Fixing up my 1970 Bronco, where do I start?

[NickMcAFP]

Really is amazing how much the nickle and dime stuff adds up.

I did an engine refresh a few years back, pull engine, never took the heads off as I knew I would get into a full rebuild if I did. Gaskets, aluminum high rise intake, cam, lifters, timing set, oil pump, and rolled in some fresh bearings. Few more odds and ends. It was $1k, and that was before the prices went nuts. This was a get it running without drooling all the fluids all over the ground. Intake was a big chunk of that, but still all that little stuff adds up.

I'm doing a frame up on mine (Squinge = younger brother = easier project).. it's absolutely nuts how fast the budget dries up. It's also nuts how hard it is to find parts right now. I'm waiting indefinitely on the inner tail lamp pocket section.

 

[m_m70]

I'm waiting indefinitely on the inner tail lamp pocket section.

For the tail light bucket or the body panel??

 

[NickMcAFP]

For the tail light bucket or the body panel??

The body panel

 

[Squinge]

Hey folks. Just want to thank you all for giving Nick and I all of this info. We'll get started working on the damn thing in good time. I may even post progress reports from time to time if it strikes your fancy. Thank you to everyone who helped contribute to this, We'll keep you all posted on the progress.

 

[m_m70]

I may even post progress reports from time to time if it strikes your fancy.

Yes, post your progress.......pictures are always appreciated!

 

[Speedrdr]

I’m kind of in the same position with my ‘77. My list for ‘roadworthy’ is as follows: (1) new brake lines and brake shoes/pads as it applies to vehicle.
(2) new fuel lines. (3) drop gas tank(s) and clean or replace.
After that is done, I’m not sure it matters about the order in which done.
At least that’s my humble opinion.

Randy

 

[Pa PITT]

Yes add lots of pictures for this group ..
& the more post & reports you put on here the more help you'll receive.
I've been watching on here for almost 20 years I believe & through out that time I've seen many a new member drop out & While other new members become total leaders on out forumn.
SO JUMP IN WITH BOTH FEET.
Only drive it as much as you can before starting a frame off.
I feel no one should Be allowed to start a frame off without have driven their BRONCOS for about 2 Years .

WELCOME ABOARD.

 

[Rustytruck]

Start with planning to a visit to as many Bronco events as you can. You don't need to take your Bronco just get there anyway you can. make a photo album of your bronco take as many pictures as you can of the good and the bad take this collection with you to the Bronco event. You will learn what you want and how to achieve what you desire. people here are very giving and for the most part don't bite. enjoy your adventure. we are entering Bronco season so events have already started. you didn't post what state or city where you live. you may have a very helpful group near by.

 

[NickMcAFP]

Finally rolled the Bronco into the garage and started cleaning it up. Looks like we might already have a couple preexisting upgrades here?

 

[DirtDonk]

Yep, a few. And the extra happy turn of events that shows a few critters might have made it their home and took care of it very well!

The power steering was added.
The Dura Spark ignition was added. Or just "Breakerless" in this case it looks like, since it's got the older design distributor cap. (nice that it's got a Motorcraft module too)
Not sure what the can/reservoir thingy is above the steering box. Is that a filter for the power steering, or just an additional reservoir for added capacity? Or perhaps a fuel filter / water separator maybe?
Steering column is from a '76 or '77 Bronco, unless it's tilt? If it's a tilt column it was sourced out of a full-size truck of later vintage.
Edelbrock carb is probably the newest thing under the hood. All the other stuff looks pretty vintage and like early upgrades.

The ignition module looks to have a Green grommet maybe? That's the plastic wire strain relief where the wires come out of the box. Can you check out the color and let us know? If it's green it's probably right out of a factory '74 or '75(?) truck or car. Early distributor, early module, with factory style coil and "horseshoe" connector. Lots of early adopter stuff there. Pretty cool.

Double check that there is a working PCV valve in the back corner of the passenger valve cover. A '70 would have had the valve there and the oil filler cap on the driver's side would have had the vent connected to a factory air cleaner housing. Your hose end looks modified from original to be more like a later style. But not sure.
What air filter was on the carb?

Congrats on getting it home. Time to clean all the years off of it now!

Paul

 

[NickMcAFP]

Yep, a few. And the extra happy turn of events that shows a few critters might have made it their home and took care of it very well!

