Ever Own A Lifted Truck? Help With Question

[TOMAHAWK70]

I was looking at a 96 ford bronco its had a 4 inch suspension lift and 36 inch tires. The dealer said the drive shaft vibrated because of the angle where it meets the rear? Is it ever possible to fix this? also it has 145,000 on it, am i just looking for problems? Ive had a toyota 4 runner with 170,000 and no problems, but im a little nervous buying a bronco with 145 k on it? oh yeah they want 5800 for it, seems a little high to me.

 

[Ken C.]

Topics such as this belong in Gadgets & Gear. Moving.

 

[SPHayes]

I have had several lifted Jeep CJs and delt with these problems, and yes it is possible to fix. Depending on the truck you may need new universal joints and or transmission mounts. When a truck is lifted that much, it often puts the universal joint at or near it's max bend. This cause stress and wear and soon you get sloppy joints that vibrate. You can buy heavier joints with more articulation for many aplications. You can also lower the rear of the transmision to help reduce the angle, though this can cause it's own problems. The bigest area to check is the steering, a poorly done lift can have very bad effects on steering. With 4 inches of lift at the very least the Pitman arm should have been replaced with an extended one. Also all the steering bushings will tend to wear faster than a non lifted truck.

Patrick

 

[motorcycle_loop]

I live in Wakulla County (WE-KILL-YA COUNTY) Florida, which for those who don't know, is the last bastion of redneck Florida. If your truck isn't lifted, you are not a resident of Wakulla county. Needless to say, I have a bit to say on the subject.

For a '96 Bronco w/ 145,000 miles, 4-inch suspension/ and 36's, $5,800 seems about right on, assuming the stereos okay. I'd offer 5,5oo myself, see how it goes.

Nevertheless, you are looking at a decent investment, so try do as much research as possible first.

-Tim

 

[m1marty]

While in Louisiana, I hade a 74 Blazer with 10 inches of lift and 39.5 Mickeys.
To cure the driveshaft angle problem, my skyjacker lift came with triangle shims to rotate the diffs slightly up. These go between the axle pad and the leaf springs. BTW, 6 inch leafspring lift(no blocks) and 4 inch body. Whadda fun ride!