broncomitch
Bronco Guru
im thinking about stretching my bronco cus im moving my rear axle way back and dont want it to look all stupid.
what parts do i need and what not?
what parts do i need and what not?
Between the door and rear wheel well, is that where you want it stretched at?
If you're that serious about wheeling, and wanting to do a stretch that dramatic: take my advice and buy a buggy now.
You'll spend a fortune on stretching it, and still be self conscious about beating it on the trail, besides it'll still be heavy, wide and you'll have a pretty stinky approach and departure angle compared to no sheetmetal in the way.
ya.. i tryed that with a 02 jeep stuck in the mud. riped his frame off 6'' from the back of the bumper...bronco didnt stretch at all
Not always true, and stretching the WB doesn't require stretching the frame and/or tub.
As soon as my current build is done, I'll have a 104" WB on a stock EB-length frame, and my tub will be 8" narrower than stock. My approach and departure angles will be excellent as well.
If you're that serious about wheeling, and wanting to do a stretch that dramatic: take my advice and buy a buggy now.
You'll spend a fortune on stretching it, and still be self conscious about beating it on the trail, besides it'll still be heavy, wide and you'll have a pretty stinky approach and departure angle compared to no sheetmetal in the way.
I should have bought a buggy years ago, but really wanted to keep the Bronc, and now I have a mangled piece of metal with a ton of money in it and not much else to show for.
going to buy me one? lol i might get 3500 for my bronco,not enough to make a buggy or buy one.
i dont like buggys , most are to light to go over anything, = no traction. i have walked up place's where buggys cant. adding 20 pounds on stretching mine is not going to make a difference.
and im on full widths so im hardly going to be hitting the body...not like i really care anyway ;D
there is one buggy i like. its my buddy's in canada. clayton prats ''warthog''. met him at ttc last year.
but im not going to stretch the frame i decided.
the jimmy joints are going to be mounted on the back of my bumper and shackles off it. if i dove tail it my soft top wont work so im not doing that...might be stuck with making it look stupid.....or stretch the front witch is something i might do. my WB is 99.5 so its not really all bad as it is.
Interesting perspective...
My argument is that you'll spend a fortune building a Bronco into something it wasn't initially designed for; and then damage it quickly once it's done. My 76 is presently in it's 4th rebuild (not to be completed anytime soon) With the money I spent on builds 2 and 3, I could have bought a decent, used buggy and wheeled the pee out of it without all the damage, better weight distribution, superior suspension, etc.
Overall weight isn't the driving force for traction so much as suspension design, and weight distribution, IMO. There's a reason that the competition buggies are so darned light.
You'll add a whole bunch more than your estimated 20 lbs when you stretch.
Weight all adds up very quickly, just like the $$ do.
Ultimately, the decision is entirely yours; after all, it's your rig, and as long as you're happy with it, that's all that really matters.
If you're wanting to keep leafs in the rear (and hang the shackles off the back, if I'm understanding correctly), look at the "Way Back" shackle hangers that a few different companies are offering (Blue Torch, Ballistic, Ruff Stuff)