RB's 1976 Bronco Ranger

[sprdv1]

Nice Rusty!!

You'll have to catch up w/the MO crew in SMORR at the next eent..

May 31 at 8 AM – Jun 2 at 3 PM
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SMORR
5722 State Highway K, Seymour, Missouri 65746

 

[sprdv1]

www.smorr.net

 

[RustyButtons]

So I got my headers in. A little challenging, but I managed it.

Can anyone tell me, in that last picture, is that an electric choke? If so, is there something I should do with the old hot air pipe?

 

[Scoop]

So I got my headers in. A little challenging, but I managed it.

Can anyone tell me, in that last picture, is that an electric choke? If so, is there something I should do with the old hot air pipe?

Yes electric choke. The hot air tubing is not really necessary. I'd just leave it off.

 

[redfishtony]

Welcome to the group. You will find a lot of great advice, knowledge and help on here. Good luck with your project, its an addictive hobby. TW

 

[RustyButtons]

Man, I could use some help...

So I've been busy. Had the engine and transmission re-built. Put in headers, and Duff's dual exhaust. Had the steering gear re-built, and replaced the power steering pump. Went to start it today - the starter turned, but the engine didn't start. Then I remembered I had spark plugs unplugged. I plugged in the spark plugs, went to start it - and, nothing. A click, and then nothing. I took the battery in. It's healthy and 75% charged. But now even if I unplug the spark plugs again, it doesn't even try to turn over.

Did I kill the starter? The batteries fine. I didn't do anything electrical except plug and unplug the spark plugs. Could I have shorted out the electrical system, or blown a fuse? At a loss on what I did wrong. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[mustanggarage]

The first thing I would do is check the wires to your solenoid. They can easily be wiggled loose And just try to jump the solenoid with the screwdriver or a remote starter to see if the solenoid is working

 

[RustyButtons]

Thanks! While checking the solenoid, I figured out the battery contacts were really loose. It's starting now.

 

[mustanggarage]

glad it was something simple. if you have never had an old ford before you will find that if you have a problem where the starter doesn't do anything and you hear a clicking like that, it is nearly always a loose connection somewhere, either a battery cable or at the solenoid. I seem to have the most problem with the negative battery cable for some reason.

 

[DirtDonk]

Hey Rusty, I would do one thing too, if you haven't already. It's more for "archival" reasons than any normal use, but it might come in handy some day anyway.
And that is to take a good close-up clear and well exposed photo of the driver's side engine decal on the side of the valve cover.
It may never come in handy knowing what it says, but then it might. Especially if you try to sell it to someone that lives in an area where they do smog inspections.

And are you running it with that tape over the passenger side valve cover? Or was that just temporary while the air filter was removed?

Sounds like you're making good progress.

Paul

 

[RustyButtons]

Thanks Paul. The tape was just while the air filter was removed.

Should be headed to the body shop this week. Pretty excited to get the body work started.

 

[RustyButtons]

So I guess I'll use this to collect all my dumb questions.

I'm replacing my brake proportioning valve (because I'm re-running the wiring harness, and the wiring receptor on the old one was shot; plus, it was grimy as heck.)

The old valve, for the line that runs to the small side of the master cylinder, had a small receptacle. The new valve has a larger receptacle. What is the easiest way to replace this short line from the proportioning valve to the master cylinder, or at least replace the connector at the valve end of this brake line? I'm attaching pictures of the old connector, the size of the connector it needs to be, the complete line, the old valve, and a recent photo of the Bronco itself so you can see how I'm doing. (Excuse the mess in my garage. It's my intention to get more organized here pretty soon.)

 

[DirtDonk]

If the old one is still working, I'd keep it myself.
It fits, it's plumbed already, it's less likely to develop a leak than a new one is, and it's more likely to be properly balanced for a Bronco than an aftermarket universal one is too. Although I've never seen or heard where they were vehicle specific even from the factory, or if they were all the same.
Just saying you don't need a new one just because the wiring is being re-done.

