wristed arm

[texan79&96]

i have finished my wirsted arm except the shock mount....should i mount on the pivoting "C" end or the long end??im thinkin the long end but just wanna make sure its the best way, also any info about a swivel mount would be great. on reinforcing the other arm should i fill it with 1/2" then box it with 3/16" angle ? how well do these things actually improve articulation anyway?? oya im thinkin 4" superlift coils with 3" drop brackets and extending some f250 towers runnin rancho5000s up into the engine compartment, cuttin the fenders somewhere near or above the racetrack trim and runnin 35 bfg or 36 swampers sound good?? im about to start gettin this thing goin ive had it for around 8 months and havent insured or even switched the title over yet-(havent got to play with it at all yet.....)

 

[Broncoholics]

Wow STOP!!! Do NOT use Superlift coils!!! They are stiff and will not articulate well and would be pointless to have a wristed arm. Get Duff's, BCBroncos or Wildhorses 3.5-4.5" long travel coils. They are all close to the same price.

The shock mount needs to be as close to the joint as possible. Most mount to the long arm (on top like stock) but when the rear pin is pulled the suspension will be softer on the wristed arm side. I decided to have a machine shop drill and tap the head of the 3/4" bolt (pivoting bolt) so I could ***** a 1/2" stud in the end for a shock mount. This being on the pivoting bolt of the arm gives more control. It also allows the long travel Duff shock I run more uptravel being lower. See photo below...

Reinforcing the other arm is a great idea. I still haven't done it to mine and haven't had a problem yet. Of course we all hear stories about the arm bending since its the only one controlling axle wrap & impacts.

Running a wristed arm will increase your articulation up front big time. Test it with the pin in, then test with pin out. Test with shocks on & with shocks off. Look for things that are tight like brake lines or things that hit.

F250 Shock towers are OK but not quite tall enough for the long travel Duff shock needed for all the articulation you will get. You will run out of up travel if mounted on top of the arm unless you plan on a 4.5"+ lift. Then you will run out of down travel. Both conditions will break the shocks. Best thing is to do it right the first time. Duff's shocks are the same price as the Rancho5000 but work as a 70/30 (70% on rebound so it controls the bounce upwards and 30% on compression so it absorbs the bump as the coil compresses). Works great. I use the Duff shock towers that utilize a 2" body lift or you would have to cut the wheel wells out to fit them so the shock is up high enough.

You will not need the radius arm 3" drop brackets. Since there is more angle where the radius arm connects to the frame when the suspension is dropped I decided to run Wildhorses "Rubber" radius arm to frame bushings. They allow more drop and feel softer off road. The c-bushings can stay polyurathane.

Did I miss anything? :wacko:

 

[Broncoholics]

Oh, I guess so you know I've seen some shock mounts to the axle but it isn't easy and most are angled back. Its best to be as close to the axle as possible for more control. When the pin is pulled you are mostly going to be off road and driving slow anyway and don't need the control of a shock. When you get back on the road, add the pin and its like a stock arm again. So if the shock is on top of the long arm there is no change from what you have now. Thats if you street alot...

 

[texan79&96]

sorry i meant to say i plan on using superflex not superlift coils, also i was thinking of welding on some kind of extensions to the f250 towers and cuttin the inner fender to make enough room to run a long shock. i thought about those shocks 30/70 they have a thicker bushing in them too right??? but ive heard they are too soft for a fullsize. are rancho 5000s 50/50? as for the drop brackets wont a 4" lift and no drop make for some bad bow in those superflex coils?? ive seen info on the coil shim but it sounds like it is really hard to get them to lay flat enough not to be able to move. can they shear off ive never heard much about how they hold up except that they should be used for an off-road vehicle only and noone markets them. i plan on using rubber bushings at the back of the arm but wouldnt it have even more droop using drop brackets? i saw that bc broncos has a 10* offest rear bushing it sounded interesting too. thanks for your reply you always have info on everything

 

[Broncoholics]

I don't know much about the superflex coils but they sound reasonable. You might be right on the Duff shock and too much weight but you do have a stiffer coil for the full size to make up for it. Rancho makes a 9000 shock that works the same way (70/30) for fullsize rigs but they might be pricy. Rancho 5000's are stiff in both direction causing a stiff ride. You want the coils to dampen the bump not the shock. The shock is for rebound control. Unless you jump your rig, then its a different story.

