What else do i need with these 4.5" springs?

[Piglet]

So over the weekend i stumbled into what i think was a pretty good deal on some 4.5" coil and Deaver leaf springs. my bronco is currently sitting on what i assume is a 3.5" lift but with add-a-leaf springs that are in pretty sad shape. i've been doing a ton or searching and reading and get a lot of conflicting info on what else i might need (mostly front end). i figured id try to buy most of the things i need from JBG while the still have 20% off through the Dec 20th.
my bronco is tagged but not daily driven and is going to be mainly for offroad.i plan on using f250 shock mounts in the front.

so some of the things i'm looking at are:
Adjustable Trac-Bar
4 in. Drop Pitman Arm
C-Bushing Kit, 7 degree
JBG Adjustable Drag Link
possible a Trac bar riser?
also for the rear:
Heavy Duty U-Bolt Kit
Rear Spring Shims, 6 Degree

it already looks to have extended brake lines and bump stops.
so if what i read is correct you only really need an adjustable trac bar of you are worried about the axle being perfectly centered left to right. and that a lot of ppl just run a trac bar riser with the stock trac bar.
any info or help/guidance is much appreciated. i've had it for a few months now but this is my first bronco, and i'm learning as i go. i'm probably forgetting a few things besides shocks. i just dont want to order anything i dont need, or miss out on ordering things i will.

 

[DirtDonk]

Hey Piglet, sounds like you got a good deal and have some fun ahead.
And just so you know everything up front, you can always measure between the top of the axle tube and the bottom of the frame rail to determine your current ride height.
At stock height, the front is approx. 7" and the rear is 6" or so. These are good starting points and anything above that is your lift.

First off, what type of use is this rig going to be put to? This can determine whether you do one thing or another, so is good to know.
And what year is your Bronco? If you said, I already forgot...;D

So, for the rear I would definitely do the shims. Make sure though, that there are not some already bolted to the bottom of the spring packs. If there are, you're good to go.

New u-bolts are usually a good idea, and almost mandatory if you have the originals still.

Longer brake lines are a must for anything 3.5 and over.

You may or may not need longer driveshafts. Almost no way to know until you get it back on the ground though.

A dropped pitman arm is a must, as you already know. There are usually no lift-specific arms though. You just get what you get, and that's usually about 2.5 to 3 inches or so if I remember, depending on who's arm you go with.

The adjustable trackbar has to advantages. As you said, it allows that little bit of fine tuning to get the axle perfectly centered. Even Ford didn't always get them perfectly centered though, and they still drove well. But the higher you go, the more precise you want to be.
The second advantage is the adjustable head allows you to correct the angle so that the upper eye is easier to get into the frame mount and get the bolt through. This also serves to lower stress on the bushing when just at ride-height.

As for a riser or drop bracket, this comes down to how you intend to use it. If you're a little hard on your rig or intend to wheel it hard and often, then the riser is the way to go for sure. If you're easy on your stuff, and this is going to be a family-go-to-the-beach kind of thing, then a drop is less money, less work, and better in the geometry department.
But either way you go, unless you have a '76 or '77 that you're modifying the steering linkage on, you always use both the pitman arm and the trackbar mods. Not just one. Sounds like you knew that already, but I wanted to reinforce it.

Longer shocks are a given of course.

The 7 degree bushings are correct, but any time you go more than 3.5" or so of lift, you can run into the possibility that your front driveshaft just can't handle the angles. Every Bronco is different, so like the lengths of the shafts, you won't know the final angle until you get it back on the ground.
If your front joint is binding though, you'll need to go back to lower bushings (all the way back to 2 degrees in fact) and then turn your steering yokes on the ends of the axle tubes to get the proper caster.
This is a lot more work, but really the only way to have both a good pinion angle and good caster at the same time.

Probably other stuff too, but that covers the basics. As you already had most of that in your list, you're on the right track.

Good luck and have fun!

Paul

 

[Piglet]

Thanks for the awesome reply, Dirtdonk.
i forgot to mention that it is a 1973. i do plan on driving it on the street, but plan on off roading it as much as i can. i did read that the trac bar drops with begin to crack and twist the frame if you wheel it. i dont mind a little cutting and welding so i'll plan on the riser. do you think id be better off getting 4 degree c bushing right of the batt? there are local shops around me that can lengthen and build drive shafts if need be.

 

[Rustytruck]

Probably longer parking brake cables. I'd be looking at cutting and rotating the front axle C with that much lift. Other wise your looking at 7 degree bushings, offset arm bushings and lowered and lengthened arms. and that may be not enough.

 

[DirtDonk]

Agree. Until you get to sometime in '76, the built-in caster angles are insufficient for a lifted truck with big tires. So 7° gets my vote for anything over 2.5" of lift.
If you use some of the aftermarket longer radius arms with extra caster built in, you can sometimes get away with less. But the only way to truly know what you need is to know what you have. And that means getting an alignment shop to give you a computer check and paper printout of your existing settings.
Until then, it's just guesswork. But it's a good guess that with 4.5 you're going to need 7's at a minimum and that might still not be enough.

So in other words, your thought of going with a 4 degree bushing as a starting point is perfectly fine, so long as you absolutely expect to cut-n-turn your yokes to supplement.
The lower degree offset bushings will serve to keep your front joint angles more reasonable, but you'll definitely be lacking the proper positive caster steering angle.

