Scott's PNW Black Diamond Photo Journal

[C6ZZGT]

I still do the trackday and racing stuff, but that is a special kind of crazy - hours of maintenance/prep work for minutes of driving, and most of the time you're spending your weekend in what is essentially a hot parking lot....

What he didn`t say is that he finished first this year doing that !

Sponsored

 

[Scott M]

What he didn`t say is that he finished first this year doing that !

Yup, I won a regional club racing championship in 2024 in my other love: classic BMWs.

https://www.pro3-racing.com/

 

[wakokidd]

Then over Thanskgiving 2024, my wife and I road tripped down to Moab and spent 5 amazing days there. This was our first time visiting with our Bronco. and we drove a variety of trails. (Last year we attended the Offroadeo and knew we had to return.) We stayed at the Gonzo Inn downtown and were impressed by the hospitality - such a charming place. Moab and the surrounding area is just beautiful with jaw dropping scenery around every turn. I took waay too many photos but here are some of my favorites.

Trails we ran:
Long Canyon
Fins and Things
Poison Spider (only partly due to rain/ mud)
Hurrah Pass to Chicken Corners
Lockhart Basin (first mile)
Top of the World (hiked last .7 mi due to snow & ice)
Dome Plateau (to overlook)
Hell's Revenge

Great pics! We are going to an OffRodeo later this year. I wanted to go to Moab but since we purchased a Raptor we are going to the Raptor OffRodeo in NV. Gonna have to visit Moab in the bronco someday though.

 

[JustWideman]

A few more highlight photos from the last year around Washington State:

great pics!

 

[Scott M]

So after the Moab trip, my wife and I were even more excited about all things Bronco. Our gears were turning about going back next year and all the upgrades we wanted to make in the meantime. We bounced back and forth about a BRaptor and even eyed up a new Badlands to trade-in on. But ultimately we felt our Black Diamond, now affectionately name 'Fern', was part of the family and our time and money would be better spent on upgrading her. So we made a list of our wants and started the 'Fern 2.0' upgrade path.

First up was a set of wheels and tires: FIfteen52 Patrol HD 17x8.5 ET0 in Bronze & Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T 35x12.5r17 LR: D
After a year and ~13,000 miles on the Toyos, they started to have poor grip on wet roads (or perhaps we didn't notice as much last winter). Either way, we wanted to replace them with a 35" tire. As much as we love the steel wheels, I wanted to offset the weight of a heavy new tire with a lighter wheel. We also wanted to go with the MT Baja Boss A/T tires after hearing great things about them from a few folks that run them locally. They weigh roughly 70lbs each vs 60lbs for the Toyos.
We were in between a few different wheel options, but Fifteen52 was having a great sale on their PatrolHD wheels that weigh only 25lbs each. We really like the retro-modern styling of the Patrol and think it compliments the Bronco design very well, also still has a bit of that steel wheel look. For us, we always liked the way bronze looked with the green, and the Fifteen52 bronze is a nice dark version that isn't too gold. Only downside is that a +25mm offset would have been preferable to the 0mm, but the amount of poke and wide stance has grown on us.

Thoughts just after buying them:
"Pretty happy with this combo. I think the Patrol HD with its modern retro styling compliments the design of the Bronco nicely. Fifteen52's bronze color is quite a chameleon, changing shades quite a bit depending on the light. Works very well on the green.
Tires are great too. Very quiet for something so aggressive looking. They ride nicely and are well damped over impacts and bumps. Can feel the heft though - definitely has a more planted feel and requires a bit more pedal to get it moving and stopped."

 

[ThunderFlash]

We are living the dream here in the PNW. Was just doing a shake down run on a number of mods at Tahuya today and was thinking how lucky we are. Took Marine View Drive home from Tacoma. Man, we got it good.

Nice Bronco. I'd like to hear how you like the MT BB ATs. I'm considering those or maybe going all in with the mudder MT on my Wildtrak. The ATs are probably more practical and better all arounder, but the MTs look so good!

 

[Scott M]

We are living the dream here in the PNW. Was just doing a shake down run on a number of mods at Tahuya today and was thinking how lucky we are. Took Marine View Drive home from Tacoma. Man, we got it good.

Nice Bronco. I'd like to hear how you like the MT BB ATs. I'm considering those or maybe going all in with the mudder MT on my Wildtrak. The ATs are probably more practical and better all arounder, but the MTs look so good!

We are truly lucky to have so many amazing places in our backyard!
For us, BB ATs all the way. I feel like we'd be giving up too much wet road and snow performance with the MT and I don't think we'll really need anything more aggressive. The BB AT was a big step up over the Toyo OC ATIII. This thing feels like a tank offroad now.

 

[Scott M]

Next mod: E-Stabilizer Bar Disconnect from the Badlands
When we were in Moab, I manually unbolted our sta-bar and was immediately impressed with the improvement offroad. The benefits of the disconnected bar were immediately apparent, even on mildly rough surfaces. The whole ride becomes softer/smoother and the rear end had more traction- didn't need to use the locker as often. I even liked it disconnected at speed offroad (50+) to better absorb the hits and allow the front to bite through the turns.

It drives fine on the road with the bar disconnected, but you can feel the front take a little more time to settle on corner entry, requiring a bit more patience with the wheel. I personally wouldn't want to leave it disconnected for long freeway driving, high crosswinds, or spirited driving on twisty backroads. We reconnected it for our trip home.

So we installed the electronic/hydro-disconnect bar from the Badlands. It gives the best of both worlds and by connecting it to an AUX switch it'll stay disconnected over 20mph.

