66 bronco mods question

[66BucknBronco]

i have a 66 bronco that was givin to me a few years back..put a new starter..battery & rebuilt the carb..fired right up..has the 170 6 banger with the 3 seed manual..

ive used it alot around the property for several things..latley been usin it for some serious mud weekends..my new son inlaw is heavily into 4x4'n & we recently started a club..so ive been doing some shopping for upgradin the bronco

i recently bought a front & rear axle out of a 76 bronco..dana 44 disk brakes & big bearing 9" rear..they have 3:50 ratios in them..my original has 4:11's..i am goin to swap the rear 4:11's in the rear & buy a 4:11 for the dana 44..one plan i have been kind of stumped on so far is..i am goin to do a 4 1/2" lift on it..i know the 76 & 66 control arms & tie rods..etc..are all different..whats the best way to go?..will the 66 type control arm work on the dana 44 if i get over tie rod conversion for the dana 44?.. i am up for advise on all ideas & knowledge of whats swappable & etc...i LOVE this old thing..when we first started doing weekend fun muddin..folks looked at it n called it the "bronco jalopy" cause it got alot of rust n fenders are flappin around but ive collected new body parts for it..they dont call it that anymore after a bone stock 66 bronco with buckshot tires on it drove past & pulled out all those high dollar machines...let me know any advice..greatly appreciated

 

[dtwood456]

I don't really have any advise on the topics you are talking about, but I love to hear stories about broncos, whether they are fixed up nice, or good ole mud buggies out doing the rest. I have owned a number of 4x4's in my life, and the several EBs I have owned are by far the best. Especially when it comes to plowing through the mud. You just can't beat em. I am building a mud buggy now with my son and am just about ready to put it in the mud. You can see it at Davids Bronco. Have fun.

David

 

[S_bolt19]

The difference in steering linkage is because 76-77 went with an inverted "Y" setup whereas the 66-75 used an "X" style linkage. If you can, this would be the time to do a power steering swap if the 76 has the PS set up. If it doesn't then to give yourself fewer headaches, I would take the manual steering out and put it into the 66. That is because of all the steering differences.

Another thing you should think about is the radius arms. I have never dealt with the smaller D30 axles, but I would imagine that the smaller axle will have a different arm size around the alxe tubing. Also prime time to rob the 76 arms and put them on. In all reality, I would take the entire front end off that 76. From the steering wheel to the ground. The steering is also shorter turing from lock to lock than previous years (66-75 ~ 5.3 vs. 76-77 ~ 3.8).

Another thing to do if you are planning on having all this torn apart is to install a locker of some sort. Better to pay for installation of it once than having to do it 2x because you will want it later down the road.

 

[66BucknBronco]

The difference in steering linkage is because 76-77 went with an inverted "Y" setup whereas the 66-75 used an "X" style linkage. If you can, this would be the time to do a power steering swap if the 76 has the PS set up. If it doesn't then to give yourself fewer headaches, I would take the manual steering out and put it into the 66. That is because of all the steering differences.

Another thing you should think about is the radius arms. I have never dealt with the smaller D30 axles, but I would imagine that the smaller axle will have a different arm size around the alxe tubing. Also prime time to rob the 76 arms and put them on. In all reality, I would take the entire front end off that 76. From the steering wheel to the ground. The steering is also shorter turing from lock to lock than previous years (66-75 ~ 5.3 vs. 76-77 ~ 3.8).

Another thing to do if you are planning on having all this torn apart is to install a locker of some sort. Better to pay for installation of it once than having to do it 2x because you will want it later down the road.

i dont have the 76 bronco..guy sold the set to me that had been sitting in his shop for a few years..i know about power steering im gonna need to turn the bigger tires..i am a union ironworker of 26 years..i plan on maybe even fabricating my own radius arms..but..i havent heard of the dana 44 needing different radius arms because of the axle size & wedges yet..thats a new one to me..what im really lookin for i geuss is maybe someone who has actualy done the dana 30 to 44 swap..i know the control arms are different on the frame side..just wondering if its different on the axle side & maybe just use the 66 control arm on the 44..also..i dont like Y setup on the 76's..rather have 66-75 straight tie rod setup & do a tie rod over conversion with 1 ton tie rods & i have a pitman arm drop already, brand new i got off ebay for 20$..i also have wid horses 4 1/2 inch front coil springs..still collecting alot to do all this conversion..just trying to come up with a good plan first..will most likely fabricate the radius arms out of some 3 inch molly chrome tubing i aquired from a nuclear plant leftover & turn the radius arms inward a bit for tire clearance..have all the types of welders(mig..tig..stick) to fabricate along with all types of power tools..im still just learnin the basic facts of the early bronco's ..this 66 gave me the "disease"

my fault..just realized..when i said about the control arm..i meant the trac bar..brain fart

 

[S_bolt19]

I think that BC Broncos has a tie rod inversion kit where you ream out the knuckles and put in a shim for the tie over conversion. You could do that and then that should solve your problem. I would call Chuck at BC and ask some questions. As for the different radius arm size, I really am not sure. The tubing could be the same size, but if you are going to build new ones, then you don't have anything to worry about. I would do a 3 way set up with johnny joints. I have a hand drawing that I did a couple of years ago that I will try and find and scan it in so you can see what I mean. But that is the ideal way to go because it solves the binding issue, kind of like the wristed axle or the wristed radius arms.

 

[Bully Bob]

Talk to Lonnie at Toms Br. Parts...he will walk you thru it. It's really quite simple. (Tell him Bob in B.C. Nevada sent ya)

BTW, where are you..?

 

[66BucknBronco]

Talk to Lonnie at Toms Br. Parts...he will walk you thru it. It's really quite simple. (Tell him Bob in B.C. Nevada sent ya)

BTW, where are you..?

thanks..i'll do that..im in muddy ole swampy southeast Ga