71 Bronco Build

I bought my 71 about a year or so ago and have been slowly fixing little things but I have decided to fully tear it apart and give it some proper attention. My build plan is as follows:

Tear down to see what I have to work with, the rust isn't terrible from what I can see, but i'm sure that will change.

Separate the body from the frame and clean and paint them both. Not sure what lift i'm working with right now, it looks to have a 1 inch body lift, but I am not sure what the suspension is at.

Eventually I want to get a half-cab and I will restore the uncut rear fenders.

I plan on upgrading to a 5-spd at some point when money allows.

I will be taking my time on this one since I have not ever done this kind of work before and as money allows. Anyways, I'm in the Austin area if anyone whats to chat, I just moved here a year ago and haven't met many people yet. I could use some help most likely when the time comes to separate the body from the frame. Here are some pictures to show what I'm starting with. The doors are really beat up and I already got a new set from bk005.

Looks like an excellent start. Keep us updated!

BTW, if you measure from the top of the front axle to the bottom of the frame rail, it was around 7" stock. So whatever you have minus the 7" will be your approximate suspension lift.

Very solid looking Bronco. Are you going to keep it the same color. That shade of green looks good. Good luck with your project.

Thanks guys, i'll measure it up tomorrow and see where its at. Over the next couple of weeks i'm gonna be getting my garage ready and getting some tools together and finishing planning out the build. I'm not gonna go with the green color, i've never been to much of a fan of it. I'm undecided on the final color but I'm thinking white with black trim but that could change.

Yep looks like a nice one to start with, good luck with the build.

Welcome to the jungle! Looks like you have a good platform to start with. We'll be here for ya. I'm in the Waco area, always looking for an opportunity to cruise to the big city, so let me know if you need anything!
Chuck

Take a deep breath, it's a deep plunge.
Post pics we all like to watch these things get rebuilt.

I had a bit of a slow start. I was busy with work and then I had some family stuff come up so I was out of town for over a week. So I haven't had time to do much but tonight i got both fenders off and the grill.

The inner fenders were destroyed (I already knew as I could see it from the engine compartment). There was a nice coffee can repair panel too!

I knew the truck had bondo on it already but there was more than I expected. The grill had some dents in it covered by bondo. I hope its repairable as I do not want to buy a new grill. I'd also like to get new front fenders, they are in pretty bad shape and I think it may just be easier to get new ones then spend the time and money trying to get my back in shape.

I was hopeful that the door posts wouldn't be rusted but I was proven wrong. Its not terrible but I was curious if I should try to patch them or should i just get new ones?

Also any good ideas on a good way to remove the hood? I'll have to find someone to come help me but I was curious on how you guys do it since its so heavy. Thanks alot.

There is some issues on the top of the cowl but hopefully will be an easy fix. I plan on repairing the front clip area then moving on to the rockers and rear quarters. Im still looking at which welder to buy and I dont have a 220 outlet in the garage. Im really contemplating on having one put in so I can get a 220 welder. I plan on using it to repair sheet metal and putting a cage together. What do you guys think?

Keenan