If you are an Early Bronco fan then you know one thing—in stock form, your suspension sucks. Short shocks and radius arms seriously hamper efforts to get articulation. Older coil designs give a tank-like ride and zero flex. To make things even worse, no one has yet to offer a complete system that gives loads of articulation. This had made those folks who actually use their Broncos go through the headache-ridden process of custom suspension building that often resulted in ill-working suspensions.
Many Bronco owners have dreamed of a suspension that is easy to install and gives massive gains in articulation. That dream has become reality with the introduction of the James Duff Long Travel System for ’66-’77 Broncos. The new system combines the company’s Stage II Ultimate Suspension System with its new Stage III radius arms, and replaces every old suspension component on your pony with new ones that have been designed with maximum articulation and performance in mind.
We were lucky enough to get our hands on a prototype kit to give you an early sneak peek at what the system (which should be available by the time you read this) is capable of. The folks at James Duff informed us that the kit will be very similar in its final form to what you see here. We took the new parts and our old Bronco down to Off Road Unlimited (ORU) to install the system. We found the installation time-consuming, but not technically difficult.
With a deadline looming, we only had time for a quick trail run, but the increase in articulation and suspension performance was amazing. Of course, this newfound suspension flex also transformed our Bronco into an extremely capable trail rig. It walked through sections that were previously impassable.
The Bronco was very stable when crossed up, which we attribute to its equal amounts of articulation front and rear. A quick run up a 23-degree RTI ramp also confirmed the extra flexiness of the suspension. In stock form, the Bronco managed only a pathetic 380, but with the new James Duff system it ramped a very respectable 900 with the same wheels and tires. We suspect the Bronco will easily do 1,100 as our original tire and wheel package rubbed the new shock hoops because of wheels with 4 inches of backspacing.
Equally as impressive was on-road handling, where the Bronco could be driven with confidence and ease. This is in stark contrast to other high-travel trail rigs we have driven on-road, which usually have loads of body roll and spooky steering habits. If you are looking for an easy-to-install suspension for your Bronco—one that gives loads of articulation and can still easily be driven on the highway—then this is it!