7.3 Powerstroke Swapped 96 Bronco

06h3 said:
Yeah there’s long travel slips check out northern drivetrain they have like a 25in slip.

It’s also on busted knuckles site
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This look pretty sturdy. I think I’ll be going that route when it’s time to address the shaft when I get home. Debating making a whole new shaft that has more down travel from the double Cardin joint. I’ll have to check how much droop it has.
 
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Like I said, the dunes were a ton of fun. I was having too much fun to stop, so when I blew my t-case I had to find a replacement. Turns out there was one in Detroit, only a 3+ hour ride each way.


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Pulled the old one, picked up the replacement, got back to my air bnb like 2/3 am, slept in a little, then installed the new case. I got back on the dunes about 24 hours from when I broke. I also decided to leave out the front drive shaft to avoid a repeat blow out.

Trying to Fix My Bronco and Get Back on the Dunes - Blown Transfer Case at Silver Lake Sand Dunes
 

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Last bit of dune stuff, then on to Badlands Offroad Park in Attica, Indiana.

Transfer case swap was a success, so then it was time to see how the Bronco would do in rear wheel drive. Aired it down to 8 PSI the first day, and then 6 PSI the second, and it actually preformed really well. The biggest limiting factor was me being afraid of blowing it apart again, so I wasn’t using as much throttle as I should have been, or if I was, it was too late and the tires began to dig.

Once I got over this, as long as I kept some momentum going, the Bronco seemed to go pretty much everywhere. At one point, I swapped it to it’s “Eco-Tune” to let my girlfriend Kara drive, and the reason for this was because the throttle was a lot less touchy which made it easier for her to drive. After a bit, I swapped back in behind the wheel, but completely forgot to swap the tune back, which left a lot of power on the table. Even with this over sight, the truck had more than enough power to run whatever I had the chops to try, and ran pretty clean doing so. Still, this is my biggest regret from the trip.

Regardless, Silver Lake Sand Dunes was a really cool place to explore, and a massive change compared to the rock crawling I’m used to.
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Silver Lake Sand Dunes 2025 - Running the Dunes in 2 Wheel Drive in my 7.3 Powerstroke Bronco
 
Once the dunes were done, it was time to get the Bronco back to being a 4x4. Had to replace a U joint in the front driveshaft and reinstall it. That was quick and easy, and I did it right in the parking lot of my hotel.

Then a few days later, it was time to head down to Attica, IN. There was a Taco Bell with a big parking lot only 2 minutes from my hotel, so that was convenient.

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The next morning, it was time to hit Badlands Off-Road Park. I was supposed to meet up with a guy to wheel with, but his truck was having fueling issues so he had to bail. Regardless, I was going to explore alone. It had rained for a day or two leading up to the trip, plus all morning, so it was super sloppy out.

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I played for a bit, and then got extremely stuck. I’m lucky I didn’t crack my trans pan, and I really need to make a skid plate as well as some sliders.

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Took a bit of work, but was eventually able to un-stick myself. My highlift paid the price for the recovery, but I’ve gotta say, I’d have been screwed without it. This is probably the first time I ever used it personally on the trail.

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After becoming “unstuck” I had to address my front right shackle being folded forward during the recovery. Easiest way to fix it was to just unload the front right suspension. I think I worried all the new Jeep people that were watching with this maneuver.

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Shackle returned to proper position! Plus was a cool spot for a photo.

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After that, I proceeded to do a few climbs, and play in the mud. Most of that was best captured on video if you want to check it out. The video also shows how stuck this pig really was, so that’s a fun watch.

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After a bit of playing in the mud and such, I was running out of time and had to start wrapping up the trip.

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Can’t go there and not take a picture with the sign.

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And that was all strapped up! Overall, solid day in the park and would be a fun one to go back to.

Why You Don't Wheel Alone - Exploring Badlands Off-Road Park by Myself
 
Now that I’m back home, I’m looking to get a few projects done on the Bronco. Sliders and a transmission skid plate are top of the list, and next up will be a rear axle rework.

I bought a Ballistic Fabrication shave kit plus truss for the rear 10.25 when they were running their closing sale, and while the axle is out there’s a few other things I’d like to address. I have new shock mounts to weld on in a higher location, air bags I’d like to install so I can lean the rear to avoid dragging the rear quarters all the time, and lastly I’d like to flip my rear antiwarp bars as well as raise the front mount for them a bit. The wood is a mock up of how I’d like them set up. Should make for a bit more clearance.


