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I ordered my bronco in October of 2020 and 2022 came and still nothing. So I found a 2 door black diamond, with a manual transmission nearby to hold me off until my order came. I liked the 2 door, very nimble and more sporty to drive, but the boss woman didn't want to drive a manual. Plus having a 7 year old going in and out of the back seat was getting a little annoying. Space was also an issue for road/camping trips. Yes, I paid over MSRP, but was able to resell it and break even when my original order came in on September of 2022. I started ordering parts as soon as I received my VIN for the 4 door, base sasquatch, 2.7 with the soft top. My goal for the build is for it to be capable on every trail in the San Bernardino mountains like John Bull, Holcomb, Gold Mountain, etc(SoCal) and the occasional trip to Moab/Colorado. I still wanted it to be very comfortable to drive.
First was sliders - I went with Goat fabrication because aside from being a true rock slider, they also function as a step. I wish they mounted to the frame, but their video showing the slider carrying the weight of the bronco on a boulder was good enough for me. So far, pretty happy with them. Only issue was during installation when one of the holes did not line up to the body and really had to force a bolt through.
Bumper - I wanted a clean look and didn't want a winch. This was an easy decision for me. JCR's crusader front bumper fit my needs better than all the other brands in my opinion. I added a 20 inch light bar and 3 inch pods from Amazon connected to the aux switches and have been happy so far. Install was a breeze. Lead time was about 45 days.
Skids - I knew clearance would also be an issue and I knew I wanted full skids. The base sasquatch came with no skids from the factory. Since I had the JCR bumper, I went ahead and ordered full JCR skids. They are pretty heavy, but I was fine knowing they could take a beating. Install was also smooth, however JCR forgot to include the intercooler bracket that replaces the tow hooks. Lead time for skids was about 2 weeks. The whole set of skids were expensive in my opinion and in hindsight, the Asfir skids probably would have been fine to save some $$$.
Shock mount skid - Valkyrie. I bought these for the 2 door and transferred them over when my 4 door came in.
Tow hitch - Rough country. I wouldn't be towing as I have a 2017 tundra for that, but this was inexpensive enough to have in case I need it. I also use this for my bike rack. Easy install and no concerns here.
Suspension - Alright, this was a tough decision for me. I really liked the ride of the stock bilsteins. I was impressed by the ride on fast fire roads, however the articulation was limited. I also didn't want to lose the new car feel of driving and tracking straight. However, I found myself lifting a rear tire on any off camber situation and having to activate the rear locker. I thought about the bilstein 6100, but travel numbers were identical to stock. I went to the off road expo in Pomona and found a great deal on Icons. I knew there were some issues other members had with reservoir hoses rubbing, springs making contact with tie rod sleeves, so I decided to make the purchase on stage 3's (without the reservoirs). I feel I got a great deal that I couldn't pass up. Did the install myself and was pretty straight forward - about 6 hours to complete. Then got it aligned immediately after. Ride on the road felt very close to stock. I got about 2 inches of lift in the front and about 1.5 inches in the rear. Articulation/travel was very impressive. I am getting some contact with the rough country tie rod sleeves to the springs however. Also, I am hearing a clunk sound when I hit bumps or when weight transfers from one side to another. I think it's coming from the sway bar or the springs making contact with the tie rod sleeves. Or it could be the coilovers themselves, still need to investigate further. Overall, happy with the performance but not with the clunking sound. In hindsight, would I have purchased these knowing how it drives now, probably not. These are expensive and I expect Icon to have done their research to avoid such issues.
Wheels/tires - Since I had the lift, why not go to 37's. Again going for a clean look, while keeping it lightweight. I went with KMC terras in blue wrapped in BFG all terrains in load range C. This combination was only about 3 pounds more each compared to the stock sasquatch wheels/tires. I was getting some vibration with the new wheels and tires, so I got hub rings to match the bore size of the hub. Also had to get the tires rebalanced. Vibration gone. Overall very happy with the look and ride with these wheels and tires.
Sway bar disconnect - ACfab since these are the only ones on the market. A little pricey in my opinion, but still need to do more off road driving to fully give my opinion.
