My build with Kentrol glass tub and fenders---UPDATE-Summer 2014

[bknbronco]

Are all those sanding discs from the underside?

Yes they are! Thats why i included them in the pic! Alot of them are some crappy discs that dont last verry long and they also had a peel off backing so some are just the backing. makes for a shocking pic though! Dont buy offbrand paper.

my tailight buckets didn't fit worth a crap and had very little to mount to

I got my buckets to mount up really slick using two U-clips. Ill attach a pic.

Hey, did you drive all the way to Ohio to get this? I live within two hours of Lima, can't imagine how long that took!

Yes i drove there, spent the night, picked up in the morning and drove home. It about 14 hours each way. The tolls alone cost me just under 100 bucks! We got a transponder for the EZPass before we left so the toll areas are a quick slow down and go. But the gas, tolls, and one night in a hotel was less than half the amount of crating and shipping.

I would wait a few days to spray the bedliner on the fresh paint in the front wheel well unless it has sat in the sun.

Im gona do the liner sunday

How are you liking the Devilbis cups? I use PPS because the filter is built in the top. Those type of cups are VERY nice to spray upside down like under that tub dash area

There sweet! I couldnt imagine painting without them! Even the front clip would be tough with the gun all cocked sideways. You recomended the cups thats why i went with them. I got the devilbis cups because there cheeper than the 3M and i dont paint often (this is actually my first time! HA!) I got the small 9oz, and the medium 22oz cups. I got a kit with 35 of each size inserts and lids i think, and got 2 of each size outer cups and rings. I also got 20 filters so sometimes i wash them and sometimes i throw them away. I pour the paint right in the cup using there measuring guide, put the plug on, and shake it for a bit. Easy, and no mixing cups or sticks, and i dont even pour it through a filter!

 

[jmhend]

Very nice, I have an older Kentrol tub and it is taking me years to get to the point you have in days.

Looking great

 

[bknbronco]

I have an older Kentrol tub and it is taking me years to get to the point

Kentrol didnt do the glass work years ago. They owned the molds but had another fiberglass company do all the work. That company did tons of different glass work so they didnt care so much about quality, as they did about quantity, and speed. It wasnt until Kentrol started doing there own fiberglass work, and redid there molds, that there product became topnotch. Its a family owned and run operation over there and they great people. I didnt meet the owner but i did talk to his one brother for a few hours and also met the other brother who was doing some resin and glass mat work on a scout rear quarter panel. I would recomend Kentrol to anybody. The tub i have is so stiff you dont need to brace accross the door openings when you lift it around. To flip the tub over i just set it on the ground and rool it on its side and then rool it over upside down. Its easy to carry and flip with two people.

 

[bknbronco]

Well after a month of stressing about painting for the first time in my life i got most everything i need painted done. It turned out sweet. I sprayed with a devilbiss finishline 3 gun and sprayed PPG DPLF epoxy mixed as a sealer, and PPG DCC single stage paint.

 

[allenfahey]

Well after a month of stressing about painting for the first time in my life i got most everything i need painted done. It turned out sweet. I sprayed with a devilbiss finishline 3 gun and sprayed PPG DPLF epoxy mixed as a sealer, and PPG DCC single stage paint.

I told you not to stress, you would be fine Now the real fun begins with getting the tub mounted and getting the body work done on the body. Spray polyester is an excellent choice to use on fiberglass!

 

[bknbronco]

I told you not to stress, you would be fine Now the real fun begins with getting the tub mounted and getting the body work done on the body. Spray polyester is an excellent choice to use on fiberglass!

You gave me the knowledge and the confidence to try it myself. Thanks again! As far as painting the body.....I think ill be leaving it gelcoat for a few years!

Actually i want to have everything else done, like the roll cage, dash mods, dana 44 front, etc, before i paint the bronco. Many other things to do before i worry about picking a color! For now im gona paint the hood and tailgate and grill white, and leave the tub and front fenders the white gelcoat.

Trust me ill be pm'ing you again when i decide to paint!

 

[Stutsmo]

Your Bronco looks good! It's prety cool that you are doing the paint yourself. on a scale of 1 to 10 how hard do you think it is to paint? I would like to try it on my project but Im not to sure I could pull it off.

 

[bknbronco]

I think the painting is really easy. Its actually really fun. I wish i had more crap to paint! It takes longer to mask everything off than it does to paint it. Next time i do it, im gona try base coat, clear coat. Painting is probably harder when your after a show car finish, or doing multi colors, or metallics, or pearls. But for my first paint job, and it being black, it turned out like a $200.00 paint job should!

 

[bknbronco]

Today i got the two coats of raptor-x sprayed on the tub and front fenders. I also did the skid plate and a bumper to see how it holds up. I was gona also raptor-x the wheel wells on the steel front clip but held off on that for now. Its easyer to do that later than to undo it! The black paint looks so sweet i couldnt talk myself into covering it up with raptor yet! I had 8 qts of the liner but only used 5 qts. I did 2 coats on everything. I still have 3 qts and a unused shutz gun left for touchup or something else like a roll cage (i also am going to spray it on the tongue of my enclosed trailers next time). If this stuff holds up for a while i may go with the tintable kit for the inside of the tub. I sprayed it at around 40psi and kept the gun a good 12"-18" away on the second coat. Super easy to do!

