Engine & Drivetrain:

Engine:

4.0L from 1994 Ford Explorer

Heddman Hedders & 2 1/2" Exhaust System

Custom Air Induction System with K&N Cone Filter

Two 1000cca batteries with isolator

Oversized Radiator w/ factory AC

Transmission:

Ford C5 w/ heavy duty rebuild and large B&M cooler

B&M ProMatic shifter

Transfer Case:

BW1350 w/ heavy duty rebuild

Drivelines:

Custom drivelines with 1 ton greaseable u-joints, CV coupling eliminated

Rearend:

Ford 9" with disk brakes, 4:57 gearing, TrakLok

Rearend is trussed with custom skid plates to protect pinion and pumpkin, also includes four shock mounts that are out of harms way.

Frontend:

Dana 35, 4:56 gearing, Detroit Locker

I-beams were cut and angled for 4" lift (no weak drop brackets)

Radius arms were custom built and use 21,000lb heim joints that connect to the frame at a high angle to increase ground clearance. A custom crossmember was built that incorporates a full skid plate for the tranny and attachments for the heim joints.

Custom c-clip eliminator was built for the right side axel shaft.

Warn Hubs lock the 35" BFG Mud Terrains in place. Tires are on 15x8-15 steel rims. 

Suspension:

Front:

The weak Dana 28 was replaced with a stronger Dana 35 fro a 1992 Explorer. Jigs were built for a 4" lift and the I beams were cut and re-angled, they were the re-welded in the jigs and reinforced with 3/16 and 1/4 inch steel. This is much stronger than using drop brackets and provides greater articulation. The front pinion and differential is protected by a custom steel skid plate that is welded to the I-beam and protects this area. Due to nearly 18" of articulation the right axel shaft was cut off where the c-clip attaches. A custom c-clip eliminator was designed for the right shaft. There was a lot of other mods to the shaft u-joint area to allow for the articulation, but they would take to long to explain w/o a picture. The Radius arms were built from 2" steel tubing 3/8" thick. Caps were then machined and threaded and pressed and welded into the tubing. 21,000lb heim joints were threaded into the machined caps. The heim joints attach to the frame approximately 14" farther back than stock, these were positioned in a custom crossmember that offers optimum ground clearance and articulation. The crossmember incorporates a full skid plate for the tranny. The crossmember was built from 3/8 and 1/4 inch steel. All bushings for the front end were replaced with Pro Energy urethane bushings. Custom sway bar disconnects were also built. Stainless steel extended brake hoses were used on the front and rear. Rancho 5000s were chose for their reliability. Custom shock mounts were built in the engine compartment along with custom shock mounts on the radius arms. 5012 Ranchos are used, which is as long as they come. The front suspension/lift took months to build and is far superior to a store bought kit, but it cost $1000s and take a lot of fabrication knowledge and equipment to do.

Rear:

Although this is a 4" suspension lift, If you want massive articulation you need to use 6" lift springs. The trick is to make custom rear shackle mounts and flip the shackle so the spring is on the top of the shackle, this allows about 5" more drop when there is no weight on the wheel and it is at full droop. I found that Skyjacker Softride are the most articulation friendly springs you can get w/o going custom. Since the shackle is flipped you end up with a 4" inch lift. This setup has nearly 20" of articulation. The spring beds are welded at a desired angle to the transfer case so the shims/wedges on the springs are eliminated and provide a more solid setup. Four shock mounts were welded onto the trussed part of the rearend and the other end of the shocks connect to a custom built shock mount that fits between the frame and the cab, near the front of the rear wheels. A 2" body lift was needed for this custom shock mount, but it is the only way to get such long shocks under the vehicle w/o going through the body. All rearend bushings were replaced with urethane and oversized u-bolts hold the rear end onto the springs. As with the front end, many more minor mods were needed to make this all work.

Along with three new crossmembers that have been added to the frame, it has also been reinforced in several areas.

Body & Paint & Exterior:

Exterior Paint:

The entire bronco is painted with Durbak Bedliner, It has a very rough texture and is nearly impossible to scratch. it is up to a 1/4" thick in more vulnerable areas.

Body:

The body has a 2" lift that enable for the larger tires, custom rear shock mounts, and also allows the 4.0 to fit under the hood better.

The fenders have a lot of trimming, especially in the front. The sides are protected with 2" x 3/16" strip of steel between the front and rear wheels, this protects me from the occasional side rock.

Bumpers:

The bumpers are custom, made from 3/16" and 1/4" steel. Behind the bumpers is a crossmember welded on the inside of the frame which helps stiffen the frame, it also incorporates a 2" hitch receiver in the front and rear. The receiver sits on top of the frame to help with ground clearance. The receivers can be accessed by removing caps on the bumpers. Each hitch is wired for a portable winch. The tops of the bumpers are diamond plated along with various areas on the body.

Rear Tire Rack:

The rear rack is made from two B2 stock racks, It holds the spare tire along with two five gallon cans and a back up light.

Top Cargo Rack:

The top rack is custom built and uses Thule clamps. It has front, side and back lights on the rack. It is designed to carry several hundred pounds, it also houses a shovel, pick headed axe, high lift jack and two ammo boxes full of fix it stuff.

Grill:

The grill is fiberglass and has two 100Watt lights attached in front of it. The grill is from one of those lame truck slamming magazines.

Interior:

The headliner, door panels, kick panels, carpet, sound deadener have been removed. The door panels, rear cargo area, back of the rear seats and rear kick panels is now aluminum diamond plate. The floor, interior roof and any other metal is painted with black bedliner. More removable drain plugs were added throughout.

The rear seats are stock and the front are from a 944 Porsche.

The dash remains stock, but will be replaced with an aluminum one. For now it houses an Eclipse Stereo with 4 Infinity speakers. It also has a tach.

The computer was removed from the right kick panel and reconnected high under the dash for those deep water crossings. Under the dash area also includes a CB, multiple gauges, and a junction box that has the light switches and a self jump start switch.

The B2 Krawler Update (2008):

 

Since we first brought you the B2 Krawler, Shawn has made some changes;

The 4.0L now uses a Ford Racing Performance Parts chip. The fuel is supplied from a Summit Racing aluminum fuel cell. A B&M shift kit firms up a C4 automatic transmission and a 5:1 Advance Adapters Atlas II transfer case was recently added for strength and gear reduction.

The axles were swapped out for a Dana 44 front and 9-Inch rear from a 1970's F-150. The front axle uses Warn chromoly axle shafts, Longfield u-joints, 5.13 gears, and a Detroit locker. The rear axle is a 31 spline, big bearing unit with a heavily trussed housing, disc brakes from a Lincoln Versailles, and a nodular third member filled with 5.13 gears and a spool.

The front is sprung via 16” travel Sway-a-Way coilovers and Eibach 200 pound over 250 pound springs along with a tender spring. The axle is located by way of a three link setup. The rear suspension currently uses Rubicon Express coils with a triangulated four link that also incorporates a panhard bar. Heywood is still dialing in the suspension for the best combination of flex and stability. All the links were made from .375 wall 2” DOM tubing and incorporate a combination of heim joints and polyurethane bushings. The new suspension pushes the wheelbase out to 101” and provides room for 39” bias ply Super Swamper IROKs mounted on 15x10 Champion beadlock wheels. Hydraulic assist steering turns the big meats using a stock box, a Saginaw pump, and an industrial Chief ram.

The front fenders and hood were narrowed and a custom grille fabricated from aluminum to fill the void. In the rear, the top was cut behind the B pillar and a custom cage was designed to take its place.

Bronco II enthusiasts, check out the Bronco II Corral HERE.