Good call on the cables.
If you're going to wheel it you definitely want the longer brake cables like RustyT said. For the street it's not really a requirement, just a good idea. But for wheeling at all, your stock cables will definitely limit wheel travel

Brain hurting yet?;D

Paul

 

[Piglet]

my brain started hurting a few months ago when i bought it...
but so far so good. i really appreciate all the info from you guys and all the other threads on this forum.

so i went and measure the distance from the frame to axles and im pretty sure it currently is already sitting with at least 4 inch of lift (11 front/12 rear). i'm deff going to add parking brake cables to the list, even if they are already longer because they look like hell and i need to open it up to adjust them anyways. one thing i still need to look into/measure is what size heavy duty u-bolt kit i need. and now i'm thinking i might just order ruff stuff's 1 ton y link steering. the snow ball effect has already started rolling.

 

[bronconut73]

my brain started hurting a few months ago when i bought it...
but so far so good. i really appreciate all the info from you guys and all the other threads on this forum.

so i went and measure the distance from the frame to axles and im pretty sure it currently is already sitting with at least 4 inch of lift (11 front/12 rear). i'm deff going to add parking brake cables to the list, even if they are already longer because they look like hell and i need to open it up to adjust them anyways. one thing i still need to look into/measure is what size heavy duty u-bolt kit i need. and now i'm thinking i might just order ruff stuff's 1 ton y link steering. the snow ball effect has already started rolling.

Check out Wild Horses 4x4. They are at the top of the screen. They have everything you are looking for and an amazingly knowledgeable tech there named Paul aka Dirt Donk.
JBG is ok too but they don't have a Donk like Paul....
Just sayin'.....

 

[Piglet]

Absoluely! i like to spread the love, i'm pretty sure i've placed at least one order with at least 4 different venders from classicbroncos.

Check out Wild Horses 4x4. They are at the top of the screen. They have everything you are looking for and an amazingly knowledgeable tech there named Paul aka Dirt Donk.
JBG is ok too but they don't have a Donk like Paul....
Just sayin'.....

if i decide to go with ruffstuff 1ton TRO set up, do i still need a drop pitman arm? most of the pics/threads i see show ppl keep the stock one. i dont know if that would make it easier or harder to get the trac bar and drag link close to parallel.

 

[nickgp]

At a minimum, I would change out the hardware. Another very important part to consider are the rear spring shackles. For a stock rig go stock. With what you are using for springs, I recommend the super shackles that Nick at Nicks Trix fabricates.

 

[DirtDonk]

...if i decide to go with ruffstuff 1ton TRO set up, do i still need a drop pitman arm?

The answer to that is a rousing... Uh, maybe?%)
The reason you see only "most" using stock is that, as we like to say around here, "every Bronco is different" and that includes modifications that we might make on top of that.

So your best bet us usually to try the stock one first, then if that doesn't work perfectly, go to Plan-B.
Plan-B is only what you determine is needed after testing on your rig.
It might be modifying the angle of the trackbar instead, or it could be changing to a different pitman arm.

Paul

 

[Piglet]

Check out Wild Horses 4x4. They are at the top of the screen. They have everything you are looking for and an amazingly knowledgeable tech there named Paul aka Dirt Donk.
JBG is ok too but they don't have a Donk like Paul....
Just sayin'.....

i should have listened to you. the order i placed with jbg showed up today. turns out i screwed up and only ordered one leaf spring shackle- since their website didnt specify that they were sold individually(prob should have guessed by the price). so i give them a call and whoever answered the phone sounded like he hated his job, and doesnt care about broncos or their customers. told him my story, and then he quoted me a price shipped higher then the advertised website price. i ask if there is any chance i can get it for the sale price i paid 3 days ago since i placed a pretty substantial order. he proceeds to put me on hold, comes back and just says nope and that i can just order it online myself...

lesson learned really, but after all the positive/ helpful people in the classic bronco comunity this guys demeanor came as a bit of a surprise.

 

[bronconut73]

i should have listened to you. the order i placed with jbg showed up today. turns out i screwed up and only ordered one leaf spring shackle- since their website didnt specify that they were sold individually(prob should have guessed by the price). so i give them a call and whoever answered the phone sounded like he hated his job, and doesnt care about broncos or their customers. told him my story, and then he quoted me a price shipped higher then the advertised website price. i ask if there is any chance i can get it for the sale price i paid 3 days ago since i placed a pretty substantial order. he proceeds to put me on hold, comes back and just says nope and that i can just order it online myself...

lesson learned really, but after all the positive/ helpful people in the classic bronco comunity this guys demeanor came as a bit of a surprise.

I will not bash.....but I will promote/mark out....

I am at a point in my life where I will no longer try too hard to save a dollar. Life is too damn short.

Duff
WH
Bronco Hut

In that order brother.

I absolutely respect and love Monster Mike (Duff) & Donk (WH) ....
They are here everyday helping people. They are just really, really good fellers.

You will find Duff and WH customer service second to nothing in the industry.
You simply cannot go wrong with these two.

Some places are known for their signature items....
Like BC's soft top, wiper linkage cover, intake kit, etc....

They all have some stuff that is truly their own.

But you just can't go wrong with Duff & WH, just depends where you are in the country if shipping is going to be an issue (ie,..heavy parts like leaf packs).

Duff (east coast)

WH (west coast)

My specific advice is to get both of their paper catalogs. Then read, read, read.....