 

[77bronco_ed]

I have an older Kentrol body... I am curious to see if the rear flares were altered at all. I did not like how close they are to the front of the rear tire (clearance issues I did not want a body lift so I modified mine by opening them up by 3"

Similar to what you are after, this is with 5.5 suspension lift, no body lift. (35" tires)

 

[bknbronco]

I have an older Kentrol body... I am curious to see if the rear flares were altered at all. I did not like how close they are to the front of the rear tire (clearance issues I did not want a body lift so I modified mine by opening them up by 3"

Similar to what you are after, this is with 5.5 suspension lift, no body lift. (35" tires)

Are them the after pics of your mods? When i get the body back on ill snap some pics of the opening compared to the tires. I have a set of 33" tires now, but as soon as my dad gets his jeep tires mounted to his new wheels i will have a set of 35" and 37" to try out on the bronco.

 

[77bronco_ed]

Yes... Pic is after the modification...

 

[bknbronco]

Started final assembly last week. Lifted the tub on again and attached the inner front clip. Glued the firewall insulation up with some 3M super77. Got the pedals, heator, and dash in. Got the steering column in. Finished hooking up the brake lines, clutch linkage, shift linkage, and all the wiring. Got the seats back in, radiator in, and the battery tray in. Made a Y pipe to go from the exhaust manifolds to the muffler. Finally got the carb back and installed, and ran my choke tubes. Blead the brakes. Hooked up the steering although the angles are really high and i need to make a trac bar riser and do a chevy TRE-TRO.

Now im just waiting for my starter to come in as well as a spicer yoke for the T-case, then have my driveshaft lengthened, add some lap belts, dump in some gas, and cross my fingers. If it fires up then i can bolt the front fenders, grill, and hood in.

 

[jmhend]

coming along very nicely.. good job.

 

[bknbronco]

I got the starter in and tried to fire it up for the first time. Its been a pain in the ass. Its so easy to get discouraged at this point. Im having issues with it not starting when warm. Runs fine when cold, but once choke opens up it dies and wont run. Im thinking its running too lean, but who knows. This thing is starting to kill me. I thought the painting was gona be the hard part!%)

I have another thread started on the motor and carb issues so lets keep the chatter on that thread.
http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=193930

 

[bknbronco]

Got it fired up today and it runs great. I hope it runs as good when i take it out of the garage for the first time. I had problems with the rockers not allowing the valves to close all the way at first, then i struggled for a few days again. Finally threw a condenser and points in it and jurry rigged the rotor and varooooommmm!

Drop my drive shaft off tomarrow to have it lengthened, and then maybe get the fenders, grill, tailgate, and hood on.

Might be driving it next week!;D Still will have a ton of stuff to do to it but at least it will be drivable before the snow flies!

The brake master cylinder was leaking down inside the tub and made my new firewall insulator crack in a ton of places. SUCKS! The master was brand new 10 years ago, and has just sat in its box in the basement. Outer seal must have dried up without fluid on it and shrunk. Ill have to get a new one asap.

 

[bknbronco]

FIRST DRIVE AROUND THE BLOCK IN AROUND 15 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got the new master cylinder in and brakes blead again. Bolted up the rear driveshaft. Added some antifreeze. Got the fenders, grill, and hood all bolted up again.

I finally got to drive it around the block a few times and it ran great. I dont yet have shocks and the steering is at huge angles, but at 30mph it drove fine. Im glad i kept the 3-on-the-tree, its sweet! I have 4 wheel drums and once they were adjusated tighter they stopped fine. The manual steering wasnt as bad as guys say it is. It actually turned easyer than my 2002 excursion did! It was nice to drive it again. Its been around 15 years since I bought it and this is the first time since, that i have driven it!

It even started raining out and i was able to drive it in the rain with no top! Wont be the last time! Reminded me of my younger years when i had a samurai and always got stuck in the rain with no doors or top. At least the samurai soft top was easy to put on by myself. Im not sure the bronco top will be as quick and simple? I dont yet have the viewfinder windshield frame on yet so that made for a cold wet ride around the neighborhood!

I was gona get tabs and plates but they would expire in december so i held off on that. With the snow not too far off its hard to know if i should waiste the 60 bucks on tabs that are only good for a month of driving? Maybe i should license it maybe i shouldnt. Im sure my mind will be made up in the next day or two! Wish i had a bit more time and money!

 

[mattyq17]

Congrats that has to be a great feeling after that long!

 

[bknbronco]

Some pics of it before i put it away for the winter. Got a porta-garage from harbor freight and its fits in there great!

 

[stupidboy]

looks good, around here that tent would blow away in the winter.