The Tricky EcoBoost Early Bronco Build

[Yeller]

@nvrstuk, Tricky Dick is who I had reach out to you at the safari

And anyone that hasn’t checked out TD distributors should, most of the stuff is for new broncos but some of it is a nice carry over for EB’s too.

 

[nvrstuk]

Cool thing about my age is "I meet someone new every day"!! lol

 

[Tricky Dick]

Slippery slopes are real and dangerous.

So I have a pair of 05 super duty axles that I recently built with e-lockers and 5.38s. They were for another project because I never intended to build more than a mild EB but Steve threw a wrench in my vision with his badass rig.

Well I think they need to go under the 66. Now the question is do I run them full width or take a few inches out. I don't want more than about 2" of tire sticking past flares. My math says 4" flares would give 76.5" of tire coverage. A 05 D60 is 72" wide, 17x8 wheels with 4" backspacing and 12.5 tires adds up to 84". I'd sure like to see 5-6" taken out.

 

[nvrstuk]

It's not a slope it's a cliff l o l

Hope these pics help you. I narrowed my axles because I did not want to be so wide because I won't fit on half our local trails but the other reason is to keep all the c*** from blowing in all over the dashboard from the rear tires. The front tires send up a spray so heavy you can't see out the side which it does when it's snowy, slushy out.

I'm in the shop so I grabbed a tape

 

[Tricky Dick]

It's not a slope it's a cliff l o l

Hope these pics help you. I narrowed my axles because I did not want to be so wide because I won't fit on half our local trails but the other reason is to keep all the c*** from blowing in all over the dashboard from the rear tires. The front tires send up a spray so heavy you can't see out the side which it does when it's snowy, slushy out.

I'm in the shop so I grabbed a tape

I could work with that! My rear 10.5 is actually a 99 which is 68" I'm reading, I'll have to put a tape on it. Using 2 short side shafts makes it 65". One custom long side inner for the front to match and boom, I have my needed width. Spicer 660182-26 is 32" vis the 38.5" of my current long side, that might just work.

 

[Yeller]

@nvrstuk I can't read the tape in the pic, how wide is your front outside to outside? It looks like you are about the same width I am by looking at the tape on the fender. I'm about 1/2 the tire sticking out without a flare. one day we will have them side by side LOL

 

[nvrstuk]

Sorry, 84" outside tire to outside tire in frt. Rear is narrower.

That is with 4 1/4" offset wheels, not the 5" I got from you. So that bumped me out so I have to spread the fenders a 1/2" to get loaded.

 

[nvrstuk]

I could work with that! My rear 10.5 is actually a 99 which is 68" I'm reading, I'll have to put a tape on it. Using 2 short side shafts makes it 65". One custom long side inner for the front to match and boom, I have my needed width. Spicer 660182-26 is 32" vis the 38.5" of my current long side, that might just work.

My 14 bolt rear is 65" wms. That's the 14 bolt that nobody seems to know exists. Not mention in the Bellavista 14 bolt Bible. I did have to space the inner wheel brgs .125" so the metric hub fit that year axle. Totally weird but it all works.

 

[Yeller]

@nvrstuk Your wider than I am by a few inches, I'm 81-1/2 with 17x8 with 4" of back spacing on my stock width GM 60, its 68-3/4" or there abouts, 69" makes easy math my rear is 1" narrower. I spaced mine out 1/2 on each side to deal with the slightly larger new tires that rubbed horribly on the inside, now they just lightly kiss at full articulation. If my tires are air'd down the fronts just squeak on the trailer fenders at 82", air'd up I can just get by without rubbing. All of my trailers are 82", what you get with 7k - 8k axles, depending on which trailer LOL.

edit: spaced the rear out to be clear.

 

[Tricky Dick]

My 14 bolt rear is 65" wms. That's the 14 bolt that nobody seems to know exists. Not mention in the Bellavista 14 bolt Bible. I did have to space the inner wheel brgs .125" so the metric hub fit that year axle. Totally weird but it all works.

If I was starting from scratch that 14B would look more promising but since this 10.5 is already built I'll run with it.

