BroncoII4x4.com

Im kind of new to all this 4x4ing and customizing broncos...but basically im plannin on gettin a body lift for my 86 bronco 2, and a suspension lift along with a good set of swampers. For starters, im not sure whether to get 33's or 36 tires...and if my 2.9L fuel injected V6 could handle those...then engine is in really good shape and i believe has quite a bit of power...and feedback would be great

its all about the gearing.

You could run 44s if you were gear right...just wouldnt go very well on the freeway (and break your axles anytime you put it in 4x4).

For 33s, regear to atleast 4.10, for 36s regear to atleast 4.56s. for everything but freeway, the lower the gear(higher the #) the better. I am running 4.56s with 32s and a 4liter and its pretty darn fun. (I was running the same set up with a weak 2.8L and it was still totaly driveable, its just lots more faster now.

one thing to consider, even when I was running 31s, I would occasionaly break front axle parts. With the 32s I have lost 1 front U joint and 1 rear driveshaft U joint. Breakage happens unless you upgrade your drivetrain, then you will want to run bigger tires and then you will break again. Its a viscious cycle!

Iain

Thanks For Info...another question would be it i could even clear 33's or 36's with a 3inch body lift?

With a 3 inch body lift you can clear 33s but not with any flex. If you went offroad and flext it they would rub and might when you turn. To get 33's on mine I had a 3 inch body lift and Bushwacker Cutout Flares. There are pictures on my site in the 2nd page of it like that. With a little fender trimming or a 1 inch spacer in front and a add-a-leaf in the rear you'd be good. On the stock drivetrain I wouldn't go over 33's or do a Dana 35, 8.8" swap and you could go to 36. As 85ranger said the power you have will depend on how you gear it, but I wouldn't do gears or lockers for the dana 28 and 7.5 inch knowing that you are going to want to go higher someday and need to swap to D35, 8.8" and get gears again. It is cheaper to do a little overkill on tires and drivetrain than to get what you think you could be happy with only to want more and throw out parts you just bought.

Thanks Very much all this info has been of good help...my final question would be...when does it get to the point where i would need to get new drivetrain and shocks....and if it matters a whole lot that i drive an automatic with the electronic 4 wheel drive?

kylebronco2 wrote:...my final question would be...when does it get to the point where i would need to get new drivetrain and shocks

I would say when your tired of changing out hubs or shafts on the ttb28. Find a ranger or explorer with a ttb35 at a pick and pull junkyard. It would hold up longer than the 28 if you want to run bigger meats. The problem with 4 wheeling is it is highly addictive and you will probably never find yourself happy enough with your current setup, you'd constantly find excuses to upgrade and build, build, build. (at least that how it is for me) Anyhow, welcome and have fun!

Thanks for the info...you mentioned ttb35 is that like a dana 35 or how do they compare?

First I'll answer the current question.

A D35 TTB is the same design as a D28 TTB only 1.5"s wider which isn't even a big deal. A D35 TTB is Far stronger then a D28 TTB and some say as strong as a stock D44 Solid Axle. The TTB(Twin Traction Beam) is a hybrid half solid axle half IFS type of deal. I think it's neat but many think its stupid. Anyways A D35 TTB will bolt right in after removing your D28 TTB. Only modification needed is to have your front driveline shortened by about an inch. Other wise it is a bolt in upgrade. D35 TTB's can be found in late model year 1990 Bronco II's(Rare but out there), 91-97 Rangers, and 91-94 Explorers/Navajos. Okay next thing.

Gearing sugestions for a 2.9L with overdrive trany which is what you got unless you own a 1984 Bronco II:

4.10's - 29's to 31's
4.56's - 31's to 33's
4.88's - 33's to 35's (sorry but if your going the D35 TTB road upgrade this ratio is not available.)
5.13's - 35's to ??? Get a bigger engine to run larger tires then 36's. At this point your little 2.9L is gonna have a hell of a time turning more mass regardless of gearing. It'll work but it'll be a dog.

And for what it is worth these are the combinations I have run and how I feel about them.

3.73's and 31's sucked! but worked okay, hard on clutch.
4.56's and 31's What fun lots of power and go would krawl offroad decently.
5.13's and 35's Dang gum thats alot of mass to be turning with a little V6 but it does alright. I am at the need a bigger engine stage, If I want to go bigger with the tires, but also if I were to go bigger with the tires it would also be time to upgrade to a D60's axles just to be safe as well. So guess what? I aint going bigger unless I win the lottery because it's gonna cost way to much for D60's(with lockers and even deeper gears of course), 38.5's, 351W, Trany & T-case. So this brings me to my very last point.

Really think hard about what you want before you start building your rig. Best Advice I could give you is go out and wheel the shit out of it. See what breaks, gets dented, scratched, decide whether or not you like the sport. If you decide "hey this is a hell of a cool ass sport" you will now have a much better idea of what you want your rig to do and how you want to build it.

And thats my buck and a quarter for you.

Again thanks for the help...im trying to learn all i can to make my own 4x4 beast...im just turning 17 so i got lots of time to figure things out...planning on a susp lift soon...got some plans for my bronco 2 now...and ill be posting some pics hopefully sometime soon.