Project: 76, Orange Special Decor

[mustanggarage]

looking good.

 

[fordguy]

Well a month has gone by without a post. Even with having many distractions. I have managed to get a few things accomplished. When we left off. I needed to move the ECU to allow room for the A/C evaporator. Last Thursday evening, I finally gave in and cut the additional hole in the firewall, for the move. Not fun on a newly painted body. But it did go well and came out OK. Here are a couple pictures of the ECU installed. I still need to decide if I will pursue making a new bracket for the back of the ECU box. It feel pretty secure without it.
View attachment 946728
View attachment 946730
While I was cutting the firewall. Bruners4 started opening up the engine harness. To see if we could get a little more length out of it, to support the move. We were able to get what looked to be enough. So we called it a night.
Tonight I installed the harness again for a second, better look. And I found the harness to be a little to stretched for my liking. So I reevaluated my options. I ended up lengthening the signal wires on injectors 2 and 3. And all three wires for the coil pack plug, for bank one. It fits so much better. We also pulled back the MAF and IAT plugs from the end of the run at the coil pack. To now exit between injectors 2 and 3.
View attachment 946731
View attachment 946732
Still more work to do on the harness. With test fitting the throttle and air intake connections. Before a final re-loom, and additional mounting clamps for the harness across the firewall.

We were able to get mine high enough to just clear gen 5?vintage air. What plug wires and loom holders are those?

 

[gnsteam]

We were able to get mine high enough to just clear gen 5?vintage air. What plug wires and loom holders are those?

Hi Fordguy, the wire loom is from Wild Horses. And the the plug wires are, Denso 8mm, item number 6718093. From Rock Auto.

 

[fordguy]

Are you running angles plug GT 40 heads?

 

[gnsteam]

Are you running angles plug GT 40 heads?

Yes, I have an early 96 5.0.

 

[gnsteam]

I got a little more time on the harness rework last night. I set the air intake in its approximate location to test the sensor wiring layout. Looks pretty good. Ready to re-loom it up.

 

[Bruners4]

That is looking great! I would be very tempted to remove the round connectors that were needed for the stock air filter housing. One less connector that potentially could cause a problem. A quick clip, solder and heat shrink will fix it and can also customize the length.

 

[gnsteam]

That is looking great! I would be very tempted to remove the round connectors that were needed for the stock air filter housing. One less connector that potentially could cause a problem. A quick clip, solder and heat shrink will fix it and can also customize the length.

I was thinking the same thing. Will do!

 

[gnsteam]

I worked in the shop yesterday afternoon. And fabricated a housing. To utilize the Explorer intake screen into my intake system. I will post some installed pictures later.

 

[gnsteam]

The intake is pretty much completed. For when its time to go in for the final time.

 

[fordguy]

What filter
Is that?

 

[gnsteam]

What filter
Is that?

AEM dry/washable filter. Part #21-2036DK. Found at aemintake.com

 

[gnsteam]

Over the last week. Bruners4 and I, accomplished a little more work. Getting back to where we were. From relocation of the ECU. The Ecu is now in place. And today I finished reworking the engine harness. Even though the ECU move was a set back. I am much happier with the way the harness looks a fits. When I began to re-loom the section of wires that were lengthened. I decided to use the woven nylon loom material, that comes with the Painless wiring kit. And then wrapping the loom with TESA tape. Use these to materials. The finished loomed wires were smaller in diameter and much better looking. So I striped down the whole harness. Removing the electrical tape and corrugated nylon loom, that was on the harness. And re-loomed the whole harness. Attached are a few pictures of the harness and it back in the engine bay.

 

[gnsteam]

Well a couple more weeks have passed by without out an update. Its not that I haven't been working on the Bronco. The content just didn't seem post worthy. Picture wise anyway. I'm back to the point where the project is moving forward again after the ECU relocation.

I have been working on the Vintage Air install. Trying numerous options for routing the heater and A/C coolant hoses. As of Thursday evening. Dave (Bruners4) and I have a pretty good plan. Once a few more fittings arrive from Vintage Air.

