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d_rock's backroad 78 Ranger XLT

47K views 286 replies 37 participants last post by  simrokkzz 
#1 · (Edited)
I found my Bronco in the summer of 2011 on a local classifieds website, and immediately reached out. At the time, I was driving an '82 Toyota pickup which I rebuilt during high school. It was a fun little machine, but I had always liked Ford trucks, and was itching to get a full size Ford like my dad. When I showed my dad the Bronco ad later that day he told me the owner was a co-worker of his! I drove my 78 Ranger XLT home the next day!

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I've picked up a lot of good info on this forum over the years, and I'm stoked to finally be sharing my build with you all. Early on, I didn't have a clear goal for the Bronco besides being a daily driver. Now, it will serve not only on my commute, but as an adventure rig for exploring the backroads and wilderness of the Canadian west coast. If I can afford the right parts over the next few years, I'd love to check out MOAB one day... but lets not rush things.

There's a lot to share before we get to my latest work, but here's a teaser (just got the truck back from paint!):

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#260 ·
Minor detour...
I have these (IMO) cool stainless steel wiper frames, which take the cheap replacement inserts. They've always performed quite well for me, but the inserts are getting harder to find. They're Trico branded arms and frames; D6TB-17526-CA is stamped into the arms.
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The 15" Trico inserts that I wanted on RockAuto were sold out, so I tried a different type and they were a bust. Finally I got these Anco inserts, which have the clip facing the opposite way, but otherwise are a direct fit. When I went to install them, one of the claws broke off of my wiper frame:
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To fix this, I resorted to the handy assortment of high-tech tools at my work. I sheared and bent a small piece of stainless shim to form a new claw, then laser welded it to the frame. By giving the new claw a long flat backing, I was able to secure it to both walls of the frame for extra strength. Its not a perfect fix, but one one would be able to tell unless they were changing wiper inserts for me.
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#262 · (Edited)
The front cover from my spare D44 got the usual clean, sandblast, etch, and paint treatment. This sucker has seen some abuse in its day... the bottom edge was mashed from rocks and had to be ground flat again. There is also a dent, but not bad enough to compromise any gears. Finally, rust on the inside indicates how full of water it was at some point. I don't plant to use this cover forever, just until I pay down all these recent/in-progress upgrades and can justify a nodular cover. Here is it after etching, prior to some satin black paint:
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New components received for the front end:
  • 1x TIMKEN DRK339BMK differential rebuild kit
  • 2x TIMKEN 2300 differential seal
  • 2x MOOG 377 universal joint, greaseable Super Strength
  • 1x MOOG K8657 stabilizer bar bushing kit, for links
  • 1x MOOG K201624 stabilizer bar bushing kit, 1-1/8" bar
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New tools received:
  • Gearwrench in-lb beam type torque wrench
  • iGaging dial indicator with base
  • CTA 8040 3-jaw puller
  • Mophorn differential housing spreader (purchased and shipped for only $160 CAD!? seems heavy duty and up to the task)
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Still waiting on these parts for the front end:
  • 2x TIMKEN 25590 bearings (identical to those in my kit; will will use with the outer races in the kit for setup)
  • 1x Yukon YKGYGD44R-456R
  • 1x Eaton EAT913A592 Truetrac diff
  • 2x Dana/Spicer D/S706527X spindle seal kit
  • 1x Dana/Spicer D/S30765 inner pinion baffle
  • 1x Dana/Spicer D/S13575 pinion seal slinger
  • 1x Lubelocker D044 gasket
And waiting on these as well:
  • 1x Lubelocker C900 gasket (backup for my cork/grease seal when I change the rear gear oil again)
  • 1x Borgeson 000975 steering shaft
  • 1x complete body mount and bushing kit from LMC, backordered...
I thought I could re-use the pinion oil slinger, but after trying and failing to remove parts peacefully from my junked Torsen, I will either make or buy a new one. The 3-jaw puller in 2-jaw mode was a bad choice for trying to pull bearings off the Torsen... A large bearing splitter would have done this properly. There are a set of notches in this diff for claws like this, but these claws could only reach the cage, and caused irreparable damage. This is why I cannot use these bearings for setup now. The new TIMKEN inners will be a better match anyhow for setup, and this puller will do many other jobs for me, so no real harm done.
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Like I mentioned, oil from the front diff was dirty but metal-free when I drained it. My original diff tag was still attached, indicating my 3.50 gears and the BOM number 610047-9. Spindles came off and shafts came out without any significant hassle. Back on with the spindles so I can keep driving the truck during gear setup. On the driver side one of my hub screw heads stripped, and had to be drilled out. Then the hub inner snap ring came out with the actuator. Fortunately I caught things before they could spring out onto the ground.
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Both axle shafts have the groove for the outer axle snap ring (driver side has two grooves), but neither had that snap ring installed... Looks like they will fit, so I guess I'll get a pair on order. The spare D44 was also missing them. The joint on both sides is nearly seized in one direction... glad I'm rebuilding these now.
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When I opened one up, only one of the 4 caps had any grease left inside... this is why I like greaseable parts.
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#263 ·
Here's my shorty shovel. I initially bought this for clearing snow in the driveway around my Bronco at the last place we lived. Due to the sudden snowstorm, this was all that was available at the time. I bent the tip a bit chipping through ice, so I tuned up the blade and gave it a little more of a point than original. I also set the handle slightly deeper into the blade to take out a bit of play, then chopped off about 12 inches to make a 50 inch overall length. To keep the handle end user-friendly, I sanded it round, then put a few large pieces of heat shrink over it. As I mentioned, it now fits lengthwise between the rear wheel wells.
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I'm considering making an external mount on the swingout to hold it while on the trail. It would not live out in the weather all the time, just for quick access when I expect to need it.
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#267 ·
I called 4WP today to check in on my online orders... its been a month now since I ordered the shaft, and a couple weeks since the gears and diff. First order is in and waiting for me (where was my call to pick it up?), and the second order is partially in... still waiting on a the D44 Lubelocker gasket and the Spicer pinion baffle and spindle bearing kits. I'll aim to pick up the parts that have arrived tomorrow afternoon.