The power steering was added.
The Dura Spark ignition was added. Or just "Breakerless" in this case it looks like, since it's got the older design distributor cap. (nice that it's got a Motorcraft module too)
Not sure what the can/reservoir thingy is above the steering box. Is that a filter for the power steering, or just an additional reservoir for added capacity? Or perhaps a fuel filter / water separator maybe?
Steering column is from a '76 or '77 Bronco, unless it's tilt? If it's a tilt column it was sourced out of a full-size truck of later vintage.
Edelbrock carb is probably the newest thing under the hood. All the other stuff looks pretty vintage and like early upgrades.

The ignition module looks to have a Green grommet maybe? That's the plastic wire strain relief where the wires come out of the box. Can you check out the color and let us know? If it's green it's probably right out of a factory '74 or '75(?) truck or car. Early distributor, early module, with factory style coil and "horseshoe" connector. Lots of early adopter stuff there. Pretty cool.

Double check that there is a working PCV valve in the back corner of the passenger valve cover. A '70 would have had the valve there and the oil filler cap on the driver's side would have had the vent connected to a factory air cleaner housing. Your hose end looks modified from original to be more like a later style. But not sure.
What air filter was on the carb?

Congrats on getting it home. Time to clean all the years off of it now!

Paul

At first I thought the can thing was a remote oil filter but finding the actual oil filter cleared that up. The lines disappear under the engine it looks like. I'm going to go back with the creeper from my house and poke around underneath at some point in the next week. I can check the ignition module and PCV at that point.

I'm 95% sure the column doesn't tilt.

The air filter was missing but there's a cutout for an aftermarket round filter in the hood. It has, what I consider to be, a traditional bronco scoop attached to the hood. Everything about this truck is what I consider "Bronco".. I'm sure my perception is being colored by how my father introduced me to them though.

I find the suspension really interesting. My 75 had an older Duff lift on it. Looked almost exactly like what Duff is still offering now. This looks different.. any info would be appreciated.

 

[DirtDonk]

As far as I know, blue springs were almost exclusively Duff stuff. Not that someone can't paint theirs that way of course, and with the extensive failing of the paint/powder coating and rust, it could have been either way.
The dual shocks were always an aftermarket option, including from Duff and every other Bronco and non-Bronco specific vendor. Many still carry that exact setup in fact. Slowly going by the wayside for newer designs, but still viable.

The shocks are KbarS which was a well respected Las Vegas shop. They sold Duff products as well as others, if I remember. There are some great KbarS stories here on the forums, with some original work done by them and owned by current forum members, as well as one or two very cool tribute trucks with KbarS livery.
The front shock was longer because it would travel in a longer arc as the suspension cycled.

Definitely a classic hood scoop. Probably tied for most common with the lower profile Mustang/Torino hood scoop that most of the hot-rod shops sold back in the day.

Maybe the canister is a replacement charcoal canister? I don't think so, but you never know. I've seen that exact part before I'm sure of it. But what or where I do not remember. Just that it's been a very long time since I've seen one. Might not even have been on a Bronco. Could easily have been from another vehicle originally.

Looks like you have a body lift too perhaps. You can tell by looking at the body mount insulators/bushings/cushions and see if there are multiple pieces on top of the mounts, or if they're taller than 3/4" then you have a body lift.

Paul

 

[NickMcAFP]

As far as I know, blue springs were almost exclusively Duff stuff. Not that someone can't paint theirs that way of course, and with the extensive failing of the paint/powder coating and rust, it could have been either way.
The dual shocks were always an aftermarket option, including from Duff and every other Bronco and non-Bronco specific vendor. Many still carry that exact setup in fact. Slowly going by the wayside for newer designs, but still viable.

The shocks are KbarS which was a well respected Las Vegas shop. They sold Duff products as well as others, if I remember. There are some great KbarS stories here on the forums, with some original work done by them and owned by current forum members, as well as one or two very cool tribute trucks with KbarS livery.
The front shock was longer because it would travel in a longer arc as the suspension cycled.

Definitely a classic hood scoop. Probably tied for most common with the lower profile Mustang/Torino hood scoop that most of the hot-rod shops sold back in the day.

