couple questions about my 74 bronco

[DirtDonk]

Plastic stuff at the end of your fuel sending unit is what’s left of the original “sock“ type filter.
Completely gone.
Time to pull what’s left off and put a new one on.
After you test to make sure the center is still good.

 

[DirtDonk]

Those carburetors are very easy to rebuild. Do you need a little specialized cleaning products typically, but technically it’s not difficult.
The problem sometimes is knowing which kit to buy because they always want to know precisely which model carburetor down to the serial number and calibration code.
Unfortunately that information is usually on the little metal tag that people remove and toss for some reason.
I don’t see one on your carburetor. Usually a little aluminum dealy-bob with numbers stamped into it that is held in place by one of the cover bolts.

 

[DirtDonk]

Most of the old Schumacher chargers are perfectly fine when the battery is in good shape.
It’s when it’s fully discharged that the specialty chargers come in handy.
You can continue to use yours for now until such time as you need one of the new models.

 

[rockinrich]

Thanks again paul, I found the sock at the bottom of the tank and got it out.Are you saying i can test this sending unit and if so just replace the sock?As far as the carb i'll look to see if there are any model or serial numbers but i wonder if there is no way to tell what model it is how many different carbs were offered for my year bronco?Did you take a look at the picture of the gas tank?I was surprised how clean it looked again except for the small spots of rust,any thoughts on that por 15 coating for tanks or don't worry about it,thanks paul!

 

[DirtDonk]

They didn’t necessarily use different versions on your your bronco, as much as they used that same basic carburetor for many years on millions of different vehicles.
Some with slight changes, some with no changes. It’s those little changes that might require a different gasket or a different spring or thingy from one carb to another.
Probably not a big deal though. Most of us have managed to find the right rebuild kit for ours even without the tags.
Carb kits used to cost five dollars, but now they’re probably $45!

 

[DirtDonk]

The sock filter should be able to be purchased new still I would think.
You can measure the two but I think yours should be the 5/16 inch version. Full-size trucks and big cars often had a 3/8 version.

Yes I was surprised how clean the tank was too.
I don’t know anything about the interior coatings or cleaners really. A lot of people here have used them however, so maybe they’ll chime in with their experiences and recommendations.

 

[rockinrich]

Thanks paul,i'll see if there is any numbers on it and go from there.As far as the sending unit, i'm going to take a close look at it,,not sure if this could possibly be the original but if so it's a good one and might be worth getting a new sock for it seeing how much junk there is out there today lol,thank you sir!

 

[DirtDonk]

Yes, and the fuel sending units are no different from many of the other parts we get.
In this case though most of them do work, but you typically have to tweak them a little to get the gauge to read exactly where you want it.
That in itself is not a horrible thing because even factory replacements bought from Ford in the 70s had to be tweaked a little at min. and max. positions.

The main issue is that ford designed the original ones to work in a non-linear manner so that the gauge lowered steadily when fuel was used. The aftermarket ones are linear so that you don’t get precise readings at the top middle and bottom anymore because of the odd shape of the stock rear tank.
Not really an issue with an aftermarket tank that is mostly shaped like a cube.

Yours might not be original, but if it works there’s no need to replace it.

 

[rockinrich]

Thanks paul,good info to know,it seems just like a lot of things in life older parts were made better and i agree if it works don't replace it!

 

[rockinrich]

Got the auxillary tank out didn't realize it was a plastic/poly tank.Do they come in metal and is there a preference metal or plastic?Also had to laugh at the title of my thread with "have a couple questions" lol,sorry to everyone especially paul for your patience!

 

[rockinrich]

On that note,lol,does anyone have any recommendations on a flaring tool/kit for fuel and brake lines?Thinking of trying to make my own lines.

 

[DirtDonk]

Don't have a tool recommendation. I've managed to just use what was on hand wherever I was working on hard lines, OR just got lucky and the times I was doing lines I was able to purchase the correct length pre-flared line and couplers and simply put them together.
I spend more time bending to suit the job than I do flaring as it turns out. So for me a good bender is the key.
I've used a few different types and though some swear by the fancy articulated ones, I still go back to my dad's old flat-handled multi-groove bending die that you can clamp in the vise while you do your work.
I'm sure the articulated one is better and I just need to get used to it's quirks. But I like simple...

The aux tanks were always poly with the metal skid plate/retainer. There are aftermarket metal ones that are larger, but none that are factory replacements that I know of.
Frankly, being plastic has saved quite a few of them over the years. Sure, plenty of them have split at the seam too, but far more metal tanks have rusted out than plastic ones have split. So it seems a reasonable tradeoff.
Seems to me that most of the ones that split a seam were in extreme temperature environments, or were landed on hard while off-roading.

