Project Giddyup: Stretched Mega Bronco
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 7:26 pm
Hi Guys!
My name is Jesse and I’m a long time lurker and first time poster. I have been browsing this site for years and finally have something Bronco related to post. To mention a few things about me, I spent the last 6 years building a single seat street bike powered minibuggy for my wife. The issue with the buggy is that between the start and finish of that project, my needs have changed dramatically. When I started the project I never thought I would stop using my bike as my primary vehicle. Knowing that my wife would never be able to keep up on anything with two or four wheels purchasable from a dealership, I basically built a mini Class 1 for her. The issue with it is that it is a 6 speed, fairly underpowered (using a 600F4 motor until it grenades), and requires a LOT of shifting, something that she is not very good at. I also have a two and a half year old son who’s favorite thing to watch on TV is “Toafy Trucks” (BajaFlo, DP, and D2G are on almost daily). I am also at the point that I really like being in a roll cage. I have a laundry list of bike related injuries (along with a few major ones) and being a father and the sole bread winner of my family has taken a Megalodon sized bite out of my interest in riding aggressively. So now I need a family hauling desert and Baja assault vehicle. To be honest (get ready to flame me), I never really liked Broncos. I always thought that they were too short to work as well as a truck based platform. Reading this forum has completely changed that opinion. So, around a year and a half ago, I started my research. After countless hours of reading this forum and others and crawling under stranger's broncos with a tape measure and note pad, I think I have come up with a game plan for my Bronco that will accomplish every goal/need I have for it. So after months of cruising Craigslist, RDC, DR, and this forum, I FINALLY found the start of my project: a clean, straight, rust and crack free frame from an ‘87 for $150. My buddy and I picked it up Tuesday night from Elsinore. I am taking the frame and he is taking the beams, axles, dual shock coil buckets, leaf springs and hangers for his ’73 F-100 TTB conversion. This is going to be a fairly slow, extensive, and expensive project. I think I should be able to get it done for 25K-30K depending on sourcing used parts (given that I’m running 14” 2.5 coilovers and 16” 3.0 bypasses front and rear this should be fairly easy to source used). I can afford around 10K a year to put into it so my goal right now is 3 years. As usual, I will be building everything myself with help from my good friend and master machinist/fabricator Jeff. So here’s the plan:
Stage 1: Frame
I am going to extend the front of the frame 5” forward and 2-2.5” up. The frame extension will be done at the slight vertical kick just in front of the firewall. The reason for the stretch/rise is fairly simple. I will be stretching the wheelbase 17” in total, I do not like the look of a 17” rear stretch, I want to run 37s and keep the stock heater box, I want good bump travel yet have a low stance, I want the better weight distribution of having the cab further back, and I want/need the longer drive shaft for good travel numbers in the rear. The other added benefit is the rather large space that will be between the engine and firewall. This creates the possibility of using 180 degree headers which sound about as cool as anything you’ve ever heard (check out videos of GT40s to get an idea if you don’t know what they are). With 36" primaries, they are just about perfect for my application. For the rear I will be cutting the rear frame off right before the rear kick and back halfing the rear to maximize the bump travel. After this is done, I am going to plate and box the entire frame, make plate body mounts for as much of a body drop as possible, and build the cage sub frame.
Stage 2: Suspension/Steering
5” over gusseted D44 beams with uniballs, radius arms, and single swinger steering. Nothing new here except I will also be notching the top of the beams for more bump at the chassis. I am going to have to cycle the beams to see how much notch I can get away with. If this is has been tried unsuccessfully before, please let me know. Obviously I will also have to notch the engine cross member for pumpkin clearance if the beam notch works. To set the camber for 4" of lift, I will most likely cut the entire end off the beams and clock the diff. With the raised front frame and lowered body, I hope to be around stock ride height. I will be plating the backside of the knuckles and double sheering the steering. The rear will be 4 linked however I will need a 351 block, E4OD, and 1356 for mockup to set the link length for DS plunge. I will source these as I can find deals or just buy a complete ’96 (for OBDII). If anyone has any of these items sitting around not being used or taking up space, I will happily rent them from you for a couple weeks while I figure out my link geometry. The rear axle will be a 4.5” over 40 spline floater from Schreiner Enterprises unless I find a deal on something. My goal is to have a complete rolling frame before I start on the cage. The cage will be built at my buddy's shop in Costa Mesa simply because he has the power to run 3 welders at once, has a mill and a lathe, and it is more centrally located to my friends who work for deep dish pizza and Coors Light.
