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Broncoski ( My Build Thread)

sprdv1

Contributor
REBEL
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
81,734
Almost 4 years later but I finally started working on this bronco again. So my friend who originally was suppose to do the body for me gave up bc it was to much to tackle. Which I can agree considering it took me 6 hours each door to line it up, on and off. But I'm excited and committed. The whole body is finally ready to be welded. Meaning I don't know if it was the right approach but I built the whole body with sheet metal screws and a few tacks here first before I weld it. Just because I saw YouTubers who welded things into position to really then had to cut things out. I attached a few pictures of my doors nice and square and the front grill lined up with the hood. Any advice how to approach the welding so nothing shifts on me?
https://flic.kr/p/2opqc92 https://flic.kr/p/2opkm4y https://flic.kr/p/2opqwvX https://flic.kr/p/2opo5ru

several threads, builds w/that info but others will chime in w/their experience.. Glad to see you finally making time.. The one thing that's hard to come by these days
 
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Nowik35

Full Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
172
Another update. This time I just finished"fixing" my hard top. A little back story. When I bought this project the top was in very rough shape, almost unsalvageable. I ended up finding another top also unsalvageable but in different places then my original one. So I originally was just going to buy the replacement gutter kit, but waited over 6 months on backorder with no luck so I decided to sacrifice one top to fabricate my own guts for the inside of the other done. So that's what I did. It took me way to long and a lot more labor then I wanted to but I think it came out ok and now I have a fixed top for free! Still need to do some massaging to fit correctly but I feel I'm over the hard part. Side note it feels like there's no end to this project, every time I feel like I'm almost ready to paint I find more things to fix before I feel ready again. Anyways here are some progress pics.
https://flic.kr/p/2oDV9CJ https://flic.kr/p/2oDQ5z5 https://flic.kr/p/2oDVqeG https://flic.kr/p/2oDQe6P
 
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904Bronco

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Bronco Guru
Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
5,749
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San Martin, CA
Side note it feels like there's no end to this project, every time I feel like I'm almost ready to paint I find more things to fix before I feel ready again.

But it will be done right when it is all said and done. No greater feeling than doing the job yourself and saying "I Did That".
 

Torkman66

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Sr. Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2022
Messages
379
Nice work and remember that there is no clock on finishing. Enjoy the journey as a great hobby. Nothing better than taking an old rusty piece and making it better than new.

What are you going to do with drip rails? Fill them full with sealer? I’m filling them full with epoxy resin because it dries hard yet has a bit of flex and it water proof. I’m then capping them with 3/4” flat bar all the way around.

Keep moving forward, great project!
 
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Nowik35

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Joined
Aug 27, 2018
Messages
172
Nice work and remember that there is no clock on finishing. Enjoy the journey as a great hobby. Nothing better than taking an old rusty piece and making it better than new.

What are you going to do with drip rails? Fill them full with sealer? I’m filling them full with epoxy resin because it dries hard yet has a bit of flex and it water proof. I’m then capping them with 3/4” flat bar all the way around.

Keep moving forward, great project!
Not a bad idea. I was just going to jb weld the weak area in the drip rails, bc when I was trying to weld on the new rail sections I was just burning holes with very few successful tacks. So I decided to jb weld the rest, after I etched primed it, was then going to pain the whole top white and do white body filler to fill the rails and call it done. What epoxy were you going to use I might go your rout?
 

Torkman66

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Apr 3, 2022
Messages
379
Just about any epoxy resin will work. It is self leveling and if you scuff it it will paint nice. Here is what I am using.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QH6XVZ4/?tag=classicbroncos-20

JB works great to fill in small holes, although I like the short hair resin "Glass" bondo. It is waterproof and adheres really good, and very strong. Its a filler, not a welder.
I would not use body filler to fill in the rails. Too deep and it will crack for sure. If not resin, then self-leveling body sealer.
 
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Nowik35

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Aug 27, 2018
Messages
172
Just about any epoxy resin will work. It is self leveling and if you scuff it it will paint nice. Here is what I am using.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QH6XVZ4/?tag=classicbroncos-20

JB works great to fill in small holes, although I like the short hair resin "Glass" bondo. It is waterproof and adheres really good, and very strong. Its a filler, not a welder.
I would not use body filler to fill in the rails. Too deep and it will crack for sure. If not resin, then self-leveling body sealer.
I didn't mean to say filler. I was going to use body seam sealer to fill the rails. One that comes in a caulk tubing. Is that still a decent path?
 