Before I go driving out there though, I have a new Motorcraft fuel pump to put in, and I've run my fuel nice and low so it shouldn't be too much hassle getting the tank out, and back in again. I've confirmed that the current pump has a bad check valve. I replaced the injectors and pressure regulator, and fuel pressure still wouldn't hold when the truck shuts off. Lately its taking longer to start up, so I hooked up a hand-operated pump to the pressure port on the pump, and confirmed... the pump will not resist even a few psi of air. That's the price I pay for buying a cheap pump when I swapped motors.

Not much interested in cutting an access panel in my solid floor, so hopefully this new pump solves my fueling once and for all.
 
#268 ·
Fuel pump replacement
Prior to starting this I ran my fuel down real low, to the point where I was driving around with a spare 20L can of fuel, just in case... By running the fuel down low, I could minimize the struggle of lifting the tank in and out of the truck.

New Motorcraft fuel pump, part F6TU-9A407-DB. Its meant for a 1996 Bronco, same as my fuel tank. For over $500 CAD it does not include a sending unit, so I will have to transfer the one from my existing pump assembly. It does however include the wrong seal... So I will have to re-use my existing seal.
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I started out by removing the fuel lines, disconnecting the vapor line, and unplugging the pump from the chassis harness. I removed the fuel filler neck at the tank and zip-ties an disposable glove over the hole to keep junk from falling in. Then I started unbolting the lower tank straps, which are currently held in using double-nutted stainless hex bolts. Everything was going great, and I started to think, this really isn't as big a deal as I was expecting it would be...
Then the tank dropped onto my chest, and I realized that it was nowhere close to being empty. I managed to slide out from under the tank, and lowered it onto the piece of cardboard I had been lying on, then dragged it out to service the pump.
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Its a Spectra tank and made from galvaneal, but already starting to rust a bit. I air-hosed it off, wiped it down with acetone, and gave it a quick rattle-can coat of black paint.
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A large flat screwdriver and a dead blow hammer were used to remove the locking ring, allowing pump extraction. At this point I determined visually that the tank was still about 30% full.
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Although I don't remember the specifics of when I put this together, the hanger and pump were clearly purchased separately due to the presence of connections in the pump wiring, and different wire colors. I immediately spotted several electrical issues on the not-so-old pump:
  • Heat-shrink on all wires was NOT fuel resistant, and had deformed... could be easily slid along the wire; I can take fault for this, likely having tossed the crimp connectors that would have come with it. I now know better and would always use an insulated crimp connector for something like this.
  • The insulation on the pump power wire was spilt and peeling from the terminal down the wire, far enough that the wire could short out against the hanger! Clearly this was not fuel-rated wire insulation. I don't think an arc at 12V or even 14V is likely, but I expect MUCH better from any manufactured part which sits in a tank of fuel and vapor. If I find my original order for that part, I will post a warning to avoid that brand
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After moving the sending unit over to the new pump, I checked the range of the output:
16.9 ohm at empty
161.1 ohm at full
60.8 ohm installed, which agrees well enough with my visual assessment of current fuel level (60.8-16.9)/(161.1-16.9)=30%
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To reinstall the tank, I used a pair of ratchet straps, hooked the the underside of the bed and to my rear bumper:
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On the top side of the tank, I re-used the wide grey webbing to separate the tank from the straps. On the bottom, I used some 2" wide blue nylon webbing left over from shortening my rear tie-down straps. This cuts very nicely with a butane-powered hot-knife, which will also keep it from fraying.
