Tons of Questions!

[Selmer]

First, let me apologize, I’m not a computer guy, took me a few mornings to figure out how to post on here. Hope I’m posting on the correct side. I’m not much of an automotive mechanic, I have a maritime mechanical background, but I’m new to vehicle builds.

I recently bought a 1972 Bronco that my dads buddy had sitting for almost 30 years, so it needs some work.

.I’d like to use the “Flared Lower Outer Quarter Panels (66-76)” on the back of my 1972 Bronco and the stock front fenders.

I’d like to run 265/70 R15 or R17s tires (or something close)
- Can I do this on 8” steelies? Where can I find 15”x8” or 17”x8” plain Jane stock looking steelies?

I’d like to use the 1.5” upgraded Billstein shocks
-Dropped pitman arm, do I need or is it recommended?

-Dropped track bar bracket, do I need or is it recommended?

-I read somewhere (probably here) and I don’t even know what this means but it said to get the 7° C- bushings not the 4’s in the kit. This was for a 2.5” lift but I’m thinking the 1.5” kit will be best for me, does this still apply?

Front and rear sway bars, I saw this was for lifts greater than 2”, is it because it’s not needed or because of clearances?

Steering stabilizer, recommended or needed with the tire size and lift I’m wanting?

Do you think this will give the Bronco a good look (filling in the fenders with the tires and not rub) and a good ride? I know most people will say, “everyone has different tastes” but we all know when something doesn’t look right. I want something I can use as a daily in town but also have fun down the dirt roads and some light off-roading where I live in AZ.

Now for the engine.....

Right now there is a 289, strokes to a 302. The engine looks to be in pretty good shape, well the lower end anyway, I was told the engine was never fired after it had been rebuilt and I took the spark plugs out and I could see the shiny piston heads and cylinders were shiny as well. The top end had a cork in one of the valve cover holes for the oil breather (I’m guessing) and it had shrunk. And looks like some pack rat droppings got in there. Seems like it will work but I’d like to pull an engine and trans out of an ‘88 Mercury Grand Marquis. I’ve done some research and looks like it’s a little different than the mustang motors but should still work.....

So my question on that is, can I remove the intake and the other 60 pounds of gear and wiring mess and do a Holley Sniper or Edlebrock EFI system on it. Like when you go from an EFI to carbureted but EFI to a more simple EFI?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, any and all help and recommendations are appreciated.

Respectfully,

Selmer

 

[Eoth]

For everything related to your suspension (lift, steering, shocks, etc...) I would recommend that you shop the various vendors and give them a call for a "package". You can piece and part the whole process (and many people like to do that), but for simplicity and customer support. A vendor will be able to sell you something that they know works and will be there for you if/when your run into issues...
As for your engine... If it was rebuilt, why not give it a chance as-is? Pull the valve cover off and clean up the turds. If the PO went through all the trouble, hopefully he used some quality parts. If everything works, then choose an aftermarket EFI system and add it.
You can take the Grand Marquis 5.0 EFI engine backwards and make it a Throttle body EFI (I actually did it with an explorer motor) but most people would encourage you to just get a Explorer set-up and have the EFI Guy rework the harness and computer.
Just my two cents..... And of course.... WELCOME ABOARD!!

 

[Broncobowsher]

See remarks:

First, let me apologize, I’m not a computer guy, took me a few mornings to figure out how to post on here. Hope I’m posting on the correct side. I’m not much of an automotive mechanic, I have a maritime mechanical background, but I’m new to vehicle builds.

I recently bought a 1972 Bronco that my dads buddy had sitting for almost 30 years, so it needs some work.

.I’d like to use the “Flared Lower Outer Quarter Panels (66-76)” on the back of my 1972 Bronco and the stock front fenders.
That works

I’d like to run 265/70 R15 or R17s tires (or something close)
- Can I do this on 8” steelies? Where can I find 15”x8” or 17”x8” plain Jane stock looking steelies?
The 17" wheels will be 2" taller than 15", with the same 265/70. So you need to plan ahead of time. That is a concretive size tire, should fit fine, even with 17s. Offset needs to be watched.

I’d like to use the 1.5” upgraded Billstein shocks
-Dropped pitman arm, do I need or is it recommended?
Not with that little lift

-Dropped track bar bracket, do I need or is it recommended?
Drop track bar ONLY works with used with a drop pitman arm. One without the other will make for nasty bumpsteer.

-I read somewhere (probably here) and I don’t even know what this means but it said to get the 7° C- bushings not the 4’s in the kit. This was for a 2.5” lift but I’m thinking the 1.5” kit will be best for me, does this still apply?
Bronco's are known for a lack of caster. Lack of caster is fine for manual steering. Once you add power steering you want more caster. 7° is as far as you can go with bushings. That is 7° more than stock bushings. The caster goes away as you lift, the radius arms roll the axle forward with lift. The bushing roll it backward. In essence, cancel each other out. If you have power steering, just go 7°. If you plan to keep manual steering, the 4° will be easier to drive. More caster adds steering effort, great for straight tracking on the highway, horrible to drive at low speeds with wide tires and manual steering

Front and rear sway bars, I saw this was for lifts greater than 2”, is it because it’s not needed or because of clearances?
They do great for adding road manors. Different kits available. Not all require lift.

