'69 Derelict Rescue

[serial car restorer]

Came from a different tailgate, one that had terminal rust along the bottom.

 

[serial car restorer]

Holidays or not, I've still found time to work on the project over the past 2 weeks. Rebuilt and installed both the gas pedal and the main pedal box. The throttle and clutch both work great. Also fitted the left fender. Fit up really nicely, great door gaps all around.

I also picked up a lightly used TBP power brake conversion, a pair of stock exhaust manifolds, and a Duff dual exhaust kit.

And that's when I got derailed by one thing leading to another.

I started looking at installing the brake booster rather than hooking up the seized original master. Setting it in place for mock up made it obvious that if I mounted the brake parts now, I'd just need to pull it back off to get the mis-matched header off the driver's side.

So I decided to at least swap the left side header for the cast manifold, and move then back to the brakes so that I can move the Bronco, as I'll need to turn it around to have room to fit the right fender and door.

Got the header out (for sale here) and the manifold on, so I went back to the brakes. Quickly found that pretty much every flare nut fitting I touched is seized, and I'll need to cut them to remove. This is not a horrible deal, as I planned to replace all the hard lines later anyway, but I wasn't planning to do it now, but later when I do the front disc conversion. Oh well, ordered the lines and center hoses today.

While I wait for the new brake lines, I went back to the exhaust replacement. Got both cast manifolds on, the old exhaust removed, and have begun mocking up the new duals. So glad to have the old stuff off. Really poorly jury-rigged set up, and way wrong choices. Who would have decided that headers into a full 3" pair of duals was a good idea for a stock 302 2BBL? And who tries to cram dual 3" piping under an early Bronco anyway? Major mess, but now gone. The new Duff system is looking quite nice so far, especially in comparison.

 

[serial car restorer]

No picture today, not much has changed visually. I made a parts run to the coast last week. (Lot of used stuff) @Gupster88 has a pile of good parts available at more than fair prices, well worth the trip if you are in driving distance of Tillamook. Picked up a bunch of parts for both soon and later in the project. Notably a nice pair of bucket seats to be re-foamed and recovered later, a pair of taller front springs, and an adjustable track bar. I installed one of the taller front springs as a test, they appear to be around 2½" to 3" lift, and look like they will be a better match with the (apparently) 3" or so rear springs. Should sit much closer to level when they are both installed.

After the brake hard lines and hoses arrived, I returned to working on the brakes. The booster and master are now in place, and the prop valve, hard lines and center hoses also. New rear brakes are going on this weekend—drums, shoes, cylinders, springs and adjusters. Once these are done I'll bleed the system and turn it around so I can do the other front spring and then fit the second door and fender. So far, so good.

 

[serial car restorer]

Brakes are now mostly wrapped up. No p-brake cables yet (on the way), and not doing anything up front until I do the disc conversion, but not in a hurry on that.

Installed the second front spring, I'm now going to call it about 3" to 3½" suspension lift on both ends. Then adjusted and installed the new track bar. Got the axle centered to the frame within about ⅛". Looks like the uncut fender clearance will be fine with the 7" wide wheels and 31x10.50 tires. New shocks will arrive soon.

Hung the right door and fender, and then the grill. Fit seems reasonable so far, other than the bottom front of the 2 fenders tucking a bit sharper underneath. Will need some massaging to make them match the grill.

Gathering info and testing parts in preparation for the complete rewiring of the truck. A few more parts (mostly replacement switches) are also on the way.