Maybe the canister is a replacement charcoal canister? I don't think so, but you never know. I've seen that exact part before I'm sure of it. But what or where I do not remember. Just that it's been a very long time since I've seen one. Might not even have been on a Bronco. Could easily have been from another vehicle originally.

Looks like you have a body lift too perhaps. You can tell by looking at the body mount insulators/bushings/cushions and see if there are multiple pieces on top of the mounts, or if they're taller than 3/4" then you have a body lift.

Paul

I don't believe it has a body life. If you are going off the front bumper that's sort of an illusion. The bumper sticks outward further than stock because of some welded on extensions. I assume it was maybe outfit with a winch at some point in it's life. I can crawl under and check though.

The Bronco originated on the west coast. My father always spoke highly of K bar S. I have some fiberglass fenders from them in a box.. maybe they will end up on this truck one day.

I know on my 1975 my father installed the lift himself and it was a Duff lift and k bar S shocks. The shocks on that setup mounted to a big aftermarket hoop though that was bolted onto the frame.

 

[DirtDonk]

Yep, shock hoops were the next iteration of the dual shock setups.
I saw that bracket under there and my first two thoughts were either "winch" or "tow-bar" mounting.
Do you remember ever seeing a tow-bar on there?

Paul

 

[NickMcAFP]

Yep, shock hoops were the next iteration of the dual shock setups.
I saw that bracket under there and my first two thoughts were either "winch" or "tow-bar" mounting.
Do you remember ever seeing a tow-bar on there?

Paul

No I don't believe it had one when my father got it. The extensions are maybe 5 inches. There's some metal plating hanging down behind the bumper possibly for something to sit in?

The truck was kitted out for wheeling. It has Detroit lockers front and rear.. it's quite the tank.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Yep, shock hoops were the next iteration of the dual shock setups.
I saw that bracket under there and my first two thoughts were either "winch" or "tow-bar" mounting.
Do you remember ever seeing a tow-bar on there?

Paul

There was only a ~2 year window when K-bar-S had shock hoops. It was just before they moved out of there old shop, about '97 and when they closed up. It looks like that was built up in the mid 90's from the style and parts in the build. Been a really long time since I saw those foam spring inserts.

Hint for you. Don't try and run fuel through that old spin on filter. I've seen old filters like that come apart when fresh fuel hits them. The filter media is now garbage going into the carb. The fuel lines looks like generic parts store rubber. Probably falling apart on the inside. If not just flat out brittle and ready to snap and fail.

 

[NickMcAFP]

There was only a ~2 year window when K-bar-S had shock hoops. It was just before they moved out of there old shop, about '97 and when they closed up. It looks like that was built up in the mid 90's from the style and parts in the build. Been a really long time since I saw those foam spring inserts.

Hint for you. Don't try and run fuel through that old spin on filter. I've seen old filters like that come apart when fresh fuel hits them. The filter media is now garbage going into the carb. The fuel lines looks like generic parts store rubber. Probably falling apart on the inside. If not just flat out brittle and ready to snap and fail.

What was the purpose of the foam inserts?

We're going to replace all the hoses and everything before we try to really run it. Is the filter something we should be replacing or just eliminating? Is there a modern equivalent like this thing or is this setup junk now?

 

[DirtDonk]

There were various methods over the years, from polyurethane donuts to airbag bladders, to shore up the springs.
Some were added simply to act as progressive bump stops, some as additional weight capacity devices. And probably for other reasons as well.
With varying degrees of success, most of them worked to a certain degree.

Probably don’t see them much anymore because people don’t need them anymore. They’re either not bouncing around on Desert roads, or carrying heavy loads, or looking to stiffen up the front for better handling on the road.
And shocks are a lot better now too, so they help take up some of the slack.

 

[txtruk15]

OK so I had some time this morning and put together a list of what "I" would be looking at doing and the cost of the parts. This list is rather extensive but I think it covers most items for a rig that's been sitting for 20+ years. Note, this may be overkill and not all things may need replacing. So kind of look at it as a worst case scenario that all of these parts would need replacing eg. fuel tanks, radiator etc.. Some may be fine with just a flush/good cleaning.
I use Wild Horses because they're local to me. Our Bronco vendors carry mostly the same parts and prices don't vary much between the vendors so you may want to use the vendor closest to you to save on shipping cost. I didn't include any shipping cost on the list and that's going to be a big factor in some of the items.
I've also included item numbers from Wild Horses. Some may not be correct as there are some variables that you would need to clarify such as - front and rear axle size.
I've also assumed that you would be doing this work yourself so no labor is included in (varies so much by region it would be a waste of time anyway to try and estimate).
There may be more and I'm sure others will chime in on things I've missed.

