"ARMY GREEN" EB Build

I'm going to try to document the 2.5 week buildup of my EB.

I'm not military, but this rig was used on Elmendorf AFB, AK for most of it's life.

Here it is with all the accumulated parts pulled out. The top was easy to take off. When I was towing it to the new house, the top blew off onto the road. Should have made sure there were a few bolts in there... suprising that the only damage were a couple of crumpled corners.

Love the color, are you keeping it the same?

i love it.did you buy it from a surplus auction.tell us a lil more about it!

Yes I am! If there wasn't so much weathering of the top portions, I would have run it with the patina.



This rig is really solid, with the exception of the floorboards I haven't found ANY rust on it.

You can see from this picture, the original inner fenders were cut out, requiring me to reinstall a new pair.




Since this was a 6 cylinder originally, I had to cut open the radiator support and install the V8 radiator mounting hardware. I also made up a couple of opening supports much like the factory did.




Last year I did some swapping of running gear and now it sports a 76 vintage Dana 44, large bearing 9, P/S, PB and of course the correct engine mounts.

I purchased the Bronco in July of 2007. I was driving home when I saw someone pushing an EB into the corner of their lot. I turned around and questioned him about it. He was selling it at a garage sale the next day. After checking out the condition of it (no drivetrain and sitting on 6" metal bodylift pucks) I plunked down $1000 for it and towed it to work that evening. It was a secret from my wife for a few days, but when she pulled into my work later, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who it belonged to. :-[

That made 3 broncos in the yard, 2 metropolitans and a 66 fastback that were all going to be restored at some point.

As I found her:



I now have an "agreement" to get the next 2 weeks to have it finished,minus body and paint.

To this point I have gotten finished:
Front Dana 44 rebuilt with an Eaton E-locker, 4.88 gears and yukon shafts
with superjoints. (Semigloss right before the install)



Rear axle housing cleaned up and painted, 3rd member with a detroit and 4.88gears installed. I just need to install the housing, member, shafts and assemble the brake system.



The engine compartment has been cleaned, and POR15 rust preventer applied. I almost had a heart attack when the paint came out glossy. I am told that the chassis black topcoat will not be glossy. That's allright with me!



My list of things to do in the next 12 days:

*Install new cylinder heads on the 5.0 (original ones scavanged for another build) The new ones are 70 351W, with performance springs and valvejob. I kept the valves 1.94/1.60 to keep torque up.

*Install engine, wire fuel injection (factory EFI)

*Install AOD adapter, rebuild Dana 20, fabricate crossmember

*Install new floorboards

*Remove dash, do the glovebox move mod and paint.

*Build 6pt cage. I already have the design, and bender (plus those cool little notch pattern makers from www.pipemastertools.com.

*Build front and rear tube bumpers and tire carrier.

* clearance rear crossmember for EFI fuel tank clearance and plumb fuel system.

*Build shock hoops front and rear.

*Install new fender, perfect used grille and tailgate assembly (mine have dings and such)

I have the springs, hoses, cables, bumpstops, shocks, driveshafts and almost everything else to finish it, except the windshield.

My brother (welder fabricator) comes into town for 6 days to help and the rest of the guys from frozenaxles.com will be putting time in as well. Can it be done? About to find out!

That's cool, a veteran EB. After you get it done give us some more details on it. Now get to work.

Sweet! Looking forward to watching this one.

That's a sweet rig. Can't wait to see it finished.

Chris

I haven't seen you posted up on the Alaska website recently. When are you going to let me take a look at it in person?

Chuck

I've been busy with my new club, selling my old house, work and the likes. Come on up anytime in the next 2 weeks!

Tonight I put the POR15 topcoat onto the front frame and engine compartment. It looks MUCH better semi-flat black than that gloss. I also removed the exhaust, brake, fuel and wiring that runs down the frame in preparation for cleaning the rest of the frame.

Tomorrow's projects:

Cut out 2"x2" rectangle in rear crossmember to fit 23gal EFI tank up against the body. Invert and reweld it back into crossmember to fill gap.

Remove rear shock mounts, springs and shackles. Press in new bushings into shackles.

POR15 prep and topcoat the last 2/3rds of the frame.

