Gunmetal Gray Luber No More - Meet "Mallory," My Mallard Green Rig!

[ILikeBond]

The driver side rear frame mount hole was rusted out a bit, but it was relatively slight. All the other holes were fine/round.

I'm going to decide on all paint/body issues at the end. That panel also has a rolled fender and chipped paint and the bottom left corner, rear of the door post is pointed out. So that whole panel needs to be addressed. That I'll probably leave to a shop.

 

[garberz]

I just got caught up on this thread. I remember the weekend you picked this up, you stopped by my place to pick up a couple of things. You told me what happened, that was quite a story, one you and your wife won't soon forget. I'll assume the rest of the drive home went smoothly. It's neat to see all the stuff you've done since then and your future plans.
Welcome to the SoCal Broncos group, hopefully we'll see you at TDS in Mar. or Big Bear In June.

Mark

 

[ILikeBond]

Hey, Mark. Yeah, I think you gave me a spare tire carrier you had while I drooled over your rig. Hope to see you out there soon!

 

[sprdv1]

Keep up the good work brother.....

 

[ILikeBond]

It was one of those magical days when the WildHorses Fairy visited. Sweet!

Goodies included Sherman EFI tank, 31 spline extreme duty axles, new drums and kit, slick Bronco valve covers, super shackles and some other goodies. I mocked the valve covers up, they look great. Also took a few photos comparing the axles to the stock 28 spliners. I've collected enough parts that keeping everything in random cardboard boxes was becoming a little unorganized, so I got a couple of these 45-gallon tupperwares at WalMart. Perfect. Of course, I can't wait till this stuff ends up where it belongs, instead of tucked away. %)



Been mostly working on my 9" lately. Have it down to the housing, the outside is all wire wheeled and clean. This took far more time and effort than I expected. One lower shock mount was thoroughly rusted through and it took days of working with a blowtorch, PB blaster, air tools and a bfh to finally get it free. In retrospect, since I'm using the WH shock jock lower mounts, I could have saved myself some time by just grinding it off, but I did have a satisfying sense of accomplishment when the nut finally budged. The third member was also stuck on a few of the studs for a couple days, but I eventually coaxed it off. Holy hell is that thing heavy.

Backing plates are soaking in carb cleaner, then will get rust treatment. Then mock-up, measuring for stocks, shock jock mounts, paint, reassembly, then once the frame and undercarriage are clean and painted, back on the Bronco with all the suspension parts I've been collecting. Hoping to have the rear end done within a couple weeks.

 

[bsquared]

Hey Jack,
Great build thread and keep up the good work / engine porn pics!

My build was VERY similar to yours, although I did it in two phases....engine / 2" body lift / paint undersides for the first phase and 2.5" WH suspension lift for the second.

Once I had the drive train out and 2" body lift in, I wire wheeled the entire underside and frame (as best I could) and sprayed it with Rustoleum primer and flat black. I'm sure other products are better, but it's held up so far and I could spray it with the body on. Wheeling the underside is damn hard on the forearms, so I hope you're built like Popeye! Good luck on the build and I'm subscribed to see the EFI install!

FYI - For my radiator install, I cut off the original I-6 vertical mounts, flipped them and added spacers to be flange out. Went with a Champion radiator that was designed for a 1970 Mustang. It gave me the clearance needed for the serpentine setup and had the inlet and outlet on the correct sides. PM me if you'd like more info on that setup. Cheers, B2

 

[ILikeBond]

Thanks, B2, for the great information and inspiration. You're right, our plans are very similar. I'm doing exactly what you did - wire wheeling the entire underside and frame, then coating it. I decided to go with Chassis Saver (link includes a neat video using the stuff on Ted Nuget's Big Bronco - look around the 2 minute mark) after reading about its similarities to, and advantages over POR 15 (basically, just as good protection, less prep and finishing required). I picked up a gallon of antique satin black the other day.

I will be doing a little reverse of you - working out the suspension first, then will address the drive train. I'm also sort of splitting the Bronco back and front. So far I've removed everying (and I mean everything) from tailgate to transfer case. Going to wire wheel back to those annoying body mounts behind the front seats, then do the rear suspension. Once the rear wheels are back on, I'll start at the front bumper, take the engine, tranny and everythign else out, wire wheel all that, paint it all, then put the suspension all back together. Then finally the engine and tranny.

Thanks again - I may well PM you on the radiator when I get there.

 

[bsquared]

Good scoop there on the Chassis Saver. I'm helping out my future Bro-in-Law with his Gumbo Monster Mudder Bronco in New Orleans and it's going to need a 55 gal drum of that stuff!
Here's a couple more pics of how it mounts vertically like the I-6's do. Just PM me when ready. Keep on bustin' the knuckles and good luck!

 

[72SDBRONCO]

Looking good, and welcome to SD! We just moved down here this summer too. Looking forward to following your project. Nice work.

John

 

[ILikeBond]

Little update here. Been doing a lot of stuff, but not a lot that's too exciting for pictures. Had a big day today though. Bye, bye I6!

 

[sprdv1]

Sweet man.. get err done

 

[ILikeBond]

Removed tranny and mocked up WH Shock Jock mounts yesterday (which included trimming the wheel wells a bit). Once I get the shock mounts and fuel tank brackets welded, I should be close to putting the rear end back together again. Will just need to finish cleaning the fame and underside, then paint.

 

[ILikeBond]

It's been several months, but I finally have some progress worth reporting.

Aside from a 2-month period when the project lay dormant while I worked and traveled for the holidays, I've been spending my time disassembling the Bronco down to the tub and frame, cleaning the frame (wire wheel, degreasers, sanding, etc.), and prepping the engine compartment for paint by sanding.

First, I found a guy on craigslist to help me weld V8 motor and radiator mounts, and shock jocks in the rear.

 

[ILikeBond]

Then I started tackling the dirt and grime on the frame and undercarriage. This is the kind of stuff I was working against.

 

[ILikeBond]

Many hours of wire-wheeling, angle-grinding, detail brushing, and degreasing later, here's what I had.

 

[ILikeBond]

Pulled the 9" and cleaned up the housing. Painted with Chassis Saver, though I seem to have neglected to take photos. Will do so next time and edit this post to add them later.

 

[ILikeBond]

Then it was on to the engine compartment. Took everything that was left off, then hit it with the angle grinder and sandpaper.

 

[ILikeBond]

Figured while I was at it, I ought to check what was under the fenders, so I took it down to the front clip and sanded away.

 

[ILikeBond]

More pics.

 

[ILikeBond]

This weekend, it was finally time to lay down some paint. I started with Chassis Saver on the frame, then started working on the undercarriage.