https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPHoCN53-YKeQOrQeDOWk9QlrArDQ5-4lruCLSb
Dear Forum members. I have not posted anything in the years that I have been on the forum. I have owned 5 Classic Broncos, been driving and working on Bronco's since 1970. Last year I decided to restore my 76 Bronco. It was originally a full top and I converted it to a half cab back in 1979. It was essentially stock but I added a hood scoop so I could get more air with a bigger air filter, and I added dual shock mounts. When deciding how I would restore the Bronco several scenarios presented themselves. Did I want to go to any of the new aftermarket additions and upgrades to suspension etc, did I want to change the powertrain, did I want to add any of the other upgrades offered by vendors that are available today. The fact is there is so much out there, as a long time Bronco owner I have found that there are more parts etc available today then when they were selling Broncos. Then there was the restoration, did I want to go full body off, or try to do it with the body on. My Bronco had started to rust, it has been driven on the salty roads of Montana since 1989 and was starting to rust and I wanted to save it for the rest of my life. In making these decisions I went to this forum often looking for ideas and strategies and I sought out members advice as I went through the process. I want to thank all of your members for the help. I thought I knew everything about Broncos but until you try a restoration you never really know everything.
In My case I decided to leave the Bronco stock, I always liked the Bronco and didn't want to turn it into something else. I didn't have the room to do a body off restoration so I decided to do it body on, but disassemble doors, tailgate, fenders, hood etc. I was lucky that the body was not rusted through except in the usual areas. In my case it was drivers floor, front end of door pillar on drivers side, and behind the front wheel wells. Then center section of the tub had little rust and the rest was surface rust on the outsides where the wheels would throw. Mechanically my Bronco was in pretty good shape. I decided to take the trany and transfer case out and reseal and paint them, a couple years ago I had done the same to the engine and put in a new clutch. I am going to go through my procedure, talk about vendors I encountered and show you a couple of pictures that I did take. I didn't document the job as I should have I was busy enough trying to do this in one winter summer. It turned out that in the fall of last year I finally, after trying for 35 years got the Bighorn sheep tag for my area and I wanted to get this done prior to the hunt.
Last winter I got the Bronco in my shop and began by taking off the fenders doors etc and stashing them in every covered space I had so they wouldn't get snowed on. I took out the trany and transfer case put then on a bench and cleaned and installed all new seals. While I had them out I cleaned and painted the tunnel area of the tub. I painted the trany and transfer case and set them aside. Then I went to work on the metal. I ordered a drivers side door pillar and used the bottom third of it to replace the rusted out portion. I also ordered a floor pan for the drivers side and welded it in using the advice off this forum to use self threading screws to pull it into position for welding. https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOOP8wF1VbMRf8O_9GW8Gxk9AWuhhw-SBz07Kb_ After doing the welding I began to clean and treat the rust on all rusted areas. I used a combination of OSPHO and then POR15. I had heard pros and cons about this combination, but I was able to make it work. But first everything had to be washed. Luckily I have a car lift in my shop so with the bronco on the lift I took a bucket of hot water with purple power and a parts brush and washed everything I could get to. This would have been much easier if I could have worked outside, but remember it was winter. I put aluminum drip pans on the floor to catch most of the drippings, and rinsed with a garden sprayer filled with water. Then when dry I painted everything with OSPHO. After the OSPHO dried and converted the rust then I wiped with solvent and painted with POR15. I waited until summer when I could work outside to do the fenders hood etc. With all the welding done and the frame cleaned and painted I went to install the trany and transfer case. I put them together as a unit so I would be sure that the seal between them would be sound. I got a buddy to come help me and with the bronco on the ground and the trany/transfer case on a jack. ( I made a bracket to fit the floor jack that would hold the unit fairly level) Then we eased it into position with studs on the bell housing to line up the front end. My job was to be sure that the tranny shaft went through the throwout bearing. I thought I got it. After bolting everything up I went to try the clutch and realized that I missed the throwout bearing. So I decided I wasn't going to take that apart again instead I would pull the engine. This was a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to do a better job of cleaning and painting the engine compartment. While taking out the radiator I screwed up and put a hole in the bottom on one side while prying it out of the support bracket. Apparently the forum didn't have room for all of this so I will post another.