However, if it's shot, that's another story. They can be rebuilt/refurbished too and jckkys did a write-up on it last year-ish. Don't remember the details and did not take the time to re-read it just now, but pretty sure he was successful with the parts he bought.
https://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=297217

Check it out and see what you think.
In a pinch you can use the aftermarket ones (I'm even thinking about it because of it's many features and even though I've fought the idea for years in favor of manually adjustable prop valves) and they do work usually. You just have to be careful of leaks (keep the paint below it covered for the first month of it's use!) and of possible blockages from poor machining or maybe contamination.

In other words, the new one is not a guaranteed cake-walk by any means, and if the old one works, it's original and has made it this far. Why not again!

Good luck either way. Sorry I don't know the answer to your actual question!

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

Actually, here's my attempt to answer your un-asked question.

I'm replacing my brake proportioning valve (because I'm re-running the wiring harness, and the wiring receptor on the old one was shot; plus, it was grimy as heck.)

Is what you're calling the wiring receptor, the one on the wiring harness, or the one screwed into the side of the old proportioning valve (actually called a combination valve) instead? If the latter, it's just a switch and as far as I know is still available.
If you mean the one on the harness that plugs on to the one on the valve, I believe they're available again too, because Painless includes one in their harness.
On the other hand the more common one is the 1-wire version of the switch and connector that come with the new aftermarket replacement combination valves is workable with your new harness too.
But neither one will retrofit into the other. The Ford switch and connector are 2-wire and the GM-based aftermarket 1-wire version uses different thread size so they don't swap over to the other valve.

Paul

 

[RustyButtons]

Yeah, it’s the switch coming out of the valve that’s busted. I figured out while running the wiring that it hasn’t been connected because the switch is mostly gone. I’ll check out the rebuild thread. Thanks!

 

[sprdv1]

welcome back..

never a dumb question

So I guess I'll use this to collect all my dumb questions.

I'm replacing my brake proportioning valve (because I'm re-running the wiring harness, and the wiring receptor on the old one was shot; plus, it was grimy as heck.)

The old valve, for the line that runs to the small side of the master cylinder, had a small receptacle. The new valve has a larger receptacle. What is the easiest way to replace this short line from the proportioning valve to the master cylinder, or at least replace the connector at the valve end of this brake line? I'm attaching pictures of the old connector, the size of the connector it needs to be, the complete line, the old valve, and a recent photo of the Bronco itself so you can see how I'm doing. (Excuse the mess in my garage. It's my intention to get more organized here pretty soon.)

 

[sprdv1]

However, if it's shot, that's another story. They can be rebuilt/refurbished too and jckkys did a write-up on it last year-ish. Don't remember the details and did not take the time to re-read it just now, but pretty sure he was successful with the parts he bought.
https://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=297217

some good info there...

 

[RustyButtons]

So I'm going to take a shot at re-building this old brake valve. It is covered with 40 years of crud. As a starting point, what's the right way to go about cleaning it up? Is there something I can soak it in? I got all the bolts off, but a lot of the little bits (a couple of what look like maybe brass pins, and a metal tube) seem fairly stuck in place, and I'm hoping a soaking/cleaning might loosen them up. But I want to make sure I don't use anything harmful to the parts. I've seen references to soaking in vinegar, but that seemed mostly aimed at removing rust, and I wasn't sure if I should start with cleaning off the crud.

Thanks.

 

[DirtDonk]

Well, a brush in a pan of kerosene comes to mine. But my go-to for most of this stuff is Chem-Dip which is a carb cleaner. And it's probably what you've heard as not being good for the parts.
It won't hurt the cast-iron of course, and it won't hurt the brass if not left in for too long. But you probably don't have to toss any brass parts in there anyway. If there are any, just scrub them down with scotch-brite and some brake fluid.

The seals are what hate carburetor cleaners like Chem-Dip, but I've reconditioned seals to good effect when "ruined" by Chemtool and Chemdip stuff. I just soaked the swollen seals in water over night and they looked just as they did before.

Might not even be pertinent, since there should hopefully be new seals with any rebuilding procedure.

What was the cleaning solution and/or method used in the thread I linked to?

paul

 

[Slowleak]

My favorite cleaning solution is a equal mix of Kerosene, Mineral Spirits, and ATF (Transmission fluid). Some people add acetone.

I keep my ultrasonic cleaner filled with it......and it’s great for loosening rusty bolts, and cleaning guns. Google “Ed’s Red” for more on the recipe....