Torkman66

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379
Yes, just make sure it is for exterior application. I also think it should be paintable and applied prior to top paint. even if it is white, it is still unlikely that it will be the same shade of white as the top. It might look strange if there is a ring around the whole top (gutters) that is a different shade of white. Many of the sealers are self-leveling and paintable. I use SEM 29362 a lot. It is paintable and remains pretty flexible. A couple tubes would fill the gutters and then you could paint.
 
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Nowik35

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Aug 27, 2018
Messages
172
Yes, just make sure it is for exterior application. I also think it should be paintable and applied prior to top paint. even if it is white, it is still unlikely that it will be the same shade of white as the top. It might look strange if there is a ring around the whole top (gutters) that is a different shade of white. Many of the sealers are self-leveling and paintable. I use SEM 29362 a lot. It is paintable and remains pretty flexible. A couple tubes would fill the gutters and then you could paint.
Thank you! That's the route I'll take
 
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Nowik35

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Aug 27, 2018
Messages
172
Little update. Getting real close to paint. So this past week. I finished welding my top and grinding the welds. I think I'm finally done with welding/grinding/cutting/welding/grinding/cutting, hearing from the wife ...."the lights are flickering again", can you not make so much noise grinding" lol I think I'm passed that step. Also dumb ass moment on my end. ( Looks like there are a fare share of those on here, thank God) . So when I was fitting my side walls to my hard top dome to fit just right. I banged on the bottom of the wall with a rubber dead blow hammer. Well the fit to the dome was just right but when I put it on the bronco I noticed where I banged the hammer I mangled up the corner so it sits stupid in that corner. Ughhhhhh! Now I need to Bondo that corner so it doesn't look so stupid SMH. Well besides that set back everything looks good. I just popped all the holes for the attachments. That was stressful. I hung
New mirrors both sides
Quarter panel emblem both sides
All 4 side reflectors
Drilled filler neck holes.
Installed new antenna.

Now I still have to massage the doors one more time. I'm still not happy with the gaps
Prime welded areas and put down body sealer.
Seal fill the gutters. And Bondo my hard top walls 🤦. Anyways here are some pics of what did go well
https://flic.kr/p/2oFEUUM https://flic.kr/p/2oFGu13 https://flic.kr/p/2oFGvRT
 

Torkman66

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Apr 3, 2022
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379
It depends on the sealer you used. Some sealers are "sandable" while others are not. You can try a small spot with 240 paper dipped in some aceton and see what that does. If you are going with body color on the inside and no carpet, I do not think you are going to be happy with how the sealer looks in those areas if you used the non-sandable sealer.. Usually, if I'm using sealer in areas I want to be painted and look really nice, I tape off on each side of the sealer lines, smooth it out and then pull the tape. Makes for a very nice professional look. This is how you do the rear tail light housings and the rear quarters.
However, if you are going to spray the inside with bed liner or you plan on carpet or rubber mat, I would not worry about it.

I sealed my interior just as you did but am putting down sound deadner mat on everything followed by full carpet set so I put sealer on thick and wide.
IMG_7174.jpg
 

Torkman66

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Apr 3, 2022
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379
Also, my opinion only regarding sealer. While there is always disagreement in the body and paint world about everything, my experience with over 40 years of restorations is that you should epoxy primer all bare metal BEFORE applying any sealer. Self-etching primer will actually eat into the sealer and make a mess. Applying some epoxy primers can also create issues over the top of body sealer. I always sandblast, clean, cutout, or weld in all new metal then hit all of it including all the seamed areas and metal overlaps with two good coats of 2 part epoxy primer. Let that dry 24 hours then use seam sealer on top of the epoxy. Never had any issue this way and it ensures the metal is coated. Last thought is that seam sealer can crack, get scratched off, or have some bubbles in it. Applying epoxy primer first eliminates some of those concerns and ensures your metal is very protected.

In your case, if you plan on painting epoxy primer next, do a test area on the sealer first. I do not recommend you apply any self etching over sealer.
 
