I have 3.5" of lift. But my coil springs are very stiff and I lose a lot of flex due to that. I modified the upper part of the spring bucket so that it no longer captures the coil and allows it to drop out similar to a lot of Jeeps.


Then I modified the radius arms and added johnny joints at the frame:


Those two eliminated a lot of bind and it droops pretty good, but I still don't get much up travel. And my shocks limit my down travel currently. I am not sure what would be next? Steering joints?

So here is my proposal.

Front: Build new coil towers on the frame to raise the mounting point 2" and include in the design a shock mount that is as high as manageable to run the longest shock possible. Then run 5.5" lift springs of the more flexy variety and that should give me all I need up front. Might even have to limit the travel up and down at that point??

Rear: The rear spring hangers take a beating and as you can see, they hang down a fair amount:


So I am thinking about cutting them off and either building my own set, or buying a set and raise them up 2" on the frame. I believe that this will not block the bolt mounting the spring, but it could be tight. Do the same on the rear hanger. Then to compensate for the 2", add a pair of BC Bronco's spring rockers.


That way I can still run the same 3.5" springs and net the same 3.5" of lift over stock. This also gets the belly of my rig that much flatter. I might also consider having a set of springs custom made that are longer and push the rear axle back a couple inches. The rear shocks need replaced too.

I believe this to be cheaper and more simple than a 4-link rear.

So away!

Never seen the spring rockers seem pretty sweet. Just wonder how they affect body roll on the street. They are 2.5 in not 2 by the way.
I would think you could build mounts that are pretty flat and wouldn't catch pretty easily.

Have you considered coilovers up front? Since you want to run as long as a shock as possible. I wouldn't let the coil drop though because they do weird things when they caught at an angle.

I'm planning on doing my suspension in the summer and am still between what exactly I want to do from anywhere from bolt on 5100s to custom coilovers mounts upfront and four link in the rear. So I feel you.

JD, just an FYI on the spring rockers, when I went out to Hawaii a few years ago, Madgyver from CB.com & I hooked up and he showed me around Honolulu and he had a set on. I didn't like the way they felt and if memory serves me, he removed them soon after I left. I think his reasoning was that he didn't like the body roll that the rockers caused. I think he even fabbed up some blocks to go under them to stabilize them when not wheeling.

I say 4 link the rear end.

JD, some thoughts:

1. The rear spring rockers will cause a lot more body roll, which will be exacerbated by you adding some variable rate coils up front. I ran them for a while and did modify them so I could lock them out on the street. See below if interested.

2. On the front, moving the coil bucket up and adding longer springs is a very good way to go, probably about the best you can do before linking. A note of caution, while those coils are stiff, they are a linear rate coil and adding the "flexy" kind, aka variable rate coils will add a LOT of body roll.

3. On the back, there's pretty much no way to build axle mounting points that won't hang up, the best you can do is minimize how much, etc... My suggestion would be build some ramps around the bracket to minimize drag/sharp edges. It's always a trade-off between getting the mounting points as high as you can vs. losing ground clearance with a lower skid plate vs. occasionally hanging up on stuff. I hang up on my link mounts on the buggy all the time, sometimes you gotta throttle through it, LOL.

4. If you want to move the axle back, I would for sure think about linking the rear. I'd bet it's much less expensive than new leaf springs, etc...

5. Maybe a decent compromise would be to add an additional section of frame rail/slider that bolts/is welded under the existing frame rail and adds space/metal between the back of the radius arm mount and the front of the rear spring hanger. This would keep the rig from hanging up on stuff and much less work than the other listed options.

Modifying the spring rockers: What I did was drill a hole from top to bottom through both pieces of metal, then cut a shock spacer to fit inside between the plates. This way I could put the spacer in between the plates and bolt it in. This would keep the rocker from rocking when I didn't want it to.
My $.02,
HTH, Joe

do a panhard bar on the rear if you run the spring rockers. Im gonna steal your idea for raising the coil buckets and running a long spring for low lift. One other thing to look into now is the new hellwig sway bars if you do plan on driving it on the street. They are frame mounted like jeeps so you can put on a quick disconnect for street use/trail use.

Third for 4 link in the rear. Probably about as much fabricatin as youre planning on with your current plan. Have you seen the adjustable coil buckets that. Ruffstuff and ballistic sell? Ive got a set that will be going on soon, will post pics.

Aaah1 - I seem to remember the original rockers were 2", but I can deal with 2.5" as well. I have considered coilovers, but they are quite expensive. Coils are cheap and with good shocks, are about half the price of the coilovers. As for the alignment pin in the middle, they are taper cut to avoid getting caught and in the event my suspension drops out too much, I limit it before it could come off the pin. But I have yet to have any trouble with them other than a little noise as the spring rubs them.

Gary - I had the spring rockers on my '74 (Did I buy them from you Joe?) With an add-a-leaf lift and F-150 coils, it was a stiff suspension so I didn't notice the body roll. But I have a lot now with the modified radius arms, so I may need to do something about it either way.

Kirk - I'd love to, but I know it takes a well designed system to work well and I'm not sure I have the expertise for that. I'd have to look into cost to see where that put me. Not afraid to build my own, but worried I wouldn't get it right.