More than 70 posts in this thread now! You probably did just as a few questions. Most of the posts are probably me being wishy-washy and telling you that "you can do it this way... Or you can do it that way." Either way works!

Paul

 

[rockinrich]

Thanks paul,i hear ya on the tool,i'll keep researching it,i didn't know that about the aux tanks,and you have to give me half the credit for the over 70 posts,lol,and yes it does work!The two vents on the hood,those are to allow fresh air into the cab is that correct?Are they also the cause of rusted floorboards on broncos?

 

[DirtDonk]

Yes and not necessarily.
The driver's side is just for fresh air into the vent with the flapper door at the driver's foot. The passenger side is into the heater plenum only, but can be a "vent" controlled by the driver simply by "pulling for heat" but leaving the temperature control valve all the way closed. In my moderate climate I probably used it as a vent more often than a heater.

The leaks on to the floor might have come from water getting through some gap in the lower vents, but I rarely see that. More often than not water gets in via the windshield hinge and the windshield frame edges where the doors meet the body meet the windshield frame. Water is literally directed there by design. Not necessarily on purpose, but definitely by design.

Other places water gets in are around any given stretch of door seal or top seal that is not perfectly sealed. Depending on how you park your rig, it can even get in through the back gates and flow forward and collect in the foot wells.
It can also get in after the cowl rusts out from water getting in between the panels. Once a hole is rusted into the interior, all bets are off.
Also while driving the firewall holes and grommets let water in sometimes.

Any number of entry points. The hood vents were one, but not high on the list in my personal experience. Others may vary of course.

Paul

 

[m_m70]

More than 70 posts in this thread now!

Yup!! May want to start new threads when the subjects change to get more responses.....I like long threads but when going back to find specifics on certain topics it's easier (for me anyway) if they are in their own, called out threads.

 

[rockinrich]

Yes and not necessarily.
The driver's side is just for fresh air into the vent with the flapper door at the driver's foot. The passenger side is into the heater plenum only, but can be a "vent" controlled by the driver simply by "pulling for heat" but leaving the temperature control valve all the way closed. In my moderate climate I probably used it as a vent more often than a heater.

The leaks on to the floor might have come from water getting through some gap in the lower vents, but I rarely see that. More often than not water gets in via the windshield hinge and the windshield frame edges where the doors meet the body meet the windshield frame. Water is literally directed there by design. Not necessarily on purpose, but definitely by design.

Other places water gets in are around any given stretch of door seal or top seal that is not perfectly sealed. Depending on how you park your rig, it can even get in through the back gates and flow forward and collect in the foot wells.
It can also get in after the cowl rusts out from water getting in between the panels. Once a hole is rusted into the interior, all bets are off.
Also while driving the firewall holes and grommets let water in sometimes.

Any number of entry points. The hood vents were one, but not high on the list in my personal experience. Others may vary of course.

Paul

Sorry for just responding paul,wow so we are basically driving submarines with many screen doors! I never knew there were that many possible entry points for water.Tell me this would you get better air flow if you put a small half round cover over the vents with the front open of course?

 

[rockinrich]

Yup!! May want to start new threads when the subjects change to get more responses.....I like long threads but when going back to find specifics on certain topics it's easier (for me anyway) if they are in their own, called out threads.

I hear ya and it makes sense but this thread is titled "couple of questions about my 74 bronco" and i've only asked a couple.......hundred!

 

[DirtDonk]

Tell me this would you get better air flow if you put a small half round cover over the vents with the front open of course?

Great question. In fact they used to make little accessory scoops to put over the vents just for that reason. Plastic and fiberglass versions if I remember.
But don’t say “of course” about anything with Broncos!

Because in fact although I don’t know of any tests that were done, there is plenty of argument for putting them on facing rearward due to the amount of high-pressure air built up in front of the windshield when driving.
So either as a forward facing scoop, or as a rearward facing scoop to collect high-pressure air forced through would probably work equally well.

With all the tools available to us these days, I’d love to see a test of all three modes. Forward facing, railroad facing and open.

 

[rockinrich]

I thought i had seen them before.That would be an interesting test for sure and ain't that the truth about broncos lol

 

[m_m70]

I hear ya and it makes sense but this thread is titled "couple of questions about my 74 bronco" and i've only asked a couple.......hundred!

True.......just tryin to help you out.