Extended bronco

[Drew]

Does anyone have or know about extending the bronco. Would like to add 13-15 inches to mine. Or move to a truck for better handling.

[robertcrav]

I believe Steve (Chasetruck) has studied the subject thoroughly and has discussed using an extended cab - short bed frame then stretching the body accordingly

[ChaseTruck754]

bunch of different ways to do it and I think every fabricator will have their own opinion of how. There is a thread here somewhere discussing a few of the different ways. Maybe searching for "stretch" will bring it up.

[robertcrav]

Lolz

[ChaseTruck754]

Oh and I studied it a little. Not quite thoroughly. The problem with the extra cab frame is the kick up in the back over the rear wheel well is way different. Bronco frames are flat from like the t-case area back. The truck frames are not.

While I am NOT normally a fan of stretching a frame doing so on a truck that will be caged from bumper to bumper allows it to be "acceptable" in my mind. So in my case, if I already had a bronco I'd stretch the flat section of the frame.

When I was looking at doing a "super bronco" (70's supercab truck with a bronco back end grafted on, I would have been starting with the '74 supercab F-100 I already had, so it would have been a bit more custom body work wise.

To slightly get into what I have posted in other threads about stretching a bronco, my thought is to cut the section of the cab where the "shell attaches off a donor bronco. Leave the stock "shell connection in place & slide this new one back a bit from stock and then use that solid structure as a "solid" spot to weld the filler sheet metal too. The shell attachment point is very rigid & will help keep the metal from warping a ton when welding it in. Use an F-150 bedside & cut to the length you want the wheel base at. I'd then cut the floor between the rise in front of the rear seat & the start of the wheel well & slide that back. Fill with a section from a donor bronco. Use an F-150 bedside & cut to the length you want the wheel base at.

There's a bit more to it than that for sure, but that was my thought in a nutshell.

[ChaseTruck754]

damnit Robert - every time I'm typing you're throwing posts in - haha. I guess I should read whatever pops up saying others posts... blah, blah blah...

[funinthesun95]

Drew,
things to think about to come to the answer that fits your needs.
do you like the large enclosed Cab space?
Use? is it mostly fast desert open space ? or a mix of trail type and open desert?
How many seats do you need? and how comfortable does the space need to be for the people in the back?...lol
Budget ......you built your bronco so you have a good idea on the cost to build a vehicle. ( buy one done a option of course)
4 wheel motor cycle style (tow to location) or keep it street worthy conferrable to drive to location for fun.


What does your bronco not do well? and can this be fixed with suspension upgrade drive train change (ie shorter tranny T case combo) and frame notch/kick for more useable up travel.

I have seen a few guys now with short wheel base bronco getting 22-25 inches of rear useable travel (shocks tuned and tested ) keeping up and having a comfortable ride with longer trucks high dollar built trucks.....keep in mind other things come into play also on both sides motor, build type...etc

I will say a truck can be easier to link and set up to work right just with the longer drive shaft alone less tuning comes into play....I feel

anyways just things to think about I like both things you ask about longer bronco and truck......so cant what to see what you do.

[BDKW1]

Long Bronco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[baja-chris]

I think the bronco chassis in that photo is now my race bronco.

[Drew]

We go to Mexico a few times a year. That being said the guys in my group have buggies or trucks capable of higher speeds in the rough stuff. I've got about 35k in the bronco now and thought well what's next. I have Patton racing going to do the motor soon. I still feel I'm not getting the ride I should out of the bronco. I've had the shocks off 3-4 times now and have changed the valving. Bilstien doesn't offer a tuning session like the shock manufacturing company's. I've never had a vehicle of this caliber before so I'm a little unsure of just how it should preform. It rides like shit in the little chatter until I air down to about 10-14 psi I'm running grabber tires that are D rated which could have something todo with it. So I'm reaching for more. I do have a little at home still so I don't really want to take everything inside the cab just yet. Example four link. I don't really have a budget so I guess I'm just looking for alternatives besides buying a luxury per runner. No lotto money yet or becoming an Indian. Lol

[Travisfab]

I'm in the middle of stretching/caging mine. I'm adding 15" of length to the body.