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pennsylvaniaboy said:
you should really only need one of those bars
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Pretty sure you’re right. Installed the driver’s side one first because it avoided the exhaust. Turns out truck would dip hard to the passenger side under load. Installed one on the passenger side, and that helped the dipping issue. Probably could eliminate the drivers side one, but I feel it doesn’t hurt anything being there, so may as well leave it for extra protection.
 
Started building sliders finally. They’re currently just mocked up, and need some finishing work. Hoping to get them done as well as rework the rear anti-wrap bars before a big Bronco wheeling weekend I have going on towards the end of June.

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After the event, I’m hoping to carve out some time to shave the rear end soon.
 
They’re fully welded now, and tied to the body. 2x2 piece of perforated steel came in that I ordered off Amazon, so getting that cut up and fitted. Those pieces will get welded in this weekend, and kickers to the frame will also be made.

I’m also debating making some sort of steps out of chain. Then it’s time for paint and they’ll be done.
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Finished up the sliders and made some chain steps. Then 3 days in the woods for the East Coast Bronco Roundup, and the sliders worked great. I slammed them/dragged them a few times, and I'm very happy with them.
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Here's some short clips I put together from the 3 days of wheeling. I've still gotta go through all of what I have, but there was some fun stuff. You'll also see reptillikus and OX1 in there.

 
Lots of stuff going on! Like I mentioned, Bronco Roundup was a great time. 3 days of wheeling, no real carnage, and only got hung up a few times, more on that later.

Fast forward a few days, and I get mentioned in a comment on the Unreal Adventure facebook page. Turns out I made the cut for the Dirty Dozen, and may get invited onto UA.


Unreal Adventure Dirty Dozen 2025 Announced!


It's been 9 or 10 days since the video came out, and they said it'd be about 2 weeks until the final announcements of who made it are announced, so hopefully I'll know soon.

That being said, I didn't want to waste any time prepping the truck in case I was selected, so I got to work. Even if I'm not selected, these are all things I wanted to do anyways, so its good motivation.

First on the to do list, was help my clearance underneath like I mentioned here.
BroncoJoe96 said:
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I got hung up 2 or 3 times on my last trip out due to all of this low hanging junk, so I got to work addressing that. Anti wrap bars are pulled, along with the crossmember they are tied to. Cross member has since had the mounting points for the bars/shackles cut off, and has been ground clean so they can be welded back on but 90 degrees clockwise from where they are shown in the picture above. That's where I stand with that currently.

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Once anti-wrap bars are cut down to proper size, the rear end will be getting pulled for a quick shave and truss, as well as a once over before the trip. Also, I modified my transmission crossmember with a big hoop to clear my front driveshaft, and it's just way over kill and another clearance killer. That will be getting swapped back to to a stick crossmember as soon as I can get my hands on one.

While the Bronco was up on the lift, I inspected everything and saw that I had a loose nut in my steering, and that my transfer case was lightly weeping from the seem, just enough to be wet.

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Steering was tightened, but all the nylocks need to be replaced because they're worn out and no longer seem to lock. Transfer case was pulled to be resealed. That transfer case was a FB markeplace special that I bought and promptly installed during my Silver Lake Sand Dune trip after grenading the one in the truck, so it's probably not a bad idea to open it up and give it a once over.

Last night I spent some time on it getting it all cleaned up. I don't plan on replacing the bearings, so I didn't want to get a bunch of crud inside the case.

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Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll have the chance to reseal it it and get it back into the Bronco.
 
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Moving the traction bar forward mount up will change the instant center/how the chassis responds to throttle. It will lift the front end more. I think you should still move it for clearance.

No useful, but I went from a 4" shackle to a 6" on my traction bar (to lower the front) and it went from lifting the front end enough to unload chassis and spin tires to a decent launch, even with nitrous.
 
rattle_snake said:
Moving the traction bar forward mount up will change the instant center/how the chassis responds to throttle. It will lift the front end more. I think you should still move it for clearance.

No useful, but I went from a 4" shackle to a 6" on my traction bar (to lower the front) and it went from lifting the front end enough to unload chassis and spin tires to a decent launch, even with nitrous.
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I'm excited to see how it feels. I wonder if it would be of any help on climbs/having to bump the truck. If anything, I could always get a long shackle and drop it down some, but I'm hoping it doesn't effect the truck too negatively.

ridered3 said:
That's awesome on the UA possibility!
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Thanks!! I'm very excited and itching to hear back on if I made the cut.
 
