I'm making some progress on Frank!

[Bronco Ben]

Finally making progress on Frank!!

well i got the screws across the windsheild out, the wireing out from behind the dash, and finally the dash is out! Problem, is I have the shifter linkage unhooked, and the steering knuckle from the steering box, and the clamp loosed by the firewall. where do I go from here in removing the steering column. The U shaped bracket from under the dash is loose. Does it just pull out thru the dash area now or is there something else to unhook?
Bronco Ben


In the beginning, frank as it sat when I brought em home. Kinda rough isnt it!

 

[feitctaj]

Photos? My imagination aint what it used to be , wait it's coming to me, There is that rubber seal too Ben and then it should pop out, Mind is failing me now, I will go out to mine to refresh my mind.

 

[2badrotties]

That clamp on the fire wall has to be removed all the way. The entire triangle piece has to come off so the shift levers will pull through the firewall. The clamp under the dash also must be all the way off. Wiring harness must be unhooked before you can pull it out. Pull it back and turn it untill the shift levers come through.

 

[feitctaj]

2bad posted before I came back from the garage, good luck:-X

 

[2badrotties]

I'm sorry

 

[Bronco Ben]

thanks guys, I went back and did a search and found that I needed to remove that U shaped 3 bolt bracket to remove it. Also I removed the Clamp by the firewall. Dash, steering wheel are out wiring is unhooked, and the column is almost out, dadgum T-ball game is puttin the stress to me, but after its over and after I take the wife out for our aniversery to eat supper, I'll be back at it! The dash and windsheild frame didnt look to bad. Still had origional shiny maroon paint under the windsheild frame rubber piece .......those 7 screws were hell though, had to use a screwdriver and kinda chisel/unscrew em! it worked great thought I removed all 7 without breaking any of em!

the ignition switch wasnt much of a problem as I had remove some from some old 65 mustangs a long time ago, and as someone stated it came back to me, then the light switch wasnt to bad either. I'll post pictures tonight! thanks for the help
Bronco Ben

a few more pictures at "Frank" starts out,1). inner fender, 2).passenger side, and the 3).6 cylinder that came in it. the rest are more pictures of after the top was removed. I came back and added these photos not realizing that I had only posted one picture per post.....so I'll be coming back and filling in the voids where it doesnt look so bad. thanks for viewing

 

[Bronco Ben]

well the column is out.........heres a few photos of what I did today

 

[MnkyBiz]

LONG LIVE FRANK!!!!

Keep your spirits high! You are entering the FUN ZONE!!!

 

[4byford]

Lookin' good-
Nice clutch/brake pedal pads, by the way

 

[Bronco Ben]

I was wondering about those, did those come stock on broncos or are they aftermarket?......nevermind after investigating closer, there're tire treads epoxyed on the pedals lol..........they look good from a distance though LOL

Bronco Ben

 

[77TexasBronc]

I'll be removing more in the future, its gonna be slow but at least I'm working on it instead of just talking about it!
Bronco Ben

Ha! Very well put Ben. Glad to see your making some progress. Look forward to seeing more.

 

[Bronco Ben]

I'll be doing more tonight, my wifes grandmother gave us a new frige to store in my shop ;D ....so I should have plenty of cold beverages while I work. I also cleaned out my shop yesterday and even put down some plywood for stroage in my shop loft!
I didnt get my tub off but, I will be getting everything ready to do it soon. I'll keep the pics coming, since it's more interesting with photos!
Bronco Ben

 

[JaxLax]

it's an uphill battle

 

[Bronco Ben]

ok heres my delima! Since my two floor pans are rusted out at the firewall mounts, how do I support the tub for my body stand while getting it sand blasted? Would you
a) weld in new pans then put it on the body stand to have it blasted? if so what about the area where the floor pans attach (unblasted area under pan lip?)
b)weld in some temp support and go ahead and mount it on the body stand? then put the floor pans in after its blasted and epoxy primed?

I dont want to leave any areas unblasted, so when I prime it and get around to painting it, I dont have to "ever" worry about rusted out floor pans in my future! ya know? I may have to drill out the welds after all on the front end! Even though I dont want to. That sucks too!
thanks in advance
Bronco Ben

 

[trailpsycho]

I would cut out and weld in new pans, rockers, whatever it is you think (are pretty sure of at this point) that you will need to replace, then have it media blasted. YOu can clean up the contact areas where you will be welding with the grinder/brush to get your clean surfaces.

 

[77TexasBronc]

Yep, I agree. Go ahead and replace what you know needs to be replaced before blasting.

 

[Bronco Ben]

what I had in mind before I saw these major holes in the floor, was to
1) build the stand
2) take it to the media blaster on the stand with my car trailer!
3) have it blasted and coated with epoxy primer (hardner) completely ALL OVER.....figured with it still on the stand not only could the guy blast it better on top and bottem but also the epoxy primer would cover "Everything" as well!

Then I could take each panel out (floor, bed,striker plate etc) one at a time as time and money permits until I get all the floor pan area replaced, the door striker area, and the bed floor. From there I may at some point replace the radiator core support (or just weld the piece back into the cut out area that is missing (I have that piece)., My goal is to have my tub sandblasted and epoxy primed by August......."FRANKS" 1 year Bring home date!!!
from there, I'm gonna take my time (no matter how long it takes) and put it back together RIGHT!

Bronco Ben

;D

 

[Bronco Ben]

poor "Frank" sat alone last night! But today is a different story, I've taken off of my daughters 5th grade program, and as soon as its over will be starting to work on the EB again. Maybe today I can get the rear bumper off (that mamajama is welded on good)(lots of grinding with my 4 1/2" sidegrinder), and maybe purchase one of the engine stands that I plan to use as one of my "body stands". I'll be extending it at some point and purchasing some old pipe to tie them together. Wish me luck!
Bronco Ben

 

[77TexasBronc]

Good luck Ben. Sounds like a plan to me.

 

[trailpsycho]

Ben-

Why not do the body work, rattle can primer it along the way, then, when its perfect-except for the surface issues, take it to the media blaster? Its up to you, but I think that I would want the final durface cleaned, alot of stuff will get tweaked, parts changed, if money is tight why have it blasted and primered now and throw good money for bad, when the surfaces will most likely be altered along the way and you will have to d them again. If you are worried about the surfaces, go buy a cheap pressure can from Harbor Freight and a few bags of media and do each piece as you go, then you can go back over the fixed areas once it is complete or take it somewhere to have them blast the final time. Just my opinion, but I hate to see you undo all the dough, time and energy to load it up, haul it, pay for it, take it home, mess up the work you paid for and then need to do it all again in a few months....rattle cans are your friends for now, turn on them later.