Build/Refresh Thread: 73 mild custom

[Scott McKelvey]

I'm 48, my first car was a non-running '67 that I bought for a few 100 bucks off a farm in the dead of winter in December of '91, and had for a few months before we realized it was not w/in reason for a 15yo to make it road worthy. Then a '69 (351w, 3spd, 33s, 2-tops, stock gears, decent body) in the summer of '92 which I kept and drove all over the country until 2006 when i got married and had kids. I had another '74 sometime in the middle.

I dabble in pre-65 Harley builds and restorations, and an occasional interesting vehicle (31 Ford pickup, 66 El Camino, 78 Wagoneer, '56 Chevy Handyman wagon, 78 CJ-5)

Fast forward to now, I didn't feel good about it (on account of the current prices), but I finally pulled the trigger on a '73. I flew from Baltimore MD to Nashville TN and drove it home. While I can say that I drove it home w/o any real issues, as promised, the truck has ALOT of issues. Either the previous owner and I have differing opinions about what's important to disclose, or........................ Bottom line, I'd say it does have a good deal of good parts, but it looks alot nicer than it is, at least if you're like me and you really expect to daily drive a 50 year old vehicle. Not sure where I'll go with this yet, but I like documenting things.

• 351w, Holley Carb, MSD 6AL and distributor, headers and 2.5" exhaust w/ flowmasters
• C4, B&M finned cover
• 9" w/ currie axles, LSD, disk brakes, some kind of Limited Slip, and 4.56:1 gears
• D44, open, GM disk brake conversion, 4.56:1 gears
• Full cage, Duff rear bumper
• Nice stereo
• Raptor lined interior (odd color choice), but over sheet metal replacement floors (over top of stock floors......., why?)
• New Tom's leather seats, seat belts, Tuffy console
• LED lights all around, including H4 replacement headlights.
• 4x4x2 steering box+bracket
• new 3.5 lift with Deavers coils and Tom's 11-leaf springs, Bilstein shocks
• Mickey Thompson 17x9 faux beadlocks w/ 35" BFG KO2s
• working dual tanks

To Date, I've:

• fixed the wipers before I even left Nashville, b/c I had rain for 600 miles
• recovered the center console arm pad.

My CJ-5 has a 3.5" lift and 33s and looks TINY in comparison.

 

[1969]

Nice Bronco! You look like you’re off to a good start with some nice parts already on it. What dont you like about it? What do you think it needs?

 

[Shimmy]

also curious what you'd change or plan to change. its always fun to make it your own. i few years ago i was searching far and wide for those faux MT beadlocks

 

[Yeller]

Nice bronco! Looking forward to what you do to make it yours.

 

[Scoop]

Yes, pics look nice! But understand that a lot of issues can be hidden. Sounds like you need to dial it in to meet your needs/wants. Looks like a good starting point.

 

[raleigh_bronco]

On the positive side this Bronco appears to be a nice ride and will look great throughout your list of repairs and upgrades. I started with rusted out rockers, floors, doors, etc... and it was seriously fugly!
Good luck with your resto.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

You asked what issues I see, (like I said, I started w/ these in 1991, so this isn't my first rodeo. no bronco puns intended), well here's my short list:

1. Rust (this is pandora's box, so these will be calculated decisions).
   1. entire front edge of the hard top is split from the rain gutter. Someone ran a bead of silicone over it, but it leaks like a sieve. Right now I plan to just get a soft top on it and then assess the situation.
   2. Rockers are not in good shape, but I already have Rock Skis with nerfs anyways, so I'll probably trim the rockers, mount the skis,
   3. Door posts and firewall corners. But that's where it's tricky, b/c if I'm going to do Door Posts, I might as well re-do the rockers....
   4. floorboards look fine b/c they welded in plate floors and had everything raptor lined (which I wanted), BUT they left all of remnants of the old floorboards intact underneath. So it looks sloppy from below, and leaves places for water/rust between the old+new floorboards
   5. top lip of passenger fender.
   6. bottom of windshield is bubbling, so I'm sure there's more underneath.
2. Engine&trans
   1. temp gauge isn't reading right.
   2. I'm not one to stress over weeps and small leaks, but oil is excessive. Per PO's suggestion I checked oil each gas stop on the way home, and I was close to a 1/2qt for each tank of gas. start with rocker covers, but it looks like the manifold and maybe timing cover leak quite a bit
   3. trans or engine needs to fine tuning on the low end. But I know the brake booster is leaking, so I'm not adjusting anything until I get the booster replaced (waiting on part).
   4. It came with a new Sniper EFI kit, which I planned to install. But I'm second guessing that now b/c it really runs well, and I'm not convinced the EFI provides much in the way of mpg gains over a properly tuned carb.
3. Drivetrain
   1. Another thing I didn't find out about until I flew in, was a "slight vibration" that starts at 45mph and mysteriously started a couple months prior. 800 miles of that was brutal. Apparently the u-joint straps fell off of a brand new Tom Woods rear driveshaft, which also hits the mufflers. So basically I have to have the driveshaft straightened and cross my fingers.
   2. the 4.56 gears and 35's put me at ~2700 RPM at 60MPH. Rather than throw 1000's into a transmission swap for now, I'm going to go to 37's and hopefully get rid of those faux beadlocks at the same time (I lean towards the traditional style).
   3. I generally run lunchbox locker in the front (if there's not already a selectable locker or Limited slip).
4. Aesthetics and housekeeping
   1. I'm not a show truck guy, but I like a well kept engine bay and undercarriage. That is not the case here.
   2. misc. rattles and squeaks abound
   3. front bumper+winch
   4. There's remnants of huge /thick brackets for nerf bars and other 80's K bar S accoutrements welded to the frame. All of that needs to be carefully cut off.
   5. i'll be listing the billet steering wheel and sleeve for trade in the classifieds (again, too modern for my taste)
   6. Storage, preferably lockable, including a left side swing away for the Duff bumper.

