79 bronco axles in an 84 broncoII

BIG Z DUDE · Post by **BIG Z DUDE** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:40 pm

I just need to know if I should take the coil and shock mounts off to or just use the stock bronco II mounts the 79 has 2 shocks on each side of the front end all so will the leaf springs off the 79 work on the b2?

ranger5.0 · Post by **ranger5.0** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 7:50 pm

I would remove the buckets cause all they would be is extra weight if you are not using them. Grind the rivots and then reweld them to the frame since I believe the also tie into the crossmember and help support it. That brings you to another question. since you are not using the ttb do you keep the crossmember? I cut mine out and copied what ford fullsize did and put the crossmember under the radiator. I used a piece of rollbar tubing with some angle gussets. I am not sure if the frame widths are the same from 1/2 to to 3/4 ton but I had to move my spring mounts inboard 2 1/2 inches to run 1/2 running gear. I also used the factory shock mount from the F150. It was taller than the BII.

BIG Z DUDE · Post by **BIG Z DUDE** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 9:44 pm

So should I use the coil and shock mounts off of the 79. Also can I use the leaf springs off the 79 or will the b2 springs work?

DBrown · Post by **DBrown** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 7:24 am

ok, I just want to clarify this but are you going leafs in the front?
and you are wanting to know if you can use the factory shock mounts?

I would probably just fabe some new shock mounts so you can set it up for what ever shock you choose.

BIG Z DUDE · Post by **BIG Z DUDE** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 12:26 pm

I need to know if the stock leaf springs will work in the rear or if I need to use the ones off the 79. and should I use the coil and shock mounts off the 79 for the front or are the b2 mounts good?

ranger5.0 · Post by **ranger5.0** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 6:35 pm

I used the stock rear leafs, but the 79's might be longer. The issue with that is they are set up to haul more weight. That might give you an issue. The 79's coil buckets are quite a bit taller above the frame. That BII buckets would give you more lift but I thought my 77's were beefier and they already had the top spring mount that the BII's never came with. with the stock f-150 suspension, my rig sit as high as the F-150 would. I figured the weight of the v-8 should be enough to soften the front end.

DBrown · Post by **DBrown** » Sun Jan 22, 2006 8:40 am

well, one thing I do know is the rear leafs on the 79 bronco are 3" wide. the rear leafs on a BII are 2.5" wide. Nobody runs the FS leafs and it looks like they work well for him, so he might be able to answer that question better.

as far as the front goes...if you are leaving it full width you are going to need to space out the coil buckets a few inches on each side and probably fab your own shock towers because the lower spring mounts are wider then the BII coil buckets. so...I would just remove the coil buckets all together and use the FS Bronco buckets to mount everything up.

Post by **Nobody** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 7:17 am

I run the fullsize bronco rear leaf springs. I'm pretty happy with them. They are nothing extreme, but they have proven to be a good all around work/play spring.

The FS bronco springs are 3" wide. I wouldn't hesitate to run 2.5" wide f150 springs though. BII springs tend to sag under normal use conditions, so it's almost guaranteed once you start wheelin.

One thing to note is that the center pin offset is different from Bronco II springs, so you will be required to build new spring hangers.

For the shock mounts, use the popular F-250 shock mounts. You an get them new at the for dealer for $14ea. E5TZ-18183-A . The stud mount on the stock FS bronco isn't very desirable.

Are the coil buckets and shock tower integrated on the FS bronco?

DBrown · Post by **DBrown** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 7:41 am

no, they are seperate. I saved all my stuff for another project I plan to do. I also saved the custom shock towers I made.

you can buy them at JBG though if you don't have access to a good pick and pull.

BIG Z DUDE · Post by **BIG Z DUDE** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 12:33 pm

Should I have the axles narrowed or just go full width? How expensive is it to have it done or can I do it my self? Which is better?

Post by **Nobody** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 12:56 pm

BIG Z DUDE wrote:Should I have the axles narrowed or just go full width? How expensive is it to have it done or can I do it my self? Which is better?

Whether you run full width or not is entirely up to you. Each has advantages. One of the biggest advantages to running full width is it's cheap, and that's why a lot of people do it. Of course if you are trying to keep it legal, full width makes it hard to keep your tires covered.

Typical cost to cut down a housing is $100-$200. On front you would also have to have a long axle shaft cut, and the rear will need one or both axle shafts cut, or buy aftermarket. You can cut the housings yourself. The front for sure. You need an alignment jig for the rear though. Assuming you have some welding skillz.

EB axles are popular for swaps because they don't need to be cut down. They are getting harder to find though.

As for which is better, it really depends on how you will use your rig. I prefer narrow.

I think 62" wms-wms and 15x8's - 3.5" BS is about perfect. Which is actually about in the middle. I'm at 60" now and I could use a little more clearance for turning. I had to turn my stops out quite a bit to stop the tires from rubbing the radius arms.....that'snot bad though because it saves u-joints.

Phillippi · Post by **Phillippi** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 2:29 pm

I cut my D44 down myself for a total of $180 total. I bought the axle for $100, and cut the tube and rewelded myself and had the fullsized axleshaft cut and resplined for $80.

Its easy to do if you take your time, and measure a lot.

BIG Z DUDE · Post by **BIG Z DUDE** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:18 pm

do I need a different drop pitman arm for the d44 swap or will the stock bII one work?

BIG Z DUDE · Post by **BIG Z DUDE** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:23 pm

Pulled the front axle today but I could not get the Radius Arm brackets off. I am gonna pull the 9" tomorrow. but I have a question. on the d44 where the radius arms connect there are to little triangles on each side of the axle that are part of the axle. what do I do, dont I have to move the mounts in 2". can I cut the triangles off or what. please help!!!!!!!!!!

I am running full width dana 44

marinebroncoii · Post by **marinebroncoii** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:38 pm

I am using fulwidth axles. The leaf springs from a 88-99 1/2 ton chevy fit in out trucks nicely with the mounts for them moved and they give good lift and flex. I kept the stock shock/coil buckets but will most likely be switching to air shocks when I get home and get rid of both the coil and shock. I like full width for the stability and I likee the look, but narrowed would get you through tighter trails.