While waiting for parts to arrive. And tring to avoid working in the hot, humid weather, we have been experiencing. I have been spending time in my A/C shop. Making brackets and things. Today I finished the radiator, fan shroud, mounting adapter. This took lots of design time. Which I did several weeks back. So this week I went to work with fabrication.

The adapter is made out of two, 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 18" plates of Aluminum. And the two, thin side rail pieces are 1/4" x 3/4". To overcome a design mistake I made. I had to make a couple 5/8", thick. Spacers for one of the side rail pieces. So the main plates should have been 18 5/8" in length. It still, worked out OK. The adaptor is bolted together with 6-32 SS FHCS. At all for corners.

Nothing about this radiator (Tom’s Offroad, reverse flow 5.0 Radiator) is square. So to bolt the adapter to the radiator using the provided #10 riv-nuts. I had to make four different thickness spacers at each attachment point. That way the side rails would be parallel to the radiator fins. With about 1/32 - 1/16" of clearance.

Then the shroud bolts up to the top and bottom plates. With 1/4-20 SS SHCS screws.

I think it came out pretty good. As I was typing this post. The FedEx truck delivered the Vintage Air parts. Now all I need is a day without a heat index of 105 - 110. To test out the A/C hose routing.

More to come. Have a great week.

 

[904Bronco]

Nice...

Who made the Aluminum shroud?

 

[gnsteam]

I purchased it from Wild Horses, SKU # 5001. The adapter was need to lower the shroud for the 1 1/2" body lift.

 

[fordguy]

I purchased it from Wild Horses, SKU # 5001. The adapter was need to lower the shroud for the 1 1/2" body lift.

I have. 1 inch body lift and the stock shroud works.

 

[904Bronco]

I purchased it from Wild Horses, SKU # 5001. The adapter was need to lower the shroud for the 1 1/2" body lift.

I tried to purchase their shroud a few months ago. (It's on back order for me)
They have apparently lost their vendor who was building them, both for stock and lifted applications.
Jim said they were looking for another Vendor to build them, but only in a stock configuration.
I could order a Ron Morris one, but they are quite proud of their product pricewise. So that remains an option...

I appreciate the reply

 

[gnsteam]

I tried to purchase their shroud a few months ago. (It's on back order for me)
They have apparently lost their vendor who was building them, both for stock and lifted applications.
Jim said they were looking for another Vendor to build them, but only in a stock configuration.
I could order a Ron Morris one, but they are quite proud of their product pricewise. So that remains an option...

I appreciate the reply

So I guess I got pretty luck getting one. But I did order it over two years ago.

 

[gnsteam]

Back to working on the a/c install. After several hours of looking at my options for the routing of the a/c and heater hoses. Here is where I settled on the pass through of the firewall.

I really tried to place all four line through the area where the ECU used to be. It works out OK on the engine bay side. But not well on the interior side. The bulk head fittings for the two a/c lines would not clear the evaporator. Without pushing the cover plate into the engine bay by about an inch. Which would have required building a box extension into the engine bay side. And the heater hose fitting needed to be in the position as shown. To miss the evaporator. And with pushing the mount into the engine bay. Is was starting to get crowded at the back of the engine. Once I noticed the open area behind evaporator at the angled area of the firewall. I found the solution for the a/c lines. So the plate could stay in place against the firewall. Here are a couple more pictures of both sides of the firewall.

No let's go back to the engine bay and follow the a/c lines from the compressor to the firewall. At the compressor the #8 hose goes off to the right. Behind the p/s pump down to the lower crossmember and across to the passenger side to the condenser.

Next the #10 hose goes to the left following the plug wires and behind the alternator. In route to the passenger side fender we'll. Where it is joined by the #6 hose from the dryer, mount just under the battery tray area.

Then on to the firewall bulkhead fittings.

Enough for tonight. Tomorrow, I will work on the heater hose connections. It looks like, I will have to modify the Explorer factory tube. To make the connections.