Survey: What are the best modifications you enjoy the most and what do you wish you had done when you restored your early bronco?

[sprdv1]

Are you going for absolute originality, or common sense drive ability?
I think the one, or at least one of the top on any compiled list will be front disc brakes.

Take your pick

 

[sprdv1]

Steering / Brakes / Overall Reliability. If your wife / daughter / friend can't get in and drive it without specific instructions, you're not there yet.

x 10.... definitely the first things to ensure are good to go

 

[sprdv1]

Front disc brakes!!


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fuel injection even.. some of them ole carbs do pretty damn good tho

 

[Waldo]

Power front disc brakes!!

 

[BGBronco]

7 degree C bushings. The one thing I put off the longest is what I wish would have done first.

 

[mlarison]

Just piling on now, but for me was front disc brakes

 

[BronCowie]

Minor nicety... Hood struts.

 

[Yeller]

Comfortable seating. Spending the day running down the highway or on the trail are much more enjoyable when your comfortable.

I have a friend that asked me one time how I could physically trail ride 10 hours a day everyday, and be like a new pup ready to play about it. Physically he couldn't do it. Then he spend a day riding and driving with me, next morning I helped him order some seats.

 

[DirtDonk]

Good one. My Mustang GT seats were definitely one of the better mods I've done. Used to be after an hour or so in the saddle and the trip wasn't near as much fun. Now travel time is unlimited.

Paul

 

[ep67bro]

1. Power brakes and power steering.
2. 3.5" Premium lift kit from wild horses with the Bilstein shocks. I went through three different spring and shock set ups before that kit and the truck never drove very well. The complete kit with Bilstein's was worth every penny. Tracks straight rides good!

A bunch of other little things but these were by far the biggest improvements!

 

[Prest72]

Power steering and disc brakes first! Then electronic ignition. Heater box rebuild/heater core change is a good one too, you don't realize how dirty those heater boxes are until you open it up, also larger heater fan/motor.

 

[blubuckaroo]

We factory ordered our '77 Bronco with as much stuff as we could get. Sure, I've made some expensive improvements, but these two small things have made the biggest difference.

An electric tank selector valve.
https://tomsoffroad.com/parts/66-77-ford-bronco-electric-fuel-tank-selector-valve
Our Bronco is used by many family members. Trying to teach them to turn the valve and also the gauge switch didn't work. Someone was always running out of gas. This mod fixed it!

A remote control cable for the hood latch.
https://shop.broncograveyard.com/Ho..._xiXOBzq53tbhdHz7gJjnRIHlbnv5IaUaAqzWEALw_wcB
This mod replaces the rat trap behind the grill. Now you have a lot more space there, and also you aren't always snagging your hand on that sharp handle sticking through the grill. It also keeps people from opening your hood for a look.

 

[BOBS 2 68S]

blubuckaroo,
Would you post some pics of the hood release assembly? Someone popped the hood on mine the other day at Lowes.

 

[.94 OR]

I guess I have done several things to mine, but the tilt column and smaller wheel sure make it nice to get in and out plus move around a little once in the cab.

 

[iSense67]

7 degree C bushings. The one thing I put off the longest is what I wish would have done first.

I’m interested in what these bushings would improve? Street or off road benefit? I’m looking at mine only as a street driver.

 

[DirtDonk]

They have one function and that is to increase positive caster, which is part of the front end alignment settings.
You probably know, or have at least heard after reading threads here, that Broncos until later in '76 had very low caster numbers. Lower even than they were supposed to have in most cases. It's rare that someone here reports having good caster numbers, especially after a lift.
This was not an issue back in the '60's and '70's with stock height and small tires and manual steering (more positive caster makes it harder to steer) but once we started adding larger tires and suspension lifts, the caster went down even more, often into the negative range.
Usually makes them a bit squirrely on the road.

Basically then even a stock height Bronco can often benefit from some additional caster. One method is to add offset C-bushings to tilt the top of the axle back.
When taller springs are added without dropping the rear radius arm mounts about the same amount, the radius arm design causes the axle to travel in an arc, changing the caster angle.
This is all better for the street and makes no difference for off-roading other than a better handling rig also handles better off road. But rock-crawling and even mud-bogging or dune running does not really feel much in the way of caster changes. Unless you have manual steering still where you'll likely find it harder to steer.

Tilting the axle only. with C-bushings or whatever, makes the pinion/u-joint angle worse. Hence the fact that 7 degrees has long been the most offset you can get in a bushing.
Poly-urethane bushings also clamp the axle tighter, which could be seen as an improvement. The resistance to flex should in theory help with body roll in corners (think of the radius arms as torsion bars) but probably limit suspension travel to a small extent. Not sure if anyone in recent years has bothered to check this difference, but it seems like it would do this to me.

Stock rubber is the better insulator/isolator from vibration. Poly holds in place better, often (but not always) lasts longer, the colors often look cool, and help with caster.
So depends on which of those features is more important.

Paul

 

[Kbpony]

The improvement I enjoy-hood struts. Don’t have to work around the support rod.
Wish I would have-grafted a ‘77 gas door into the side quarter
I also really like my rear slider on the 1/2 cab

 

[MS73HD302]

Ditching points for the basic pertronix ignition made starting like a new car made it much more enjoyable to hop in and go but by far the one I enjoy the most is new seats.

 

[abn373]

By far, the best mod for me was ditching the aftermarket 14" steering wheel and putting an OEM wheel back on (I have power steering). I know it seems impossible, but the correct size steering wheel made it handle so much better. I can only assume its because the wheel diameter that Ford designed matches to the ratio in the Ford power steering gear. I mean that as the truck physically turns the amount that your brain feels it should for the amount you are turning the steering wheel. If that is not why, I don't have an answer, but it was the only modification I did at that time and the truck just immediately drove better.

 

[sprdv1]

By far, the best mod for me was ditching the aftermarket 14" steering wheel and putting an OEM wheel back on (I have power steering). I know it seems impossible, but the correct size steering wheel made it handle so much better. I can only assume its because the wheel diameter that Ford designed matches to the ratio in the Ford power steering gear. I mean that as the truck physically turns the amount that your brain feels it should for the amount you are turning the steering wheel. If that is not why, I don't have an answer, but it was the only modification I did at that time and the truck just immediately drove better.

Right.. It's the simple things