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Rebuild: Bronco the Debilitated

tirewater

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I finally found a bronco to make my own...

Nonsensical title aside, thought I'd try to capture the work I'm doing to my Bronco.

A few weeks ago I picked up a 1976 Bronco Ranger in Midnight Blue Metallic. It had all the "features" I wanted, with the exception of the cut rear fenders. Power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, '76-'77.

In what seems a first, I got a craigslist email notification within 20 minutes of the bronco being posted. I contacted the owner('s wife), made an appointment, viewed the truck, bought it.

After months of searching, test driving, pouring over the computer, I finally had one. I had to give up a few of my 'wants', I ignored my own mantra of buying the best I could afford, ignored the nagging feeling of doing something wrong... and bought a basket case.

Seeing the truck, everything leaked, radiator was half full, oil was low on the dipstick. Power steering fluid was oddly new, but it was leaking at a rapid clip.

I drove it on a test drive, around the block. Transmission shifted fine. Electrics were a little funky (brake light comes on if the key is turned too far clockwise)...lights a little slow, etc...

Body a bit rough, but no rust perforations & original floors. Some surface rust here & there & underneath. Solid inner fender wells, need wire brushed & cleaned up, but solid.

Dirty, very dirty...

I decided to purchase the vehicle, the owner felt sure it would make the 50 mile journey back to my house on it's own power. I had my doubts, in fact I didn't think it would make it at all. Throwing caution to the wind, I drove to the nearest gas station...sat and thought....then drove back to the seller's home and called a tow truck. While driving back from the station, the truck started vibrating...

(edited title, I hadn't realized that the title name was similar to a member who passed away last year)
 

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tirewater

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...I had driven my little pickup to the bronco. Due to some logistics that were planned prior to the decision of towing, I was left without a vehicle. So I had a frightening three hour ride inside the tow truck in rush hour traffic. The driver seemed oblivious to the two tons of steel behind us as he sped through curves and tailgated cars....

But we made it home...not after sitting in traffic for an hour, waiting to get around a poor soul who's vehicle had given up the ghost on 880. That would've been me...

On to work, this truck needs virtually everything. New engine, resealed transmission and transaxle, new drive shaft, new interior, new paint, new decals, new wheels...and so on...
 

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tirewater

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The engine, very dirty...what's unique about this truck is that it has Air Conditioning and is a Smog compliant CA vehicle. Somehow, the owner had managed to keep the truck smogged over the years. Despite the neglect and lack of maintenance.

WP_20151218_23_45_12_Pro_zpsb3mzlmts.jpg


First thing to address was the leaky power steering pump. Fluid was streaming from the return line on the pump itself. I ordered all new hoses, most were too hard to seal anymore & the pressure hose was from a different vehicle.

_DSC4222_zpskhocnkcm.jpg


I installed the return line hose, however left the others off...a big decision has to made.
 
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tirewater

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On the short journey to the gas before deciding to tow. I noticed the vehicle vibrating more.

The drive shaft was eating itself up...one rusted cup with no bearings...

_DSC4445_zpszirdznxs.jpg


The pinion yoke didn't look so hot either. One of the centering tabs was worn away.

_DSC4454_zpsrqyttvtv.jpg


I noticed a string hanging down while removing the drive shaft...it was attached to something else:

_DSC4452_zpsef6qfyqz.jpg



I bought a new drive shaft from Wild Horses, as well as a pinion yoke & other items.
 
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tirewater

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While under the truck, I looked at the gas tank situation. The owner had mentioned the tank leaked when full.

The tank is a 20+ gallon tank from the olden days, perhaps before WH,JBG,BC,TBP,etc...:

_DSC4456_zpsgaywt2vr.jpg


The tank has three lines going into the tank on top. Fuel, vapor, and the third has a short section of rubber hose with a screw in it. The third is the leak.

I'll have to drop the tank to address it, along with the cracked filler & vent hoses.

The tank is held up by a strap and two J hooks. The strap is nearly pushed off, but the truck has a welded in tow hitch that the tank is wedged against.
 
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tirewater

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The AC is a York based ARA unit. Installed quite awhile ago. The previous owner mentioned it didn't work.

Given the clutter on the front of the engine, especially with the smog, I decided to remove the AC & source a smog bracket so I could move the pump back to the other side.

I attached my AC pressure gauges to the compressor, the system wasn't pressurized. However when I pushed the shrader valve pin a slight 'pist' was heard. The system was holding gas, but less than a PSI.

Compressor w/ dirty engine bay. Speaking of dirt, the weather is cold, damp & rainy here. I would like nothing more than to pressure wash the engine bay, but until it's dry I'm going to be leaving things as is & using rags when applicable.

_DSC4233_zpsq1msmayc.jpg


The control unit. Notice the rags wrapped around the low pressure line, either too much condensation or a leak.

