DelFab Solid Axle Swap Bronco SEMA Build Stretching Out 🐎

[Evolkidbell]

Love seeing people cut up new vehicles.
Takes a lot of vision to do something like this and make it turn out decently.

Can't wait to see how it turns out.

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[goatman]

No made it better than a jeep! But he sacrificed the high speed abilities and the hwy ride. It’s cool but I like what Ford has done. But he made a true Jeep eater

Unfortunately, he didn't make it better then a Jeep. There are a ton of Jeeps out there with Dana 60's and 40" tires, with better wheel well clearance and better visibility. And, he put full hydro steering on it which severely limits steering feel and accuracy, and with little to no return to center and center feel makes it really crappy to drive on the road to the trail or drive fast down the dirt roads to the trail. Jeeps built the same way have a steering gear with hydro assist steering which is every bit as powerful as full hydro and has a ton more steering feel and accuracy and perfect return to center and center feel for driving down dirt roads and the highway. Plus, Jeeps with big axles and tires have much longer front control arms with better link geometry than the radius arms he put on this thing, and they have a much longer and better positioned track bar than he built.

So, no, this is not a Jeep eater. This is exactly what it was set out to be, the first SAS Bronco, and that's about it. I'm only being a bit negative to be truthful (in my opinion) about the quality of the design. He could have made a better and more functional design, especially since he's getting the attention of being the first one. Just sayin'.

BTW, he said why he did it, and where he wheels. He wheels in the muddy forests of the NW. He got a base base, and he put junk yard axles in it, and he did the work himself, and he didn't use super expensive parts, so he really is in this cheaper than virtually all of us will be in the Broncos we get. So, he got what he wanted and I'm sure he'll have a blast with it.

 

[goatman]

Looks familiar!

Clearly most of you haven't driven something with fully hydraulic steering. This rig, how you see it, has been 95+ MPH with one hand on the wheel @ <5psi in the tires MANY times. Solid axles doesn't equate terrible handling, it's the steering, caster angle and alignment that can make all the difference. My setup is 2.5 turns lock to lock and feels identical to driving my 19' F350 that I tow with it.

I don't get why we are not celebrating a build, nearly everyone's beef with the Bronco when it was leaked was the lack of a SFA and a V8. Myself, I don't mind the TT V6 backed with a 10 speed and I'm on the fence with the IFS stuff, but I realize that 99% of these won't be wheeled anywhere near their limits and one of the biggest complaints of Jeep owners are the road manners.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, there are people out there that freak out about beadlocks on the street (oh noes, no DOT approval) not to mention hydraulic steering near a buss full of nuns.

Thought I would respond since I've been on the negative side. First, I didn't get the idea behind why you did it. Sure, to be first, we all have egos and it's why most of us do stuff that we do, so no problem there. If you simply wanted a rig capable of doing what this will do, then there are better and cheaper options, so I didn't get it. To see that you are a Bronco guy, have other Broncos, and wanted to build a new Bronco this way, now I get it. And, you didn't spend a ton doing it, which was a question we had at first. So, sorry for any bad attitude I displayed. However I won't apologize for ragging on you for what you did or how you did it, if we were sitting around the campfire after a day of wheeling I would say all of the same things. And, this is the internet, so if you put it out there you have to be willing to take the heat.

I am disappointed in the full hydro steering. I know what you said above in your post. As a person who has a car with full hydro, and have driven other cars with full hydro, I can talk about it. Yes, you can make it OK. But that's it, just OK. It will not be good. I've also had cars with hydro assist, and know how good it can be. Besides being a rock crawl guy with a buggy, I'm also a KOH racer (with a shelf full of trophies, if that adds any credibility), so I know something about the subject. The full hydro is a packaging thing. Yes, it is much easier to build with full hydro than design and build a good steering system, but the trade off is that you live with full hydro steering. Being the first SAS Bronco, it would have been cool to build it with a steering gear, that would have really shown something. You left that part for someone else to do, which severely limits the coolness of your project. Most people, on a brand new truck, that is going to last a very long time, that folks will want to drive every day and drive fast off road, will NOT tolerate the limitations of full hydro steering. It is a serious compromise. I know Ultra4 cars race fast with full hydro, I did, but everyone agrees that the IFS cars have much better steering. There are zero desert cars that have full hydro steering, where steering feel and accuracy is super important. I know it will work for you, and you are used to it, and you will be fine, but for the rest of us it detracts from the coolness.

