it in place. Then people learned that after a bit of abuse the frame would crack due to the added leverage of that drop bracket. The adjustable track bar works for centering the axle staticly, but will do nothing for controlling the funny sideways feeling you get as the springs work while driving down the road.

Steering is a whole other game. for bone stock and what most kits will include is a drop pitman arm. this is a great match for the drop frame bracket. If the truck isn't subject to abuse then this combo can live. Start driving hard and the tierod will start bending (if not already bent). Bumping into stuff doesn't help. After this, it is time to get rid of the drop pitman arm and consider a tie rod over (brings geometery back near stock and gets the tie rod away from the ground) or a heim joint steering system. Keep in mind that if the tie rod goes over, the drop style track bar bracket on the frame tends to hit the top of the tie rod if the suspensin es while the wheels are turned.

Front driveshaft rarely needs replacment.
Rear driveshaft may need it.
Pinion angle may need adjustment.
Brake lines may need replacment with longer ones.
Axle vents may need replacement.

 

[jimmymac]

Forget it! I'll just leave it stock.I can barely change oil.

 

[72bronco]

Forget it! I'll just leave it stock.I can barely change oil.

Lift kits are actually pretty easy to install. What was said above is correct about maintaining steering geometry. There are lots of issues to consider. However if you aren't going to wheel your vehicle too hard then you don't need to get too fancy. Most kits will come with the right bushings, drop brackets, pitman arms, etc to lift your vehicle and correct the steering geometry at the same time. Don't get discouraged. If you get stuck there are lots of guys on this site who can walk you through it. I installed a 3-1/2" suspension lift on my bronco and it wasn't all that tough. Challenge yourself and you'll feel good about the project when you accomplished something you never thought you would do all by yourself.

 

[68ford]

if you get a 3.5 in lift and run drop trackbar bracket and drop pitman arm, youll be right by stock, i think drop brakets are 4in drop and so is the pitman arm. its the best way to go if you want keep it mostly bolt on and easy.
i know alot of people run the tierod all the way over to the knuckly like in the geometry link above, but its no the right way to do it, they kinda make it work by having the angles be a little different to deal with the 2 different lengths. the only right way is to have the tierod be the same length and angle as the trackbar. when i built mine we messed around on solidworks and cycled it and its the only way to have no bumpsteer.

those steering companies just want it to be all bolt on and require no welding or else they would do it like chuck at bc's.
but for the average joe, i think its easier to just bolt on the drop bracket and pitman arm and go get it alligned.

 

[daddyo]

I have been seeing this suggestion a lot recently... Not saying it is wrong, just saying that I dont see how an adjustible trac bar is going to correct the geometry from a lift...

In the stock configuration, are the tie-rod and drag-link perfectly parallel?
With a tie-rod over and an adjustable trac-bar, my tie-rod and drag-link
are pretty close. Anyway, I don't have a problem with bump steer.

Andrew