 

[Scoop]

Good list! Agree, the rust is the big and unknown issue.

 

[ep67bro]

Well thats a heck of a list and considering how it looks in the pictures that is too bad you have so much to do. This place is a great source of knowledge and parts. Even a seasoned bronco owner can get a lot from this site.

Enjoy the ride and good luck with all the projects!

 

[Scott McKelvey]

Well thats a heck of a list and considering how it looks in the pictures that is too bad you have so much to do. This place is a great source of knowledge and parts. Even a seasoned bronco owner can get a lot from this site.

Enjoy the ride and good luck with all the projects!

yeah, i kinda got screwed. The PO was not forthcoming at all. That said, I don't think he was real mechanical either, so alot stuff he probably just didn't know. At that point I would have dropped $1200 on airfare for nothing, and I'd been shopping long enough to know that someone would have scooped it up for his asking price anyways, which means that I would have been back in the same boat (I blame the bronco-bubble on the flippers who do nothing but inflate costs by buying site unseen, shipping around the country and then just tacking on extra $ to the sale price to try to make a buck. But hey I needed something to tinker with, i just didn't want so many big items.

Today re-riveted about 1/3 of the front passenger fender (they'd all pulled out), so I could start on the rock skis and rockers. These things are heavy duty, and therefore a real pain to work on. But when done, they'll be nice, and I'm looking forward to having a step.

My new brake booster arrived, and I yanked the old one out. But then noticed the new one is missing the clevis end (they advertised the wrong part), so now I'm down until a new one arrives. I did get the rusty master cylinder and fender cleaned up a little bit (DOT3 just kills paint). Say what you want about Rustoleum, but I really like their "Rust Reformer" product for a quick way to at least stop/slow rusty spots.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

Today (and the following couple of days) work:

1. finish cutting and prepping the rock rails for the drivers side (1-day later got them back from powder coat)
2. 
3. 
   
4. Degrease everything and Pressure wash the undercarriage AND run a wand in the frame rails (next up is fluid film inside). Frame looks good, but I did ferret out an old mouse nest, or two.
   1. Still need to run a wand with fluid film up through the frame rails. I'll wait for a warm day.
   2. 
5. Cut out 3 of the 4 old absurd KbarS Nerf bar brackets. I bet they were a hell of alot easier to weld in that to remove. I know why the previous owner didn't even bother to try. Clearly never off road with these monsters hanging down like that.
   1. On the rear shackle mounts, I'm actually leaving the plate welded to the back side (seems to add some strength, but I did gouge a hole so it's not just a trap for dirt and water.
   2. 
   3. That's a size 12 Duck boot for reference, and the plates are probably 3/8" thick.
      
      
      
   4. 
   5. 
6. I've had a plasma cutter for 15 years and basically never used it. Between the rock rails and removing the old brackets, it's gotten more use in 2 days than ever
7. I'm still waiting on a replacement brake booster. Tom's Offroad shipping might be free, but I'm waiting until 1/9/25, so I removed the basically new Tom Woods rear driveshaft and took to the local experts (and they are very good). I don't know the history, but within 30 seconds of holding it, he noticed that ears on the end yoke on the Cardan joint were worn, allowing that u-joint to move side to side slightly (it sound basically be a light press fit). $245, and full gone-through later, and hopefully my vibrations will be gone.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

I'm a daily driver guy, so leaks and imperfections don't bother me, but things need to work. The wipers were a problem from the start. Before I even left Nashville TN (for 750mile drive to Baltimore in the rain), I had to bend the passenger wiper bracket b/c it was hitting the wiper motor, but everything was still jerky and noisy. I spent 3hrs today troubleshooting:

1. The gears in the wiper motor were super loud anytime the shaft was pushed in (shaft end play). There were shims on the shaft, but mounted on the outside of the wiper arm. I added shims, noise gone.
2. Still the passenger wiper was simply rotating too far: basically over-center.
3. Thanks to this guys video, I was able to figure stuff out.
   1. I had a lowering bracket installed, which apparently usually orients the motor in the other direction. That explains why the passenger arm was hitting the motor, since the motor was still in the stick position.
   2. I re-oriented the motor and slotted the holes for adjustment, and it's amazing how much difference it made.