Steering stabilizer, recommended or needed with the tire size and lift I’m wanting?
That is a steering damper. They do a good job of protecting the steering box from impact loads, and that also helps save the frame from cracking. If you can feel if there is one while driving on the road, you have issues in the steering system. It should be transparent in normal driving. Start running a few trails and the steering wheel wants to snap to the side, this is where they work there magic. Don't try and use them to fix a shimmy. That is a problem that a damper is often thrown on to try and mask instead of fixing correctly. Good thing on AZ trails

Do you think this will give the Bronco a good look (filling in the fenders with the tires and not rub) and a good ride? I know most people will say, “everyone has different tastes” but we all know when something doesn’t look right. I want something I can use as a daily in town but also have fun down the dirt roads and some light off-roading where I live in AZ.
Spring rates will play into the ride quality, talk to the vender about ride quality when getting suspension parts. Blocks tend to magnify axle wrap issues, add-a-leaf tend to stiffen the spring pack (short ones worse). But overall a decent plan

Now for the engine.....

Right now there is a 289, strokes to a 302. The engine looks to be in pretty good shape, well the lower end anyway, I was told the engine was never fired after it had been rebuilt and I took the spark plugs out and I could see the shiny piston heads and cylinders were shiny as well. The top end had a cork in one of the valve cover holes for the oil breather (I’m guessing) and it had shrunk. And looks like some pack rat droppings got in there. Seems like it will work but I’d like to pull an engine and trans out of an ‘88 Mercury Grand Marquis. I’ve done some research and looks like it’s a little different than the mustang motors but should still work.....
Fresh rebuilt engine, probably just needs a cleaning. Wouldn't bother swapping in a used engine. Clean up what you have

So my question on that is, can I remove the intake and the other 60 pounds of gear and wiring mess and do a Holley Sniper or Edlebrock EFI system on it. Like when you go from an EFI to carbureted but EFI to a more simple EFI?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, any and all help and recommendations are appreciated.

Respectfully,

Selmer

 

[Selmer]

Thanks for all the help! Blown away! Thank you

So the reasons I was thinking of taking the ‘88 Grand Marquis route, was I would already have the power steering and A/C set-up without having to buy new brackets, belts and gear, the ‘88 will already have all of that. both engines have probably been sitting for the same amount of years and I’d tear them both down and inspect them both anyway. It gets well over 110° here in the summer so A/C is a must!

The ‘88 is mated up with an AOD transmission. I live about an hour away from work so the AOD will be great for fuel economy and RPMs. I would love to drive it to northern Arizona and maybe a few other places. The fuel injection will allow me to change elevations without messing with the carburetor. That’s where my thinking was, going with the ‘88 can I do that Holley/Edelbrock EFI swap? Will that work? You both seem more reluctant to use the ‘88, I’m leaning that way just so I don’t have to build a serpentine setup, the Grand Marquis already has it done.

 

[Eoth]

two things come to mind with the Grand Marquis..

1. Distance between the dressing (pulleys, belts, fan, etc...) and the radiator. The Explorer 5.0 is nice because it it tight against the motor. I must admit I have no idea what the Grand Marquis has but it probably isn't ideal since I don't recall anyone specifically using that engine or dressing.
2. Cam: The car based cam isn't ideal for the low-end torque of a Bronco.

This is your rig so do whatever makes you happy.

 

[Broncobowsher]

The AOD doesn't have the greatest gear ratios. Can the existing Bronco gearing added to the AOD let the engine turn enough RPM to have the torque needed to move down a highway while pushing the wind? For reference I was running 33" tires (a little taller than the proposed 265/70R17s you are looking at by about an inch) and was running a much torquier 351W. With slightly less overdrive in the 4R70W it was pretty happy with 4.88 gears. You propose a little less lift, a little less tire, and a bit less engine. And a touch more overdrive. You would need to be in that same 4.88 gear ratio range to really use the overdrive. Being you are talking mountains of AZ, that is generally a fair bit of elevation which really sucks the power out of an engine, so I'll stay with the 4.88 instead of leaning toward 4.56 that might work at lower elevations. The nice part is the aero drag is less at altitude, but the loss of engine power is even more.

As mentioned, the crown vic front accessory drive isn't that good of a fit for a Bronco. It is remarkably tight packaging between the end of the crank and the radiator.

The Explorer is just about a must for what you want. There is actually enough fan to move the amount of air needed to cool a Bronco in AZ with A/C. It is far enough from the core that a proper fan shroud will make a plenum so air is pulled evenly through the core and not just in a circular pattern where the blades are at that happens in stock form when the fan is too close to the core (you can see that happen with circular dirt patterns on the front of the radiator). While at it the whole Explorer engine, EFI, and transmission are good for a Bronco as well. Just need some proper axle gearing so the overdrive is useful.

 

[Selmer]

Thanks! Looks like I’ll be building the 289. I was going to use the Grand Marquis engine because I have access to it. I’ve called all the local junkyards and can’t find the late 90’s Explorer engine and trans. Bit more work, and a bit more money, but I want a nice rig. Thank you all.

 

[Broncobowsher]

It's common to just find a whole Explorer that is running and driving. Gut it and scrap the shell. That way you get everything. No missing parts. Some little stuff like the water pump pulley can be difficult to find by itself.

 

[sprdv1]

It's common to just find a whole Explorer that is running and driving. Gut it and scrap the shell. That way you get everything. No missing parts. Some little stuff like the water pump pulley can be difficult to find by itself.

I think you need to get over there and help out