I just got an 84 bronco (stock) with 300ci inline six. I want to make a toy for the worst mud in Florida! I have ideas on what to do to make it into what i want but do not have the expirence (or wallet) to avoid expensive mistakes and do-overs. I would like some helpful advice from expirenced people on what to do to get this thing spinning all 4 wheels with 44"x19.5x15 Boggers reliably. BTW this thing will not be driven on any roads...just super sloppy mud holes and swamp.Should I stay with the inline six? Should I look for different axles (other than the stock 8.8 and Dana 44 with 3.55 gears)? What sort of locker do I need (I was considering detroit EZ lockers front and rear with 4.56 gears)? I have been researching what is in the Bronco and what the 4Wheel world has to offer for weeks now since this is my first build. Any help will be greatly appreciated, Thanks.  

First of all you need a more powerful engine a six cylinder is not going to move 44s not well at least. and a dana 44 wouldnt cut it either, you need one ton axles like a dana 60 or bigger. 4.56 gears are for 35" tires you would need 5.38 (i think thats the number im looking for it might be wrong) .  

Thanks for the advice. Do you have any recommendations for a motor? Ive been thinking of trying to find a 351W HO to drop in it but dont know what mods it might need to give me the torque I might need. Do you have any thoughts on suspension lifts? I have found an 8" kit online through Skyjacker, I believe, but dont know if it is enough for those wide 44's. The truck has a 3" body lift on it right now a previous owner installed. Im gonna go looking for those axles and gears online to see where I can pick one up. Any more thoughts would be a big help as Im not very expirenced. Thanks again.  

Just to let you know, when you build an offroader you will be making a lot of repairs if you always choose the cheap way unless you go extremely carefull, so you will have a to think it about when building. 3/4 ton or 1 ton axles are a deffenite must have, no 1/2 ton axle will support the abuse of 44s in thick gooey mud. Solid front axle is something you will want. The lowest gears possible, 5.13 or lower. If it is strickly offroad then spools (they're like lockers) won't hurt. Try to find a Siganaw power steering system for those big tires, stock will not last. Any V-8 with at least 350 HP will be good, the more the merrier though. Be sure your tranny and t-case can handle the abuse as well. I would install an NP435 and a Dana 300 with the 4:1 kit.  

Go buy a used 1 ton with a 460 ford motor. Upgrade motor to a carb and edelbrock airgap intake. 750 cfm carb or more. Once you start building, horsepower will be a issue and a 460 can be built up to 550 hrsp pretty easy on oem parts. A little head and cam work will need to be done. The older heads like DOVE or D3ve casting or just buy the newer p51 kasse heads Good parts. If the 460 isn't enough you can stroke it to over 570 cubic inch and if you make 1 horse per cube on pump gas thats a good engine. Also frame upgrades will need to be done. upgrade the steering box area or hydralic assist type systems with saginaw pump. The 351 is a good engine but many upgrades will need to be done. Or just buy a 460 zero deck the motor and let it go. good start with alot of potential down the road for future upgrades. LnL headers is a great header for good horse power and motormounts and clutch related componets. need to check out LNLproducts for ford parts.  

Thanks for all the advice it has given me alot of things to consider and research today. Something im intrested in is the stock drivetrain of my 84 Bronco. After all of my researching so far im finding lots of good things about the inline six under the hood. I see people make substantial swamp buggies with 4-6 cylinder engines. I could make a huge money pit here if im not careful and i just want to ride high in the mud and play around. Im not looking for screaming rpm's so Im intrested in the possability of bumping up the 300 L6 with some overall inexpensive mods that Ive found online. The C6 transmission gets good reviews and so does the NP208 transfer case. If the motor is as torquey as I here about, it should last me with 33x12.50s until i can aford to upgrade to 44's. If you guys were me what would you do to start mudding with minimal expense to the OEM? I wont be able to afford those hefty 44's for a while so I think Ill get the new axles first and work from the ground up. I think the Saginaw steering is a great idea once i get the 1 ton axles under the rig, i knew i should do something to beef it up i just didnt know what. The lift for this thing still has to be considered and the NP435E tranny and NP205 TC sound like a perfect match to those 44's. Then that throws me back to the engine...I dunno how cheap i can pickup a 460 but i know where I can get a 390...what do you guys think of that set up? A 390 with NP435 and NP205 running 44" Boggers on locked Dana 60s front and rear with 5.13 gears? Would that work reliably being put through the swamp holes of Florida? Thats shaping up to be the long term goal. In the mean time it looks like a four BBL carb and some 33's so I can get some pleasure from this wreck. Thoughts anyone?  