I also dug into why so much water was coming into the cabin.

1. Roof pretty well rusted through across the entire front of the cab, but was obscured by epoxy, paint, and a silicone smear). Turns out it's alot worse than that. For now, it's just mitigation. I know they sell Fiberglass tops and all matter of replacement steel parts, but this is a huge gap, well above the rain gutter.
2. The rust/split is a good half inch above the rain gutter. not to mention who knows ho crappy the whole flange between the top& windshield is. So what's the consensus on this? People just scrap the top, or is there a common panel/patch for this?
3. 

 

[Scott McKelvey]

My rocker panels were punky, so I opted to use the Wild Horses Rock Rails that came w/ the vehicle when i purchased it, and just cut out the garbage (all kinds of goodness came out of the old rockers). I'm not opposed to replacing the rockers proper, but I need A-pillars and a bunch of other metal, which I'm not ready to tackle yet.

These are definitely a project, not a bolt on.! The fitment alone takes alot of time. I cut mine to fit and powder coated them. The there's time cleaning up what metal is left and protecting it. Wild Horses appears to only have holes on the inner rocker (what I had), and Tom's Rock Skis only have holes on the outer rocker. I had to add add'l holes on the outer rocker side, so drilling through 1/4" steel is no easy task.

I purchased stainless 1/4-20 RivNuts, and that was the coolest tool I've purchased in awhile. I want to use these things everywhere. And then I used 1/4"-20 stainless button head bolts. On the inner rocker i used the giant stainless sheetmetal screws that came with the Rock Rails.

I added some rubber strip to the top of the rail just for rubbing and masking the small gap that would have been created by the rivnuts.

I wish they A) pre-drilled holes in the outside of the rocker, and B) made the nerf/step lower for getting in and out of the vehicle.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

Wiring was stressing me out b/c I always worry about troubleshooting a random issue, and I've already had plenty. It also stresses me out to not know what's going on, and there's been alot changes: Painless wiring harness, headlight wiring, CVF alternator, security system, etc. I unbundled everything in the engine bay and and took stock, before removing all of the this stuff.

This is a banker's box full of stuff.

Doesn't look like much, but here's the post wire cleanup. It doesn't look like much, but it's a big step forward. Voltage regulator gone. Separate wiring to MSD, Fuse box, and to everything else.

Also never had battery hold down, so I added a Tom's Bronco Parts holddown.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

Winch bumper build (by me).

1. The frame rails and holes were already reinforced w/ plate. It made things a little difficult to make the mounts, but easier as far as reinforcing any holes. I couldn't just shove 2x4 tubing into the frame rails.
2. 
3. Harbor Freight winch plate (say what you want). 2x4 tubing, a combination of 1" and 1.5" tubing. 1/4" laser cut plates. Tow bar mounts. 2" receiver.
4. 
5. back from Powdercoat. New Grade 8 hardware, three 3/8" bolts per frame rail.
   
6. New 778DT battery to allow for terminal connections to the battery.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

Aside from the fact that I had an obvious issue w/ the booster having a vacuum leak when i bought the truck, i really quickly had a noise from the front drivers side brakes: the back side of the rotor is trashed. The previous owner said he did the front brakes recently, which I now know means that the rotor was thrashed and chewing up brake pads, so all he did we replace the pads which got chewed up very quickly again and i was now back to metal-on-metal.

So temporarily I replaced the pads again, until I can replace the hub+rotor. I have the chevy disc brake conversion so these are the 70's Ford rotors and pretty cheap to just buy the whole unit.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

oil loss was significant on the 800 mile drive home (close to a qt every gas stop. another thing the previous owner failed to mention until I flew from Baltimore to Nashville to buy the truck). I replaced the valve cover gaskets w/ Fel-pro silicone jobbers, and some of the hardware. I also cleaned up the valve covers (20yr old rock hard cork gaskets, and flaking wrinkle paint). But I found a major leak at the oil pressure sending unit, and w/ the valve cover and tightening up all of the oil pan bolts, things are significantly better. The next step would be the intake manifold ends (probably rock hard as well), but that's a job for another day.

I did an oil flush, and oil changed. And I found 1 fairly significant oil leak was at the pressure sending unit, which wasn't very tight.

While doing this rocker cover, i found 2 rear header bolts completely missing, and 2 loose. I can't believe it wasn't making a helluva racket. Even the 12pt ARP style bolts were almost impossible to get to, so I swapped in some socketheads.

The vent line for the axle was non-existent, so I ran a new one up to vacuum booster. I still need to get the little vent for it.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

Chasing down water leaks, mainly in the rear. New parts (more to come).

 

[Scott McKelvey]

Small stuff, but this drove me crazy trying to buckle the seat belts w/o a rigid sleeve. The seatbelt was always following down, or a 2 handed job to buckle the belt. These are 8" 90s Mustang sleeves.

 

[Scott McKelvey]

I needed some secure storage, so I swapped the boxes from my CJ-5 to the bronco. I don't hate them. The only down side is the Seats were a bit too wide to mount them further back. On the rare occasion the seats are folded down, you can just squeeze past the Tuffy boxes.