	Action	Parts $	W/H Part #	Part Source
Engine
Battery	Replace	$120.00​		Local
Plugs	Replace	$30.00​		Local
Plug Wires	Replace	$40.00​		Local
Distributor Cap/Rotor	Replace	$30.00​		Local
Pertronix upgrade	Replace	$87.00​	8080​	Wild Horses
Oil/Filter	Change	$45.00​		Local
Belts	Change	$30.00​		Local
Cooling
Hoses	Replace	$35.00​	5023​	Wild Horses
Thermostat	Replace	$27.00​	5058​	Wild Horses
Radiator	Service	$380.00​	5013​	Wild Horses
Heater Core	Replace	$50.00​	5218​	Wild Horses
Heater Core Hose	Replace	$40.00​	5203​	Wild Horses
Anti Freeze	Replace	$30.00​		Local
Fuel
Tank-main	Service/Replace	$160.00​	9707​	Wild Horses
Tank-aux	Service/Replace	$190.00​	9797​	Wild Horses
Sending Unit-main	Replace	$60.00​	9711​	Wild Horses
Sending Unit-aux	Replace	$60.00​	9711​	Wild Horses
Tank-Filler Tube main	Check/Replace	$35.00​	9706​	Wild Horses
Tank-Filler Tube aux	Check/Replace	$40.00​	9746​	Wild Horses
Carburetor/Edelbrock 1406	Rebuild	$22.00​		Amazon
Air Cleaner	Replace	$20.00​		Local
Fuel Filters	Replace	$25.00​		Local
Soft Lines	Replace	$40.00​		Local
Fuel Pump	Replace	$38.00​	8023​	Wild Horses
Brakes
Front Drum-Full Rebuild Kit	Service/Replace	$310.00​	3070​	Wild Horses
Rear Drum-Full Rebuild Kit LG	Service/Replace	$290.00​	3070​	Wild Horses
Master Cylinder	Replace	$80.00​	3089​	Wild Horses
Soft Lines - MC	Replace	$70.00​	3199​	Wild Horses
Soft Lines - Front	Replace	$64.00​	3177​	Wild Horses
Soft Lines - Rear	Replace	$64.00​	3189​	Wild Horses
Misc
Wheel Bearings front D-30	Service/Replace	$85.00​	8856​	Wild Horses
Wheel Bearings rear Lg Bearing	Replace	$80.00​	8625​	Wild Horses
Rear Axle Seals Lg Bearing	Replace	$18.00​	8634​	Wild Horses
Tires	Replace	$1,250.00​		Local
U-Joints - Grease	Service	$20.00​		Local
Differential Front Gasket	Replace	$6.00​	8960​	Wild Horses
Differential Rear Gasket	Replace	$10.00​	8677​	Wild Horses
Transfer Case Gasket	Replace	$10.00​	8594​	Wild Horses
Differential Oil	Replace	$55.00​		Local
Transfer Case Oil	Replace	$24.00​		Local
Manual Transmission Oil	Replace	$12.00​		Local
Total Parts $	$4,082.00​
Tax @ 10%	$408.20​
Good Upgrades
Front Disc Brakes	Replace	$745.00​	3005​	Wild Horses
Front Drum Kit Credit	Credit	-$310.00​
Front Wheel Bearing Credit	Credit	-$85.00​
Tax		$35.00​
Total Disc Upgrade		$385.00​
Project Total w/disc upgrade	$4,875.20​
Project Total w/o disc upgrade	$4,490.20​

nicely put together!

 

[CDABronco]

I got my Gandfather‘s 1970 Bronco this winter and I noticed I have the same, or a very similar, front shock setup on it. It has been preserved in the Arizona desert for the last half century and has zero rust on it. I just got a WH 2.5” lift kit for it, should I keep dual shocks up there or just go back to a single shock? If I do go single shock do I need to replace the shock tower back to the original? Cheers