"Frankie" Overlanding Build - 2023 Bronco Wildtrak - Area 51 4 door hardtop

[LewyOnMars]

I hope relocating the camera didnt cause too many issues, especially with the imaging. Right now, the top down 360 views mesh perfectly with each other. I am looking at getting a badlands apex 12000 winch, but will be waiting till i have more jingle in my pocket. Yours looks perfectly leveled, which springs/spacers did you end up using?

I know it's shifted the front some from a 360 standpoint (the relocated mount is off center), but I never really notice it... what I do notice is where the rear has shifted due to the RTR tire mount, I'm hoping I can do something to point the camera a bit better there because it is annoying... (I'll get into the issues with the RTR mount later).

As far as springs and such, all stock right now. It is pretty level as is... slightly higher in the back, but the handling is now a bit nose heavy/soft .. Notice it most while turning left from a stop to get onto a 4 lane and picking up speed to merge into traffic.. not really a wobble.. but it thinks about it lol. I could probably double the weight of the bumper it before it'd really be problematic, but... definitely need to upgrade the springs. Current plan is to go with the OME Nigrocharger setup in with the heavy springs front and back... which is supposed to get me about 3/4 of an inch of lift above stock on the wildtrak. Would like to find a good option that would let me keep the existing shocks though, but the info I've seen about just replacing the springs has been a bit confusing.

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[Ike89]

My kind of build.

 

[NVCowboy]

Wow, looks great. Aren't shocks and springs overkill, I mean how much diff . . . OMG. You're gonna need springs.

Having some fun here. It really does look great.

 

[GaryB2220]

that

Some camera pics

These next two are to give you an idea of how close you can get to something before the bottom of it disappears.

thats not bad at all! fortunately, my state doesnt require front license plates. i actually enjoy being able to see the tow hooks on the camera. a feature, not a bug. pretty sure you just sold me on your bumper setup. Now just need the wife to get a job or come across a windfall of spare cash.

 

[HorizonHunter]

Bought Frankie back in early June off the dealer lot. She wasn't quite what I was looking for (not an exact option match), but close enough

Spent June mostly figuring out how I wanted to build her out, and began ordering the parts. Most things arrived in July, and finished most of my build then, with most of the rest getting finished in August (minus the ditch and rock lights which I finished up last Friday).

What's been added (in order):

RTR Spare Tire Carrier

RTR Off-Road Jack Mount​

RTR Rear Molle Accessory Plate​

RTR Adjustable Tailgate Stop (later removed)
Fab Fours Premium Rear Bumper
Trailrax Modular Roof Rack with Pak Rax

Rigid Radiance Plus SR-Series 40" light bar​

Rigid Radiance Pods​

ARB Summit Bumper

WARN 10-S Platinum Winch​

Agency 6 Billet Winch Shackle​

Agency 6 Hawse Fairlead​

Rigid D-Series Pro SAE Fog lights​

Rigid 360-Series 6 Inch Off-Road Drive lights​

Aluminum Front Roll Bar Grab Handles
Aluminum Rear Roll Bar Grab Handles
Expedition One Trail Series Rocker Guards
Rigid Rock Lights
JcrOffroad Ditch Light Brackets

Rigid 360-Series 4 Inch Off-Road Drive lights​

Mountains2Metal Tailgate Range Limiter

And of course the maxtrax, rotopax (3 gallon btw.. so 6 total, the Pak Rax is great), & hi-lift jack (and Agency6 Jack Handle Keeper just because).

​

I'll get into specifics about everything added (and the problems had) in later posts.

Biggest thing I have left to do with it is get the springs and I guess shocks changed on it. It's a good amount of extra weight. Been Looking at the Old Man Emu kits, and will most likely go that route unless something else seems like a better idea within the next month.

Few more walk around shots from this morning (behind my office), I'll try and add some more after it gets darker .. at this point, as much as I've been out with it (have 5k on it now), I really haven't taken many pictures of it at all other than some shots for like before and after of ride height and me trying to figure out where to place the rock lights.

My FJ peeking into that one..

Night shots!

First up... fun shot of the lights overwhelming my phone's camera sensor:

The driving lights, ditch lights, light bar and scene lights (on the back) all have amber backlights. Decided on amber because I felt like it was the color I was least likely to get grief during a traffic stop about Went with the amber rock lights just to have things match.