You can use the drop brackets if you want to get rid of the bow. I don't like them cause the get hung up on stuff on the trail. You can see in my photo that the coil has a bow at 3.5" lift but doesn't effect performance.

Coil shims are nice but are not needed. I welded a 1" shim under the coil cup in mine and added grade 8 bolts. Seems to be fine so far...

Sounds like the F250 towers with extensions will work just fine.

I've never used the 10* offset bushings but I do know polyurathane doesn't flex much so I run the rubbers so the arm can drop further.

Lets see sonme photos of that arm yo built.

 

[texan79&96]

ill have to get a digital camera sometime so i can show yall my creations i dont see how this thing could ever break, theres 9 1/4" long welds that are so wide they meet in the middle of the cast on top/bottom. also, a crazy story.....im buying a 79 bronco tommorrow for $150.....its from a guy i almost bought a 78 from awhile back for $2500. anyways its got the c6/205, the driveshafts dont look all that great though the 400 motor is in peices in the back and the body has the usual rust, but $150!!! thats how much the bronco c6-205 adapter costs some places! the racetrack trim is really pretty too-craziness. it doesnt have a title though and i have no plae to put it so i have to strip it down and get rid of the body. ill probably put up some parts on here...this is my 3rd 79 the parts over here are pilin up! on that radius arm on driver side would it be neccesary to fill it with half inch plate or could i just box it with 3/16 angle and be done with it? would it help signifigantly? im not to excited about all that grinding to make the 1/2" plate fit real pretty into the "c" shape again..

 

[texan79&96]

oya forgot to ask.... is that pic of the coil bow with the 1" in place? ive heard that bow throws off the rate of coil and warps your cup and tower im just tryin to research as much as i can. you think i could sell the ranco coils and drop brackets that are on here to help pay for the new stuff?

 

[Broncoholics]

no the 1" spacer is not in at that time of photo.

Yes, 3/16" angle is perfect for beefing up the arm. No need for 1/2" inside.

 

[davids78bronco]

Yes, 3/16" angle is perfect for beefing up the arm.  No need for 1/2" inside.

I don't know about that. I've seen plenty of bent arms, even with the 1/2" fill, and I certainly don't think I'd use angle iron... too hard to work with, given the radius arm's shape

Do you have any pictures of what you've done?

 

[texan79&96]

no i dont have a digital camera, i thought the wristed idea would be fun to try cause i have several sets of arms lying around so im just gonna see how it works...i have a few ideas i havent seen anyone on here running so i guess ill try somethin else if it breaks or i get bored. i havent even finished sandblasting the other arm still but im just gonna try the 3/16" angle. it seems easy to me-just set it on the arm (3" angle) and clamp and mark it then cut it off to fit the taper then do the other side the same way grind em to fit nice and weld em on. i might do somethin with flatstock around the "c" end also. with the pin pulled out will i have any lean???

 

[Broncoholics]

You must get Bronco Driver Magazine. They had a write up a few months back on how to extend your radius arms in your own garage. Same idea on what you're doing. If you didn't read it, first they added a 12" threaded DOM tube to the end of each radius arm for length. Then they added 3/16" angle just like you stated, the entire length of the arm (top and bottom so its boxed, cut off the tapers) and used 3/16" flat stock for the c-cup area and weld it all up, grind smooth if need be.

The angled steel addes lots more strength that just adding 1/2" filler to the inside I beam area. If you feel 3/16" isn't enough go up to 1/4" angle. Did you do before photos of you truck flexing so when you test with the wristed arm you can see the difference? Test with and without shocks on. Looks for stuff getting tight like brake lines cuase that axle is gunna drop!