Install new 3 1/2" springs, 31 spline HD axle shafts, 3rd member (detroit with 4.88s), new lengthened brake hose and e-brake cables and new brake shoes, cylinders and hardware.

Install bumpstops.

Install Fuel tank.

I better put the new rear tires and wheels on to see what it looks like as well.

Pick up my brother at Midnight. BS and start again Saturday morning.

Now that's and ambitious build. Wish I could devote that much time in row to a project.

I was jamming right along, then WHAM! After wearing safety glasses under my faceshield, I was washing the layer of black off my face when I wiped something into my eye. 5 hours down the drain as I went off to the clinic to get it removed....

I did get the crossmember cut and welded up, the old radius arm mounts and rear shocks removed, the rest of the frame painted, the core support clearanced for the gearbox and the lower radiator mounts clamped on to be welded. I ATTEMPTED to remove the shackle bushings on the press, but due to the design, I couldn't get a straight press on them and was only able to get one to pop loose, but not out.

Tomorrow: burn out the bushings with the torch, install springs, rear axle and brake assemblies. Install long arms and front suspension. My brother will be in tonight, so I will get him on the floorboards and the start of the cage tomorrow. Hopefully my eye feels better tomorrow.

Are you here in Anchorage? What the new club?

Looks good man!! Cant wait to se the progress over the next couple weeks!!

We made some good progress this weekend, but was hampered by a National Gaurd drill weekend and the flu. With the extra help down, My brother and I tackled what we could. We first moved the tranny, engine and tubing to the new house (along with a couple of chores from the wife) that took the first half of the day Saturday.

The bushings that came with my rear springs were not even close to an interference fit, which required me removing the polys off of my parts bronco. 4 hours outside in the snow to swap them out to get me where 5 minutes with the correct bushings would have. %)

Installed the cage arms, and the rest of the front suspension, just need to install the brake calipers, jack up the front and install the new MTRs.



The rear third member had some dirt get knocked into it, so I'll be pulling it apart today, cleaning it back up and finishing up the rear axle tonight as well. If all goes well Army Green should be standing on its tires tonight.



Kevin got the floorboards cut out and the new ones trimmed and tacked in. They just need to be finish welded so that we can move onto the cage. Here the floor is getting trimmed.



I notched out the rear crossmember to fit the 23 gal WH EFI tank.

Yesterday and today were my "day's off" of the project, but that didn't stop me from sneaking in and installing the brake calipers, wheels. Tonight I'll install the rear brake assemblies and axleshafts, install the tires and clean the shop in anticipation of a real build day (going on thru Monday). So much to do.....

Wow!! That puts me to shame for taking 3 years to get my bronco to about the same point you got in 6 days!! What to come down to Maryland to wrap up the two broncos I am building? It would only take you 3 days!

I wish I could say my momentum stayed, but I spent 3-4 hours trying to get the hydraulics on my tubing bender to work, then 3 hours running around collecting the metal for the front/rear bumpers, and then a long easy afternoon with my brother before he left tonight.

I did manage to get the steering linkage cleaned up, the D20 cleaned up so I can pull it apart and inspect/reseal and cleaned up the garage in preparation of pulling the shrink wrap off the shortblock. As the hydraulic cylinder won't be ready until Monday, I'm going to refocus on the mechanicals, since it is pretty much a straightforward process for a while, then I'll jump back on the bumpers.

Tomorrow: Cylinder heads onto shortblock, verify correct pushrod length and hopefully install the valvecovers and install the engine. Install the AOD adapter (if I don't have to pull the tranny completely apart to get to the output shaft) and reseal the tcase. Then I can install those parts along with the headers Saturday or Sunday when help arrives. I doubt that I can come up with the correct leverage to install the whole assembly as one unit, so the engine, then the tranny/tcase from the bottom I suppose.

Well the build is ongoing, but numerous issues forced a slowdown. A 8pm quitting time so my Daughter could sleep, the hydraulic bender still is inop with the cylinder rebuild (pump is being rebuilt now). The good news is the Dana 20 is built and ready for paint, the next WH order is enroute, the bumpers are just about completed (minus the tubing work), the dash has been cut up and is in the process of being stiched back together.

Some not so recent pics, but some views of the progress...

nice build....looking sweet. like the bumper too,Chuck