66 U13 Restomod - Build Thread - Looking for YOUR input

[Sendero]

Hello,

I am in the process of performing a frame off custom build of my '66 Bronco and yes that is me in profile picture in the late 90s as a kid "working" on the hunting rig. It was torn apart 15 years ago and is finally going back together. FYI, I am just a normal guy in Central Texas with a business, a young family, and a two car garage. I have been active on here for a while and some of you may have seen my posts. I am at a point in my build where I have quite a few questions and am looking for input on part selection, methods, advice etc. Feel free to chime in on any part of this post as all input is welcome. I am building a mostly street bronco with some light offroad use from time to time, hoping to take it over the rockies at some point. The plan is to have a full sized hard top, AC, 4 wheel power disc, power steering, power windows, EFI etc. Below is a list of what has been done so far with some pictures and then a list will follow with all of my questions. Thanks for your time and support from the classicbroncos community.

Completed so far:
- Frame has been repaired, straightened, and powder coated
- V6 motor saddles were swapped out for v8 ones
- I have installed the entire James Duff 2.5" Duck Tuff suspension with torque tamer
- I plan to install a 1" body lift
- I built the ford 9" rear end with 4:11s, eaton true tracs, and wild horses disc brakes.
- I had a dana 44 front axle built with disc brakes and 4:11 tru tracs, got rid of the dana 30 mine came with.
- I have a TBP steering box on order
- The tub/body is at a body shop undergoing mild/moderate rust repairs and all new fenders, quarters, hood, and grill are on order from dennis carpenter.
- I have a blueprint 347 stroker long block on order as well as an edelbrock pro flo 4 fuel injection system.
- I have installed the Wild horse M1A1 stainless tank along with stainless braided fuel lines
- I have also installed stainless brake lines
- I ordered method racing standard 301s and plan to put some roller tires on them in the meantime
- My dana 20 will be dropped off to a gear shop soon to be rebuilt.
- I plan to order a complete Ax-15 conversion kit from either WH or JBG
- Once the motor and transmission arrive (around march), I will install the drivetrain and take it to the nearly complete body for paint and body to be completed.

Below are my questions moving forward:
- What is the best wiring harness? Painless appears to be pretty popular so that is the current plan. I plan to run it inside the fenders to reduce wires in the engine bay (Does that make sense?). I want the fuse box to have space/support a winch, stereo, vintage air, power windows and amp steps.
- What about all of the switches on the dashboard? Mine are original and need to be replaced. Does anyone sell a complete kit for the restomod I am building? I know the vintage air kit will take care of the AC knobs but what about the rest?
- What is the best billet/chrome steering column? I am going with a floor shifted manual ax15
- I plan to go with a hydroboost system. Looking at the moab 2 or maybe duff generic one. Thoughts?
- Will my factory clutch and pedal assembly work or do I need to order a new one? Reminder I am switching from a factor straight 6 to blueprint 347 with fuel injection.
- My dana 20 will be rebuilt soon. Is it worth upgrading the output assembly to heavy duty, looks like WH sells a kit. It is expensive and I am not building a crawler or anything. However, it will be 400 hp. Seems like as long as I don't put it under a full load pulling something heavy or crawling it wont be a problem. Reminder I am not going with any tire size larger than 35's. Probably closer to 295/70/17s
- Is the twin stick upgrade actually useful? I can't think of a scenario where independently controlling the front from the rear would be helpful on or offroad. Am I missing something?
- I am looking at the vintage air front drive but man it is expensive. If I want an explorer what is the best way to go about it? Order the bracket kit from a guy on the forums and then just order the components individually? A kit sure seems convenient.
- Best windshield wiper motors and mechanism?
- Has anyone tried TBP seats? They seemed to be well priced. Any other recommendations on seats? I don't need heat or power but want to make sure it is adjustable and comfortable. I like the stitched leather look but they are really pricy, worth it? Other options?
- What is the best option for adding a decent stereo system to the bronco. Do I need to get door panels that support speakers as well as rear side panels? I plan to carpet the floor but wasn't sure what I should do with the insides of the tub walls aside from bedliner.
- Should I powdercoat the roll bar or should the paint guy just paint it? Anyone had bad luck with painted roll bars getting scratched up? Going with a full sized kincer or protofab
- Which electric radiator setup is the best? I am either going with a vintage air front runner or explorer setup. Trying to minimize space and maximize cooling.
- At this point, I am kind if regretting not going with 4:56 gears so I can more comfortably run 35's. I am not wanting to change the gearing at this point so I am leaning toward 33's. However, I do not like 15 x 10 wheels and want to go with 17 x 9s. Should I run 35's anyway with the the AX15 and 400hp without problems or should I stick to something closer to 33's, such as 295/70s or 305/70s. 285/70s on 17's don't look big enough in my opinion.
- Did I run my brake lines and fuel lines in an acceptable manor? I put the brake lines higher than original to give me room on the frame rail to run the supply and return fuel lines. Ran them over the transmission/transfer case crossmember? Seems the body mounts with a 1" body lift will allow for clearance.
- Do I need to install a charcoal canister to the vent line instead of capping it off like I did? Seems some may complain about raw fuel smell.
- Should I order driveshafts now or should I wait until it is all together and take measurements before ordering? Tom Woods?
- Seems like no one is painting the TBP impact bumpers but I would like to so they color match the body. Is this a mistake?
- I plan to go with Sanderson shorty headers and would like no cats, an x-pipe, and flowmaster 50 series. Is there any sort of kit I should look at? I know magnaflow makes one but I don't like the fiberglass muffler sound. At this point, I am going to bolt the headers on and take it to an exhaust shop to have a custom exhaust built.
- It looks like my bump stops are going to smash the rear brake lines and u bolts for the rear sway bar. Think this will actually every become a problem?

