so i was ready to pull the trigger on $8k in parts from Desolate, but i kept searching for used parts online and it paid off. on race desert i found someone abandoning their bronco dream project, i found a huge pile of parts for $5k and drove up and bought them the next day.
all brand new
14" 2.5 FOA coil overs
14" 2.5 FOA bypasses
12" 2.5 bypasses for the rear
under the floor bronco shock mount
Threat beams, radius arms
Threat steering
deaver Q80s
ruff stuff battery box/truss/u bolt eliminator
winters shifter, alum tail light box
on and on, huge pile of parts. no shock tower though.
i decided to go with the shocks and towers from desolate as the 14s i had would be hard to make fit.
i used the rear FOAs for mock up and planned to run them, except they were leaking badly and i had a trip on the books, so i found a pair of new 3.0x12 FOXs on facebook market place, it was a deal i couldn't pass up.
fitting 12"s under the bed seemed possible, but i was adamant about the shocks not hanging low. I do play in rocks, not just desert, and i really wanted the bottom of the axle clean. So i used the bronco mount, and rolled it up at a different angle and re drilled the frame for 3 of the 4 holes. The geometry wasn't perfect, but it was close enough to get the truck driving.
then i realized the FOAs were leaking, got the Foxs and learned they are 1" or 1.25" longer. and the rear end settled a bit, and now I'm left with about 3 or 4" of up travel and the truck handles like crap. so i will be re working the upper mount to move the shocks up another 2-3"
in this process i deleted the forward fuel tank. simply capping the lines was not going to be simple, so i ordered up new -6 line and fittings from Summit and re plumbed from under the cab, back to the tank. keeping the stock fuel filter.
my buddy with a bronco gave me a near new tank from a 90s bronco. I used the pump/sender as it was in the bronco
tank but i hard to cut/splice the wiring harness, because the connector was different. all the wires were the same colors so it was very simple. i added an access panel from SOLO to help if i ever have issues. i ordered a tank skid plate from Desolate. i had to space the tank down about 1.5" to keep it from hitting the bed, and allow room for the filler neck