The new Boulder Mountain Edition next to a BRaptor

Love it! Just be careful to not roll down your windows with all that mud on there - the rocks and debris will scratch the glass. Ask me how I know…
(sorry, not the Bronco but my Rubicon)

Bschurr

Love it! Just be careful to not roll down your windows with all that mud on there - the rocks and debris will scratch the glass. Ask me how I know…
(sorry, not the Bronco but my Rubicon)

Yeah and you do not want it to dry.... a couple hours later and three rolls of quarters I have MOST of it off. 😂

Unicorn

While the BRaptor is awesome with it's long arm suspension, it is really oriented toward high speed desert running and pretty good at rock crawling. So I really think that Ford should be also offering a different edition more oriented toward rock crawling and mountain trails while pretty good at desert running. And they should call it the Boulder Mountain Edition (most of the other editions are named after a geographic location so to keep with that....)

The BRaptor has great Articulation - The Boulder Mountain edition has great clearance and lower gearing.

This is just a prototype that I think Ford should consider.... Cost is about the same.... and it looks very similar to a 2020 rendering Ford made.

This ride looks really sweet… I’ll try to catch up and read about your mods.

Unicorn

Yeah and you do not want it to dry.... a couple hours later and three rolls of quarters I have MOST of it off. 😂

I hit a deer at 0 Dark Thirty in my 08 Mustang. Looked just liked that….crap all down the side!🤣

And when I say crap, I mean poop!

Since we're just making up editions now, I have a one of none Extra Most Bestest Edition.

Unicorn

While the BRaptor is awesome with it's long arm suspension, it is really oriented toward high speed desert running and pretty good at rock crawling. So I really think that Ford should be also offering a different edition more oriented toward rock crawling and mountain trails while pretty good at desert running. And they should call it the Boulder Mountain Edition (most of the other editions are named after a geographic location so to keep with that....)

The BRaptor has great Articulation - The Boulder Mountain edition has great clearance and lower gearing.

This is just a prototype that I think Ford should consider.... Cost is about the same.... and it looks very similar to a 2020 rendering Ford made.

Geez this thing makes the Raptor look like it's on blocks. I like the profile, head on I can't not see a spider crab.

Well it was glute day at the gym....

Unicorn

Well it was glute day at the gym....

Man those portals really are the only way to get improved clearance!

TK1215

Man those portals really are the only way to get improved clearance!

Well they are definitely the easiest way... You could try to fit 50 inch tires and then you would have the same clearance. 😁

Unicorn

While the BRaptor is awesome with it's long arm suspension, it is really oriented toward high speed desert running and pretty good at rock crawling. So I really think that Ford should be also offering a different edition more oriented toward rock crawling and mountain trails while pretty good at desert running. And they should call it the Boulder Mountain Edition (most of the other editions are named after a geographic location so to keep with that....)

The BRaptor has great Articulation - The Boulder Mountain edition has great clearance and lower gearing.

This is just a prototype that I think Ford should consider.... Cost is about the same.... and it looks very similar to a 2020 rendering Ford made.

You do have a damn good lookin' Bronco, my man.

Best Slope Bronco

You do have a damn good lookin' Bronco, my man.

I appreciate that.... But how can you go wrong with a Bronco? We all like different artists, I am not a fan of Picasso, no matter which direction you hang it, but I love Rembrandt, everything he did.... As far as Vehicles go... I love the Bronco... Every version.

Upgrades! Core 4x4 trailing arms, track bar and RPG tie rods....

Okay I am a nerd.... I think this is so pretty! I think it is useful too but I find beauty in function.


Look at how flat that baby is!


upper and lower arms with johnny joints at each end.... I am thinking 2.5 to 3 inches more articulation??? I do not know yet but we will see.


With these things in double shear and combined with the 74Weld stage 3 rack.... I should not have any broken tie rods or rack failures on the trail....

Very impressive - Congrats!! It's beautiful!

Cheers

Kenneth

Very impressive - Congrats!! It's beautiful!

Cheers

Thank you sir.... Lots left to do. Need to start on designing my tool boxes and a spare tire carrier for inside mount. Still need to figure out how group effects mode and phase on my strobe lights. Need to figure out how I want to mount my handset for my GRMS. Oh geez the list goes on and on.... But I am sure everyone here has similar lists.

Question here, it only has a 2.5" suspension lift but it sits so damn high. I have the same lift height on mine, but there's no way I'm able to rock those massive tires.

How does that work? I've never heard of these portals until I came to the Bronco world (only had Sierras prior)

LD29

Question here, it only has a 2.5" suspension lift but it sits so damn high. I have the same lift height on mine, but there's no way I'm able to rock those massive tires.

