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If you were me, what would you do?

  • Pay up sucka!!!!

    Votes: 8 16.7%
  • Put it aside, work on it when you have more cash.

    Votes: 36 75.0%
  • Sell it to someone else.

    Votes: 2 4.2%
  • Screw it, part it out!

    Votes: 2 4.2%

$600 invested, needs alot more work, do it or scrap it?

2K views 20 replies 20 participants last post by  Graydevil 
#1 ·
So i posted the whole story of the recent aquizition in the new member forum. Clicky...

Long story short, i bought this 81 for $400, towed it home and spent another $250 or so on parts like alternator, starter, battery, etc. Got frustrated with the wiring and dropped it off at the shop for an estimate. I got a call today, and unfortunately i was in the elevator and at work, so i didnt catch the whole story, but what i got from it is it basically needs at least a grand FOR THEM to get it "mechanically sound" and they arent done looking at it yet.

I will check back with them face to face friday for a full prognosis, and to discuss options. My options as i see it, are man up and pay someone else to do it, which isnt likely, ill probably do most of the work myself, sans electrical. I can put it aside till i have more money to deal with it since i wasnt planning on spending more than $500 or so to get it at a good stopping point, i can part it out (although im not exactly sure whats up underneath it, i juss know it has a 302, and a 4 sp manual tranny. Try and re-sell it locally, which will be easier since i bought it "remotely" (bout 100 miles from civilization). So what would you do?
 
#3 ·
you paid 400 bucks for it. talk to them and find out whats wrong with it. then go buy you the haynes and chiltons manual then get to work when you can. hell if it aint your daily driver work on it when you can nothing wrong wiht that. it is an 81 it can be that bad. again find out whats wrong with it and then come here and search. if you dont find anything searh again with different words, then ask questions.

ken
 
#4 ·
They want the $1000 for labor, pure and simple. Typically, modern "shops" bitch and complain if something's not an easy remove & replace operation because it cuts into the time available to be working on other more profitable services, such as oil changes, CV shafts, front end/suspension, brakes, etc. I've noticed that they don't like working on the older vehicles either, because they have to dig up old information if they don't know something (gee, wonder how often that is...lol).

You already have some time & money invested into the truck, albeit not much, but whether or not to keep it depends purely on how much you like it. Obviously, you're not using it for daily transportation, so it's merely a project. If you have the space to hold on to the truck, that would be the best course of action. You can always sell it later, and pick up cheaper parts along the way to a full restoration (or whatever you want to do with it).
 
#8 ·
Shiiit, I spend about a grand replacing almost every component in the front end afte paying 4k. If the body is in good shape and the mechanical end of it is OK than go for it. Look at what a brand new 4x4 sells for, you are still ahead of the game. You just don't want to spend every other weekend working on it and pouring money into it.
 
#9 ·
Get their written list of things needed and post it up!
 
#10 ·
If you have the time to spend on fixing it go for it. Take your time and do it right, and search on here for info. and ideas. When it's done you'll have a nice rig that you did yourself. Plus save a ton of money.
 
#13 ·
right on.... im stoked about all the good vibes im getting here...... i picked up the bronc today, and got a little more insight into what was going on, but im still unsure of what is what sometimes. Basically the driveshaft issue was not a simple U-joint, it has what looks like a CV joint on the driveshaft, and the guy said those are like 200 new, hard to come by used. There is tons of play in it. He was kinda confused seeing it on a ford tho, cuz he said theyre mostly on chevys? anyway, the wiring was a stupid thing, basically someone before me had wired a BLACK wire from the pos term on the solenoid and ran it straight to the alternator for a "ground" so when i was puttiong the battery on, it was a straight short, hence the battery trying to weld itself to the terminals. He also showed me where my pass side front axle was very loose, he could wiggle it back and forth about 2-3 inches. Another thing, actually the first thing he talked to me about was the "starter plate". He said that was missing, they bolted the starter up, and it cranked and the motor ran, but the flywheel started chewing on the starter housing. upon further inspection he saw that the bellhousing bolts were loose, so he tightened them up, but the flywheel was barely touching the starter housing. He said if i didnt get that plate, that id be replacing starters every few months. He also said that this plate acts like a shim and keeps the flywheel off the starter and that to be installed, either the engine or tranny would need to be pulled.

Aside form that, i asked him what components i had, and he said it was an NT208 T-case and a Borg Warner 4 speed tranny, but i cant remember the model of it.

I towed it away from the shop and ill see about sweet talking my grandma into letting me keep it behind her fence till i can get some time, money and a place to work on it properly.
 
#17 ·
dude taken 2 years .check it out i bought 85 bronco 25 hundred worth it. had 302 not right engine . looked up vin found engine is h 351 w bought remaned block and heads timeing . block sat in my garage 6 months before i bought spark plug total 15 monthe to buy every thing i needed . drove truck one year with 302 finally installed new engine now freaken starter and flex plate not meshing but i will not stop untill i drive it keep going
 
#18 ·
Before you spend any more money on it, buy a HAYNES MANUAL. Its a manual that will tell you everything about your bronco, replacement and installation, etc. Trust me, it will be the best investment you'll have in a while.

Next, buy the tools and learn yourself. I had estimates of $1000 to get my ball joints replaced(all 4). I found a place to do it for $500, but next time im spending the $100 worth of special tools and doing it myself.


Expect to keep putting money into it, after all it is a ford, so it will be around for a while:thumbup
 
#19 ·
You can yank your driveshaft and get a driveshaft place to rebuild it. I can pretty much guaranty that the CV will have to be replaced but I wouldn't go used they are always neglected and tend to go bad. Any auto parts place should have a starter shim for fords and you can do that easy. Add more than one if you need and it should take care of it. If the wiring is hacked up you can pick up the wiring from a pick a part and you can just grab the sections you need and it'll plug right in. The front end rebuilds a pain but the parts are cheap it's just a lot of labor, but if you can replace wheel bearings and u-joints then it's more tedious than hard.
 
#21 ·
Another book to get is a lmc catalog its free. go to www.lmc.com you can get a hole drive shaft rebuilt for like 250 i got one and haven't had a problem out of it yet. When i bought my brk i got it for 1200 it had a well worn out motor now i have put 3500 in the motor rebuilt front and rear ends witch was 1500 but not to scare you on the amount of money but if u take a new truck verses an old truck the old truck will out last them.. Save the money and get to work well worth the wait and the acheve of acomplishment. good luck :goodfinge
 
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