[Anthracis]

Hi guys: I have been posting and learning on here for quite a while now. I think its about time for me to start a build page. I have done a lot to the Bronco so far...as you will see below.

I will update this page as I do more smaller projects to it. So far, everything I have done is listed in my signature area.

The latest project was just completed and that was the paint. I was going to do the $50 paint job that I saw on youtube but I was able to find some really high quality paint that was cheap. It was $149.95 +$18 shipped to my door. Its called Hot Rod Flatz. It won 3 international new product awards at SEMA. So I figured its good enough for my Bronco.

I found a guy on CL that has a custom restoration shop. He was hurting for business so I struck a deal for him to paint my Bronco for $250. So the $50 paint job went out the door. For less than $500, I ended up with a high quality paint job plus I got the satisfaction of knowing that I did most of it myself.

I did all the prep work myself over the course of 2 weeks. At first...during week 1, I sanded a little here and there. 2nd week, I sanded about 2 to 3 hours per day. I also painted all of the trim and bumpers and whatnot myself. Here is the result of my hard work and the painter's expertise: Enjoy!

Starting point:

Installed lift and tires...then...1st round of sanding and 1st primer coat:

More Sanding:

Now for masking:

Finally, out of the booth:

And after the top and trim is on:

I think it turned out great for a cheap and quick paint job. I worked my ass off and it was worth it. Now its on to the rest of the projects on my list...and its a loooong list.

One day at a time, one project at a time. I love my Bronco. I will update this page periodically...as time and money allows :thumbup

 

[79BroncoSpringTx]

Hey that paint job looks great! :thumbup I know you have to have some hours in the prep work. So what's next on the list? Oh and we love pics! opc1:

 

[CBboots]

That looks beautifull!:toothless I'll be doing just about the same to mine. What about the trim on the topper? Oh, and did I mention I like it alot?:thumbup

 

[Trey]

man that looks good. I was thinking of doing mine like that one day.

 

[prchrman]

nice clean look for a few $. win win looks like to me.

 

[Anthracis]

Thanks for the compliments guys. It was a lot of hard work on the prep. You will all get there soon enough.

Next on the list is the timing chain, seal, gasket, water pump, and thermostat. Maybe another thing or two. But that's the plan.

And it really is a great feeling to do it yourself. It's a different kind of satisfaction that's hard to explain.

I'm also keeping a lookout for a cheap winch. I hear good things about the harbor freight badlands 12K and the X2O smittybilt 12K. I've also seen the badlands winch at HF...It looks really good for $399. But the smitty is only 599$. I'm torn. We'll see...

 

[mickey556]

While im not a person fan of harbor freight... the *higher priced* stuff is alot better then their cheap stuff. Im sure you would be fine with the winch, i consider that *higher priced* while a 70 dollar 2 ton cherry picker (engine hoist/puller what ever you guys call them) folded on my on uncracked, flat concrete with a measly 600ish pounds on it... and it was only 2 weeks old when it went...

Truck looks nice! and not a bad price at all for that guy to paint it! Really makes me wish my broncos body was ready for paint!

 

[BigBroncoBoy]

Paint job looks sweet! You should have fun finishing the rest of it.

 

[complacent_one]

Great paint...really proves what some good ole elbow grease will get you!! Now that my BKO is not my daily, I have been digging into some of the projects I had to put off...

Good luck with your build!!

 

[CBboots]

Hey man, just my two cents worth (some folks say I have no sense, hehe), a winch is not one of the things I'll go cheapo on. On my Stupid Duty, I've got a 16.5 TI, that's overkill for a BKO, but it's proved itself a million times over and is about 6 yrs old without any problems. You might want to check out Amazon, they surprise me on a couple of things, I was just looking at winches for my 79 on there and found a couple that were "do-able". Let us know what you go with.:thumbup

 

[willis9778]

Sweet paint man ! ! ! I'm jealous.

 

[dagamore]

Nice work on the paint, did you use someones booth, or did you just drape drop cloths in your garage?

 

[Anthracis]

I took it to the guys shop. Really nice paint booth. If you call around, you can usually find a guy that will let you use their booth or will shoot your car for a much lower cost. You supply the materials and pay them a small fee. It's WIN-WIN.

Like with my case, I introduced the guy to a whole new product that costs much less than what he was using before. And the quality is really good. Like I said before, it won 3 awards at SEMA. So now, my guy can charge the same price as before but his cost is waaay cheaper so he pockets more cash. He is now a good friend and I can take other cars to him.

See what I mean? It can be done cheap but you have to put in some work.