Again, all input is welcome and I can handle criticism. This is my first time building anything from the ground up, much less an early bronco. Cheers! It is so nice having the support of this community, I have already learned so much from everyone else's posts.

- Colby

 

[Wild horse 75]

For the wiring Painless is good stuff. Used plenty of them in the past. Currently I’ve been using a lot of American Autowire. Either kit will include switches (if you get the painless one with them). Then you would just need to pick up knobs from any vendor.

I like the looks of the MOAB booster kit from WH and will probably use that on mine. Duff sells the Hydratech one. I’ve used several Hydratech ones and have zero complaints. The owner of Hydratech is very knowledgeable and really helpful when you have questions. Problem with them can be lead time. If Duff doesn’t have one in stock it could be 4 months.

Wait to order your driveshafts until you have all the weight on it. You need to measure where they will be at ride height. And on another note for that, Duff recommends not installing the front torque tamer mount until you have it at ride height. Hopefully you won’t run into any problems with that.

Your fuel lines look fine where they are. Might get a little tight around the tranny crossmember but even without a BL there should be enough room for those lines. Just make sure they don’t rub on the crossmember once it’s installed. If you have some extra length I would pull them over a bit and secure them to the top of the frame to prevent that.

The fuel tank needs to be vented. A charcoal canister is up to you. There’s a few other threads that go into why you may want one. But either way you will need a vent mounted up high with a rollover valve.

Paint or powder on the roll bars is a preference. If you’re trying to match the body paint you will probably want paint. If you’re going black powder is way more durable. Same goes for the bumpers.

The heavy duty output on the t-case will depend on wether you break it or not. Lol. It’s something that can be done after the fact. I’m doing one since I’m fully rebuilding the t-case and figure if there’s a stronger unit out there might as well remove any weak links I can.

 

[Sendero]

For the wiring Painless is good stuff. Used plenty of them in the past. Currently I’ve been using a lot of American Autowire. Either kit will include switches (if you get the painless one with them). Then you would just need to pick up knobs from any vendor.

