Reviving an old Bronco

[RangerDanger]

Hey everyone. New to the forum, but I have been lurking for a couple years now. Just a quick introduction for the Bronco I'm working on. It's a 1976 Bronco Ranger w/ a 302 and a 3-speed automatic. My grandfather has had it for as long as I can remember and it was his daily driver until 2008. I've been wanting to get it back on the road for the past couple years, but just never found the time to. He passed away a few weeks ago, so I finally made time and pulled it out of his shed to get it up and going. Wouldn't you know it didn't take much of anything to get it started (new battery and a bit of carb cleaner).

Now the Bronco is in pretty rough shape, but is, for the most part, rust-free.

I was pretty excited when I got it fired up, however when I put it in reverse, nothing. Drive, same story. I've been doing research and have narrowed it down to a few things. The fluid was correct and surprisingly a nice bright red. The linkage was also connected.

From what I have read it's possibly the trans pump or clutches (ie a transmission rebuild) or more-likely an issue with the transfer case.

From what I can gather, there was no issue with the transmission when the Bronco was parked and my dad thought he one time had a similar issue with it. I'm not exactly sure how the J-shift is supposed to feel when it engages, but I really don't think it was engaging in any of the gears.

I tried pulling it backwards and trying to engage it which didn't work and I also jacked the rear axle off the ground to see of the wheels would move also with no results.

Anyone have any tips, tricks, or ideas? This isn't technically my Bronco, so I don't want to spend any big money on it.

Also, I will post up some pics later.

Thanks for any help and for reading my long banter.

 

[Viperwolf1]

The J-shifter is well known for its vagueness. It sounds like the tcase could be in neutral. You need to play with it a little. You could try low range but make sure it has brakes first.

 

[RangerDanger]

That's what I am thinking. I just really want to be sure the transmission is ok. Whenever I put the shifter to 2H (the most obvious tcase gear) it would go to a certain point, but I never felt a click or heard a grind which leads me to believe it wasn't going into gear.

Also here is the only pic I have on my phone, the rest are on my computer at home.

 

[RangerDanger]

Had one more on my phone:

 

[half cab]

Put the trans in Neutral and try to put the T-case in gear.I know if I get mine in a bind you have to pull out all the stops sometimes....rock,wiggle and jam


BTW welcome to the site....

 

[RangerDanger]

Thanks for the welcome. Unfortunately I will most likely not be able to work on the Bronco again until May, but I want to make sure I've done my research beforehand.

Also, pics as promised. They aren't very good because they were more of an afterthought. I was more focused on getting it up and running than taking pictures.

Heres one right after it was pulled out. You can see how dirty it was from 5 years of sitting:

Here it is next to my 2001 Expedition (I like to think of it as its great-great-great grandson):

And here are some shots of the interior:

As you can see, it definitely needs some cosmetic work. If it were mine, I would do a full frame off resto. But for now I'm probably just going to get some new rims and 32s, that is if I can get it going. It definitely has some potential.

 

[Chief Master Sergeant]

Are you going to end up with it?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[RangerDanger]

At this point I'm not really sure but if I don't do anything with it, it's just going to continue to sit for a while because no one else really cares about using it, but they did recently find out how much it is worth.

 

[rastiss]

Its funny how $ can spur interest in family, especially if they have a chance to get some of it.

 

[Fireball05]

How much do they think it's worth? No offense, but it needs a decent amount of work, and it hasn't run in 5 years! So unless you put in a lot of sweat equity, it isn't worth all that much.

 

[El Kabong]

If you haven't yet, you should clearly express your interest in bringing it home before some stranger walks up with cash in hand. We've all heard the sad stories of the special one that was sold out of the family because someone thought no one really wanted it. And sometimes the incredible expense of getting it back.

There is something special about your grandfather's vehicle. I had my Grandpa's F250 as a DD for several years, & my son has it today. Don't let it get away. Cool bronco, btw.

Just to be sure, you did check the trans fluid with the engine running & the trans in park? I know it's basic to most, but sometimes a guy will check with the engine off & it will look full when it's low.

 

[red hot71]

I think all I would do is a lot of elbow grease, that bronco is a fine example of original. It looks like it spent most of its life in a garage.

The tops drip rail is in nice shape, the floor looks promising. The only thing inside looks to be the driver seat.

When it comes to reviving. The fuel system from the tanks to the carburetor, and the brakes are always a first starting point.