Bronco Blitz. Desert Thrashers 1 ton build up thread.

[Desert Thrasher]

I just started my 1 ton swap and am thinking of moving the axles out to get more wheel base. I would like to see what others have done with the steering box. I have a 4x4x2 box now. I will be adding hydro assist.
I'm thinking about moving the front D60 forward about 4". I will be using coil overs. There doesn't seem to be enough room to move the box forward without going into the grill or body mount. I've thought about going back to just the 4x4 box so the pitman arm faces toward the front and putting the box close to the coil over. Hoping others have pics of what they did. Thanks.

 

[welndmn]

Those are the options, you can switch back to 4x4 box, or re work the body mount and push your box forward.
I was to say we pushed a friends axle 3" with out getting into the grill, the body mount was reworked, and now just ditched for a tube front end.

 

[welndmn]

 

[Yeller]

To go that far with a box it will be right against the grill and body mount will have to be completely reworked, its right in the way. In the past I used a 2wd GM pickup box and mounted it on the outside of the frame, it mounts lower and was able to push it all the way out to the bumper with a 1/4 moon in the very bottom of the grill.

 

[Desert Thrasher]

Welndmn,
I can't see your picture, but I am on my phone so that might be why.

 

[Desert Thrasher]

Yeller, I'd like to stay with the current box. I have a 3" body lift, I will have to see how far into the grill it will actually be. Also, doesn't one of the vendors make a bracket that lowers the 4x4x2 box down some? West Coast Broncos maybe?

 

[Mean 69]

I can post a pic of this in the next few days. I literally JUST did this last weekend on my own rig with the 4x4x2 box. The most I could get was about 2", and this required some trimming of the grill, and cutting into the forward driver's body mount. I am putting a high pinion D60 with GM steering arms/spindles on my rig, and the other thing to consider right away is clearance with the steering linkage. I had hoped to move my front axle centerline forward 3", but in the end, I think it will be closer to 2" with minimal clearance to the drag link, etc.

Ping me if I don't post by this coming Tuesday (don't have pic's with me today).

Mark

 

[68rockcrawler]

I cut into my body mount and radiator core support and pushed my 4x4x2 box right up tight to the back of the grill when I stretched mine. Pics in my one-ton build thread below.

 

[Desert Thrasher]

Mean 69, pics would be great.
68, I will read through your build thread again, it's one of my favorites.
Thanks, Cory

 

[mp]

You could use a Scout box.

 

[yakelys69]

Mine is a little over 4" forward with the steering box facing forward.

 

[slowRoaner]

yakelys69, Where is that box in relation to the factory? Is it pushed to the back or in the same area? I see that it is rotated a bit, and you added to the height of the frame to get the bottom bolt, but its hard to tell frame of reference, without being able to see any factory mounts or holes.

Thanks, looks real good.

Slow

 

[yakelys69]

Thanks slow. I think its pushed back, the front lower bolt is about even or just to the front of the stock cross beam and the two rear bolts are behind the stock cross beam. Bolts are sleeved and although the panhard bar bracket is welded (frame & cross beam) the bolts go through that. Made for a really straight steering shaft.

 

[Bluebolt]

Waiting to see how this turns out. If I do a full width D44 axle swap I was thinking about extending the wheelbase and using standard 1978 FSB box so the geometry would be the same as a FSB.

 

[Desert Thrasher]

As soon as I get my axle from the shop I'm going to start on the mock up and will decide which way to go. I'm leaning towards moving the box forward.

 

[patrickk1]

I pushed my axle forward 4-5". Used the 4x4 f150/Bronco Quick Ratio box with the forward pitman arm. Worked perfectly. I raised the coil buckets 2" while I was there so I could get a 5.5" coil on a 3.5" lift for more suspension travel.

 

[Desert Thrasher]

Looks good patrickk1.
Thanks for the pic.

 

[Bluebolt]

Patrick, what coil towers did you use?

 

[patrickk1]

Patrick, what coil towers did you use?

I used the James Duff Tall Coil towers. They're good quality. If I were to do it again, I would probably do coilovers (with no valveing) and bypass shocks. By the time I bought the duff coil towers and lower coil brackets for the axle, It would not have been that much more to do the coilovers/bypass's with some DOM mounts. I was using Full Width axles and still had packaging issues with all of it at the axle (even though I planned it all out well). In the end, it worked out nicely and looks good but I had to torch off my original link brackets at the axle and shift them over 3/4" so I had room for the shocks to mount at the axle.

 

[GWBronco]

I moved my front axle forward 8" and went with the 4x4 box with forward facing pitman arm. My coil bucket is at the back of the steering box.