The backlights are all hooked (via a relay) to the parking/marker light circuit. So they just cut on whenever the marking lights would be on.

The rock lights are wired up to an upfitter switch, and also to the mirror puddle lights (via a relay) .. so I can turn them on whenever.. .but they'll also come on when unlocking the bronco or opening a door. Couple other things about the rock lights... I drilled holes for mounting them in the fender liners (pulled the liners out, drilled the holes I needed, mounted the lights.. put plugs in a few places to make it easier if I (or anyone else) ever needed to pull them out or the liners out or whatever). Didn't want to drill a hole in the frame or the rock sliders for the middle set of lights.. .so ended up rigging them up with magnets (got magnets with a hole in the middle, used the rubber mounts that came with the lights and found a good way to get the angle I needed on the lights, while also mounting the magnets to the rubber with a bolt ... I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get them off the frame lol... they hold really really well).

The rear scene lights, light bar, ditch lights, and driving lights are all hooked to upfitter switches. The fog lights are hooked to the original fog light wires, so just turn on with the existing fog light button. When wiring the lights on the roof rack, I did something similar to what I saw in a video by the Heretic Studio guys ... so didn't end up drilling a hole, just routed things through the weather striping (mostly). I was using a larger cable (3 wire: 1 for light bar, one for rear pods, one for back light on both .. ground was a shorter wire that didn't have to go all they way back to the engine area), but it worked out pretty well.

Last, some drivers eye view shots

Low beams (plus fog)

High beams

High beams + Ditch lights

High beams + Ditch lights + Drive lights

High beams + Ditch lights + Drive lights + Light bar

I'm not proficient or confident with wiring, but you did you rock lights exactly the way I've been contemplating. I'll be bugging you for details.

 

[LewyOnMars]

I'm not proficient or confident with wiring, but you did you rock lights exactly the way I've been contemplating. I'll be bugging you for details.

If you've already got the puddle lights under the mirrors it's not bad at all. If you don't, it might take a bit more... (apparently it depends).

 

[Fltymknzm]

Footage of Lewy's light test

 

[LewyOnMars]

Ordered the OME kit thrusday night .. .thought it'd be a few weeks before it showed (no one seemed to have them in stock). Got the ship notice last night though and then they just showed up here at the office a few minutes ago .... Now I have schedule a "spa day" for Frankie somewhere and get the new springs and struts put on.

 

[LewyOnMars]

Update on the OME kit:

Frankie went into the shop last Wednesday, the work was finished Friday and I picked her up yesterday (I was traveling).

So the important things to know:

Frankie is a 2023 WildTrak which has the Fox shocks. The boots from the Fox shocks do not fit the OME shocks. We came up with a kinda crappy "temporary" (we'll see) solution which involved using tape on the shock shaft to make a new lip for the boot to rest on.

After the install the front has gone up 1 1/2 inches (which is 3/4 inches over where it was prior to adding the bumpers and such... which is actually exactly what ARB states).

The rear has gone up 1 7/8 inches ..which puts it 1 1/5 inches over where it was prior to modifications.. Maybe I should have gone with the medium springs for the rear, but I think about 1/4 inch of that comes from shims that the mechanic added to the rear (miscommunication issue, but I'm happy enough with things that I didn't want to make him dismantle it again to get the shims out). Rides great.

If I can ever find a heavy spring for the fox shocks, I'll probably put those back in. But I currently have no complaints about the OME setup.

 

[SavvyG]

Do you have any pictures with the OME lift on it now?

 

[KRAKEN]

Looks like you are well prepared... nice build.

 

[LewyOnMars]

Do you have any pictures with the OME lift on it now?

Just the one so far. I'll get some more tomorrow... going to run down to the overland expo and that'll be a good excuse to take some pictures

 

[SavvyG]

Just the one so far. I'll get some more tomorrow... going to run down to the overland expo and that'll be a good excuse to take some pictures

Wow! Your Bronco looks amazing! I want to go a similar route. I think it has just the right amount of lift. Saving up for the ARB bumper and want to run 37" ko2s myself. You have a very nice build.

 

[B Miller]

Looks good to me! Have a great time!

 

[Ninjak]

That's a hell of a build and very well thought out and put together. Congrats!

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