How does that work? I've never heard of these portals until I came to the Bronco world (only had Sierras prior)

Portals have been pretty rare in the past. Mercedes used them on their Unimog and the Pinzgauer had them. Then the H1 military Hummer used them. Guys have been playing with them for 10 to 15 years in the off road world trying to get a strong set that would work. Well Quin at 74 Weld is an off road enthusiast (to underplay his interest) His company does NASA and DOD work. A number of years back someone asked him to help rebuild a set of Unimog portals.... He did and redesigned and redesigned and over the years came up with some pretty solid designs that worked very well on some one off - off road race trucks and rock buggies.... Fast forward to 2020... Ford wants to get into the 4400 racing series with the soon to be released Bronco... Their go to race guy/off road guru, Brad Lovel, knows Quinn, knows portals, and he tells Ford if you want to win in the 4400 racing series You need Portals. Ford has Quinn design a portal for their racing Broncos. The Bronco is now the most decorated race car of all time. the Ford Bronco has dominated the 4400 series like no other car in any series in the world.... So then last year... Quinn says to himself, I wonder if there would be a market if I offered these to the public, they are already designed and race proven.... I have one of the first ten sets made for public consumption for the Bronco. He started offering them for Jeeps about a year earlier. (he is a jeep guy) although I think his latest obsession appears to be the ranger raptor... He has one and already has it on portals.

How do they work?

Okay an axle goes to the center of the wheel. right? You want clearance off road so you want to raise the axle up away from the ground. Only way to do that is to go to bigger tires. For every 2 inches of bigger tire you raise the axle 1 inch higher. The only way to get a bigger tire on the vehicle is to raise the rest of the body away from the axle. That is a suspension lift. There are a lot of draw backs to a large suspension lift. It is a compromise. Give up certain parameters to get larger tires on to achieve greater clearance.

A portal bolts on the the end of the axle housing. the axle shaft, rather than turning in the center of the tire now turns a gear. That gear now turns two more gears below it which in turn turn a fourth gear and that gear is used to turn a new shaft that sits in the center of the wheel. There are two gear designs and three gear designs but this specific one that Quinn at 74 Weld has designed uses 4 gears. So portals raise the axles 4 inches without even changing the tires. You could call them an "axle lift".... They also regear. This set of portals has a 1.22 gear reduction. So by going to a 40 inch tire my gearing (calculated all the way through the size of tire) is actually just a little bit lower than stock gearing on 35 inch tires. If you wanted to achieve the same clearance only using a suspension lift and larger tires you would have to have tires that are 8 inches taller than mine. Kind of hard to fit a 48 inch tire under a Bronco.

I hope that helps.

Unicorn

Portals have been pretty rare in the past. Mercedes used them on their Unimog and the Pinzgauer had them. Then the H1 military Hummer used them. Guys have been playing with them for 10 to 15 years in the off road world trying to get a strong set that would work. Well Quin at 74 Weld is an off road enthusiast (to underplay his interest) His company does NASA and DOD work. A number of years back someone asked him to help rebuild a set of Unimog portals.... He did and redesigned and redesigned and over the years came up with some pretty solid designs that worked very well on some one off - off road race trucks and rock buggies.... Fast forward to 2020... Ford wants to get into the 4400 racing series with the soon to be released Bronco... Their go to race guy/off road guru, Brad Lovel, knows Quinn, knows portals, and he tells Ford if you want to win in the 4400 racing series You need Portals. Ford has Quinn design a portal for their racing Broncos. The Bronco is now the most decorated race car of all time. the Ford Bronco has dominated the 4400 series like no other car in any series in the world.... So then last year... Quinn says to himself, I wonder if there would be a market if I offered these to the public, they are already designed and race proven.... I have one of the first ten sets made for public consumption for the Bronco. He started offering them for Jeeps about a year earlier. (he is a jeep guy) although I think his latest obsession appears to be the ranger raptor... He has one and already has it on portals.

How do they work?

Okay an axle goes to the center of the wheel. right? You want clearance off road so you want to raise the axle up away from the ground. Only way to do that is to go to bigger tires. For every 2 inches of bigger tire you raise the axle 1 inch higher. The only way to get a bigger tire on the vehicle is to raise the rest of the body away from the axle. That is a suspension lift. There are a lot of draw backs to a large suspension lift. It is a compromise. Give up certain parameters to get larger tires on to achieve greater clearance.