Stage 3: Body and Cage
I’m torn between buying a complete 351 ’96 or just sourcing a cab. The easiest would be to just buy a complete running Bronc so I could just swap in the motor, trans, TC, and cab onto my built frame. It would also be nice to have all the wiring and interior pieces so I’m definitely leaning that way. The cage will be 1.75” (I have NO interest in racing this) and pretty straight forward other than the rear stretch. I will have to do all new sheet metal in the rear to accommodate the raised floor and backhalf (something I’m not really looking forward to). So far my tape measure is saying that I should be able to run a 38” bench in the rear. We’ll see.
Stage 4: Fuel and Brakes
Dodge 13” rotors front and rear with Willwood calipers. I’m not sure on the master setup yet and am open to suggestions. The fuel cell will be by Harmon with around a 45 gallon capacity.
Stage 5: Glass
I do a ton of composite work so this is the easy part for me. The front will be a FiberWerx Retro Bronco Clip extended 3” in the rear to accommodate the 5” front stretch. I will be glassing the mini fenders to the clip, extending the minifenders and hood in the rear, and then redoing the separation line. The rear will be FiberWerx 12” stretch Retro Bronco bedsides however I’m going to cut the TT bulge out and make them flat top. The bulge is pointless and I’m not a fan of the looks (to each their own). For the shell I will be buying another shell and stretching it 12” in the widow area. I will have to find someone to make 12” longer windows (yes I read to just go with flat panel windows during my year of research).
Stage 6: Drive it until the trans or motor lets go
Stage 7: Trans and Motor (Not included in projected cost)
Motor: 408 Stroker. Roller block, Scat crank, H beam rods, Probe pistons, Main girdle, AFR 205 Heads, yet to be determined rockers, rocker girdle, Victor Jr Intake, 90mm TB, 90mm MAF, 42lb injectors, stand alone computer and a yet to be determined cam. Q&E will be doing the machining and balancing since I have been going to them for over 20 years without one issue and their pricing is pretty damn good. I have addresses of friends and family in AZ, NM, OR, CO, and NV I can use for registration purposes to get out of Commifornia smog issues. I also have a REALLY good smog guy if I try to keep it CA registered. This is not a daily driver so I’m not too concerned about it.
Trans: E4OD built by Jerry from TCS’s tranny shop utilizing every part TCS makes and a Punisher valve body. I will also be using a stand alone computer from Powertrain Control Solutions as well as their paddle shifter module.
Transfer Case: Stock 1356 until it breaks. After that I have no idea. Maybe an Atlas. I’m open to suggestions
The project’s name is Giddyup 2. The story behind the name is that in 1983, my father in law (one of my all time favorite people) bought a Bronco and almost every positive childhood memory of my wife involves her dad and their Bronco. The license plate of their Bronc was GIDDYUP and Giddyup took them all over Arizona and California for camping trips, Flagstaff and Sedona trips, and family vacations. We are starting to lose him to Alzheimers so the name is kind of a tribute to him. I hope with all my heart that he is still around when it is done so I can give him a ride and completely scare the crap out of him.
So here we go! This weekend is the frame teardown and cleaning party. I hope to have it done by Saturday afternoon so I can start the frame extension next week. Thanks for reading!