_DSC4434_zpsvtuf9qfx.jpg


Dryer:

_DSC4420_zpspmsp1xnz.jpg


Compressor & smog pump removed:

_DSC4541_zpsi9bfzjyf.jpg


Part # for the kit. :)

_DSC4536_zpsedhejxuk.jpg


I've sealed the ports on the condensor/compressor/dryer/head unit. I'll store them until I figure out what to do with them.

Top down view of the bracket used for the AC & Smog pump:

_DSC4551_zpsjjltnttl.jpg
 
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tirewater

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The big question has been whether to fix the engine as is, or rebuild it. The truck will need to be smogged in the next month, so I'm under a little bit of a time constraint.

After pulling the fan, radiator, AC, thermostat, I've decided not to just fix the engine as is.

In an ideal situation, I'd rebuild the engine that's in it. Presumably it's stock & never opened. However, given my time constraint, I'm looking for a reman or decent used short block/engine.

Thermostat housing, lots of rust & stop leak:

_DSC4524_zpsavq3qbyg.jpg


Stuff I dug out with my fingers behind the thermostat housing:

_DSC4532_zpsx7epy4tg.jpg


I don't know what the screw head is from.
 
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tirewater

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The carburetor was leaking/spraying gas into the intake. An aftermarket carb is on the engine (Holley 2300). I've ordered a Motorcraft 2150 from Northern Carb...which has been stuck in Texas this week due to the weather. Hope our members in Texas/Ok/MS are ok.

Current carb:

WP_20151218_23_51_22_Pro_zpsf9nb8tb1.jpg
 
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tirewater

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Had my first bad part arrive today. A Spectra Premium radiator to replace my stock one. Given I was going to have a stock engine, I wasn't interested in a performance radiator. So I went with a "cheap" radiator. Although at $250, it's not exactly cheap.

The hole where the cap screws in, is bent (I'll drag the radiator out to take some photos). Looks like someone dropped the radiator. It's not usable, even if I bend the pieces back the cap likely won't seal on the inner step inside the hole.

The packaging and the expanded foam in bags used to cushion the corners of the radiator were fine. Looks like it was dropped prior to packaging.

The local 1800-Radiators wants $399 for the APDI unit they carry. It may be the same radiator that RockAuto carries for $200+.

I'll check the local(ish) radiator repair shops to re-core my existing radiator. I haven't decided yet.
 
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tirewater

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I've already bought/received a lot of parts. I'll post up info about the parts later.

In general, prices across the Bronco specific parts houses are pretty comparable. I'm about an hour & half to Wild Horses, so a lot of the big & heavy items that'll buy will come from them. Plus Paul (DirtDonk) provides some great info & service via the forums. Honestly, it's great that a business has a community manager/rep that can help out. Sure it's not completely altruistic, but I think Paul is doing a great job for Wild Horses.

I was up at Wild Horses yesterday. Paul was there and showed myself & my son around the facility. It was much larger than I thought and had an amazing collection of broncos & bronco parts. I was pretty impressed. :) I will say, the facility could use some curb appeal. :)
 
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tirewater

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One part that varies wildly in price across the internet:

_DSC4448_zpshgdg8ynj.jpg


This thing ranges from $13-$40. Perhaps they all have different finishes, but they appear to be stamped from the same sheet of metal. I bought the $13 Scott Drake one.
 

fatboy

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Congratulations on your prize! At first I was Like "No way, I am driving it home" but when I saw the universal, I thought "Good call". It looks pretty solid, have fun with it and keep us posted!
 

blamejane

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Love the story and congrats on your bronco! You're off to a great start and just in time for the new year. :cool:
 

gnsteam

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Welcome to the 76 club.;D Although neglected, it looks to be pretty solid. Looking forward to following your rebuild.
 
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tirewater

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Continuing on...

_DSC4560_zps9izcua1d.jpg


Shot of the Spectra Premium radiator. I bought it from Amazon, so the return is painless. I haven't decided what to do about my radiator, I'll have to either find a shop to R&R it or buy something new.


I only had trouble with one exhaust manifold bolt. I had to use a little heat to loosen it.

WP_20160102_17_58_17_Pro_zpsg3dlogip.jpg


Just enough butane in my soldering iron (with torch head) to heat it up. FWIW, the portable butane soldering irons are fantastic. You fill them up with the same canisters you'd fill a butane lighter with.

The upper radiator hose was a wired flexible hose. Wires are generally used to prevent collapse, not typically a problem with the upper hoses unless they're really old.

The wire in this one acted as a filter & collected a lot of rust and sediment. Some of the detail was lost in the upload.

WP_20160102_21_47_57_Pro_zpsjfk39jyv.jpg
 
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tirewater

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I unbolted the torque converter, however it hung on by the threads. I used a engine plate to hoist the engine, this made it a little harder to keep the transmission & engine in line to separate the two. I should've spent more time underneath prying them apart...