A portal bolts on the the end of the axle housing. the axle shaft, rather than turning in the center of the tire now turns a gear. That gear now turns two more gears below it which in turn turn a fourth gear and that gear is used to turn a new shaft that sits in the center of the wheel. There are two gear designs and three gear designs but this specific one that Quinn at 74 Weld has designed uses 4 gears. So portals raise the axles 4 inches without even changing the tires. You could call them an "axle lift".... They also regear. This set of portals has a 1.22 gear reduction. So by going to a 40 inch tire my gearing (calculated all the way through the size of tire) is actually just a little bit lower than stock gearing on 35 inch tires. If you wanted to achieve the same clearance only using a suspension lift and larger tires you would have to have tires that are 8 inches taller than mine. Kind of hard to fit a 48 inch tire under a Bronco.

I hope that helps.

Thanks. I so enjoyed reading this.

Unicorn

Portals have been pretty rare in the past. Mercedes used them on their Unimog and the Pinzgauer had them. Then the H1 military Hummer used them. Guys have been playing with them for 10 to 15 years in the off road world trying to get a strong set that would work. Well Quin at 74 Weld is an off road enthusiast (to underplay his interest) His company does NASA and DOD work. A number of years back someone asked him to help rebuild a set of Unimog portals.... He did and redesigned and redesigned and over the years came up with some pretty solid designs that worked very well on some one off - off road race trucks and rock buggies.... Fast forward to 2020... Ford wants to get into the 4400 racing series with the soon to be released Bronco... Their go to race guy/off road guru, Brad Lovel, knows Quinn, knows portals, and he tells Ford if you want to win in the 4400 racing series You need Portals. Ford has Quinn design a portal for their racing Broncos. The Bronco is now the most decorated race car of all time. the Ford Bronco has dominated the 4400 series like no other car in any series in the world.... So then last year... Quinn says to himself, I wonder if there would be a market if I offered these to the public, they are already designed and race proven.... I have one of the first ten sets made for public consumption for the Bronco. He started offering them for Jeeps about a year earlier. (he is a jeep guy) although I think his latest obsession appears to be the ranger raptor... He has one and already has it on portals.

How do they work?

Okay an axle goes to the center of the wheel. right? You want clearance off road so you want to raise the axle up away from the ground. Only way to do that is to go to bigger tires. For every 2 inches of bigger tire you raise the axle 1 inch higher. The only way to get a bigger tire on the vehicle is to raise the rest of the body away from the axle. That is a suspension lift. There are a lot of draw backs to a large suspension lift. It is a compromise. Give up certain parameters to get larger tires on to achieve greater clearance.

A portal bolts on the the end of the axle housing. the axle shaft, rather than turning in the center of the tire now turns a gear. That gear now turns two more gears below it which in turn turn a fourth gear and that gear is used to turn a new shaft that sits in the center of the wheel. There are two gear designs and three gear designs but this specific one that Quinn at 74 Weld has designed uses 4 gears. So portals raise the axles 4 inches without even changing the tires. You could call them an "axle lift".... They also regear. This set of portals has a 1.22 gear reduction. So by going to a 40 inch tire my gearing (calculated all the way through the size of tire) is actually just a little bit lower than stock gearing on 35 inch tires. If you wanted to achieve the same clearance only using a suspension lift and larger tires you would have to have tires that are 8 inches taller than mine. Kind of hard to fit a 48 inch tire under a Bronco.

I hope that helps.

Ah okay, I was thinking the portals raised the axle for clearance but I couldn't figure out how, and how it could do it that much to fit your tires. The clearance on yours is insane and it looks so clean, I love it.
My previous truck was a Sierra, had a 6" suspension lift and although I loved it, seeing the axles that much wasn't my favourite. It's why I only went with the 2.5" lift on my Bronco, I dont want to see all of the bare bones underneath. Bigger tires in the future because, like you said, more clearance with bigger tires. But for now the 35's will do lol.

Thanks for the explanation and the cool info on who designed the portals. That is very cool and your Bronco is really awesome!

LD29

Ah okay, I was thinking the portals raised the axle for clearance but I couldn't figure out how, and how it could do it that much to fit your tires. The clearance on yours is insane and it looks so clean, I love it.
My previous truck was a Sierra, had a 6" suspension lift and although I loved it, seeing the axles that much wasn't my favourite. It's why I only went with the 2.5" lift on my Bronco, I dont want to see all of the bare bones underneath. Bigger tires in the future because, like you said, more clearance with bigger tires. But for now the 35's will do lol.

Thanks for the explanation and the cool info on who designed the portals. That is very cool and your Bronco is really awesome!

Thank you. I am glad it helped.... I do like the 74 Weld portals better than any of the other alternatives... The front portal actually replaces the entire knuckle on an IFS.

The 74 "kit" also includes larger brake rotors and new hardened rear axle shafts. It is a complete Kit. It even includes the gear oil.... absolutely everything.