I like the looks of the MOAB booster kit from WH and will probably use that on mine. Duff sells the Hydratech one. I’ve used several Hydratech ones and have zero complaints. The owner of Hydratech is very knowledgeable and really helpful when you have questions. Problem with them can be lead time. If Duff doesn’t have one in stock it could be 4 months.

Wait to order your driveshafts until you have all the weight on it. You need to measure where they will be at ride height. And on another note for that, Duff recommends not installing the front torque tamer mount until you have it at ride height. Hopefully you won’t run into any problems with that.

Your fuel lines look fine where they are. Might get a little tight around the tranny crossmember but even without a BL there should be enough room for those lines. Just make sure they don’t rub on the crossmember once it’s installed. If you have some extra length I would pull them over a bit and secure them to the top of the frame to prevent that.

The fuel tank needs to be vented. A charcoal canister is up to you. There’s a few other threads that go into why you may want one. But either way you will need a vent mounted up high with a rollover valve.

Paint or powder on the roll bars is a preference. If you’re trying to match the body paint you will probably want paint. If you’re going black powder is way more durable. Same goes for the bumpers.

The heavy duty output on the t-case will depend on wether you break it or not. Lol. It’s something that can be done after the fact. I’m doing one since I’m fully rebuilding the t-case and figure if there’s a stronger unit out there might as well remove any weak links I can.

Thanks for the response

- I spoke to Duff prior to installing the torque tamer and they told me I was fine to install the front crossmember now. They said the geometry will not change as much as you think once it is under weight. I am using the bolt on bracket for the rear and they said if I was doing a weld on then I would need to wait until it was under weight to weld on the bracket. I also slightly positioned it backward so it has a little room to rock forward just in case. The install manual says to make it vertical or leaning no more than 20 degrees forward. Mine is nearly vertical and I believe it will be in range once it is underweight. Great catch on your part though!

- The fuel tank situation is interesting because the M1A1 install manual says you can cap off the vent if you live in a state that does not require emissions. I assumed the other vent near the filler neck would be sufficient. Thanks to your input, I am thinking I will go ahead and run a vent line with a rollover valve just in case.

 

[Oldtimer]

Colby,
Looking forward to following this buid thread.
Judging by the red wagon in your garage, I hope you take pictures of your kids "working" on grandpa's hunting rig.

 

[Wild horse 75]

The vent by the filler is to vent while filling. If you run a vented cap then the extra vent is pointless. If you run a sealed cap then the vent by the filler isn’t actually a vent.

 

[Sendero]

Colby,
Looking forward to following this build thread.
Judging by the red wagon in your garage, I hope you take pictures of your kids "working" on grandpa's hunting rig.

Thanks for your appreciation for the sentimental portion of this thing. My oldest is 4 and she is already helping me wrench on it. Dad is cheering us on and I can't wait to hand him the keys after all these years.

 

[markw]

James the OP may not like your answers but I sure do! To the point!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Johnnyb]

I got Toms seats and didn't like them and subsequently ordered, Corbeau. The Corbeau brackets suck but the seats are pretty nice.

I am dealing with the stereo question myself right now and I believe I'm going to put my 2 meter radio in the tuffy console where the stereo would mount and buy a nice Bluetooth roll bar speaker which will interface with my telephone. If I really must listen to the radio, the 2 meter radio will actually tune in FM stations, but I don't think I would ever listen to music on FM anymore.

Good luck!

 

[Sendero]

I got Toms seats and didn't like them and subsequently ordered, Corbeau. The Corbeau brackets suck but the seats are pretty nice.

I am dealing with the stereo question myself right now and I believe I'm going to put my 2 meter radio in the tuffy console where the stereo would mount and buy a nice Bluetooth roll bar speaker which will interface with my telephone. If I really must listen to the radio, the 2 meter radio will actually tune in FM stations, but I don't think I would ever listen to music on FM anymore.

Good luck!

I am with you on the bluetooth thing. I am not planning on even installing an antenna on the rig!

