Project "Tronco"

[Chuck]

I got a deal I couldn't turn down on the 33's from a friend of mine, with about 80% life left. The rear would clear whatever I want, and I'll probably be able to go bigger on the front if I do a little minor trimming, we'll see once the fenders are on.

I'm keeping this one pretty low, though, since it's supposed to stay DD-friendly for a while. I'll already have a stepstool folded up behind the seat for one 5'-0 1/2" friend. Besides, once I wear out this set of tires I'm probably doing an eight lug swap and set it up to tow the next project around, which will be a lot crazier if I build what I've got in mind at the moment. Should tow better if I keep the height reasonable ... ;D

[Chuck]

Didn't really get much else done this weekend (too much going on), but here's a better teaser pic from when I had it out to touch up the fenders:

[87B2XLT]

Chuck, I don't think I asked.... but did you -keep- the D44 TTB up front? That wouldn't have necessarily been my choice, but, it's better than something weaker. I'm just not very fond of the TTB /Twin I-beam suspensions. There are newer and/or older rigs that you might have found with a solid D44, but then again, they are getting as rare as the 9" Ford rear axles... and about as -not- cheap, unless you can find one by luck in a junkyard for next to nothing! Lookin' pretty sweet so far, though. I guess one of these days, I'll get down to bare-bones overhaul like that on my junk.... about the same time I decide to drop a Ranger / Explorer 4.0L V-6 in it! ;D

[Chuck]

Yep. This one's staying mostly DD/fun trail rig -- Oak Ridge, beach runs, GW, and probably nothing too hardcore. I've got a solid radius arm D44 sitting in the garage now I've thought of swapping in, but I really don't want to lift it the 4" it'll take to clear the engine crossmember. I've already got plans for the hardcore toy, but I need this sucker back together to get me back and forth in the winter first ...

Plus, the TTB44 usually isn't too bad with 33's as long as you don't go nuts, and the flex is at least a little better without the swaybars. ;D Many fullsize Bronco guys scrap 'em almost immediately, since they don't really make much difference in how the vehicle drives (unlike a Jeep, which is mushy as heck without the bars connected).

[PaulC]

Chuck,

You could go with the Camburg modified TTB beams and gain a good amount of clearance. I'm sure with your engineering capibility you could make the radius arms and get some mad travel.

PaulC

[Chuck]

The cut-and-turned beams are a nice deal. The custom wide track set is actually probably more than I've got in this whole project (excluding purchase price and previous maintenance before I took it apart last Winter). I still haven't decided for certain whether I want to leave it as-is (and start sooner on a wilder trail-only project), lift the TTB, or do a D44 or D60 SAS.

Right now my current plan is to put it back together as-is, wheel it for at least a year, and figure out what either breaks or irritates me so much I wish it'd break so I could replace it. ;D

I've actually got a '78 radius arm D44 sitting in the garage, and that's actually a fairly easy swap (minimum fab), but I may sell it to clear up space since I know I won't use it for at least a year. Too many choices, and not enough solid info on how this sucker's really going to work as it is now ...

[PaulC]

Chuck,

I'm sure you could make your own cut and turn TTBs too. A set from PNP wouldn't be that bad, if you mess them up your not out that much. If you need a good home for the 78 44 and radius arms you can give it a home here. You can never have to many parts, except for when you move.

PaulC

[87B2XLT]

The '78-'79 D44 SAS is probably one of the easier swaps.... or, the newer model ones out of the newer FSB or F150 (90s era?). That would be my choice down the road, if it were me. The biggest thing with the TTB or any radius arm Ford front axle / suspension is alignment / travel from what I've seen, read, etc., especially alignment on a TTB. Not sure if the alignment gods were smiling on me, but I think I may not have to re-camber my front end due to the spring swap. I may have it checked, if it doesn't cost me too much. If it does need it, I'm probably going to order the adjustable bushings, or at least that's what I'm leaning more toward doing if necessary. You'll probably be okay with the current setup as a DD and moderate ORV, though.

[Chuck]

Paul -- I'll definitely keep that in mind. I think I'm very likely to sell this one for now just to clear up some garage space, we're pretty packed right now and it's getting to be a pain to work around. ;D I'll see if I can get a chance (and get to it, there's an F-250 in the way) to snap a pic or two of the condition and catch ya at the meeting Wednesday.

I figure they've been easy enough in the past to find at PnP, if I do decide to do the swap in a year or two I should be able to get another one for pretty close to what I paid for this one ...

[Chuck]

I didn't get to spend as much time on the truck as I'd hoped this weekend (working on a lot of other around-the-house stuff), but here's another teaser shot of some of the work that's gotten done this week. Hood's not on the hinges yet, just laying in place.

[87B2XLT]

Looks like it's coming along well, Chuck! I can relate on how tedious some of that is.... as well as the to do's around the house. I still have stuff to do around the house as well as order / buy a few things to do a little finishing up on my suspension stuff. Can't wait to see when it's all together and rolling up and down the road! Which leaves me wondering... did you keep the Bronco registration active as well as a current inspection sticker on the windshield, or are you going to have to re-register / inspect it after it's all back together?

Dave G

[Chuck]

I've let the registration lapse, and the inspection went with the old windshield (was dead anyway). Strictly speaking because of the way I got this cab I'm going to have to go through the process of registering this as a reconstructed vehicle, and it'll be titled as an 87 F-150. The process is a little murky, most of the people at the DMV don't seem to be very clear on how to do it (mostly because most people would probably just swap the VIN plates). I figured if I tried to keep it titled as the Bronco it'd be a little obvious there wasn't much Bronco left, and didn't want to run into trouble in the future.

In this state the title passes with the body, not the frame, so the easy way to do this would've been to buy a complete parts truck with a clear title and a good cab. I found this one in the yard, though, and it was just in way too good shape to pass up. One tiny, easy to fix rust spot, and no big dings. Hope it's worth the trouble to get it registered right!

[87B2XLT]

Or you could always title it as a home-built... if this state does that. I can see your point on registering it as the F-150 vice Bronco, however, the VIN for the F-150 will not match the vehicle as it sits, at least that's how I look at it. Then again, I may not think like the folks down at DMV! You can probably look online at the DMV site and look for info there, though. Either way, good luck with the title, registration, and inspection!! ;D

[Chuck]

DMV's online information doesn't really cover how to do the swap. I called the main office in Richmond and it took them a full day or two to figure out the basics and call me back.

I'm not certain if the way they do this will put it titled under the original F-150 cab VIN, or if this will actually be a state of VA issued new VIN number (which is also possible, and according to the way the law is written is actually how they're supposed to handle altered or missing VIN numbers). The way the law is set up doesn't make this a simple swap to do legally ...

[87B2XLT]

Fun, fun. Well, you could always build another daily driver and just make it a trailer queen ;D Kidding, kidding! Hehe. I guess you really don't have to worry about it much until it's "inspection-ready". I was scrolling down this page and noticed that your front end, well, the wheels / tires sit sort-of like the BII does right now. One of the things that makes the old Ford Twin I-beam / Traction Beam front suspensions such a pain in the butt... which is why I've been planning a SAS for a while now and was originally going to just use a HP Dana 30 out of an XJ and re-gear and run that setup until the diffs or axles broke. I was just fortunate enough to come across the opportunity to do a better axle swap setup ;D