My name is Jesse and I’m a long time lurker and first time poster. I have been browsing this site for years and finally have something Bronco related to post. To mention a few things about me, I spent the last 6 years building a single seat street bike powered minibuggy for my wife. The issue with the buggy is that between the start and finish of that project, my needs have changed dramatically. When I started the project I never thought I would stop using my bike as my primary vehicle. Knowing that my wife would never be able to keep up on anything with two or four wheels purchasable from a dealership, I basically built a mini Class 1 for her. The issue with it is that it is a 6 speed, fairly underpowered (using a 600F4 motor until it grenades), and requires a LOT of shifting, something that she is not very good at. I also have a two and a half year old son who’s favorite thing to watch on TV is “Toafy Trucks” (BajaFlo, DP, and D2G are on almost daily). I am also at the point that I really like being in a roll cage. I have a laundry list of bike related injuries (along with a few major ones) and being a father and the sole bread winner of my family has taken a Megalodon sized bite out of my interest in riding aggressively. So now I need a family hauling desert and Baja assault vehicle. To be honest (get ready to flame me), I never really liked Broncos. I always thought that they were too short to work as well as a truck based platform. Reading this forum has completely changed that opinion. So, around a year and a half ago, I started my research. After countless hours of reading this forum and others and crawling under stranger's broncos with a tape measure and note pad, I think I have come up with a game plan for my Bronco that will accomplish every goal/need I have for it. So after months of cruising Craigslist, RDC, DR, and this forum, I FINALLY found the start of my project: a clean, straight, rust and crack free frame from an ‘87 for $150. My buddy and I picked it up Tuesday night from Elsinore. I am taking the frame and he is taking the beams, axles, dual shock coil buckets, leaf springs and hangers for his ’73 F-100 TTB conversion. This is going to be a fairly slow, extensive, and expensive project. I think I should be able to get it done for 25K-30K depending on sourcing used parts (given that I’m running 14” 2.5 coilovers and 16” 3.0 bypasses front and rear this should be fairly easy to source used). I can afford around 10K a year to put into it so my goal right now is 3 years. As usual, I will be building everything myself with help from my good friend and master machinist/fabricator Jeff. So here’s the plan:
Stage 1: Frame
I am going to extend the front of the frame 5” forward and 2-2.5” up. The frame extension will be done at the slight vertical kick just in front of the firewall. The reason for the stretch/rise is fairly simple. I will be stretching the wheelbase 17” in total, I do not like the look of a 17” rear stretch, I want to run 37s and keep the stock heater box, I want good bump travel yet have a low stance, I want the better weight distribution of having the cab further back, and I want/need the longer drive shaft for good travel numbers in the rear. The other added benefit is the rather large space that will be between the engine and firewall. This creates the possibility of using 180 degree headers which sound about as cool as anything you’ve ever heard (check out videos of GT40s to get an idea if you don’t know what they are). With 36" primaries, they are just about perfect for my application. For the rear I will be cutting the rear frame off right before the rear kick and back halfing the rear to maximize the bump travel. After this is done, I am going to plate and box the entire frame, make plate body mounts for as much of a body drop as possible, and build the cage sub frame.
Stage 2: Suspension/Steering
5” over gusseted D44 beams with uniballs, radius arms, and single swinger steering. Nothing new here except I will also be notching the top of the beams for more bump at the chassis. I am going to have to cycle the beams to see how much notch I can get away with. If this is has been tried unsuccessfully before, please let me know. Obviously I will also have to notch the engine cross member for pumpkin clearance if the beam notch works. To set the camber for 4" of lift, I will most likely cut the entire end off the beams and clock the diff. With the raised front frame and lowered body, I hope to be around stock ride height. I will be plating the backside of the knuckles and double sheering the steering. The rear will be 4 linked however I will need a 351 block, E4OD, and 1356 for mockup to set the link length for DS plunge. I will source these as I can find deals or just buy a complete ’96 (for OBDII). If anyone has any of these items sitting around not being used or taking up space, I will happily rent them from you for a couple weeks while I figure out my link geometry. The rear axle will be a 4.5” over 40 spline floater from Schreiner Enterprises unless I find a deal on something. My goal is to have a complete rolling frame before I start on the cage. The cage will be built at my buddy's shop in Costa Mesa simply because he has the power to run 3 welders at once, has a mill and a lathe, and it is more centrally located to my friends who work for deep dish pizza and Coors Light.