 

[Wild horse 75]

Just looking over your pictures some more. You should probably put a few more clamps on the fuel lines. Every 12” is NHRA standard and seems to work really well at keeping everything exactly where you want it. Also just noticed you were using clamps on braided lines. Braided lines are designed to have hose end fittings. Clamps may work fine for now but they can never really clamp down fully due to the braiding. Would hate for you to do all this work and end up with some leaks trying to save a couple hundred bucks on fittings and hose ends.

 

[Sendero]

Just looking over your pictures some more. You should probably put a few more clamps on the fuel lines. Every 12” is NHRA standard and seems to work really well at keeping everything exactly where you want it. Also just noticed you were using clamps on braided lines. Braided lines are designed to have hose end fittings. Clamps may work fine for now but they can never really clamp down fully due to the braiding. Would hate for you to do all this work and end up with some leaks trying to save a couple hundred bucks on fittings and hose ends.

Appreciate the input. I bought a fuel delivery kit from wild horses and the hose clamps are supposedly high pressure clamps, they appear to pretty sturdy and you can get them really tight. Still a good thought and I’ll make sure and keep an eye on it once it is pressurized.

 

[wsager]

May want to avoid a chrome column. I’ve heard that they can really reflect the sun right into your eyes. Ididit direct fit sure look nice and I’ve never seen any complaints.

 

[Sendero]

Still looking for more input for the above posts. Appreciate all that I have received so far.

Method racing was running 15% off on all wheels so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on these 17x9s so I could have a roller. I got lucky and found these used 295/70/17 trail grapplers for $180 mounted. They are like 33.5" x 12" and I love the size. Wish they made them in load range C but I might end up going with these exact tires once I am finished with the build.

 

[ba123]

Hello,

I am in the process of performing a frame off custom build of my '66 Bronco and yes that is me in profile picture in the late 90s as a kid "working" on the hunting rig. It was torn apart 15 years ago and is finally going back together. FYI, I am just a normal guy in Central Texas with a business, a young family, and a two car garage. I have been active on here for a while and some of you may have seen my posts. I am at a point in my build where I have quite a few questions and am looking for input on part selection, methods, advice etc. Feel free to chime in on any part of this post as all input is welcome. I am building a mostly street bronco with some light offroad use from time to time, hoping to take it over the rockies at some point. The plan is to have a full sized hard top, AC, 4 wheel power disc, power steering, power windows, EFI etc. Below is a list of what has been done so far with some pictures and then a list will follow with all of my questions. Thanks for your time and support from the classicbroncos community.

Completed so far:
- Frame has been repaired, straightened, and powder coated
- V6 motor saddles were swapped out for v8 ones
- I have installed the entire James Duff 2.5" Duck Tuff suspension with torque tamer
- I plan to install a 1" body lift
- I built the ford 9" rear end with 4:11s, eaton true tracs, and wild horses disc brakes.
- I had a dana 44 front axle built with disc brakes and 4:11 tru tracs, got rid of the dana 30 mine came with.
- I have a TBP steering box on order
- The tub/body is at a body shop undergoing mild/moderate rust repairs and all new fenders, quarters, hood, and grill are on order from dennis carpenter.
- I have a blueprint 347 stroker long block on order as well as an edelbrock pro flo 4 fuel injection system.
- I have installed the Wild horse M1A1 stainless tank along with stainless braided fuel lines
- I have also installed stainless brake lines
- I ordered method racing standard 301s and plan to put some roller tires on them in the meantime
- My dana 20 will be dropped off to a gear shop soon to be rebuilt.
- I plan to order a complete Ax-15 conversion kit from either WH or JBG
- Once the motor and transmission arrive (around march), I will install the drivetrain and take it to the nearly complete body for paint and body to be completed.