 

[Anthracis]

Here is a pic of the shop. If you are local to the Sacramento area, give them a call. They'll take care of you. The paint guy's name is Rob. Tell him that Tom with the Bronco he painted sent you. He'll take good care of you. He's also a USMC veteran and he will really take good care of you if you are active, retired, or prior military.

 

[lifeizhard102205]

good job on the paint. if you're still looking for a winch and want a good low priced one, get the smitty bilt one. forget harbor frieght. i have a smitty bilt 12k winch on mine and i've pulled not only myself, but several other people out of being stuck many times and it's never failed on me. even on a 30* uphill in the ice and snow.

 

[Anthracis]

Just picked up a screaming deal off Craigslist! Warn M12000 winch for $500! I'll mount it on shortly and post pics.

 

[Anthracis]

Here is a pic. I still need to disassemble, clean, and paint it. But it is a very heavy duty and high quality winch. The Warn M12000 has gotten great reviews online. We'll see after I install it.

 

[Anthracis]

What do you guys think of the warn m12000? Any guys who have one on here? Chime in and let me know.

 

[CBboots]

What do you guys think of the warn m12000? Any guys who have one on here? Chime in and let me know.

Dude, Warn is THE name in whicnhes, nuff said, lol. I dunno about that particular model, but it looks similar to my 16.5, which has been flawless. I think you got a good deal. If you're going to take it apart, you might want to look into the high-strength rope they have for them. After a while the cable starts to fray and it'll slice your hand open in a heartbeat. And the rope is much easier to work with. Congrats on the purchase.:thumbup

 

[Anthracis]

UPDATE: Warn M12000 Winch Install

I got a 66inch piece of Quarter inch thick structural C-channel from Gerlinger bros steel company in Sacramento on N. 16th street. I paid $36 for it and they threw in a piece of 2 ft by 1inch by 3/16 thick.

Bolts used: grade 8 7/16-14 inch and a half (6) with lock washers (6), and 7/16-14 inch and three quarters length (2) with flat washers (6).

I used a 3/8 ratchet with a socket. And a crescent wrench on the other side to tighten the bolts to 55 ft. Lbs. (specs per warn m12000 user manual).

Additionally, I got a can of brake cleaner to clean the steel, a can of primer, and a can of black trim paint.

I also had access to a simple electric drill with good drill bits and 4 inch die grinder with cut off wheels and grinding wheels.

I Used shado's install to get the idea to mount it using structural C-channel between the frame rails. Thanks to Shado and hopefully this writeup will help someone else in the future. Thanks bro :thumbup

So, I started by making a template using a piece of cardboard I had laying around. In case anyone needs to know: the measurement for the frame rails is 40.5 inches outside to outside.

It took a few test fits and it looked good. From there, I went ahead and transferred the template to the steel and made the cuts using the grinder with cut off wheels. I then took the steel and test fit it to the area beneath the frame rails. It looked good so I went ahead and marked the holes on the frame and the steel. I utilized the stock bumper mounting plate and the frame rails to mount the plate to the vehicle.

Once the holes were drilled, it was back to test fit the steel to the rails. It fit good so it on to the next step.

I mounted the plate to the vehicle for another test fit. Everything lined up perfect. Then, it was time to mount the winch to the steel plate. To make sure that the holes were drilled perfectly, I used a piece of cardboard to lay the winch on and the weight of the winch alone located the holes on the template. Then, I used the template to drill the holes on the steel plate. Upon test fit, the holes lined up perfectly and the winch sat on the plate.

At this time, I marked the area to cut for the roller fairlead. Using the cut off wheel, I cut the area open and another test fit later, it was good to go. Then, I went ahead and mounted the winch and the steel plate all together for a final test fit. It was nice and secure but I wanted an additional measure of safety so utilizing the flat 1" wide metal, I fabbed up a couple of straps that mounted to the top of the winch & tied that onto the back of the steel plate. Sort of like earthquake strapping on a water heater...but a lot thicker metal.

I moved on and bolted everything up snug using the grade 8 bolts and lock washers in the appropriate places as necessary. I then picked up the whole assembly and mounted it onto the frame rail and bumper bracket. Once everything was mounted up for the last time, I stood on it and jumped up and down. Everything was secure.

Since I bought my winch from Craigslist, the solenoid and electricals were already hooked up. So it was easy street for me. All I had to do was to run the wire through the radiator support and mount it onto the positive and negative terminals on my battery. I'm running the Optima Yellow Top with the top and side terminals. I mounted the winch onto the side terminals.

Once the installation was complete, I hooked up the remote and pulled some wire. The test went off without a hitch. Everything operates as designed. I could pull myself out of pretty much any situation. This installation was a lot of work but the end result is worth the effort expended.