WP_20160103_00_06_52_Pro_zpszlponz58.jpg


New looking torque converter. One less thing to replace...

Engine up...
WP_20160103_00_08_46_Pro_zpsifl0axfr.jpg


Engine gone....
_DSC4620_zps2jzdxmjw.jpg


I look forward to wheeling the truck out and pressure washing it when the sun comes out.


The engine had a substantial coolant leak on the driver side. This is what prompted the engine removal. Replacing all three freeze plugs would've been a pita with it in the bronco.

_DSC4621_zpsdnwguubz.jpg


Other side looks fine:
_DSC4626_zpsbt8wbk8d.jpg


The other leak...it leaked without the engine running. The thermostat housing didn't have a gasket, just some sealant...
_DSC4643_zpscpzvzy0r.jpg


If it weren't for the freeze plugs & thermostat housing, I would've left the engine in for the time being and fixed other stuff...

I used the engine hoist to remove the intake (yeah, I'm being a wimp)
_DSC4646_zpsxq3tyzhi.jpg


Coolant galley on the rear partially blocked with sediment
_DSC4659_zpsc6tawcuq.jpg
 
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tirewater

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Hmm, perhaps the original owner painted the inside of the engine black...
_DSC4677_zpssfr6uprs.jpg



Top of pistons don't look too bad. Except #1 has a small chip on the corner.

Looks like a felpro gasket, unless Ford used orange head gaskets back in the olden days. The pistons have four reliefs, so I'm not sure they're original for the 2v per cylinder engines either - unless the pistons came standard with four reliefs to aid assembly (doesn't matter which end is up).

_DSC4685_zpsjttqjuvu.jpg


I couldn't get the coolant plugs out of the block. I didn't try too hard, I didn't want to strip them. I'll work on them later.

Remembered I had this to suck the remaining coolant out:
_DSC4686_zpsscxpa36f.jpg


Bah, turn the engine upside down and get this:
_DSC4687_zps3abxqhx5.jpg
 
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tirewater

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More coked on oil. I haven't decided whether I want to save this block, if I do the machinist will have some fun. Hopefully they can just bake that stuff off.

_DSC4696_zpsm1bie74x.jpg


1974 series engine block. I'm guessing the build date is the ineligible part?

_DSC4699_zpsviz0ismn.jpg



I'll tear the rest of the block down & take it to a machinist to see if it can get saved.

I've pulled the #1 piston out already & the rod bearing had a big groove on it. I haven't looked at the crank too closely to see if there's a matching line there.

I'm still up in the air on what to do. Buy reman'd short block, buy used engine, rebuild this one, etc...

If I rebuild this block, then I may need to buy a new rotating assembly. Presumably the connecting rods can be saved.
 

Master Chief

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Following a horrible experience of using a reman engine once, I am a huge fan of rebuilding my own...provided the machine shop clears the block as a good candidate.
 
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tirewater

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Following a horrible experience of using a reman engine once, I am a huge fan of rebuilding my own...provided the machine shop clears the block as a good candidate.

I don't want to hear that. It's so tempting to spend $1500 for a reman'd long block. :)

The biggest issue is that I'm stuck with the CA smog. It limits what I can do.

It is what it is, so this will sound like a big whine. ;)

I need to use the D50E smog cylinder heads with the smog ports on the side.

AFR makes CARB (ca resource air board) EO cylinder heads (afr 165s), but I would need the smog connected. They come with the smog in the back of the head instead of on the side. There doesn't appear to be any room between the firewall and back of cylinder head (on driver's side) for a smog crossover pipe. So that rules that out for now.

I haven't found a SBF carburetor intake that has a CARB EO #. Edelbrock made a SBC version once.

Given I have to use the D50E cylinder heads, and I have to go pay to clean them up, the reman'd long blocks sound appealing.

As for building the engine. My block "looks" ok, as does the crank. The block will need to be bored, honed, decked, cleaned, camshaft bearings replaced (lip on rear camshaft bearing). This makes those $750 Summit Racing 347 blocks look good (I'd build as 302,304,306).

Then again, what's the point with D50E heads? :)

I think the prudent choice atm is to find a lowish mile used 5.0 to use the short block assembly from. Check the bores & rod/main bearings. Then bolt my head/intake to that. That way I get a one piece rear main seal & a roller cam - a usable solution with minimal downtime.

A few hundred for the used engine, few hundred to R&R my cylinder heads, few hundred in gaskets & materials...perhaps those $2k blueprint short blocks are the way to go. ;) Scratch the Blueprint short block, looks like it's $2.5k...may as well get a CHP short block for $2.25k (would be $3k after options + tax). CHP appears to be more reputable...
 
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