Need more visual help...

[tobyw]

Still looking at that '75 that is already pretty well setup... For reference, it's got a set of 5" BC coils up front, 3" leaves in the rear along with rocker perches, and what appears to be ~2" of body lift, and curently sits on some ailing 33" mud terrains. Just got another batch of photos from the seller, and I'm not sure about a couple things so I'd like some input from those in the know. Please take a look at the pics below and let me know what you think of the front axle LOCATION? Does it appear pushed back to anyone besides me?

Also note the relocated frame mounts and radius arm extensions. Are these DIY, or does a reputable mfg offer these? I've never shopped for them and consequently never seen them, and they were already on there when the current owner bought it so he doesn't know either...

 

[Devin]

Yeah, kind of looks a bit pushed back to me as well.

 

[tobyw]

It's got me particularly baffled because the coils appear to be nice and vertical???

 

[cgbexec]

I don't like the looks of those mounts. They need to be gusseted. Those look homemade and not very good. The arms themselves look ok, but those mounts need some work. Here is what my extended arm brackets look like. Unlike in this picture I welded my mounts instead of bolting them on.

 

[cracker]

Those are home made looking mounts and definitely home made extensions. Cheesy at best. I would be leary of the rest of the "mods" if they are along the lines of the radius extensions.

 

[cgbexec]

I have seen some nice homemade stuff that is a good or better than aftermarket stuff, but those mounts are under tremendous load. If one of those mounts was break off at high speed you could kiss your butt goodbye. The original mounts are gusseted foward on one side and backward on the other. The aftermarket mounts are much beefier than stock however. When you are swinging much bigger tires and lower gears the loads on those mounts are much higher than what those mounts had to endure originally. Change those mounts if you plan on driving it faster than 5 MPH.

 

[Apogee]

Booty-fab radius arm brackets.

Pull a tape measure from tire to tire and measure the wheelbase. Anywhere near 92" and it's roughly stock. I can't tell if the front axle actually is located rearward of stock or if it just appears that way due to the cutout location and shape. Mine are definitely forward from those, but I pushed it forward about 2" when I installed my long arms, so that may be messing with my perception too.

 

[tobyw]

Thanks a lot for the input guys!! Everything else appears to be just fine, it's this front axle that has me concerned... I suppose I could spend some quality time with the grinder and plasma cutter to remove those mounts, and then try to find some factory mounts and radius arms to put it in the right spot??

FWIW, here's a link to all the pics of the rig...

http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii196/tobyw2000/1975 Bronco/

Let me know if you see anything else that jumps out at you?

 

[tobyw]

Just had the guy pull a tape on the wheelbase, and he claims 91-5/8"... Still just doesn't look right ?:?

And I agree on the mounts 100%. If I go through with it, they will change immediately. Want to do some searching on extending the front a couple inches, too. Anyone got a good link (not to hi-jack my own thread, but... ;D )?

 

[Devin]

Just had the guy pull a tape on the wheelbase, and he claims 91-5/8"... Still just doesn't look right ?:?

Must be a combination of how the lift sits up higher in front as well as the front flare position. Looks strange to me, too.

 

[Devin]

I was just looking at a side profile picture of mine, and I think that the position of the axle in yours is fine. Just looks a bit strange because of the negative rake of the vehicle, I think.

 

[cgbexec]

That is way too much lift for 33s. I would drop down to a 2.5" or 3.5" lift and take the body lift out. Just my $.02.

That lift stance is definately causing some of your visual problem.

 

[tobyw]

That is way too much lift for 33s.

Oh, absolutely... If left alone, it would get some bumpstops and 38's. However, knowing the issues with the radius arm mounts and the arms themselves, I would be looking at redoing the entire front end anyhow and would like to drop it down to a more reasonable 3.5" spring, push the front foward ~2", ditch the body lift (although it was put on to help with the 351W and NP435, so...), and run some 35's.

 

[cgbexec]

I am running 3.5" of lift + 1" body lift and I clear 35s with plenty of room. If I had to do it over, I would have gone to a 2.5" Suspension lift and the 1" body lift to clear the 35s. I don't like alot of gap between the top of the tires and the flares. If you are going to do mostly serious offroad stuff, then the 3.5" with the 1" body would be awsome. You are most likely going to need the 1" body lift to clear the 351W.

 

[tobyw]

Thanks for the info!!! Still on the fence about the whole deal, but we'll see if he's willing to move on the price based on my concerns...

 

[Dan76]

I think the axle just looks pushed back because the way the front flair is cut, I would be hesitant on this bronco, nothing worse then a bunch of weird mods left over from the PO.

 

[JeepGuy]

Is it just me, or does it look like the coils bend backwards (towards the rear) in the lastpicture. Maybe he mis-measured (or the PO did) when installing the new radius arm mounts and that's sucking the axle backwards. The rock slide on the passenger side also seems like it's tweaked down.

The truck looks good from the pictures though. I would ty to get a killer deal on it, replace the extended radius arms with a real set, and get the proper mounts. You could try to sell those tires and bump it up to 35"s also. What's the gearing and is it locked?

 

[tobyw]

Overall I feel that for what he's asking, it's a pretty good deal. It will most certainly need the above mentioned work, but it's a good starting point for sure:

351W with a Q-jet
NP435
D20 twin stick
4.56's, rear Detroit, front Tru-Trac
4-wheel manual disks
Power steering
Line Locks
Rear has full-float conversion with Warn hubs
Suspension and body lifts as discussed above
$5,000

 

[Hal9000]

Not to be a doubting tom, but it looks to me as if those radius arm mounts have been in place and performing as designed for quite some time with no failures. Gusseting is definitely a good idea, but I don't see any reason to go beyond gusseting what's already there unless you're inclined to change the setup completely.

 

[GloNDark]

Hard to say judging by the pics.

But my guess is it's a combo of 3 things. The springs look ever so slightly pulled back, nothing major. The front flair is in an odd place. My fenders looked like that when I got my bronco. Just odd looking. And the itty bitty tires. I think all those add up to it just looking "fugly/funky".

Overall, for the drivetrain and the asking price looks like a pretty decent deal.

Hell there is a guy down the street from me selling his beat to crap 72 for 5k and it's NO WHERE near as nice as the one you posted pics of.