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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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#43 ·
I don't think a tag on the tranny will indicate your diff gears. Best way to tell is to jack up the rear, turn a tire and count the turns of the pinion. You have an NP435 tranny, same as mine. I am a fan of having the lowest lift that will clear your tire size. This works best both on and off road. The size of your lift was no correlation to manhood - so tell your brother he's a poser!! (Actually, maybe there is a reverse correlation! LOL)
 
#46 ·
Do I need a smog pump hooked up. Could the rest of what's cut up just be removed? I'm thinking about having a machine shop make an adapter plate for carb and just pulling all the crap off. Like scoop said I probably have a ton of vacuum leaks as is. Has anyone done this before I mess with mine? If so how did it turn out
 
#49 ·
Yeah, that is cool. I picked up one for my 81 at a Ford swap a few months ago.
 
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#50 ·
Late to the party, but this is a beautiful truck- great find. I didn't originally like the 80-86 nose at first, but since owning one for a few months I've fallen in love with it and that may be my next project after my current 78. Looking forward to seeing the progress!
 
#56 ·
Ya they are hotrod style lights not KCs or....light bars... which I hate on older stuff. I like them, already owned them and needed some lower lights



They came off this caddy . when she got stolen and stripped, It was the only thing I took before the insurance guy showed up






I dig em
 
#57 ·
So as soon as I can figure out how to get to it the next steps in extreme budget makeover will be fabricating a functional headliner. * Finishing up the back shitty cargo area and the cardboard insert panels on the sides. * Polishing all the plastics inside and out*. More engine bay clean up. Im hesitant to do so again because last time I sprayed it off she wouldn't start for 2 days
 
#59 ·
Man, that was one clean Caddy!

The engine compartment clean-up looks good. What did you make the carb spacer out of? Aluminum?

I like the steering wheel cover. I've been thinking about getting one 'cause mine's kinda nasty and they're thin too, but then forget when I'm in the parts store.

She's comin' along nicely!
 
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#60 ·
I took it to Napa machine shop and they made it from an aluminum plate. It runs exactly the same and took me like 10 hours to pull everything out so.... I'm going to say it was not worth the effort. I don't know what they are going to charge for the machining cause the guy was out when I picked it up but I bet it's not cheap. I got that steering wheel cover for like 8 bucks on Amazon. Way better than my chewed up stick wheel.


Ya I loved that caddy. I way over did that car. Makes me glad all the bullnose stuff is so cheap and plentiful
 
#73 ·
True but I'm not exactly drag racing my inline and I'm doing all of this with goal of the most mpg I can squeeze out of her. Having owned a few 302s I'd say they are a solid engine but I don't need revs I need low end grunt. Plus this is an extreme budget project. The 200 on a reman is hopefully the most I ever spend on her outside of tires. If I put this same carb on her I don't have to change anything.

I won't get into a 302 vs. 300 debate, but if I were to have wanted a v8 in a bronco it wouldn't be a 5.0.
 
#75 ·
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