Thread: Camel Joe 78 bronco

I Have been building a 78 solid axle bronco that is meant to crawl and go fast. When I got it it was four linked up front and was three linked in the back. With a full cage and 16" fox's on each corner.

What it looked like the day I bought it, It had been sitting for 5 years



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After I cleaned it up and put 14' Racerunners on the back



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So next I got a new front axle because the one it had was really bent. And I decided to go to a custom track bar up front instead of the four link. Also I bought heims to make custom extended radius arms.

the Axle and started trussing it



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Then we also put racerunners up front a made some temporary shock towers so I could take it to terra del sol.

Temporary towers



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What it it looked like at terra del sol



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This guy cleared the way for me



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Then tried the flex test...



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The front needs some work it needs to flex more, but overall it did great for the first time out.

So the next weekend I took it out to ocotillo to go a lil fast but not to hard cause it is not even close to being ready. And it did pretty good for not being done or set up. But the motor blew up so now its all torn apart.

So this summers list.

-460 swap and a c6 with a manual valve body

- tear apart the whole front end and redo it. That means extended radius arms, new track bar set up, whole new engine cage and bumper. Also bypasses up front too.

-redo three link and put bypasses back there too.

-I also am going to put glass all around but have not figured out what to do for the rear fenders yet.....

-Cap the cab and redo the inside cage to MDR specs

The goal is to race it in MDR 1450 in two years but I have alot of work to do still and Im 19 so I dont have a huge budget but I will get it done as soon as I can.

Awesome build!

Originally Posted by BrokeCuzWheelin

Awesome build!

x222

Hopefully MDR's 1450 will be around in 2 years.

nice project.. subscribed

I love old broncos.. Good luck with the build

nice looking build! how much travel is it pulling right now? a radius arm setup works well in the high speed stuff, but will never flex that well (i have a trick im trying though.). they bind as they cycle which limits articulation. check out "tube chassis" in the 4x4 section. i built that radius arm set up, but one of the "uppers" is removable for slow speed crawling, but once installed it limits body roll (acts as a sway bar) and should make is perform better at high speeds.
at least i hope im thinking about all that correctly, its my first time working with a solid axle, im only 20.

good luck racing mdr (if it comes back). M.O.R.E is what your talking about for racing. Nice start though. And don't worry about budget Im only 20 and I make minimum wage yet I can afford to build a race truck so you will do just fine.

Originally Posted by 84prerunner

nice looking build! how much travel is it pulling right now? a radius arm setup works well in the high speed stuff, but will never flex that well (i have a trick im trying though.). they bind as they cycle which limits articulation. check out "tube chassis" in the 4x4 section. i built that radius arm set up, but one of the "uppers" is removable for slow speed crawling, but once installed it limits body roll (acts as a sway bar) and should make is perform better at high speeds.
at least i hope im thinking about all that correctly, its my first time working with a solid axle, im only 20.

Could do a wristed radius arm on one side too, with a pin or bolt installed for high speed stability and removed for slow speed flexability.

yep, does the exact same thing, just looks a little more difficult to build.

He already has the radius arms. He just has to modify the passenger one.

Thanks everyone for the compliments!!

Originally Posted by 84prerunner

nice looking build! how much travel is it pulling right now? a radius arm setup works well in the high speed stuff, but will never flex that well (i have a trick im trying though.). they bind as they cycle which limits articulation. check out "tube chassis" in the 4x4 section. i built that radius arm set up, but one of the "uppers" is removable for slow speed crawling, but once installed it limits body roll (acts as a sway bar) and should make is perform better at high speeds.
at least i hope im thinking about all that correctly, its my first time working with a solid axle, im only 20.

Thanks man and I was told it has 20 in the back and 18 up front. Thats what my best friends dad said who built it. I bought it from his friend and he is the one who helps me work on it so it works out good cause he knows everything about out my truck. And nice! I will have to check that out!

Originally Posted by 86 yota runnr

good luck racing mdr (if it comes back). M.O.R.E is what your talking about for racing. Nice start though. And don't worry about budget Im only 20 and I make minimum wage yet I can afford to build a race truck so you will do just fine.

Yea so mdr 1450 is done now? and thanks man. And yea I know I can afford to build it I have full access to a shop and get a lot of help from them. Plus I work a ton and only try to spend money on this truck, but I meant I will only do a couple races a season because of money.

Originally Posted by mounty71

Could do a wristed radius arm on one side too, with a pin or bolt installed for high speed stability and removed for slow speed flexability.

Yea those are cool I have researched those a little but don't know exactly what I am going to do yet. Those are a very good idea though.

Originally Posted by mounty71

He already has the radius arms. He just has to modify the passenger one.

true, wouldnt be all that hard. one thing i like about the tube style is the ability to adjust caster and pinion angle quickly and easily.

