The Duck Build.

[englewoodcowboy]

Well my bronco brothers and sisters, I have finally pulled the old girl from her rest, washed off the dust and cleared out the shop. It's time for me to get started on my frame off rest-o-mod that I have been dreaming of for the last 4 years I've owned my 73. I promise lots of pics, maybe a few vids and a definite show of enthusiasm, need of support as I tackle this addiction.

Where she has been sitting for the last four years. Make-shift Barn Find perhaps?

Needless to say it was not without it's fair share of dust, mildew, mold, rat droppings and bird droppings but an hour with a power washer fixed all of that.

Sitting in her final spot where she will be disassembled. Next time she sees daylight, it will be in pieces going for media blasting etc.

Some pics of what I have to work with.

 

[zonian]

Thanks for the photos, looking fwd to the transformation....good luck.

 

[sprdv1]

Nice.. it's about time. Look forward to your build man

 

[BLAZEOFGLORY]

Good start with the wash, DON'T throw anything away or sell anything, until your completely done. And most important thing is label everything, pictures and video is your new friend and CB.com Good Luck.

 

[nathan.hall1]

Nice what are your plans? What's your vison of how the build will end up?

 

[englewoodcowboy]

My plans are a frame off, the floor pans on it are completely shot. She has minor rust in all of the typical areas and after going over it with a pawl tonight I think it may be in better shape than I once hoped for. I know for sure I need a new grill, going to go with the 66-68 grill for the small turn signals. It def needs all new floors and core support panels. The doors are decent except the lower skins as best I can tell but the stripping will reveal what I really have to work with. I have salvaged front seats out of a lincoln MK VII as well as the 5.0 HO. It is a low mileage motor (27K) but I am going to tear it down and stroke it, if the bores are good and tight I will make it a 327, if it needs boring then I will decide on a 331 or 347. It will have an RV cam, already have iron GT40 heads and an explorer front dress for it. Im planning a WH 2.5" lift, 1" NT BL, NV3550, custom roll bar, A/C, Stereo etc. This will probably be shown once or twice when Im done at SC then I plan on driving it to its next resto in 20 or 30 years. The color as of now will be some form of green, maybe custom, not sure but will cross that bridge in a few years. lol

 

[englewoodcowboy]

It's official, time to make some BRONCO PORN! My restoration has finally begun!

Tomorrows plans are to go stock up on zip lock bags and sharpies, organize my tools, clean out the bead blast cabinet and then start stripping the interior. One of our fellow Bronco buddies is going to come help me one weekend tear down the body and separate it from the frame so I can take it to get stripped... thats when the money starts to get spent... This will be a project with stop and go progress as I run out of funds, it will be on pause. I am hoping though to strategically plan this so I can work straight through, buy items that will take up some time to do etc. as I go.

 

[NicksTrix]

don't forget to pick up a handful of big rubber made totes. to put things in. helps keep you organized. you'll dig threw them numerous times and will narrow them down as time goes on.
as mentioned don't toss anything for a while. once you figure out what you need and don't then you unload all the left overs.

as you strip it down, keep a notepad of things you find you need that come apart/break as you tear it down. can also list what is missing.
notes will help you from having to remember everything for the duration of the build.

let the games begin!

 

[Scoop]

Tomorrows plans are to go stock up on zip lock bags and sharpies, organize my tools, clean out the bead blast cabinet and then start stripping the interior. One of our fellow Bronco buddies is going to come help me one weekend tear down the body and separate it from the frame so I can take it to get stripped... thats when the money starts to get spent... This will be a project with stop and go progress as I run out of funds, it will be on pause. I am hoping though to strategically plan this so I can work straight through, buy items that will take up some time to do etc. as I go.

This may sound silly, but get some high quality zip lock bags with the white label area. Nothing more frustrating than cheap bags falling apart after years (or less!) in storage and getting parts, nuts, bolts, washers, etc., mixed up. The white label area will make it much easier to label and a lot easier to read when you're putting it back together some late night in 2018!