The longer you can make the bar the less of an impact it will have on the handling. Same thing for angle; the shorter the bar gets, and as the angle goes up, it will create more antisquat.
You don't need two, so I'd ditch one. Keep the shackle in compression like you have now. Instead of building a frame xmember that mounts to the bottom of the frame, see if you can build one that mounts to the top. That way you can raise the bar without having to angle it up towards the frame, and your shackle can be hidden up in the frame where you'll be less likely to snag it on the trail. The idea you posted earlier of the bar basically upside down so it tucks up better will work fine if you can fit it in there. If you go up to a 6" shackle like myself and rattle_snake have it'll help to keep the bar flatter, and will also bind less so your suspension should flex a little better.
 
reptillikus said:
The longer you can make the bar the less of an impact it will have on the handling. Same thing for angle; the shorter the bar gets, and as the angle goes up, it will create more antisquat.
You don't need two, so I'd ditch one. Keep the shackle in compression like you have now. Instead of building a frame xmember that mounts to the bottom of the frame, see if you can build one that mounts to the top. That way you can raise the bar without having to angle it up towards the frame, and your shackle can be hidden up in the frame where you'll be less likely to snag it on the trail. The idea you posted earlier of the bar basically upside down so it tucks up better will work fine if you can fit it in there. If you go up to a 6" shackle like myself and rattle_snake have it'll help to keep the bar flatter, and will also bind less so your suspension should flex a little better.
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So this past weekend I got to play with the bars some. I looked at reworking the crossmember, but inbetween the exhaust, driveshaft, and transfercase mount it was going to be a mess, especially with the time crunch if I get selected to go on UA.

Instead, I rotated the mounts back and I’m going to see how it changes how the rig handles. Bars are about 3 inches shorter, but are now about 3”/4” higher up front, so should get hung up a bit less. I rotated the mounts on both sides while I was at it, but may try unbolting the drive side one whenever I get some free time, to see if it makes any effect on the truck. Still need to cut the smaller links to size, but here are some pictures to compare before and after. Once I get the truck off the lift pad I can get some better angles.

Before:
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After (still needs upper links):
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Doesn’t look like much change in the pictures, but it makes for a bit more clearance in the rear.
 
I tried something a little different with the editing style of this one, so any feedback is welcome.



On a different note, the Jegs budget racing seats I have in the Bronco are literally falling apart. Every seam separated, the reclining knobs are falling off, and the bolsters are bending/breaking outward. I've been very disappointed with them, and I doubt they have 5,000 miles on them. That being said, the nail in the coffin was the frame cracking on them the last time I went out. The left hinge for the back of the seat broke off from the base, so the rear of the seat offered no support and just dangled from the right hinge. Luckily I was able to tie the hinge back to the base, and hoist the rear of the seat from the roll cage to give it support. It worked but is super rigged up, I'll have to get pictures.

To fix that, I found a set of Corbeau suspension seats off marketplace with 4 point harnesses. I paid $650 for the set, and plan to sell the rear to recoup some cash. I feel like I did pretty good, the set without the harnesses is $1,500+ from Wild Horses.

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Also met up with a buddy from FSB.com and picked up some roll-cage pieces for the front a-pillar of my cage.

Still waiting on hearing if I made the cut for UA, but the prep is underway regardless.
 
Sounds like a pretty good deal on the seats to me.

This was a pretty good day of wheeling. Jameson had tons of fun and hasn't stopped talking about the trip. The cleanup took forever though :laughing:
 
reptillikus said:
Sounds like a pretty good deal on the seats to me.

This was a pretty good day of wheeling. Jameson had tons of fun and hasn't stopped talking about the trip. The cleanup took forever though :laughing:
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I'm excited to get them mounted!

And for sure, and I'm happy he enjoyed. The Bronco needs a second undercarriage power washing. The first wasn't enough to get all the clumps of mud out apparently.
 
Last video from the Roundup this year. Did some rock crawling with OX1 and hit some cool lines. Pretty happy with how the Bronco preformed, but did find a few problem points I’ve started addressing, specifically clearance in the rear to start.

East Coast Rock Crawling with Full-Size Broncos at Rausch Creek Offroad Park-MEB Roundup 2025 Day 3


Also heard I didn’t make the cut for UA, so I’ll have to apply back next year.
 
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