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#269 ·
Fuel pump replacement (cont'd)
Fuel tank re-installed, and the bottom painted:
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Here is my fuel filler hose, since neither the 70's nor 90's hose seemed to fit quite right. Been using this since the engine swap without any hassle. The tank breathes well while filling, and shuts off the auto pump nozzles at the right time. As much as I dislike body lifts, it allows the tank to sit a bit higher than normal, and a good fill angle. The big tank could sit higher still if the cross members were an inch further apart.
  • 2-1/4" fuel hose for heavy equipment (excavator, etc.)
  • Short piece of stock 90's outer fuel filler hose
  • Donor '94 F150 filler tube, with the inner hose removed
  • Original '78 plastic bucket behind the fuel door
  • Locking gas cap, for what its worth...
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After this pump swap, the truck starts much easier: barely has to crank over before coming to life! I will hook up my fuel pressure gauge later this week to check that it holds properly.
So, why was the old pump causing me so much trouble? Less flow due to intermittent shorting? Possibly, but it never blew any fuses. Lets open it up and have a look...

Pump removed from hanger, and lid and strainer removed:
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Lid, valve body, pump, housing, strainer:
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Pump screen was covered in junk that the strainer didn't catch:
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Labeled the valve body with the inlet (PUMP), the pressure supply outlet (SUP), and the pump cooling outlet (COOL).
These pumps require cooling, and rely on the fuel to take heat away. The cooling flow fills up the canister around the pump, and then spills out the 3rd tube on the hanger back into the tank. If you run out of fuel, you can burn out your pump.
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Labeled the valve body with the return line inlet (RTN):
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Removing the valve body for the supply outlet, you can see that the O-ring is in rough shape, or at least what's left of it. The check-valve itself appears to be fine, but every time my pump shut off, the fuel pressure would bleed back past the O-ring until zero, in under 10s. Either it was damaged on install, or this is not a fuel-resistant O-ring. Seriously, where did half of it go?
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On the return line side, there is a diaphragm which opens the dump valve when the pump is generating pressure. There are signs here of poor assembly, as the diaphragm appears to have been pinched and stretched:
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Plastic
 
#270 ·
I've got some updates, and no time to post them... My parents have sold their place, so I need to clear out all my tools, parts, and childhood stuff.

To pack up all my stuff, I recently bought a 2002 E350 ambulance. This thing is colossal, and after driving it around for a bit my Bronco feels like a sports car now, especially with all the upgrades I've done this year. Would be nice to get back into a real racecar now to complete the contrast. The ambulance marks a few firsts for me: van, dually, and diesel (7.3L turbo).
 
#272 ·
sounds like the ambulance offers some great hauling drive train :)

great fuel pump upgrade and good idea with the ratched straps to get the tank up.
I pushed it myself with help of a car jack and the skit plate below.

however my new tank was 100% empty....
Thats how I did my tank last week as well, floor jack under the skid plate with a board to spread the weight.

I've got some updates, and no time to post them... My parents have sold their place, so I need to clear out all my tools, parts, and childhood stuff.

To pack up all my stuff, I recently bought a 2002 E350 ambulance. This thing is colossal, and after driving it around for a bit my Bronco feels like a sports car now, especially with all the upgrades I've done this year. Would be nice to get back into a real racecar now to complete the contrast. The ambulance marks a few firsts for me: van, dually, and diesel (7.3L turbo).
I sense a 7.3 swap soon!
 
