To my wife's dismay I made an impulse purchase last week. It just so happened to be the night of some of the worst storms Virginia has seen in many years. My timing couldn't have been better! Now we had no power, screaming kids, 103 degree days, and I had to figure out how to get this home.
I live outside of Charlottesville, VA in Crozet. This beauty was in Pearisburg, VA about 2.5hrs away. Without a top, title, or decent steering box I couldn't drive it home, so I had to borrow my buddies truck and rent a trailer from U-Haul.
After a stressful day I finally got her home.
I hesitated in even calling this a build thread. The truck is in great shape for the most part so I cheated a little (a LOT). My last Bronco was a '69 and not nearly as pretty. I decided this time around I would start with a Bronco that WASN'T bought for $1500 at an auction with no brakes or steering!
Fortunately I have brakes now, but the steering leaves a LOT to be desired. The previous owner told me it needs an alignment or a steering box and it will be perfect. I'm worried it needs an alignment AND a steering box and something even more, but we'll see. That's just how these things tend to go for me.
The guy I bought this from told me about this site and I decided to register and start this thread because I think forums like these are one of the best things about the internet. I'm hoping to get tons of advice from people a lot smarter than me as I set out to make this the most perfect Bronco I can.
Here's my plan (in some order, but who knows how it'll work out):
1. get the title...truck came from GA with a bill-of-sale but registration or title so now DMV in Richmond needs to sign off on all paperwork before I can even get plates...could take weeks. Great start!
2. I bought a 6-point roll cage, in pieces, with the truck. No spec sheet on the cage or plans of any kind. Need to figure out how it's supposed to go together (not clear at all), and then have it welded and painted...probably white.
3. Get some sort of soft top so I don't have to worry about getting around only on nice days.
4. Get a hard top fixed up near-perfect and painted...probably white. I'm in the market for this and am willing to spend on the right top.
5. Get the steering issues addressed and fixed. I plan on going with the best steering box option I can find to make the steering rock solid and smooth.
6. Boost power. The engine has less than 500 miles on a rebuild of the original 302. It starts and run well and quiet. I'd like to supe this up significantly without any short or long term detriment to the engine. Any suggestions on ways to do this are welcome!
7. Install some sort of stereo.
8. Fix the little naggy things like sticky/hard to use knobs, hard to open doors, rattles in vent windows, misaligned windshield wipers, paint overspray, etc.
9. Install rock rails.
10. Install one of those AC kits...honestly I'll probably have to redo the whole HVAC system...it seems to work, but barely.
11. And then of course whatever else comes up along the way.
I'd like to get this truck to a condition of being worthy of a daily driver. I want it nice and solid. I'd love to take it off road, but not destroy it like I did my '69! I'm a bit older and smarter now. Just a bit.
I look forward to getting to know you guys and hope to learn a lot!
I live outside of Charlottesville, VA in Crozet. This beauty was in Pearisburg, VA about 2.5hrs away. Without a top, title, or decent steering box I couldn't drive it home, so I had to borrow my buddies truck and rent a trailer from U-Haul.
After a stressful day I finally got her home.
I hesitated in even calling this a build thread. The truck is in great shape for the most part so I cheated a little (a LOT). My last Bronco was a '69 and not nearly as pretty. I decided this time around I would start with a Bronco that WASN'T bought for $1500 at an auction with no brakes or steering!
Fortunately I have brakes now, but the steering leaves a LOT to be desired. The previous owner told me it needs an alignment or a steering box and it will be perfect. I'm worried it needs an alignment AND a steering box and something even more, but we'll see. That's just how these things tend to go for me.
The guy I bought this from told me about this site and I decided to register and start this thread because I think forums like these are one of the best things about the internet. I'm hoping to get tons of advice from people a lot smarter than me as I set out to make this the most perfect Bronco I can.
Here's my plan (in some order, but who knows how it'll work out):
1. get the title...truck came from GA with a bill-of-sale but registration or title so now DMV in Richmond needs to sign off on all paperwork before I can even get plates...could take weeks. Great start!
2. I bought a 6-point roll cage, in pieces, with the truck. No spec sheet on the cage or plans of any kind. Need to figure out how it's supposed to go together (not clear at all), and then have it welded and painted...probably white.
3. Get some sort of soft top so I don't have to worry about getting around only on nice days.
4. Get a hard top fixed up near-perfect and painted...probably white. I'm in the market for this and am willing to spend on the right top.
5. Get the steering issues addressed and fixed. I plan on going with the best steering box option I can find to make the steering rock solid and smooth.
6. Boost power. The engine has less than 500 miles on a rebuild of the original 302. It starts and run well and quiet. I'd like to supe this up significantly without any short or long term detriment to the engine. Any suggestions on ways to do this are welcome!
7. Install some sort of stereo.
8. Fix the little naggy things like sticky/hard to use knobs, hard to open doors, rattles in vent windows, misaligned windshield wipers, paint overspray, etc.
9. Install rock rails.
10. Install one of those AC kits...honestly I'll probably have to redo the whole HVAC system...it seems to work, but barely.
11. And then of course whatever else comes up along the way.
I'd like to get this truck to a condition of being worthy of a daily driver. I want it nice and solid. I'd love to take it off road, but not destroy it like I did my '69! I'm a bit older and smarter now. Just a bit.
I look forward to getting to know you guys and hope to learn a lot!