I've also already commented on the radius arms and the short track bar. I know, the radius arms are a packaging thing, and I see you have early Broncos so you're used to radius arms. Would be interesting to see what it would take to put a 3 link in there. I'm not a fan of the link mounts being under the frame, which reduces ground clearance which you're putting bigger tires on to gain. We try to mount the link mounts tucked up inside the frame, but then the links must be longer to compensate for the angles. You say you will wheel mostly NW mud and ruts, so I guess it's not a big deal. I hope you can see that we're just talking here, no different than if I came to look at it and we discussed it, while have a few beers. Kudos for having the guts to do it, and I'm sure you're going to have a blast with it.

 

[KyleQ]

Good thing you didn't see the first thread that leaked your build. You hurt A LOT of feelings in that post and made a bunch people upset with what you did with your Bronco, your money and your time.

While it is my plan to push the IFS to it limits, I like what you have done and I look forward to seeing it at SEMA (hopefully up close). Only question I had was if you had to cut the floor boards for a manual transfer case (jokingly, kinda) and if you plan to maintain all the electronic gizmos.

It's not my build, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of doing something very similar to a daily driver. I already have one on order, 7 more at home and always looking for another... I've got a feeling I'd be happy with 37's, coil overs and some armor on a base though.

 

[mjohnso3]

Don’t forget vacuum wipers, manual steering, drum brakes and three on the tree. Oh, and an oil canning steel hardtop.

LOL
A comment like that can only come from a first gen Bronco owner.

 

[BroncoBarn]

Nice Wrangler.

 

[Mahin2021]

Unfortunately, he didn't make it better then a Jeep. There are a ton of Jeeps out there with Dana 60's and 40" tires, with better wheel well clearance and better visibility. And, he put full hydro steering on it which severely limits steering feel and accuracy, and with little to no return to center and center feel makes it really crappy to drive on the road to the trail or drive fast down the dirt roads to the trail. Jeeps built the same way have a steering gear with hydro assist steering which is every bit as powerful as full hydro and has a ton more steering feel and accuracy and perfect return to center and center feel for driving down dirt roads and the highway. Plus, Jeeps with big axles and tires have much longer front control arms with better link geometry than the radius arms he put on this thing, and they have a much longer and better positioned track bar than he built.

So, no, this is not a Jeep eater. This is exactly what it was set out to be, the first SAS Bronco, and that's about it. I'm only being a bit negative to be truthful (in my opinion) about the quality of the design. He could have made a better and more functional design, especially since he's getting the attention of being the first one. Just sayin'.

BTW, he said why he did it, and where he wheels. He wheels in the muddy forests of the NW. He got a base base, and he put junk yard axles in it, and he did the work himself, and he didn't use super expensive parts, so he really is in this cheaper than virtually all of us will be in the Broncos we get. So, he got what he wanted and I'm sure he'll have a blast with it.

Good info. You obviously have more knowledge of what the Jeep build is. Thanks for the education.

 

[Giordiesel]

Why?

 

[618TRVLWILD]

Why?

My guess to say they did. Also I believe they plan to go ham on rock crawling with it after SEMA.

 

[Giordiesel]

My guess to say they did. Also I believe they plan to go ham on rock crawling with it after SEMA.

Well, that's all it will be good for then!

 

[Beachin 74]

Why?

There are still some folks left that when they say "my build" is they built it with their hands not on the Build & Price screen on a Ford website on a computer.

 

[Giordiesel]

There are still some folks left that when they say "my build" is they built it with their hands not on the Build & Price screen on a Ford website on a computer.

Right, but as an all-around vehicle, that is not, that's an extreme build. Not sure if you drove one off-road yet, but these things are pretty good right out of the box. That is really not needed unless you're just gonna do rock crawling with it!

 

[omega145]

Seeing as the original Broncos were solid axle, what exactly makes a SAS'd 6g a Jeep?

Side note- finally an opportunity to use SAS for what it really means- Solid Axle Swap!

Don't forget that this is the internet where you get imaginary points for being negative! Seriously though, people always find a way to be negative about something. While I think the IFS is a big selling point and differentiating factor from the Jeep, this is cool for those wanting the Bronco styling, interior and tech with the capabilities to rock crawl with any other Jeep out there.

 

[tuletime]

Took a scarce Bronco and turned into a Jeep

I see the Death wobble in someone’s future......

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