[kuss]

Which is easier, front or rear?

Hey Bill, the front suspension is definitely more difficult and time consuming than the rear. For the rear, you just unload the leafsprings, remove the axle, and swap the leaf packs. (Unless you are keeping your stock leaves and adding a block, then the spring packs don't come out at all).

For the front, it's more than just swapping in taller coil springs. You actually have to remove both arms of the TTB (twin traction beam - the axle!) and install drop brackets before bolting the arms back up. I did this once with ProComp bracketry and there was no welding involved, but a lot of drilling for mounting all those brackets... Your measurements have to be pretty exact, but you generally have stock bolt holes to measure off of. You will probably also have to either mount extended radius arms or another set of frame drop-brackets. The steering linkage will also probably have to be modified.

Here is a great writeup you can check out: http://soderblom.net/bronco/tech/lift/

Here is a picture of my lifted TTB front end. Maybe you can compare it to your stock setup and see all the brackets I'm talking about.

and here is a shot of ProComp extended radius arms... you use the stock fram bracket, you just have to move it back on the frame a ways (can't remember the distance). Oh yeah, just remembered, it's been a while, you will need a plan to remove RIVETS, because that is how Ford chose to hold a lot of these brackets to the frame. Either heat em' up and air chisel 'em off, or drill them out... Whew, so much for my feeble brain at this hour

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[kuss]

Originally Posted by 5.0-BRONCO
i recently got into offroading, and everyone sais dont even waste your money on a 6" lift with the ttp. they say save for the sas. I recently got into offroading like i said, the worste i put my stock truck through was about 18" of snow on trails and 8" mud. i dont do extreme crawling or anything, but is it fine for moderate offroading or should i save for the straight axel, i asked you because u have a 6" lift with the ttp. is it weak or, also do u have push button 4x4. mine is makin funny noises like 3 clicks instead of one to put it into 4x4. thanks can u just give me your opinion on the ttb lift or should i just save for the straight axel. are u happy with the performance on and off road thanks.


You know, like everywhere in this world, people tend to argue strongly for whatever they personally have. There is no arguing that the solid axle is stronger... simple numbers prove that, plus there are fewer joints (which are always going to be the weakest link).

The whole idea behind modifying your suspension at all is axle articulation... the ability of one tire to stay ON THE GROUND when the other tire is going up on a rock or something. Now I'm just talking suspension here (i.e. springs), this applies to both TTB and solid axles. With stock suspensions that are very stiff, when one tire starts to go up, the other side isn't soft enough to stay on the ground. So people get longer, softer springs to allow more wheel travel. This is CRITICAL because if if the tire isn't on the ground, you're not going anywhere!!!

Some people who just want the look and could care less about off-road capability just get tall stiff springs to make the truck look big, but work even worse than stock when off-road. (** NOTE: I'm not a mudder, never will be, too much clean up, and maybe the stiff springs and height are better for mudding - I don't know but it seems they might be)

With all that being said, the design of the TTB will almost never get the same amount of axle articulation as a straight axle setup will. My TTB setup is about as soft and flexible as it gets without going to really modified TTB arms like the desert racers. I have custom coils and I'm still not thrilled with the amount of articulation. Now, there are some great engineers and fabricators out there who have made some really trick TTB systems, but there is nothing really available in an easy kit for the common man.

The straight axle swap is cheaper in the long run, in my opinion. More and more people are doing them, so the amount of info available on sites like this has really skyrocketed in the last 3-4 years. I've had my truck for 13 1/2 years now. I wheeled a little bit stock, then went to a 3" body lift, then pulled the 3" body lift and went to the 6" suspension lift you saw in the pictures. Now I'm planning to swap in a solid axle. If I ONLY KNEW that I was going to eventually have a solid axle, man, I could have saved a lot of money over the last decade! By getting into off-roading now you have the benefit of a lot of experience and you can see that everybody is going to the solid axle. The TTB is not WEAK, just WEAKER than a solid axle. I've put my rig through a lot of abuse and the TTB has always been fine.

Bottom line, the TTB is a good system for on and off-road driving. The solid axle is better off-road, arguably better on-road, and stronger without a doubt. If it helps, think of this: I don't know anyone who did a solid axle swap, then went back to the TTB!!