Stage 3: Body and Cage
I’m torn between buying a complete 351 ’96 or just sourcing a cab. The easiest would be to just buy a complete running Bronc so I could just swap in the motor, trans, TC, and cab onto my built frame. It would also be nice to have all the wiring and interior pieces so I’m definitely leaning that way. The cage will be 1.75” (I have NO interest in racing this) and pretty straight forward other than the rear stretch. I will have to do all new sheet metal in the rear to accommodate the raised floor and backhalf (something I’m not really looking forward to). So far my tape measure is saying that I should be able to run a 38” bench in the rear. We’ll see.
Stage 4: Fuel and Brakes
Dodge 13” rotors front and rear with Willwood calipers. I’m not sure on the master setup yet and am open to suggestions. The fuel cell will be by Harmon with around a 45 gallon capacity.
Stage 5: Glass
I do a ton of composite work so this is the easy part for me. The front will be a FiberWerx Retro Bronco Clip extended 3” in the rear to accommodate the 5” front stretch. I will be glassing the mini fenders to the clip, extending the minifenders and hood in the rear, and then redoing the separation line. The rear will be FiberWerx 12” stretch Retro Bronco bedsides however I’m going to cut the TT bulge out and make them flat top. The bulge is pointless and I’m not a fan of the looks (to each their own). For the shell I will be buying another shell and stretching it 12” in the widow area. I will have to find someone to make 12” longer windows (yes I read to just go with flat panel windows during my year of research).
Stage 6: Drive it until the trans or motor lets go
Stage 7: Trans and Motor (Not included in projected cost)
Motor: 408 Stroker. Roller block, Scat crank, H beam rods, Probe pistons, Main girdle, AFR 205 Heads, yet to be determined rockers, rocker girdle, Victor Jr Intake, 90mm TB, 90mm MAF, 42lb injectors, stand alone computer and a yet to be determined cam. Q&E will be doing the machining and balancing since I have been going to them for over 20 years without one issue and their pricing is pretty damn good. I have addresses of friends and family in AZ, NM, OR, CO, and NV I can use for registration purposes to get out of Commifornia smog issues. I also have a REALLY good smog guy if I try to keep it CA registered. This is not a daily driver so I’m not too concerned about it.
Trans: E4OD built by Jerry from TCS’s tranny shop utilizing every part TCS makes and a Punisher valve body. I will also be using a stand alone computer from Powertrain Control Solutions as well as their paddle shifter module.
Transfer Case: Stock 1356 until it breaks. After that I have no idea. Maybe an Atlas. I’m open to suggestions
The project’s name is Giddyup 2. The story behind the name is that in 1983, my father in law (one of my all time favorite people) bought a Bronco and almost every positive childhood memory of my wife involves her dad and their Bronco. The license plate of their Bronc was GIDDYUP and Giddyup took them all over Arizona and California for camping trips, Flagstaff and Sedona trips, and family vacations. We are starting to lose him to Alzheimers so the name is kind of a tribute to him. I hope with all my heart that he is still around when it is done so I can give him a ride and completely scare the crap out of him.
So here we go! This weekend is the frame teardown and cleaning party. I hope to have it done by Saturday afternoon so I can start the frame extension next week. Thanks for reading!
The only thing I would comment on is dont notch the beams for frame clearance, notch the frame instead. The beam(s) is/are your primary suspension component, and taking any strength from these will possibly result in failure. I looked at this too, and IF I was to go this route, I would take the metal from the frame for clearance and plate there. Just my $0.02c. Other than that, good luck with the build 