Originally Posted by [HBW]22

Yea so mdr 1450 is done now? and thanks man. And yea I know I can afford to build it I have full access to a shop and get a lot of help from them. Plus I work a ton and only try to spend money on this truck, but I meant I will only do a couple races a season because of money.

yea Im in the same boat I have the money to finish the truck but not soo much money for full prep and racing all season. Maybe 1 to 2 races every year then im gonna build another full build and make this one my toy/prerunner

Originally Posted by 86 yota runnr

yea Im in the same boat I have the money to finish the truck but not soo much money for full prep and racing all season. Maybe 1 to 2 races every year then im gonna build another full build and make this one my toy/prerunner

Nice man and same I was thinking about 1 or 2 races a season too.


So the tear down has started



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The motor is out now too I just don't have a picture of it. this week I will be finding out about what I am doing about a motor and then I will be ordering a bunch of parts! I am excited to get working I have been getting anxious.

cool build so far. me and my dad will be building a bronco off of this bronco year/style frame and combining two early bronco bodies to make a wider, longer early bronco. i am trying to convince him to do the same thing you are (go fast and crawl).
subscribed

i love these broncos keep up the build and pics

Okay I have a couple updates on the truck.

I found a 351m in a truck that runs for $100 so I decided to wait on the 460 swap and just throw the 351m in for the season.

What it looked like when I got it.



What it looks like now. I am re sealing the whole thing and just got to finish putting it back together.


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And new shocks I picked up at the swap meet today!!
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Originally Posted by mounty71

Could do a wristed radius arm on one side too, with a pin or bolt installed for high speed stability and removed for slow speed flexability.

Those things look like the worst idea ever. Taking the pins out would put so much twisting load on the bushings they would blow out in very short order. Getting the pins in and out would be a major challenge when it's siting on the ground.

Edit: Oh yeah, nice build, you don't see many 78-79's running around.

Originally Posted by partybarge_pilot

Those things look like the worst idea ever. Taking the pins out would put so much twisting load on the bushings they would blow out in very short order. Getting the pins in and out would be a major challenge when it's siting on the ground.

Edit: Oh yeah, nice build, you don't see many 78-79's running around.

I don't have personal experience with it, but I know a guy who ran that setup for years with no problems, and I know there are a lot of other people out there with it also. I don't know if I would run shocks off of the radius arms, if that's what those tabs are for, but for just locating the axle they seem to work fine.

Thanks man the 78/79 broncos are pretty rare it seems. And yea I would never do the wrist pin arms it just seems like a pain and I think the pins would break at speed. But for a rig just for crawling they would work great.

I forget where it was, but I have seen a kit where the P-side had a floating sleeve around the axle tube that everything mounted to. It would let it articulate completely and did not compromise the suspension in any way. I'll see if I can dig it up.

B.C. Broncos, or Wild horses. You're thinking of the "wristed axle housing." not sure which one, but its from one of those two vendors.

Just a little update not much but its moving a little.

The motor is all ready to go in but I am going to put it in after we finish the front suspension.



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Cut the rear fenders off and cut all the floor out, now just got too wait to get glass for it and mount the fenders.



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And next week I am hoping to start on the new front end.

The plan is.
-Custom extended radius arms with heims.
- New panhard bar that is longer and has the correct angle so no more bump steer.
-all new engine cage
-And I am putting 3.0 4 tube bypasses up front too.

Updates:

Motor, Transmission and Transfer case are all back in the bronco and re-sealed.

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Also just put a hydroboost on. Just have to run the lines now and put a new master cylinder on.

A side veiw of the bronco just getting it to the shop so I can finally start the front end. Dont pay attention to the colors we where messing around with spray paint!!

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Overall it has got many upgrades you cant really see. I have done a 3g alternator swap and am in the middle of re wiring the whole bronco. Also all the mounts are new including motormounts, trans mount, body mounts etc. I am also gathering parts to redo the whole brake system and make the rear brakes disc. I am sure I am forgetting tons but it is getting their!

Also got some glass for the front- 92 conversion.

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This truck looks great, keep up the good work. Can't wait to see more progress.

lookin good, diggin the fenders!

What brand is the conversion glass? Looks good on a solid axle 4x4.

I really like this build! Keep the updates coming!

Originally Posted by BrokeCuzWheelin

What brand is the conversion glass? Looks good on a solid axle 4x4.

I really like this build! Keep the updates coming!

The fiberglass is mcneils and thanks! I like the way it looks too.

---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------

Originally Posted by oside7even6ixty

lookin good, diggin the fenders!

Thanks man, and thanks for selling the fenders too me!

Updates.
-Finished ignition wiring
- And started redoing the rear suspension

Full drop


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full bump


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Looking good! Any updates?