Joe,
2. - If I could get some linear springs to compress better than these, I'd be happy and I could leave my alignment rod in there to maintain droop.
3. - That's my goal to minimize the obstruction. Every inch makes a big difference!
4. - I am surprised to hear that. If I could get away with using my "near new" rear springs, surely it's got to be cheaper to stay with the leaf springs. But if I were going to get longer ones, I could see where I'd need to reconsider. Really tho, I am pretty happy with my rear flex.
5. - Yep, would build-in a ramp of some sort, hopefully similar to a link mount.

A "lock-out" for the spring rockers is a good idea and easy to build.

Rob - I have liked those sway bars ever since I saw them. Way cool!

Justin - I have looked at the adjustable coil towers, but I don't recall exactly what they look like. I would like to incorporate shock mounts into them as well, and I am pretty sure none of the vendors do that. However, adding to their design might save me some time. I guess it all depends on what tools I have at my disposal at the time.

Great discussion. Thanks!

Ive priced out a 4 link rear and its pretty inexpensive. Ballistic fab makes a inside the frame mount that looks pretty trick. I have some tj coils you can have. Bet you could do it for 500 or under if you pinch pennies. Im gonna do the same thing and stretch it next year. Copy James duff with some modification. Eric (Joes friend in falcon) has the duff kit that he modified to work better. His rig is pretty flexy


I thought about spring rockers too. I am afraid of them being a weak point and failing. I know two guys in Oregon that run them and they like them but they both said you need a panhard bar in the rear or its all over the road. Too me it seems like a bandaid just like the WAH.

The broncohut buggy swears buy the front coil spring setup you did. By releasing the coil and adding the stake the flex will be endless. And with those radius arms I think you will need limit straps and air bumps.

All good comments and a lot of food for thought.

A 4-link rear is something I need to dig deeper into. My concern is with the Atlas, my rear driveshaft doesn't have a lot of droop in it. But moving the axle back could help with that. I could build all new hangers for under $100, spring rockers for $315 (wow those went up!), some fab time and be done. This still allows me to move the axle back, forcing me into a new gas tank, but that would happen either way. Same with a lengthened driveshaft.

And with all projects like this, more issues pop up as you go along.

Ahh yes, I do remember looking at those Justin. I even emailed asking what the spacing between the bolts are and max-min heights are. No response. But with the measurements I have and some friends with CNC plasma machines, I could make the same thing for a little cheaper, I believe.

Decisions, decisions!

If you still want the measurements I'm happy to get you the ones on my set.

Measured from the center of the holes, they're 3/4" apart, with a total span of 6 3/4". Total range of adjustment depends on where you put the bolts. If you set them up as far apart as possible, the range of adjustment would be 2 1/2".

Ok, thanks! 4 bolts per bucket?

If I remember right, Cory is running 6/bucket.

Mine came with 4 bolts/bucket, but I'll likely up that to 6. I'd need to measure, but they're 1/2" or 5/8" Grade 8 bolts, so they're stout.

I wish I knew what the rate of the front springs are. STIFF is as close as I can guess. I know my rig weighs @ 4600lbs. I weighed it "trail ready" on a scale once. I feel like the front is heavier, so I don't think I'd have issues with 1000lbs per corner.

I didn't post a picture, but my frame brackets for the front arms are inboard of the frame. I don't think my radius arms are limiting my flex at all. I'm not sure I follow your statement about replacing the rod ends on the upper link with a bushing to alleviate torsional binding. That seems counterintuitive to me. The rod end allows for twisting much better than a bushing would. Again, my concern is with the springs, then the shocks, then the steering. Once I get those three addressed, I am sure I will need limiting straps control the droop and maybe bump stops as well.

Then I need to figure out the rear. I will be looking very closely at a 4-link before I decide which way to go.

Thanks for the input. It will be fun to tackle this.

That is a lot to consider and I'll need a fresh brain to contemplate that. Thanks for the diagram.

I think before I make any changes to the radius arms, I'll address other issues.

Here's a picture of another bronco with the same arms as mine, although his could be longer and they might be closer to the instant center, but if I could get 60%+ that flex, I'd be happy!

I'm wondering how stable that rig is. May be too much flex?

That's steve's rig and he did say he needed to rein it in...

I hear ya Joe. If I went 4-link in the rear, it would be double triangulated assuming that is possible without tubing out the rear. I am actually quite amazed at how well the rear does flex now given the archaic leaf spring design, but it works pretty well. I just want to push that rear axle back a little more to improve departure.

I am pretty happy with the way it flexes now, but I have some issues to address up front like the shocks currently limiting my droop and those stiff coil limiting up travel.

I think ultimately I am either going to need to stretch this bronco so the family can come along comfortably, or build a 4dr Taco.

[quote="Jesus_man"

I think ultimately I am either going to need to stretch this bronco so the family can come along comfortably, or build a 4dr Taco.[/quote]

I still have those 1ft frame extension pieces set aside for you, lets stretch it when you get home!

So very tempting. I want to, but I will be itching to wheel when I get back, not tear my rig down for who-knows-how-long. But I am pretty sure a stretch is in my future, so please keep those pieces earmarked for me!

Ran across this picture. I'd like to know wheelbase, but I think this is about where I'd like to end up. Front axle pushed up, rear pushed back and still 4-seats.

That front looks to be moved forward a decent amount. I wonder if it's full hydro steering?