Actually I knew an old timer that told me it's easier to get an inline six to lift the tires off the ground rather than a V8 if built right and the right gears (I know that's not what you want to do and I know the six is lighter than the eight). It's always a good idea to listen to old timers that have been around this kind of stuff. I have seen eight inch lifts for about $30-$50 more than a six inch lift. Then get a two inch body lift (two inches is easier to deal with than three). Look for some inexpensive 40 inch tires. Super up the inline six and go with the NP435. With the lowest gears you can find, the 1/2 axles will handle the 40" tires. This should get you going for normal wheelin and not be wasting money on little parts then get bigger. The 40 in. tires will throw just as much mud as the 44s without for about $125 cheaper per tire and you can save on the axles. If you wanted to save a little more, weld your spider gears to get the posi trac. Take a look at this for your steering, http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=55711  ,you might want this for any size tire above 35 inches. I hope this helps you, and saves you some money.  

And that inline six can have some great torque, thats why semi's have sixes and not V8s.  

the 300 six is a good engine but if you want to upgrade down the road 460 is where you want to go. Once you start building your vehicle will start getting heavier. Then you hit the mud and it gets even heavier. So your power to weight ratio starts to change. Meaning if your truck weighs 5000lbs in the mud and you have 300six that makes 1hrsp per cube (300hrsp) that makes for 16.5 pounds per hrsp. If you have a 460 making 1 hrsp per cube (460hrsp) that makes 10.86 pounds per hrsp. The 460 is about 150 lbs heavier than a 300 six with aluminum intake. The potential to make more hrsp cheap is with the 460 with todays current aftermarket stuff. A stock bronco weighs around 5000 lbs and you start adding stronger parts that means more weight. power to weight ratio starts to change for the bad. But if your set on the 300 clifford racing is a good place to start on cool parts. On the semi's with great torque they have boosted engines, turbo's. Thats another story.  

A 300 inline six is a good engine but your potential for serious upgrades is limited on hrsp. A 460 is the better for future upgrades with current aftermarket parts available. your power to weight ratio starts to get out of control. truck weight divided by horspower. 5000lb divide by 300hrsp=16.6lbs per hrsp not good. 5000lb truck divide by 460hrsp=10.86lbs per hrsp better. Hope this doesn't confuse you but this is a calculation thats been used for yrs. Once you start hookin up those tires you'll understand. Clutch upgrades for a 300 six is anotherproblem with bigger tires. centerforce dual friction good start. 38.5x11 bogger awesome tire for 300 six on 4.10gear or 4.88 for mud with 4 speed tranny.  

Thanks for the advice guys, it all helps. Getting ready for Mudfest on August 9th in Okeechobee, FL. This will be the Broncos debut with 33x12.50s and no top. I will see how well the 300 L6 performs. I dont plan on getting crazy with it the first time out but, well...I dont plan on getting crazy...we'll see. The mud here has been a cross between cake and pudding most days and soup on other days. It can be worse than trying to drive in silt at the bottom of a lake. Once the big boys hit it and tear it up it gets too deep and thick for anything without tractor tires. It really is like driving through a big bowl of pudding. I will most likely stick to the outside of the pudding patch....for now....I will try and corner some of the big rig owners to see how they built their incredible machines, of course I will take mad pictures. If you guys have anymore thoughts on boosting this Broncos capability and or economical ways to do it please let me know...thanks again...best adventures to ya!  

I have a 3.4L V6 in my toyota with a dana 44 and a built Ford 9 in the rear with 5.13 gears and I spin 38.5 Thornbirds just fine. If you gear it right and throw some good alloy or chomoly axle shafts and some other stout hardware underneath your rig you should be fine.