#273 ·
Thanks guys
I think the 7.3L will stay in the ambulance... my 4.9L is really treating me well right now, and plays nice with the coil-sprung front end. Its honestly quite tempting to do a 4x4 camper conversion with the new rig... I've been browsing a few cool overland builds like this. But my Bronco remains my priority, and a house/shop is higher on my list than an RV right now. So once the ambulance has served its duty as mobile storage, I will have to re-assess my plans with it. It should be pretty easy to recoupe what I spent on it, and even if don't commit to building it up for myself, I'm sure I could start the conversion and turn a profit. Van life has really exploded in the past couple years out here on the west coast. 🏄‍♂️

I've reconditioned the van's batteries and put in a new starter. Got a full set of 6x General Grabber HTS tires for $600 CAD will probably end up replacing the glow plugs soon. Fuel conditioner is also in the works, to be followed by a filter swap. Otherwise, I have to be careful not to go spending a bunch on $$ on it right now o_O Just maintain drivability, safety, and insurability so I can move my stuff around
 
#277 · (Edited)
Hey Simon, my original setup, from back when I bought my Bronco had the C6/205 combo, and the speedo gears are in the rear output of the NP205 transfer case. The driven gear that was on the end of the cable had 16 teeth if I recall correctly (this is the easiest one to swap to tune your speedo), and I had 3.50 gears, as you are aiming for. I dont recall what drive gear was in the transfer case but I still have that and can try and look if I have time this weekend. The other part of the equation is tire size... I've had 32" tires since the start (door post say 10-15C which is about the same diameter), and speedo always read pretty well. I used this info as reference when calculating my new setup, which also reads quite well... I check odometer distance on long trips in addition to GPS speed.

This is my last weekend to get stuff out of my parents' place before they move, so time is limited. Like I said, I'll try and dig the gear out of the old 205 to count teeth if I can find the time. Also note that there is a different ratio used in the dash part of the speedo for US and Canadian trucks... I've had both apart side by side before. This shouldn't matter for you though.

All that aside, yes I can recommend the speedo gear sizes you need. What tire size will you be using?
 
#281 ·
I did not have time to play this weekend, so no confirmation on the number of teeth on my 205's drive gear. I once read somewhere that the speedometer cable should turn at 1000 rpm when driving 60 mph. If some knows better, then please enlighten me. Because I like math, I made an Excel spreadsheet based on this, and it gives very comparable results to any online calculator I've seen. Based on my method, using 35" tires and 3.5 axle ratio:
  • Ideal speedometer ratio at t-case is 2.017
  • 7 tooth drive gear requires 14 tooth driven gear (14.1 is ideal)
  • 8 tooth drive gear requires 16 tooth driven gear (16.1 is ideal)
  • 9 tooth drive gear requires 18 tooth driven gear (18.2 is ideal)
These should all yield about 0.83% error from the ideal, which is quite good. For a cable driven speedometer, I consider <1% to be good. I think my current setup is about 0.59% off, with the speedo reading slightly high.
 
#280 ·
I discovered that the PO of my ambulance had neglected the brakes long enough that the left rear brake pad ran out, and the backing plate ate halfway through the rotor, completely exposing the cooling vanes on the inside face of the rotor. Molten metal was deposited all over the caliper and had to be chipped off for disassembly. The pistons had popped out of the caliper making the pedal feel a spongy. That was the most destructive thing I've seen on an otherwise functioning and roadworthy vehicle. New rotor and caliper on that corner now, plus rear pads on both sides, and 6x fresh tires. The wheel bearings are in very bad shape on the left rear also, but I've no time to deal with that right now. (Most of) my stuff has been packed up and relocated. Work will take my attention for the next month, and by the time I see my parents again, they'll have a new place, hopefully with a workshop. Its was hard to say goodbye to the home where I spent 20 of my 28 years, and where my dog is buried.
 
#286 ·
Hey, thanks for checking in! Bronco is still doing great, and still a daily runner!

I've been pretty busy over the past year... Was fortunately able to work from home a lot through all the weird times, and my lady and I bought a place outside the city. Longer commute on days when I go to the office, but its great having my own garage to work in, even if it is small. Home renos have taken a lot of attention lately, but I have managed to make time for a few new upgrades to the Bronco, just need to get around to posting them...
Headlights, aluminum radiator, custom vacuum reservoir, air/oil separator, ARB roof rack, front diff/gearing, ball joints and wheel bearings, drilled/slotted rotors, Warn premium hubs, and working on sound/heat barriers now...
 
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