Help with people building their Bronco - Discussion on planning and preparation

[35tires]

I've made some of the most basic mistakes someone can make by not planning my build or doing "good" research and trusting forum posts entirely on purchases (usually only one or two posts.)


I have a front bumper I hate that looks cheap and while totally fine, totally functional, is not what I want moving forward. I have frame mount rock sliders but bought a different brand armor set and now the gas skid won't work with the slider bolt locations without a sledgehammer. I've bought things just to have them be total junk (a tailgate table) on an impulse buy and regretted it. Returns aren't a thing in this game either so I end up selling stuff for a third of what it costs me or it rots in the garage.


How many people have gone cheap/bought a bit on impulse/jumped at a deal only to regret that buy a few weeks/months/years down the road? I think it might be a good idea to share some best pratices to help everyone out:


1) Think about how you're using your bronco. I bought several hundred pounds of under body armor and bumper just to realize I don't mess with rocks, rarely get into that kind of trouble and should have gone aluminum in a few spots.


2) Cheap can get very expensive in the long run. Yes there are plenty of companies that tack on 20% for the name and don't offer better product, but sometimes you get exactly what you pay for. My front bumper is a shining example of that.


3) Do your own research and don't always trust two or three posts on the forums. I have asked a question, gotten a response or two and then ran with something or I have done a quick search, saw someone enjoyed something and pulled the trigger only to later realize I should have talked to the company/someone who owns the item locally or looked for more reviews.


I'm certainly not saying the person who decided a body lift was a better choice for them than a 10k suspension. I'm not saying that if you got a solid steel bar and made a bumper you love that you're a fool. I'm also not saying if you got something and it's just fine or had to make a few compromises that you're making a bad choice. I'm just saying, as someone who is about to strip their Bronco, sell a TON of parts, and re-buy a mess of items just to improve how I am able to use my bronco, think about the use, think about the company, do your research and be careful.


I'd love to see other people chime in. It's not even specific to just bumpers and skids - suspension, tire size, heck stereo and seats - what have you learned, what have you grown from and how can we help each other make genuinely good decisions when buying parts or making upgrades?

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[Tricky Mike]

I think the platform is still so new that we're still figuring out what works best and improved products are constantly coming out. I've also tried various combinations of stuff and some work, some don't, just part of the game.

But even with well established platforms like the Early Bronco, some aftermarket stuff is incompatible with other stuff, so it takes some research to be sure, but at least a lot of those incompatibilities are known.

 

[indio22]

I've made some of the most basic mistakes someone can make by not planning my build or doing "good" research and trusting forum posts entirely on purchases (usually only one or two posts.)


I have a front bumper I hate that looks cheap and while totally fine, totally functional, is not what I want moving forward. I have frame mount rock sliders but bought a different brand armor set and now the gas skid won't work with the slider bolt locations without a sledgehammer. I've bought things just to have them be total junk (a tailgate table) on an impulse buy and regretted it. Returns aren't a thing in this game either so I end up selling stuff for a third of what it costs me or it rots in the garage.


How many people have gone cheap/bought a bit on impulse/jumped at a deal only to regret that buy a few weeks/months/years down the road? I think it might be a good idea to share some best pratices to help everyone out:


1) Think about how you're using your bronco. I bought several hundred pounds of under body armor and bumper just to realize I don't mess with rocks, rarely get into that kind of trouble and should have gone aluminum in a few spots.


2) Cheap can get very expensive in the long run. Yes there are plenty of companies that tack on 20% for the name and don't offer better product, but sometimes you get exactly what you pay for. My front bumper is a shining example of that.


3) Do your own research and don't always trust two or three posts on the forums. I have asked a question, gotten a response or two and then ran with something or I have done a quick search, saw someone enjoyed something and pulled the trigger only to later realize I should have talked to the company/someone who owns the item locally or looked for more reviews.


I'm certainly not saying the person who decided a body lift was a better choice for them than a 10k suspension. I'm not saying that if you got a solid steel bar and made a bumper you love that you're a fool. I'm also not saying if you got something and it's just fine or had to make a few compromises that you're making a bad choice. I'm just saying, as someone who is about to strip their Bronco, sell a TON of parts, and re-buy a mess of items just to improve how I am able to use my bronco, think about the use, think about the company, do your research and be careful.


I'd love to see other people chime in. It's not even specific to just bumpers and skids - suspension, tire size, heck stereo and seats - what have you learned, what have you grown from and how can we help each other make genuinely good decisions when buying parts or making upgrades?

Avoid buying for "what if" scenarios. Instead use the Bronco, put it through it's paces to see how things go, and buy later when an upgrade is needed to handle real situations the owner encounters. That helps remove the guesswork.

 

[Snacktime]

My list

1)Spare inner tie rod
2)Rough Country Steering Bushings
3)Factory skid plates
4)Sliders
5)LOD transmission skid for light wheeling or Talon Garage Transmission skid for heavy wheeling
6)3"x30ft strap, 7/8" 30ft recovery rope, 3 or 4 soft shackles.

Go have fun and see what you break/damage next.

 

[Dusty]

Avoid buying for "what if" scenarios. Instead use the Bronco, put it through it's paces to see how things go, and buy later when an upgrade is needed to handle real situations the owner encounters. That helps remove the guesswork.

^^^This.

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

Ahh, the Bozeman Cowboy and Keyboard Wheeler effect strikes again, yeah?

Well @35tires, it happens man; particularly when many of us waited forever, had money burning a hole in our wallets like you did apparently, and a new platform to market where no one had any experience either wheeling, or modding, or making mods for.

Some of the ”junk” you mention, I bet wasn’t meant to be; you were just one of the first test cases.

Someone else said it best, and I followed this path, use your rig first before you buy mods to tack on. Also recognize that the Bronco itself (in my case a 2Dr BadSquatch) is a formidable stock platform and doesn’t need a lot of mods out of the box to wheel, if any. In my view, rock crawling a new rig is silly unless you’re rich. Most guys build a beater to beat on.

Also, understanding what kind of wheeler you are (or plan to be), including locations and the need to take a tiered approach to attacking obstacles and checking of the ego are perhaps most important of all.

Armor is good, but weight is the devil for any rig, so aluminum in as many places as possible is a great idea, but good to question if you actually even need more armor.

Then, recognize what’s just for cosmetics and looks and what‘s for an actual need to wheel safely.

Anyway, all of this takes a little time and patience; which means experience and there aren’t many shortcuts to gaining it other than just going out, checking the ego and peer pressure, and scouting where you’re going to wheel so you have few surprises.

It’s a lesson learned and I hope others read this thread and take some helpful notes.

 

[PJackTAC]

I bought my Bronco for driving on the rough roads where I live in Southwestern NM. I knew I wasn’t going to use it for serious off roading. I looked at what I knew I needed and avoided overbuying. I thought I wanted a Badlands with the Sasquatch package, but the Sas package was a constraint when I ordered my 2023 Badlands, and it made me rethink my needs. I ended up with a standard Badlands, mid package, stock steel bumpers and bash plates, but with leather trimmed, heated, power front seats. I am a 75 year old grandmother. Why pay for options I would never use. I agree with others - buy your Bronco, drive it for awhile, and then decide what you need to do the things you want to do in your Bronco. I enjoyed off roading when my ex and I had our first generation Bronco. That was then, but I have very different needs now.

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