Below are my questions moving forward:
- What is the best wiring harness? Painless appears to be pretty popular so that is the current plan. I plan to run it inside the fenders to reduce wires in the engine bay (Does that make sense?). I want the fuse box to have space/support a winch, stereo, vintage air, power windows and amp steps.
- What about all of the switches on the dashboard? Mine are original and need to be replaced. Does anyone sell a complete kit for the restomod I am building? I know the vintage air kit will take care of the AC knobs but what about the rest?
- What is the best billet/chrome steering column? I am going with a floor shifted manual ax15
- I plan to go with a hydroboost system. Looking at the moab 2 or maybe duff generic one. Thoughts?
- Will my factory clutch and pedal assembly work or do I need to order a new one? Reminder I am switching from a factor straight 6 to blueprint 347 with fuel injection.
- My dana 20 will be rebuilt soon. Is it worth upgrading the output assembly to heavy duty, looks like WH sells a kit. It is expensive and I am not building a crawler or anything. However, it will be 400 hp. Seems like as long as I don't put it under a full load pulling something heavy or crawling it wont be a problem. Reminder I am not going with any tire size larger than 35's. Probably closer to 295/70/17s
- Is the twin stick upgrade actually useful? I can't think of a scenario where independently controlling the front from the rear would be helpful on or offroad. Am I missing something?
- I am looking at the vintage air front drive but man it is expensive. If I want an explorer what is the best way to go about it? Order the bracket kit from a guy on the forums and then just order the components individually? A kit sure seems convenient.
- Best windshield wiper motors and mechanism?
- Has anyone tried TBP seats? They seemed to be well priced. Any other recommendations on seats? I don't need heat or power but want to make sure it is adjustable and comfortable. I like the stitched leather look but they are really pricy, worth it? Other options?
- What is the best option for adding a decent stereo system to the bronco. Do I need to get door panels that support speakers as well as rear side panels? I plan to carpet the floor but wasn't sure what I should do with the insides of the tub walls aside from bedliner.
- Should I powdercoat the roll bar or should the paint guy just paint it? Anyone had bad luck with painted roll bars getting scratched up? Going with a full sized kincer or protofab
- Which electric radiator setup is the best? I am either going with a vintage air front runner or explorer setup. Trying to minimize space and maximize cooling.
- At this point, I am kind if regretting not going with 4:56 gears so I can more comfortably run 35's. I am not wanting to change the gearing at this point so I am leaning toward 33's. However, I do not like 15 x 10 wheels and want to go with 17 x 9s. Should I run 35's anyway with the the AX15 and 400hp without problems or should I stick to something closer to 33's, such as 295/70s or 305/70s. 285/70s on 17's don't look big enough in my opinion.
- Did I run my brake lines and fuel lines in an acceptable manor? I put the brake lines higher than original to give me room on the frame rail to run the supply and return fuel lines. Ran them over the transmission/transfer case crossmember? Seems the body mounts with a 1" body lift will allow for clearance.
- Do I need to install a charcoal canister to the vent line instead of capping it off like I did? Seems some may complain about raw fuel smell.
- Should I order driveshafts now or should I wait until it is all together and take measurements before ordering? Tom Woods?
- Seems like no one is painting the TBP impact bumpers but I would like to so they color match the body. Is this a mistake?
- I plan to go with Sanderson shorty headers and would like no cats, an x-pipe, and flowmaster 50 series. Is there any sort of kit I should look at? I know magnaflow makes one but I don't like the fiberglass muffler sound. At this point, I am going to bolt the headers on and take it to an exhaust shop to have a custom exhaust built.
- It looks like my bump stops are going to smash the rear brake lines and u bolts for the rear sway bar. Think this will actually every become a problem?

Again, all input is welcome and I can handle criticism. This is my first time building anything from the ground up, much less an early bronco. Cheers! It is so nice having the support of this community, I have already learned so much from everyone else's posts.

- Colby

Holy Questions, Batman!

I just installed my Tom's Premium seats and I do like them. My thought also is that it's a fantastic setup and if I ever want anything different, I just need to get them redone. I looked at Corbeaus and know a lot of people that have had them and they are not a good platform/starting point and they do not last at all and everyone ends up getting different seats.

