[robbz28]

Got the block homes today finally, also removed the crank and started cleaning the block up. There was a lot of crud in the shroud of the oil pickup. I got main caps and rods soaking in varsol. May try to get it out back together tomorrow with the new bearings and rings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[robbz28]

Progress...I finally got to work on the engine, it don’t look like much, but there’s freshly honed cylinders, new rings, bearings, valve seals, timing chain etc. everything is torqued down and ready for the next steps. Maybe next weekend I can get the valve covers and oil pan cleaned up, intake manifold and rocker arms etc, get this dang engine finished!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[robbz28]

Quick question about rocker arms, this has the factory pedestal stamped rockers, I just tighten them down and that’s it correct? So used to doing chevys and you had to adjust lash on them, I can’t really see how you do anything else but tighten down and be done. Just want to make sure before I put the valve covers on and slide it back in place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[robbz28]

Finally got the engine assembled and painted, so glad to have this part done. Now I got a refreshed engine, rebuilt tranny, ready to put back in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob_64-365]

Nice!! The motor is looking nice & clean like the rest of your Bronco!!

 

[robbz28]

Ice storm casualties

This is my families farm
Here in northeast LA, we had a night of sleet, followed by a night of snow, then capped off with a night of freezing rain, these sheds have been standing for over 40 years but couldn’t handle the weight of 4” of ice on their roofs.

My shop at home survived, but not without me having enough foresight to reinforce it with some 4x4 posts here and there. Was also without power for 4 days so, needless to say I haven’t done squat to my Bronco lately.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[robbz28]

No pictures but I finally did some
More work on the cowl area. After cleaning all the old seam sealer out, a lot of the cowl came with it! It’s rusted from one side to the other, about 1/4” wide where the seam is, all the way through. Some spots are a little larger some it’s still solid but a lot more than I had initially thought.

The plan: I have already cleaned it up really good with a wire brush and blow gun and applied OSPHO rust converter to the entire area. Next I will paint it with POR15 then use POR epoxy putty to fill the holes, then I plan on covering it all up with the POR seam sealer, then I may go one step further and cover that up with some flexseal or some brush on bedliner.

Whoever ends up with this bronco in 20 years and has to redo this area is gonna cuss me good when they have to clean all that crap out. Maybe by then ford will produce a replacement cowl.

Anyway that’s my plan, hope to work on that next weekend, then I can start painting my firewall and putting the engine and all back in


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob_64-365]

Im afraid to see the condition of my cowl!

 

[robbz28]

Im afraid to see the condition of my cowl!

Had I known this one was like this I would have done a little more bargaining. It’s so odd too bet everything else on here is super solid. And the floor pans are spotless, usually cowl rust leads to wet floors which leads to rusted floor pans...I dunno, all I know it’s a PITA to fix. Let me rephrase a PITA to fix correctly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob_64-365]

No way you could have known really... maybe a hose to check for leaks, but overall you aren't doing too bad. Persectives are, look at what it would take to fix it properly, and look at what you are proposing. Youre looking for the easy way out, and tell me how often that is the right thing to do??

I think either way you will need to remove the dash to do it right. So why not patch the rusted areas by welding? There wont be a time better than now to dig into that...

I somehow figured out how to weld with just a few times of practicing & it was much easier than i ever imagined. The biggest hurdle was just overcoming fear of not knowing if i could do it or not, but once I bought all the equipment, it was easy. I practiced on old junkyard fenders, and after an hour, I knew enough to start fixing my rust issues. It is kind of fun, & satisfying feeling knowing how solid it is with metal welded together, knowing its gonna be good for decades vs bonding or epoxy that just is not gonna be as stout a repair. I vote for you buying a welder!! It is my duty to push you over that edge!! If I can do it, having never welded before, so can you!!

 

[robbz28]

Well I couldn’t have known really because most of the rust was hidden beneath the seam sealer.

In order to do this right I would have to take the glass out and drill out about 250 spot welds and remove the upper cowl then cut out all the rust and build patches and weld them in place. If this was a unibody structure like a mustang I’d have no choice but to do this, but since this is cab on chassis I can merely plug the holes. The gap is too wide to weld up without a patch, then the metal I’m welding to is super thin sheet metal.

I just don’t have the time and patience to drill out all that and cut and patch. Maybe if Ford offered a replacement cowl panel I’d consider it but for now I’m just going to neutralize the rust and seal it off. I have used epoxy putty in the past with great success. If I do this method correctly it should last 15 years or more.

My recommendation to anyone with a big bronco is to check this area ASAP and if it’s in good shape, take some preventative measures and seal it all up.

I don’t like taking shortcuts but I feel like this method is as good as you can do aside from doing it “right”. Facts are I just don’t have the time either, 2 young kids and work I’m lucky to get a weekend afternoon to do any work at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob_64-365]

Ugh, so now i know what to expect when I work my way forward to that cowl area once i get the back of the truck wrapped up & get my hood, fenders & doors off. I'm hoping i can just weld patches where I see holes, but if your nice clean truck needs that, my crappy rusted truck is really gonna need some help.

 

[robbz28]

Ugh, so now i know what to expect when I work my way forward to that cowl area once i get the back of the truck wrapped up & get my hood, fenders & doors off. I'm hoping i can just weld patches where I see holes, but if your nice clean truck needs that, my crappy rusted truck is really gonna need some help.

The big hurdle is the rust is in the lower cowl, and to access it you have to work in the access holes in the upper cowl, and it makes getting a grinder or any kind of tool in to work the area nearly impossible. That is why I mentioned drilling 250 spot welds, that would allow you to remove the upper cowl to work on the rusty lower cowl, which is why I’ll be using epoxy to repair mine, there are a few areas I may can patch with metal and I will if I can, but the worst spots are blocked by the upper cowl on mine so...I’m doing what I can.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[robbz28]

Here you can see what I’m talking about, that little trench was filled with seam sealer. When I pulled it out, the cowl came with it all the way down.
It looks wet because I treated it with some OSPHO, but it looks way better than it did.

Looking at this again, I may see if I can find some 1” strap sheet metal and tack it to the back of the firewall one one side and cover the rust with the other, whether I use epoxy or metal I still have to completely seal off the rust to moisture or else it will continue to spread. Depends on how difficult it will be to cut out the rust in that area.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob_64-365]

Holy Cowl, yeah I see what you mean. What a p.i.t.a. that looks like. Talk about a tight spot with zero access. I could see cutting open part of it just to get access.to do the repairs, then once completed having to weld it all back together. I am sure mine is gonna be worse than yours. Ugh!! Well keep good notes, as I fumble my way forward on my rust repairs.