[Rmc]

Me personally I don't think the stretch is that hard it's just a lot of work and rework to do that's all. The body and floor look easy, the frame not that big of a deal either. Where it becomes A pain in my mind is re doing the drive line , axel perches, brake and fuel lines , speed sensor, extending the cage, trying to keep shit straight without removing the body completely ( nightmare ), I think you see what I'm getting at... First 2 chunks to think about: will you be happy at the end of the project with 2 doors?, is the time invested worth it to you for the ultimate long term goal?

I've visited this idea before... If I were to do a stretch I'd buy a basket case or bare frame set it right beside the existing bronco. Crawl around under yours with a tape measure, there's a straight section ripe for the extension. Once you decide where the chop away. Stretch and strip yours interior ect then lift the cab and cut it ,swap the front 1/2 or 3/4, place the rear and fill in the center missing chunk. It could be easily aligned and braced with rot iron while reconnecting the sections. If a donor bronco was handy bedside sections easily cut out and fit in . Less body work that way and same goes with flooring material . I've said it before I'd chop the back edge of the shell then add any straight section . Strips cut from a spare shells roof section could be glassed in and the existing rear reglassed after the extension . This method would retain passenger viewing as it is now . Any way you slice it it's a mission . If I did it is expect a year start to finish . It's a tall order , just saying . Me personally I don't like the tedious shit cause I get my full of that kind of work with my day job . Now finally ask yourself at what cost.... A year of downtime and god knows what it would cost if you didn't attempt the majority yourself . Also do you have the space and storage to shelve all the multitude of parts removed awaiting reinstall?

[Rmc]

I think if I did it also I'd just buy a bronco with a blown motor, 500$ special and I'd do the stretch on that one , then after the body and cage work was completed id do a motor swap. This way you play the whole time you build. That being said you could do it from3 broncos and sell your current one intact after completion or sell yours as a caged shell after the big swap over .

[PaulW]

Drew.
After you decide bronco or F150 considering the end use and choose the Bronco see the pics of how Glen did mine.
It came out 17.5" stretch because I kept the E4OD. Choose a C6 and the stretch would have been around 11".
The frame was cut at the flat spot and a custom channel was butt welded in place. The pics do not show the plating that was added inside and out at the butt weld location.
The bedside was cut to minimize reshaping the stock contours and the inside preserved the stock back seat. My fenders are pushed out to the max without any buckling. The body used stock bedside parts from a doner Bronco and mated with stock inserts with no reshaping. All the panels were welded with the usual joggle. The top of the bedrail was reinforced with angle and when the cage was added the long runner from "B" to the back was welded to the bedrail. The coil towers fit nicely behind the stock seat location and are accessible from the top for both shocks.
So now you have an idea of how one fab guy did a stretch.
Results have been a success. It likes the SF whoops and the highway manners are good both with and without the sway bar probably due to the suspension design combined with the longer WB.
PaulW

[funinthesun95]

Drew.....have you worked out a plan yet or still doing your homework?

Willie

[Drew]

I'm on the fence. Leaning on just leaving it alone. Patton starts the motor next month. That's a 10k bill. Lol

[funinthesun95]

Copy are you keeping over drive?

going to a c6 and shorter t-case (np205) can help as well with performance in the rear.....Like I said up top tho it all comes down to tune on set up.....like anything

[PaulW]

Search for the Todd Sanderson Bronco. He moved the rear axle aft and put the gas tank above the floor and modified the glass bedsides to get the wheel arch in place. C6 and 27" Projects if I remember correctly. Good build.

[ChaseTruck754]

Here's the Sanderson Bronco
http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/140 ... -the-mark/

[cs_drums]

The Sand man bronco is 112" wb if I remember correctly. This truck was alot of my inspiration but I didnt take the time to extend mine which I do and dont regret. There are tons of pics on JD's site

http://jdfabrication.com/index.php?opti ... &Itemid=68