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budget 84 i6 daily driver. Thread being fixed. Thanks photobucket

29K views 204 replies 24 participants last post by  disturbio 
#1 ·
I got an 84 i6 4x4 because that's what I wanted. My search for the right rig with the 4.9 and Ac ... well it was exhaustive, I don't know if they had automatic transmission with the 4.9 but I didn't want it. I didn't want anything too nice because I will tow with it, camp, do some trailing but nothing too crazy. I wanted a base model bullnose. After months of not finding what I wanted this beat old white bronco popped up and I overpaid for it but it literally was exactly what I wanted


Fairly shot interior, hardly any clear coat and dirty. Every accessory I wouldn't want was on her but she was the right girl in the wrong dress.





I bought her in March. Slowly I have been doing little things to her that she needed, I'll post some pics of my steps thus far but she has a ways to go. I've put 3k on her without a hiccup thus far but there are some issues to address.

Interior- The panels are present but beat and need reconditioned. The rubber floor is shot. The windows need tinting and it needs a headliner. Im in AZ and it's hot. Needs stereo, needs dash but I'm sporting a very 80s oxblood dash mat now to improve my view while driving.
It needs a new steering wheel and front seats. It needs a glove box lock and center console repaired. My windshield doesn't leak but it's all ****ed up around the seal and outer bezel.

Mechanical - I need an exhaust of some sort. The stock one has hot spo ts and stinks. I have either a small rear main or oil pan leak. The source of which I can't determine. She doesn't really eat much oil, but, over the course of a few minutes parked I'll see the first of a slow drip until she cools and pressures down. My stock head lights are super weak, the air filter and breather are a strange set up, I don't know what they look like stock but mines missing a bunch of stuff. The feedback carb stuff is removed I guess. The computer is all unplugged and the distributor is aftermarket. I don't have any real frame of reference as to what the previous owner had done to her, but she runs well enough so other than some maintenance and sanitary type things I'm not sure I'll mess with it too much. I have a power steering leak but not bad,

Looks wise I don't want anything too aggressive. I need tires and have 31 Yokohama geolanders now and want 33s but I think they are too wide for my stock 7 inch wheels. 32s maybe I dunno. It's got a lift. I see it says super lift but I don't know how high it is. Anybody with familiarity can chime in. I don't know.

I probably won't paint her. It's a truck. It's a driver

So I'm not a mechanic and don't have anything radical in mind but would like to tackle some of this stuff.....oh and I'm cheap so it's all going to be cheap too.
 
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#155 ·
Got the overhead console cleaned up and wired. I used shoe polish to darken the maroon parts. Turned out pretty good. Cheap and easy...



Took out the ac controls and because im not too bright I cut the map light area open to pry those lil suckers out. IM sure there was a way but I couldn't find it. Replaced the bulbs with little warm LEDs so they should last awhile



Wrapped vinyl over the old switch plate and left the hole where the knob was so if and when I get a temp gauge and clock I am ready to go. Ran power wire from fuse block just in case....




Now I need to figure how to attach it in a fashion I could remove if I need to
 
#173 ·
Given your climate, how about matte black rattle can or vinyl like Alaska State Troopers use to reduce glare?

 
#164 ·
You'll never get it to match. Might as well get out the sandpaper and elbow grease, go over the whole Bronco and shoot it!
 
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#168 ·
Everything's is peeled and sealed


Buttoned up.

Hopefully it's nice and cool now. The entire truck is done at this point.

Covered over all the old beat surfaces and fixed the speakers to mount less deeply since there is so much foam in the panels now.








Did peel n seal, half inch foam sheeting on sides







1.5 inch foam pad over peel n seal and double rubber mat on top



It's a good two inches higher now I think...I have no idea what that foam was for but it was all pre- cut and since it made it through an az summer outside without breaking down it should be bullet proof.





Covered the beat ass cardboard panels with black canvas. It looks dirty cause I fell asleep when it was setting up and it was windy. Lol. Big improvement


I peeled and sealed the rears of the panels too since I had some leftover
 
#169 ·
You aught to be well insulated from the heat and sound!
 
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#170 ·
I love the original cream color of your Bronco. I am leaning heavily towards the cream color you have (I don't like stark white). Ideally, I'd add some fake rust paint/distressing (not real rust which would spread) to the edges, call me crazy but a bit of brown rust and imperfection enhances the rough nature of a Bronco. Much like distressed jeans or fake patina. So I don't see what was wrong with the "dress" on your Bronco. I agree it looks better without the push bar because it hides its lovely grill, and push bars add too much testosterone for the look I'm going for, like those people who hang golf balls under their truck. For me the exterior of a Bronco should not look too perfect, there is perfection in its imperfection. I like what you're doing to the interior though, I like a clean interior.
 
#175 ·
Well @SRWillis was right. Paint shop won't mix my color because he said it won't match and I have laquer filler in spots??? They won't sell me good paint that doesn't match....Small Town reputation and such

He said I should shoot the whole thing. Too much money though so I guess I'll try to find a close enough white to make it work....rattle can style of course cause im classy like that.

@forbye had the idea of wrapping. Bet I could find a matte white
 
#177 ·
They won't sell me good paint that doesn't match....Small Town reputation and such
They often use that as the reason but it's pretty much a complete brown star cluster. Some shops take KISS method to the extreme and don't want the hassle of mixing paints that don't come straight out of a color book. They know you're not going to pull up at every traffic signal, roll down your window and yell "HEY, I GOT THIS SHITTY MATCHING PAINT AT BOB'S HOUSE OF ILL-MATCHING COLOR! BUYER BEWARE!" If they were that worried about their rep, they wouldn't sell any paints to a non-professional.

All of that is to say that you can find a good shop that will work with you on matching paint to a faded vehicle using a paint spectrophotometer. If there are any other shops around you, I'd give them a call and just ask if they could mix a can based on a paint chip.
 
#176 ·
On a better note I found mirrors, extra head lights, black bumpers, taillights, glove box, mirror heads, etc online for 40 bucks. I needed the taillights but he wanted 20 for them alone. I did the turtle Wax light restore kit on them and they look alot better




So anyone needs a maroon glove box door hollar
 
#179 ·
This guy also did an amazing job with a roller. I've saved a lot of links like this because I will never be able to afford a proper paint job.

With my 59 VW, I've decided to forego a color altogether and am clearing the bare steel.
 
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#183 ·
Hope you're doing better @disturbio. I know those issues can slow you down
 
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#184 ·
Well photo bucket going down has really messed this thread up. I hate to have to go back and find all these pics but I guess I will have to for continuity purposes. Does anyone use the Tapatalk or another photo share linking site? I've got some good updates but I'm not the most tech savvy dude
 
#186 ·
I am using Flickr now. I upload the pics off my phone to their app, and then log in on their website, and add them to my posts using my laptop. I did the same thing when I had photobucket. I'm not sure how hard it would be to do the whole process on a cell phone. I've been fixing all my pictures for the past 2 days
 
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#197 ·
Hey fellas I rarely look at the roof and my fiberglass too is rough. Can I paint right over it with a rattle can?
There are better long term solutions but that's what I did to mine. I scuffed it with scotchbrite, wiped with solvent and then just used a semigloss black. I actually wax it when I do the truck, its held up to three years of SoCal sun and looks fine. I saw a couple of people roll it on, that is probably cheaper but not sure if its easier or not.
 
#201 ·
I sanded and rattle canned mine without gelcoat. The top of the roof was completely wiped out but thanks to it being on the top and having a lift, any dry spots caused by lack of gelcoat is hidden.
 
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