Dear Forum members. I have not posted anything in the years that I have been on the forum. I have owned 5 Classic Broncos, been driving and working on Bronco's since 1970. Last year I decided to restore my 76 Bronco. It was originally a full top and I converted it to a half cab back in 1979. It was essentially stock but I added a hood scoop so I could get more air with a bigger air filter, and I added dual shock mounts. When deciding how I would restore the Bronco several scenarios presented themselves. Did I want to go to any of the new aftermarket additions and upgrades to suspension etc, did I want to change the powertrain, did I want to add any of the other upgrades offered by vendors that are available today. The fact is there is so much out there, as a long time Bronco owner I have found that there are more parts etc available today then when they were selling Broncos. Then there was the restoration, did I want to go full body off, or try to do it with the body on. My Bronco had started to rust, it has been driven on the salty roads of Montana since 1989 and was starting to rust and I wanted to save it for the rest of my life. In making these decisions I went to this forum often looking for ideas and strategies and I sought out members advice as I went through the process. I want to thank all of your members for the help. I thought I knew everything about Broncos but until you try a restoration you never really know everything.
In My case I decided to leave the Bronco stock, I always liked the Bronco and didn't want to turn it into something else. I didn't have the room to do a body off restoration so I decided to do it body on, but disassemble doors, tailgate, fenders, hood etc. I was lucky that the body was not rusted through except in the usual areas. In my case it was drivers floor, front end of door pillar on drivers side, and behind the front wheel wells. Then center section of the tub had little rust and the rest was surface rust on the outsides where the wheels would throw. Mechanically my Bronco was in pretty good shape. I decided to take the trany and transfer case out and reseal and paint them, a couple years ago I had done the same to the engine and put in a new clutch. I am going to go through my procedure, talk about vendors I encountered and show you a couple of pictures that I did take. I didn't document the job as I should have I was busy enough trying to do this in one winter summer. It turned out that in the fall of last year I finally, after trying for 35 years got the Bighorn sheep tag for my area and I wanted to get this done prior to the hunt.
Last winter I got the Bronco in my shop and began by taking off the fenders doors etc and stashing them in every covered space I had so they wouldn't get snowed on. I took out the trany and transfer case put then on a bench and cleaned and installed all new seals. While I had them out I cleaned and painted the tunnel area of the tub. I painted the trany and transfer case and set them aside. Then I went to work on the metal. I ordered a drivers side door pillar and used the bottom third of it to replace the rusted out portion. I also ordered a floor pan for the drivers side and welded it in using the advice off this forum to use self threading screws to pull it into position for welding. https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOOP8wF1VbMRf8O_9GW8Gxk9AWuhhw-SBz07Kb_ After doing the welding I began to clean and treat the rust on all rusted areas. I used a combination of OSPHO and then POR15. I had heard pros and cons about this combination, but I was able to make it work. But first everything had to be washed. Luckily I have a car lift in my shop so with the bronco on the lift I took a bucket of hot water with purple power and a parts brush and washed everything I could get to. This would have been much easier if I could have worked outside, but remember it was winter. I put aluminum drip pans on the floor to catch most of the drippings, and rinsed with a garden sprayer filled with water. Then when dry I painted everything with OSPHO. After the OSPHO dried and converted the rust then I wiped with solvent and painted with POR15. I waited until summer when I could work outside to do the fenders hood etc. With all the welding done and the frame cleaned and painted I went to install the trany and transfer case. I put them together as a unit so I would be sure that the seal between them would be sound. I got a buddy to come help me and with the bronco on the ground and the trany/transfer case on a jack. ( I made a bracket to fit the floor jack that would hold the unit fairly level) Then we eased it into position with studs on the bell housing to line up the front end. My job was to be sure that the tranny shaft went through the throwout bearing. I thought I got it. After bolting everything up I went to try the clutch and realized that I missed the throwout bearing. So I decided I wasn't going to take that apart again instead I would pull the engine. This was a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to do a better job of cleaning and painting the engine compartment. While taking out the radiator I screwed up and put a hole in the bottom on one side while prying it out of the support bracket. Apparently the forum didn't have room for all of this so I will post another.