Go Explorer front. I think the Explorer front is about 5" or less deep (I just tried to measure) and the VA front is 6.83". Also, more choices on components.
I'm happy so far with my WH Moab Hydroboost, just make sure you're prepared to do it right and read my thread and others before you do it. Do you have room? Does a 347 take more room than a 302? No, it doesn't, but I don't know if the '66 is set up any differently than a later version. Stock brake pedal should work fine, ask WH when you order.

4.11 might not make you happy but if you just did it, you might as well try it and see how much you don't like it. Just do the rear until you know you're happy and don't connect or order the front driveshaft. And on that, I ordered custom directly from Tom Woods and it came QUICKLY, so WAIT!

I thought about painting my bumpers but (A) that never seems to look right on an EB and (B) powder coat will last.

For exhaust, it would be easiest to just get the DUff system and then if you don't like that do something different. Unless you have an exhaust shop you know will do better and not be outrageous. An X pipe is tough on a Bronco. An H pipe maybe. Only thing I didn't like about the Duff sys is the crossover and my AOD but I'd still buy it again. I can always have a shop make a new piece for that and I get an idea of what I want.

 

[Double66]

I have the TBP seats in my 72. The only complaint I have is seat to dash clearance when tilting the passenger seat forward to get in the back. The rear seat is way better than the stock especially with the flip up option. I still prefer the comfort of the original seats in my roadster.

I powder coated a lot of parts on the 72 and the only setback with powder coat over just spray paint is if it gets chipped it's harder to match the thickness of the paint where as the spray paint is more forgiving and easier to touch up.

If you still have the stock windshield frame and removed the vacuum wipers I used the TBP electric wiper motor conversion kit on the 68. They still maintain that cool look without having the big motor on top with all the linkages.

 

[Sendero]

Holy Questions, Batman!

I just installed my Tom's Premium seats and I do like them. My thought also is that it's a fantastic setup and if I ever want anything different, I just need to get them redone. I looked at Corbeaus and know a lot of people that have had them and they are not a good platform/starting point and they do not last at all and everyone ends up getting different seats.

Go Explorer front. I think the Explorer front is about 5" or less deep (I just tried to measure) and the VA front is 6.83". Also, more choices on components.
I'm happy so far with my WH Moab Hydroboost, just make sure you're prepared to do it right and read my thread and others before you do it. Do you have room? Does a 347 take more room than a 302? No, it doesn't, but I don't know if the '66 is set up any differently than a later version. Stock brake pedal should work fine, ask WH when you order.

4.11 might not make you happy but if you just did it, you might as well try it and see how much you don't like it. Just do the rear until you know you're happy and don't connect or order the front driveshaft. And on that, I ordered custom directly from Tom Woods and it came QUICKLY, so WAIT!

I thought about painting my bumpers but (A) that never seems to look right on an EB and (B) powder coat will last.

For exhaust, it would be easiest to just get the DUff system and then if you don't like that do something different. Unless you have an exhaust shop you know will do better and not be outrageous. An X pipe is tough on a Bronco. An H pipe maybe. Only thing I didn't like about the Duff sys is the crossover and my AOD but I'd still buy it again. I can always have a shop make a new piece for that and I get an idea of what I want.

Thanks for the response, good stuff!

 

[Sendero]

I have the TBP seats in my 72. The only complaint I have is seat to dash clearance when tilting the passenger seat forward to get in the back. The rear seat is way better than the stock especially with the flip up option. I still prefer the comfort of the original seats in my roadster.

I powder coated a lot of parts on the 72 and the only setback with powder coat over just spray paint is if it gets chipped it's harder to match the thickness of the paint where as the spray paint is more forgiving and easier to touch up.

If you still have the stock windshield frame and removed the vacuum wipers I used the TBP electric wiper motor conversion kit on the 68. They still maintain that cool look without having the big motor on top with all the linkages.

Thanks for the input. I currently have no windshield wipers or mechanism or anything as have childhood memories of hanging out the window and using a squeegee to clean the windshield while dad drove. I do still have the stock windshield frame which is useable. Would this retrofit kit work or do I need parts from the original setup?