A thread with instructions for installation:
Adding Stabilizer Bar Disconnect from a Badlands to my Wildtrack
I wired my solenoids up in series so they only see 6V each as detailed here:
BWI Bronco Stabilizer Bar Disconnect Technical Information

Part Numbers:
MB3Z-5482-C Stabilizer bar with disconnect
MB3Z-5D032-A sta-bar skid plate.
W717376-S439B OEM sta-bar disco skid plate mounting bolts w/ washers. 4-pack. Torque to 26 lb-ft (35 Nm).

FYI: There is about a 3/8" gap between the sta-bar actuator and the skid plate to allow for rotation of the mechanism when the bar is unlocked:

 

[ThunderFlash]

For us, BB ATs all the way

As you stated, the engineer in me knows the AT is the smarter choice and the side biters on LT version of the BB AT still give a very aggressive appearance much like the mudder....but the 12 year old child lurking in me is saying "JUST DO IT, GET THE MT!". To be honest, the stock GYs on the SAS have treated me pretty well. Seem a bit noisy for what they are, but I haven't had any traction issues or disappointing punctures/flats/side wall failures yet. I think our westside rocks maybe less brutal being more rounded river rockish. I know I don't NEED the MT. Neither are cheap, and we don't drive a zillion miles, so I'm going to have to live with the choice for sometime. I hoping the engineer wins out!

 

[ThunderFlash]

So we installed the hydro-disconnect bar from the Badlands.

This is on my docket of upgrades, too, after I get this severe duty steering rack installed. Where did you get the disconnect from? Online, Levittown Ford seems to have decent prices, but I'm not sure on their shipping costs. Kind of hoping I might get lucky and find one in a wrecking yard locally.

I put stout Stinkyfab Racing skids on the engine, transmission, and transfer case. They are supposed to have the necessary clearance for the disco.

 

[Scott M]

...I know I don't NEED the MT. Neither are cheap, and we don't drive a zillion miles, so I'm going to have to live with the choice for sometime. I hoping the engineer wins out!

Yup, it's always a question of 'want' versus 'need.' For me I don't have direct experience running a dedicated Mud Tire so we're kind of marching that way slowly: giving up a bit of on road manners to gain offroad abilities. Not sure what the sweet spot will end up being, but for right now, the BB ATs are meeting our needs nicely.

This is on my docket of upgrades, too, after I get this severe duty steering rack installed. Where did you get the disconnect from? Online, Levittown Ford seems to have decent prices, but I'm not sure on their shipping costs. Kind of hoping I might get lucky and find one in a wrecking yard locally.

I put stout Stinkyfab Racing skids on the engine, transmission, and transfer case. They are supposed to have the necessary clearance for the disco.

I ordered the sta-bar disconnect from Hacienda Ford of Kingsville: Bronco Stabilizer Bar MB3Z-5482-X I originally ordered it through either Levittown or OEMFordParts and they cancelled the order due to not wanting to ship it. I had a similar experience with the skid plate as I couldn't find an online retailer that was willing to ship it. I ended up ordering it from parts.ford.com and picking it up at the local dealer in Tacoma.
Your StinkyFab plate looks like it will clear - although you should probably run the OEM skid plate underneath it as well. A lot of the aftermarket trans skids I looked at didn't seem strong enough on their own to not bend from an impact.
Also, your single post in-ground lift is cool!

 

[ThunderFlash]

I wish the lift were mine, but it belongs to a good friend in Auburn. It's a classic and slow as heck with an ancient compressor, but it beats the snot out of rolling around under jack stands. The Stinkyfab skids are HELLA stout. I believe they're 3/16" thick steel and zinc plated with excellent reinforcement and welds. I was surprised how heavy they were. The engine plate also encapsulates the front diff. I wish I'd done the SFR bumper rather than the ADD Rockfighter bumper so I could use his front skid in place of the ADD aluminum skid. The two do not mate perfectly making for an unfortunate step at the front cross member. I don't like that the ADD skid plate attaches via the front diff mount bolts, either.

SFR has a video for installing the disconnect on a Wildtrak that he owns. That's what got me started on the quest for adding the disconnect. I'm pretty sure he setup the plates to work with the disco.

Well, I'm jealous of your disconnect and your Mickey Thompson rubber! If you ever need a chase vehicle at Tahuya or some other form day trip, let me know.
.

 

[C6ZZGT]

I wish the lift were mine, but it belongs to a good friend in Auburn. It's a classic and slow as heck with an ancient compressor, but it beats the snot out of rolling around under jack stands. The Stinkyfab skids are HELLA stout. I believe they're 3/16" thick steel and zinc plated with excellent reinforcement and welds. I was surprised how heavy they were. The engine plate also encapsulates the front diff. I wish I'd done the SFR bumper rather than the ADD Rockfighter bumper so I could use his front skid in place of the ADD aluminum skid. The two do not mate perfectly making for an unfortunate step at the front cross member. I don't like that the ADD skid plate attaches via the front diff mount bolts, either.

SFR has a video for installing the disconnect on a Wildtrak that he owns. That's what got me started on the quest for adding the disconnect. I'm pretty sure he setup the plates to work with the disco.

Well, I'm jealous of your disconnect and your Mickey Thompson rubber! If you ever need a chase vehicle at Tahuya or some other form day trip, let me know.
.

Check the events tab at pnwbronco on FB. Lots of stuff going on. Scott organized 2 in the last month or so iirc.

 

[Dougpaw57]

Check the events tab at pnwbronco on FB. Lots of stuff going on. Scott organized 2 in the last month or so iirc.

The problem is that everyone doesn't have a Facebook account. Someone needs to post them to the club section on this forum.

 

[ThunderFlash]

I've successfully avoided FB or Meta or whatever it's called now. My wife on the other hand stares at it for hours watching animal videos, so maybe she can get connected.

Sponsored