Western PA winters bring with them snow and cold. Last year I found myself plowing more then I wanted with my 1999 F350 4 door 8 foot bed. Too long to be able to get around some of the areas I plow. I decided to do something about it.
I started looking for a early 80's Bronco, IMO these are the best looking Fords ever! After going thru the normal issues from craigslist I found someone willing to barter for his 85! I made the deal, drove it home an then to work for the next week for a good shake down.
I knew there would be rot, I mean its 30 years old! But I needed to pay a little better attention, I found about 2 gallons of Putty and at least 6 tubes of painters caulk and aluminum flashing hiding lots of the ugly stuff.
I plan to do the following to the 85,
1. SAS D60 on leaves using 1ton pieces
2. 10.25 in the rear with the proper springs
3. Fix the rust right. Daddy always said if your gonna do it do it right......
4. Pull all the interior and bed liner the inside
5. Paint the exterior in a fancy OD or FDR with BOSS stripes
6. Fabricate custom bumpers winch up front and spare tire carrier in the rear
7. Remove any unnecessary item from the ride, if I don't need it, its gone
8. Full tune up, all fluids, filters, etc.......
9. Teach my 10 year old son all about the world of wrenching.......
10. Have fun with it.
I will post up pictures as soon as I load them! Ideas and thoughts are welcome I appreciate educated conversation about these things, I like to learn from others experiences and hope to be able to return the favor to the community. Thank you for your time!
Sounds like you have alot planned for the build. I would probably set the suspension up so the bronco sits level, that way when you put a plow on it the front's going to go down some.
There is a SAS forum on here and a good many have done front leaf springs so you can get ideas from their builds as well.
I have been lurking on the SAS side looking at the way everyone is swapping over! I am looking at using the stock front frame horns from the F350 with the shackles in the front. I drove the truck that the frame came from and did not mind the backwards spring flex as compared to my super duty! Still up in the air about it all thou.
Got the rotten rear cross member out and started to fab the new one! Hope to fix the frame and finish the cross member tomorrow! My son comtinued to grind away at the inside of the tub!
wow man. you've got a lot of work ahead of you. awesome to be making it a father/son kinda project.
we all gotta start somewhere... better a Bronco than something else. :thumbup
My -82 is the same color and about the same rust to..
Will have to do the same thing you guys does soon, this will be followed so i can se how everything looks like.
I am trying to save it, have not actually done it yet! The guys at work that are keeping track of the build have been calling it the Zombie Bronco, or Frankin Bronco because I have brought back from the dead! So far so good!
This thread is really inspring to me. My Bronco has a lot of rust too, pretty much just as bad as yours. I have to replace that rear crossmember on mine too. It's nice to know that it's fixable and my truck isn't too far gone. The only thing is, I can't do bodywork, so I have to get a body shop to do it for me.
This is not what I would call body work. I am in the fab stage, this is what I love to do. I was seriously close to walking away from the truck but something in me loves the challenge of bringing something back to life! You have to get past the idea of having everything perfect to be able to cut the rear cross member out of your Bronco. It will never be the way it was but it will be better then it is! I am not going to use any mud on the truck at all! All welds will be left naked, I am going to paint it, just not concerned about it being perfect! I plan on adding several bumps and bruises to it myself so why make everything perfect in the beginning? I am glad this is inspiring you!
I cut the top off of the Sprinter mount base and leveled it to the floor of the Bronco then welded it to the floor, still some small areas to weld up on it but for the most part I am very happy with the location it puts me in and the feel of it in the Bronco! The seat has seat belt attachment points on it, this will make the seat belt install a snap!
It was 12 degrees in the garage when I got there spent 2.5 hours there tonight, the first hour was directly in front of the torpedo heater!
Got most of the old out and put one good clean patch in! Total of 2 hours tonight! My son removed the remainder of the interior! The last picture takes me back to when I used to sit in a truck in the garage and dream about all the adventures I would have behind the wheel!
Not me. I've got to patch that same spot on the pass. side of my '90.
Already got another member to cut that whole corner out of a pickup he was parting out.
You've got some real decent work going on. Too bad your not going for the total cleanup but I understand.
30 posts and we'll move it over there for ya. Just send me a PM when you get there or post in here. I usually re-check every thread I comment in. :thumbup
Just go cruise around in the Anything and Everything area. Make yourself at home and shoot the sh!t. Bump around the noob question area and drop some knowledge on those that need a clue. The whole point of the restriction is so we call get to know each other. Then others will be more likely to jump in, help out, advise or even ask your opinion on how to deal with X,Y,Z. :shrug
awesome work man! looks like you and I have similar issues with our trucks. Difference is , you've broken the cherry on it and I have not! My truck has another long road trip it needs to go on this year, and then I'll be tearing it up like this as well. you've done a great job so far IMO. Don't slow down! it's coming along great!
Learned something cool today! Undercoating burns! Use your Oxy Acel torch to burn undercoating off of the body panel you about to weld too! Be careful it will warp but if your gonna burn some wire into it it's probably gonna warp any way!
Thanks for the positive reinforcement! I am glad to be able to share the build with you guys. If any one has any questions I will be happy to guide you thru my processes. I am trying to keep the largest portion of the thread as pictures. I like to look at threads with lots of pictures so I write em that way!
Had a great day in the shop today! My father came out to help which now makes this a three generation project! Having fun with it!
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