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John M.
Bone Stock
Posts:3
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| 12/23/2006 7:35 PM |
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| Well Im new here so please bear with me. have a 86 full Bronco that i want to beef up the supension and change out the 351 to a 460, will be pulling a 30 ft. travel trailer and this 351 just doesnt have it. also need to beef up supension since the tongue weight of the trailer is close to 700 lbs. can anyone give me adice on doing this work ? My 351 was just rebuit and has only 2600 miles on it. also do i need to change the tranny, believe it is a C6. Need the power so when im going up hills there wont be a problem. any help is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, John email me at shadow061@yaoo.com |
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webby4x4
Forum Admin, Magazine Editor
Rock Star
Posts:2375
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| 12/23/2006 8:00 PM |
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If you have a C6 tranny, there's nothing to change. The C6 was one of the strongest automatic tranny's that Ford ever made - it'll certainly handle the task, but you may want to add a thermostatic tranny cooler if it doesn't have one.
I'm surprised the 351 doesn't have enough power to pull your load, as that's a particularly torquey motor. Have you looked at your axle gearing? You should probably be running 3.73:1 gears or maybe even something lower to handle heavy loads.
If you're not going to take your rig off road, I really suggest that you don't change suspension or tire size at all. I'd keep it relatively stock and simply add a set of air bags to the rear. With air bags you'll get the same ride quality you have now, but can air them up to deal with the heavy loads.
Happy Holidays!
Rick |
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Rick Webster
Editor, 4X4REVIEW.COM - A Tork Media, Inc. Publication
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'74 FJ40 Land Cruiser
"Measure once, cut twice" |
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SnoMan
Lift & Lockers
Posts:943
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| 12/24/2006 9:42 AM |
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I see a couple of problems here myself with this concept. First and most importantly is stabilty when towing and 30 foot trailer, 700lb tongue weight (even with a WD hitch) on a short wheelbase 4x4 is asking for trouble. Sure some can do it but if that thing starts to get a mind of its own you will loose it quickly. I would suggest that you limit length to 22 to 24 ft max and tongue weight to around 500lb or so to give you better control when the unexpected happens. I do agree that a tranny cooler is a good idea and pretty much a must have and on axle ratio this depends on what andwhere you tow and your tires size. If tire size is stock you can get by okay with a 3.73 or maybe even a 3.55 with a fair amount of weight but if it has oversized tires and you are pulling a good load you need to have 4.10 or better to keep tranny well clear of stall at reasonable highway speed (since there is no locking converter) and this means at say 55 to 60 you want to be turning about 2500 RPM or more in drive to be well clear of extended stall and limit tranny heat under load. Failure to do this can cause a slow burn of tranny under a heavy load even with a aux cooler. Below is a link to calculate tranny converter slippage.
http://forum.snoman.com/slippage.php |
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Visit the SnoMan at
www.thesnoman.com |
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sublmnl1990
Body Lift
Posts:195
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| 12/24/2006 7:48 PM |
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| I agree with snoman that on the trailer seems to big to be pulling with a Bronco safely. Just because a vehicle may be rated to pull a certain weight by the manufacturer, it does not mean that its the best thing to do. I have had more than one buddy with a big camper trailer or boat that was under the trucks rating but just scarey as hell at times to pull, especially on long runs (interstate speeds). I would definately get a trailer brake set-up and I think the XLT Broncos may have had rear sway bars, that would help with the handling I am sure you could find an aftermarket one. I know some F-150's had them. Yes and Air Bags and even the heavy over load springs like on 250's and 350's would help out. |
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You know it's going to be a good day when you get the milk to cereal ratio correct on the first bowl. |
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SnoMan
Lift & Lockers
Posts:943
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| 12/24/2006 8:27 PM |
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| Also bear in mind that a 16 foot loaded car hauler that weighs maybe 7K is easier to tow stabilty wise and has less drag too while a 30 foot TT at 6 or 7K is a whole different matter and has a lot bigger tail to "wag the dog" with. |
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Visit the SnoMan at
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pmipmatt73
Street Queen
Posts:115
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| 02/07/2007 6:22 PM |
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| 351 has nice power, i got a 88 ford f150 with the 351 that pulls a 25 ft. sailboat nicely (and sailboats got the big ass lead keel under them too)however i dont pull it often, but i still dont see a need for the engine upgrade. a good tranny should help you out. and i agree on the airbags, they would help |
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harry walker
Bone Stock
Posts:9
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| 06/13/2007 7:53 AM |
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| hi,all very good advice,.my mate toed a 29ft caravan with an inter scout,ended up off road very easily,took him hrs to get out.do u have laws far trailer brakes?,any thing here over 1TON has to have brakes,&then its rated to weight capacity,too many people dieing or going bush sideways,MOTOR-351,alloy heads or 302 heads,mild tow cam,no worrys,ihave bronc with 302 heads,std cam,3.5 diffs,35" tyres,goes nice,on gas [lpg] only ,380ks to 88lt lpg,cant get over 95 in as body lift tilted tank!happy wanderings...tubs. |
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tubs |
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