Softening Up Suspension

[shutch4251]

Have a 3.5 inch lift on 73 bronco. I understand that they are short body trucks and will buck a bit but the suspension seems to be really tight. Is there a way to soften up the ride for most street usage. I am wanting this truck to be used mainly on street for a restoration project vs rock crawler.. any thoughts?

 

[76Explorer]

Mine had the old "K Bar S" 3.5 inch lift on it when I brought her home, It made my back ache every time I drove it. I quickly replaced the front springs with "Deaver" progressive, and the rear leafs with "Deaver" 11 pack. It rides much better, but it's a Bronco, and will never ride like my Z71. Something you can check, the shackle bolts are not suppose to be tightened so much that it won't allow them to flex back and forth.

 

[Bully Bob]

Ditto..

If you have progressive on the front., then most likely it's the rear.

If the rear is 5 pac.., then 11 pac will solve your prob.

Mine rides as smooth, or smoother than stock.

 

[MUZZALL]

Which lift and shocks are you running?

 

[S_bolt19]

A good set of shocks will do wonders for you. The springs are a big portion of the problem, no doubt, but you also have to look at your shocks. If you are running Rancho 5000 or comparable shock, you will have a very stiff and jolting ride. I switched to a set of the Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks with Cage coils & WH 11 pack leaf springs a while back. With my new set up, I can run washboard roads at 30 mph and barely feel them. But if you only do one or the other, change the springs first if it is an old lift (i.e. older than say 8-10 years) and then do the shocks. If the lift is newer, I highly recommend a top end shock. Rancho's 9000, Bilstein or Fox. They are expensive (Ranchos run about $100 per corner & Bilstein around there too) but for the ride quality, it is better than a $40 set of 5000 or ProComp 3000.