 

[Yeller]

If I was starting from scratch that 14B would look more promising but since this 10.5 is already built I'll run with it.

most 14b are 67" or 63" I'm still not sure how you got to 65, I know you did and it works

regular pick up trucks typically are 67" and cab and chassis dually trucks are 63", then there is nvrstuk building a genuine unicorn. or is that me building a unicorn? or maybe both of us build our own unicorns. It looks like Trick Dick is going to build his very own unicorn too.... it must be contagious

 

[Tricky Dick]

Intellitronix suckered me in with a big sale. $308 for their gauge cluster, I went with white.

 

[sprdv1]

New to the site. I've always loved the early Broncos but the nice ones have been out of budget and I didn't want to take the time to build one.

I've had a Badlands 2dr for about 18 months and while I do really like it I have concerns about how it's going to hold up out of warranty and the costs to keep it going. As it is I have 2 costly repairs to have warrantied right now. So I'm about to put it up for sale and start planning out what I really want.

As luck would have it I won a set of Tom's Offroad 1G seats at the Moab Safari. I could have picked a 6G prize but I went with my gut... So check that off the build.

I'm considering 2 different powertrains, very different from each other and both uncommon. I have both the engines already. Either a Isuzu 4BD1T/ZF5/Atlas 2spd or a 2.3 Ecoboost/AX15/Ecobox/NP205.

I'm in Washington State now but intend on moving to Tennessee next year so I'm trying to put off buying one until I get there. The project grade ones up here aren't as rusty but they're priced muuuuch higher, so it's a trade off.

I also have a 88 Bronco II that's under the knife for Super Duty axles, it's my beater toy and the 1G would just handle the light crawling the 6G does now.

BTW, I'm not sure how well known my little store is over here since it's primarily 6G accessories, but I run TD-Distributing.com

Welcome aboard as well!!!

 

[sprdv1]

Funny story how I met him. My friend and I were driving with the Moab Safari group on Poison Spider. We came up this one hill and our group pulled over to the right and stopped but as I crested the hill I missed our group and just started following the first Bronco in front of me, which happened to be Steve's group. We followed them for quite a while until they stopped for a break. We hung back because we didn't want to intrude but they were super welcoming. Turns out we were staying in Airbnbs on the same block too.

I'm sorry man.. You got to watch out for that guy haha Naw, he's super great and love the story... Can't do better than Ole Steve/Yeller

 

[nvrstuk]

Exactly, that's why the14 bolt is so weird. lol

I did not want to use the big funky (to me) dually hubs to get to 63" and then use wheel spacers. to get back out to 65".
67" was way too wide for me so this was the first one I bought, the hubs fit with my spacer and it works.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I had intended on picking up the 66 from my Dad's place on the 26th. Well my truck had other ideas and the clutch went out while I was on the coast for a tuna fishing trip. I limped it back home with my new "non lock up TQ converter". I ordered up every single clutch related component because I don't want to screw around and am going to try to get it done this weekend.

My Quickdraw adapter came in, it's a nice kit. I made several parts stops on my trip and acquired a twin stick shifter, glass hood, power booster bracket, front disc brake kit, adjustable track bar, 3.5" springs, and NP241 donor for my Ecobox.

 

[Yeller]

Good luck on getting the truck fixed.

Sounds like a nice EB parts haul

 

[1969]

I have 08 super duty axles under my ‘69 and from the outside of the tires it’s 82” wide in the front.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I have 08 super duty axles under my ‘69 and from the outside of the tires it’s 82” wide in the front.

Looks like if I can just take out that 3" I'll be where I want then. But I'm waffling again, maybe I'll keep light duty axles and smaller tires under it long term afterall. First thing first is just get it driving.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I got the clutch job done on the Super Duty so now I'm just counting down the days till I pick up the EB this weekend. Also I impulse made a low offer on some 17" Mayhem wheels on ebay and they accepted, they might be too gaudy to pull off but we'll see. They're dual pattern though so I'm sure a Wrangler guy will take them if I don't like them.