Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

84Pile
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Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by 84Pile »

I have both the Rancho brackets and C/T beams. I have used both (Not at the Same time) and I think I like the Rancho's with a stock beam. I really like (Correct me if I'm wrong) Shane's bronco build from FSB? Am I crazy? Let me tell you MY reasons.

1) This is not a race car
2) More nuetral U joint angles at ride height
3) More droop travel from ride height without axle/u joint mods
4) Cost of a replacement beam
5) Some racers have had decent success with them. I think?
6) After following Yikes' build for a few years, it seems they held up better and lasted longer then alot of other stuff and didn't appear to be a weak link.
7) This is not a race car

Either way I go I with be using a quallity radius arm, modified coil bucket, and probably a 2.5 shock.

As I said, I have both so it's not a matter of buying the beams, just a matter of which way to go from here. Please don't flame me to hard for this train of thought.

P/S
I didn't know if this post should be in General Tech or not so I stated here.
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SteveG
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Re: Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by SteveG »

1. Right. If it's a GOOD drop bracket and depending on use it will probably work fine.
2. True, but what does the angle the center u-joint affect?
3. More potential droop travel, but a standard coil and bucket will only allow so much droop. All of which is utilized with stock pivot brackets and modified housings.
And, the drop bracket also affects bump travel. with a drop bracket you also get some coil alignment and bind issues at and nearing full bump. The coil is going to be smashing into the frame as the suspension compresses. You're also going to lose some shock efficiency because of the angles. A coil-over could help this but will need to be angled inward and back more to compensate.
4. Unless you're in a really, really bad crash, you shouldn't need to replace a housing (assuming it's built correctly). I've seen really stout radius arms completely taco and frames bent and twisted all to hell without damaging the housings.
5. I don't know.
6. I don't know.
7. Right. It all depends on usage.
Sho nuff,
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Nick
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Re: Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by Nick »

This is a flame free zone!

I think it was Shane from Bilstein that is utilizing drop brackets. Keifer built the truck, maybe he'll see this thread and post his thoughts.
"If at first you don't succeed, it may be cheaper to buy it."
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philofab
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Re: Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by philofab »

The main disadvantage to drop brackets is the leverage on the cross member. That being said I had lots of miles on my truck with 2" brackets on it. No problems. I have had problems on my f250 though. The have come loose and cracked on that truck. If you don't beat really really hard on it you'll be fine. Don't forget to run a drop pitman arm or you have even worse steering than stock.

One advantage to lower pivots less jacking when cornering hard. Not real important on a offroad vehicle.
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billy1911
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Re: Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by billy1911 »

I run the drop brackets. I just know I will have to do some plate work on the cross member.
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tcm glx
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Re: Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by tcm glx »

Nick wrote:This is a flame free zone!

I think it was Shane from Bilstein that is utilizing drop brackets. Keifer built the truck, maybe he'll see this thread and post his thoughts.
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84Pile
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Re: Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by 84Pile »

Thats the Bronco I was talking about. I referenced it because of the drop down brakets...and because it looks to be a very thought out build. Mine will be just like it minus the good expensive parts and the expert install work. HA

Thanks for finding a picture of it TCM.
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baja-chris
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Re: Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by baja-chris »

If I was building a race bronco I would probably use "drop down brackets" to get more travel. The droop travel is limited by the crossover u-joint angle and up travel is limited by the frame/crossmember so drop brackets can enable significantly more travel. But I'm not talking about some bracket that bolts to the crossmember, it would be pivot points in space that had the chassis cage designed around those locations to locate them. Simple drop down brackets are bad news without extensive reinforcements (and I'd want them built from 4130, not mild plate like kit brackets).
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Re: Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by minihorns »

This is Shane from Bilstein.....and yes, this is my white Bronco. I am using the Rancho drop brackets and they seem to be working fine. According to MKeifer, who built my front end, he said that I am getting about 18" of travel.....which is a huge advantage over the C/T stock width beam. I know that these drop brackets were "raced on" back in the day.....in addition, I had heard from notable sources, that the "Rancho" brackets were cabable of withstanding major abuse. My Bronco had origionally had a Rancho kit on it.....so I decided to leave the brackets on....and see how it goes. So far....so good.

From a geometry stand point.....I think this is the way to go. The only question everyone has regarding the drop center pivots is the durability. I think it would be cool if a fabricator/suspension manufacturer would take the Rancho design and make a more "bomber" set up. I would definatly be interested in purchasing such a product.
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ESHALLBETTER
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Re: Drop down brackets instead of C/T?

Post by ESHALLBETTER »

I had drop down brackets on my 94 ford explorer and ended up having to pull them off the truck multiple times to weld cracks/reinforce them. That was the last set I ever bought. It also wass not a race car, it was my DD.
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