 

[englewoodcowboy]

Thanks for the tips Nick and Scoop. I bought two rubber made shelves to stack things on so the totes will be even better considering I have 3 shelves of Bronco II parts in the shop now. My sons B2 is going to a friend of his to get some fab and body work done, when we get it back it will be on its frame for good. With his new job and him being gone all the time, the father/son thing had to change direction as I did not want to work on it without him so now, no more excuses, mine is in the shop and I am ready to get it going.

 

[gnsteam]

Looking forward to following your progress. As others have said, take the time to document and take lots of pictures. This has helped me out of a lot of confusing situation.

Best of luck with your build and keep us posted. Will be watching.;D

 

[englewoodcowboy]

It's official, "The Duck" restoration has finally begun!

Note to self: Never let kids have free run in my shop! I spent most of the day cleaning greasy peter beater paw prints off all of my tools today and getting things organized back the way it was. On a high note I did get some progress on the old girl. Soaked every fastener I could find in PB Blaster. Seats are out, vinyl floor is out and the make shift patches and high tech duck tape seam sealer is out. Floor pans are gone as suspected but the under braces are in great shape. Looks as if Ford galvanized them.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

It's official, time to make some BRONCO PORN! My restoration has finally begun!

Tomorrow I am going to try and get the hard top off and get the old roll bar out. I'm going to pull the doors and tailgate as well but is it easier to get them gutted while they are swinging or on a bench. Window/ regulator , lock mech etc.?

 

[bobscott]

Peter beater paw prints, awesome i need to bust that out on my coworkers when they swipe my stuff and don't return it.

I found a conversion kit and a tech article for the early turn signal mod. Not sure the grill condition but might be worth a look if it is in good shape otherwise. Mine is good so I am going to do the mod either with the kit or as shown in one of the tech articles.

The front pans look about like mine. I had some rust hiding behind the front support. I just cut the front 9" or so of inner rocker and replaced. The supports are galvanized. I cleaned them up and por15 the inner channel.

I would also get the truck manual too. You can get it on cd for a few bucks. You list is very similar to mine and it has been a big help for torque specs etc.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

It's official, "The Duck" restoration has finally begun!

My grill is shot. Too much rot that can be fixed but needs someones attention that is way beyond my skills or tool inventory. Its in the rounded corners etc, so I just decided it would be easier to replace. As far as the shop manual, I just so happen to have the entire "Ford" repair/assembly manuals from 1973 for the trucks and bronco I bought from Dennis Carpenter a few years ago. It has a great deal of info and some original assembly drawings etc. The big issue I have at the moment is those supports without the pans have bowed letting the body sag at that point. The door gaps look awesome everywhere except at the top where they have made contact with the fenders. Im going to try and lift the front back up to get the upper gaps just right and pop in some braces before I pull the doors but the top and dash have to come off first so it is easier to see.

 

[u10072]

If you are doing the floors which it looks like you are-- I would leave that top on for extra support. One more thing is to replace the body mounts at the same time as they are probably bad as well.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

Well a progress report today, work kept me late so I only got an hour or two on it tonight. Fought the weather seal screws around the tailgate, 5 more are soaking in blaster over night... Tailgate is off, hood is off. While I was taking the hoof off I realized that when it goes back on for the final time, I will be a wreck. Its awkward to handle, has a lot of sharp edges etc. I can see me burning a whole roll of masking tape on the cowl that day and maybe top it with gorilla tape. Not much to show but as promised, more porn.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

Top is off, hood is off, roll bar is out and working on gutting the doors. There are a lot of damn bolts on this thing... and a nice surprise waiting for me on top of the headliner.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

Well I only worked a half day on Friday and spent the other half with the old girl. On the surface it doesn't look like much was done but the bumpers are finally off. The fuel tanks are out, wheels and tires are off, windshield frame is gutted except the wire harness, dash pad is removed and the body trim if removed. They sure do make this stuff look fast and easy on TV....

 

[englewoodcowboy]

It's official, "The Duck" restoration has finally begun!

I ordered some steel to make some frame end rolling dollies and to brace the tub for removal. It should be here Wed. morning. I plan to get the grill off and pull the steering column and start on the dash and wiring harness. The plans for next week are to separate the body from the frame and send t off to get media blasted. One step at a time I suppose.