Frame Up

[motohead351]

Need some info. I have a 75 bronco, I am about to undertake a tear down and frame up project. I am looking for info from people how have done this. Any info would be great ie.. tips, trouble you may have had along the way. I am also dropping in a 351 at the same time. oh yeah Should I have the frame painted or poeder coated. I am leaning towards powder coating.
Thanks.

 

[Salgood]

Getting ready to do the same to my 69. I have a lot of questions as well; looking forward to the responses. I know that Bronco Graveyard has some rust proof paint that they sale that is specifically designed for the frames. Might want to check into that.

B.C.

 

[malcolmzilla]

So far in mine I have found that the frame is the least of my rust worries, the bodies are WAY worse for rust, also expect to rewire, both of mine are a real rats nest... ;D

 

[JaxLax]

Tips: nothing is going to fit on the first try. take breaks. don't get angry. No matter what, no matter how many hours of planning and investigating something will go wrong. Just take it in stride.
But other than that, Good Luck. Lots of Pictures and Tech should follow. ;D

 

[2badrotties]

Here is something to remember, and don't forget it.
When you take it apart, make sure you have a lot of space for parts. A LOT of space. When you start taking it apart you will see what i mean. If you have a one stall garage, plan on using half of your backyard also. Once you start taking stuff apart you need all the room you can find for all the parts you will have. You need to leave yourself room to work on it. Get yourself some boxes for small parts. Some bags for nuts and bolts. Mark everything and make some drawings if you need to. Don't plan on the job being a couple of weeks project, you will be fortunate to do it in a year.
Make friends and talk or bribe them into helping you but remember the old saying "too many chefs spoil the pot". Good luck with your project. Keep us posted.

 

[swood]

All good advice so far. Lots of parts... all over the friggin place. Bag and tag items. You will thank yourself later. Even if you plan to buy new hardware, do it anyway. The old bolts are great for comparison when you head to the hardware store.

I photo document everything as well, just for the heck of it. The photos have helped in many instances though in the rebuild. I'm finished with the rolling chassi now and after I get back from vacation in two weeks, will start the body.

I used POR 15 products on everything so far and have been very pleased. Their cleaner is great, so is the rest of the process. Metal prep/zinc coat. Silver base coat and their high temp and chassi paints look great. Just a good option that is less expensive than most.

You can see what I've done so far on this site. Maybe it will give you a few ideas....

www.sw.classicbroncos.com

 

[TMC]

I invested in a digital camera. Take lots of pictures! You think you will remember what it looked like or how it goes together... a year or more later and you won't.

Pop the disk in the ole computer... and there you go.

Good Luck,

Paul

 

[rustybronco]

Figure how much you're willing to spend on new parts and times it by 3. I just finished my 68 and now am starting a 75.

Have fun!

 

[Madgyver]

swood,
Nice website!! what did you use to build it?
Also nice work on the bronco...
Is it finished yet?

madgyver

 

[77TexasBronc]

I agree with the other post, Bag and label all of your bolts and parts even if you plan on replacing "huge help when putting it back together" And yes pictures say a thousand words so take plenty of them as well. On items like stripping the doors I laid the doors up on the work table and used a piece of cardboard about the same size as the door and as I pulled a piece out of the door I would wire it or tie wrap it to the cardboard in the same position that it was in when I pulled it out of the door. this will make it a breeze putting it all back together. As for as the frame, I plan on powder coating mine. ...Hope this helps and good luck ;D

 

[swood]

[quote author=madgyver link=board=5;threadid=18195;start=0#msg139199 date=1054705128]
swood,
Nice website!! what did you use to build it?
Also nice work on the bronco...
Is it finished yet?

madgyver
[/quote]

Thanks madgyver. Used Microsoft Front Page. People say that software sucks. Well, I'm not a web guru. It's just very easy to use and works like a champ. I put that together in about 4 hours, with a couple additional touch ups later due to goofs.

The bronco is not finished. I start the body in a couple of weeks. The new floor pans and other body metal are all welded in. Now it's time to take her to the blast shop and prep for paint. I'll definitely have updated pics of all that as well.

 

[67bondobronc]

I am in the middle of my frame-up now, well I should say I am more towards the beginning. Definately count on spending more money than you probably thought. Bag and tag like everyone has said. You definately need space.........I have over half of a 700 square foot garage with parts all over the place and also a small metal building full of parts. Friends helping would be nice but you can do it by yourself..........trust me I am but I would not recommend it. You will probably find yourself wanting to do all the upgrades to it since you have it torn apart and I think that is where the money comes in. The frame is not to bad to strip and paint yourself. But............it has to be one of the nastiest jobs. I did mine with a sander and drill motor with wire brush. Good Luck!

 

[rflud]

Motohead -

Here are probably the best tips I can give you -

1. Research - Gather as much info as possible about the type of Bronco you want to build, a daily driver, good trail rig, rock crawler. Collect all the tech articles, pictures and other info you can.

2. Planning, Planning, Planning - This is key to any good project. I suspect that lack of planning out my rebuild cost me a few thousand extra dollars. A solid plan will give you a good road map that will guide you during this long process. This is not to say that you can change the plan. Write your plan down and try to follow it.

2a. Phases - Take it one phase at a time. A large project like this will take a while and if you break it up into smaller pieces it will be easier to manage. In addition to easier management of time, phases will help you budget the project.

3. Research again - Now that you have done some research and created a plan for you project you will most likely need to do some more research to find info about the new ideas you will have. Then update your plan with any changes.

4. Picture and more pictures - Like others have said get a digital camera. Consider it an investment for the project. Not to mention the other benefits of having one (trail runs, b-days, holidays, etc). Just when you think you've taken enough pics - take some more.

5. The tear down - Mark everything with what it came off of. This will help later for either reinstallation or identifying the part for replacement.

6. The beginning of parts ordering - Order the first group of parts you need. Refer to you plan to see which parts need to be ordered in this first batch. Remember to think about the area you are working on and what else may be happening in that same area in the future, you may be able to save some time and money if you do them at the same time. For instance, don't clean the frame and paint it just to turn around later and weld on new show towers.

The list could go on and on because the project is a large under taking but it's worth it. One thing that I would recommend is if you plan on sandblasting your frame is include as many other parts as you can when your rent the equipment. Nothing worse than having a bunch of smaller parts that you have to clean later when you could have done it with ease using the sandblaster (I speak from experience on this one).

Well, I'm sure you will have fun and I hope you have deep pockets. Enjoy!

 

[72BlueBronco]

Time, Money
More Time & More Money
And then when the end is near...........More Money ;D

Oh yeah and forget about that two week vacation to Disneyland, You'll be working on the Bronco

But most importantly.............Lovin every minute of it!!!