Floor/cargo mats - I ordered the Ford all season rubber mats using Ford Pass points. Happy with these plus they have the Bronco logo on them.
Stubby antenna since it kept hitting my garage door.
I think I am done for the most part, maybe upgrade the speakers eventually. Very happy with the look and was my vision of the build. Need to take it on some harder trails to really test the parts.
First was sliders - I went with Goat fabrication because aside from being a true rock slider, they also function as a step. I wish they mounted to the frame, but their video showing the slider carrying the weight of the bronco on a boulder was good enough for me. So far, pretty happy with them. Only issue was during installation when one of the holes did not line up to the body and really had to force a bolt through.
Bumper - I wanted a clean look and didn't want a winch. This was an easy decision for me. JCR's crusader front bumper fit my needs better than all the other brands in my opinion. I added a 20 inch light bar and 3 inch pods from Amazon connected to the aux switches and have been happy so far. Install was a breeze. Lead time was about 45 days.
Skids - I knew clearance would also be an issue and I knew I wanted full skids. The base sasquatch came with no skids from the factory. Since I had the JCR bumper, I went ahead and ordered full JCR skids. They are pretty heavy, but I was fine knowing they could take a beating. Install was also smooth, however JCR forgot to include the intercooler bracket that replaces the tow hooks. Lead time for skids was about 2 weeks. The whole set of skids were expensive in my opinion and in hindsight, the Asfir skids probably would have been fine to save some $$$.
Shock mount skid - Valkyrie. I bought these for the 2 door and transferred them over when my 4 door came in.
Tow hitch - Rough country. I wouldn't be towing as I have a 2017 tundra for that, but this was inexpensive enough to have in case I need it. I also use this for my bike rack. Easy install and no concerns here.
Suspension - Alright, this was a tough decision for me. I really liked the ride of the stock bilsteins. I was impressed by the ride on fast fire roads, however the articulation was limited. I also didn't want to lose the new car feel of driving and tracking straight. However, I found myself lifting a rear tire on any off camber situation and having to activate the rear locker. I thought about the bilstein 6100, but travel numbers were identical to stock. I went to the off road expo in Pomona and found a great deal on Icons. I knew there were some issues other members had with reservoir hoses rubbing, springs making contact with tie rod sleeves, so I decided to make the purchase on stage 3's (without the reservoirs). I feel I got a great deal that I couldn't pass up. Did the install myself and was pretty straight forward - about 6 hours to complete. Then got it aligned immediately after. Ride on the road felt very close to stock. I got about 2 inches of lift in the front and about 1.5 inches in the rear. Articulation/travel was very impressive. I am getting some contact with the rough country tie rod sleeves to the springs however. Also, I am hearing a clunk sound when I hit bumps or when weight transfers from one side to another. I think it's coming from the sway bar or the springs making contact with the tie rod sleeves. Or it could be the coilovers themselves, still need to investigate further. Overall, happy with the performance but not with the clunking sound. In hindsight, would I have purchased these knowing how it drives now, probably not. These are expensive and I expect Icon to have done their research to avoid such issues.
Wheels/tires - Since I had the lift, why not go to 37's. Again going for a clean look, while keeping it lightweight. I went with KMC terras in blue wrapped in BFG all terrains in load range C. This combination was only about 3 pounds more each compared to the stock sasquatch wheels/tires. I was getting some vibration with the new wheels and tires, so I got hub rings to match the bore size of the hub. Also had to get the tires rebalanced. Vibration gone. Overall very happy with the look and ride with these wheels and tires.
Sway bar disconnect - ACfab since these are the only ones on the market. A little pricey in my opinion, but still need to do more off road driving to fully give my opinion.
Floor/cargo mats - I ordered the Ford all season rubber mats using Ford Pass points. Happy with these plus they have the Bronco logo on them.
Stubby antenna since it kept hitting my garage door.
I think I am done for the most part, maybe upgrade the speakers eventually. Very happy with the look and was my vision of the build. Need to take it on some harder trails to really test the parts.
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