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Nowik35

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Aug 27, 2018
Messages
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Finally I'm dropping in the ol 6 . I rebuilt it my self via YouTube and old bronco mechanics manual. Not sure if it will even start but worth a try. Man putting in the engine with the body already in place is no easy task. Day two of knuckle scraping and f bombs and I still can't catch a single bolt to the bell housing. Any tricks?? Also what's the best wrench to use to tighten the two top bell housing bolts. I can barely get my hand in there never mind a wrench and turn it...
Me...0. Bronco....2

https://flic.kr/p/2oUUBHQ
 

DirtDonk

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Nov 3, 2003
Messages
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Day two of knuckle scraping and f bombs and I still can't catch a single bolt to the bell housing. Any tricks??
Are the bolts simply not reaching, or do they reach the holes but you can’t get them to line up?
If they are not reaching, you don’t want to use bolts to pull it the rest of the way anyway. You need to get the clutch to line up to close the gap.
In a perfect world, you can push the bell housing to the engine, perfectly flush, by hand.
Sometimes you do need to pull it up that last eighth of an inch, but if it’s more than a quarter of an inch gap, you need to get it closer before you cinch it up with the bolts.
This may involve getting some leverage on the clutch fork in order to release the clutch slightly to let the disc move around, allowing the tip of the shaft to line up with the pilot bearing.

So in what way are the bolts not going in?
Also what's the best wrench to use to tighten the two top bell housing bolts. I can barely get my hand in there never mind a wrench and turn it...
Is the engine seated down into the mounts on the frame? If so, then I guess the fact that the six cylinder is slightly longer than the eight cylinder is why you’re having trouble getting your hand in there.
It’s tight enough with a V-8!

It may take something out of the ordinary, such as a ratchet with a very long extension and a U joint at one end.
With that you can come up from the bottom and side perhaps, to get the socket on the bolt.
I always had luck getting the top two bolts from the top. But again, that’s with a V-8, and there was just enough room in there to get my hand in.

Got a picture of this dilemma?
 
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Nowik35

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Aug 27, 2018
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Are the bolts simply not reaching, or do they reach the holes but you can’t get them to line up?
If they are not reaching, you don’t want to use bolts to pull it the rest of the way anyway. You need to get the clutch to line up to close the gap.
In a perfect world, you can push the bell housing to the engine, perfectly flush, by hand.
Sometimes you do need to pull it up that last eighth of an inch, but if it’s more than a quarter of an inch gap, you need to get it closer before you cinch it up with the bolts.
This may involve getting some leverage on the clutch fork in order to release the clutch slightly to let the disc move around, allowing the tip of the shaft to line up with the pilot bearing.

So in what way are the bolts not going in?

Is the engine seated down into the mounts on the frame? If so, then I guess the fact that the six cylinder is slightly longer than the eight cylinder is why you’re having trouble getting your hand in there.
It’s tight enough with a V-8!

It may take something out of the ordinary, such as a ratchet with a very long extension and a U joint at one end.
With that you can come up from the bottom and side perhaps, to get the socket on the bolt.
I always had luck getting the top two bolts from the top. But again, that’s with a V-8, and there was just enough room in there to get my hand in.

Got a picture of this dilemma?
So I'm just about a quarter inch gap maybe not 100% the same all the way around the bell housing, that's my problem I think. I have limited flexibility of rotating the engine suspended from the hoist to perfectly line up the bolt holes. My thought process was if I can catch all four bolts that will confirm the engine is perfectly square to the bell housing at wish point I can slowly marry them. I'm not sure I follow you on the clutch pointer. When I installed the new clutch it came with a plastic spline key to make sure it's perfectly centered when I bolt out down. So I assume the clutch is perfectly centered without needing to use the fork to release it letting the shaft to go on once I'm lined up. I did read somewhere to move the fly when a bit just so the splines slip into each other.
Also you are correct this engine is awkwardly long. Like I had to bring it down leaning forward to hook in the drive shaft then ease in the rear to barely clear the frame cross member with he oil reservoir. My mounts are still off to have better flexibility of moving the engine to be square by leaving suspended from the hoist.

Lastly that's were I'm stuck off I push on the engine it will not go in any further other then leaving that quarter inch gap that I'm trying to close with bolts.
 
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