‘66 Bronco Restoration (Page 1 of 4)
Posted: 1/9/2020 8:41:52 PM EDT
[Last Edit: kfs35][Edited]
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Last fall (2018) I started restoring my 1966 Bronco U14.
I’ve had it for over 20 years, it was given to me when I was in high school or right after, don’t recall exactly when. The story goes that it originally was used on the Henry Ford estate, and then the second owner, who had worked at the estate, purchased it. He then took it to his cottage in Northern Michigan, and it stayed there until it was given to me. No provenance, but it’s a good story. When I got it, it hadn’t run in several years. I had to pull the head to free up some stuck valves and clean the carb to get it running. I drove it in the summer, and my dad plowed snow with it in the winter. I hauled it down to metro Detroit and used it as my daily driver one summer. It continued plowing snow in the winter until my dad bought a newer plow truck a few years ago. I brought it down to my place a couple of years ago and started on it last fall. It’s pretty much stock, original 170 engine. The body is pretty well gone. I put floorboards in it a few years ago as a temporary repair, but the rest of it continued rusting away. Here she is as I started. The CJ5 in the last picture is my most recent project. Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Starting the tear down last fall.
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I knew the body was bad, but didn’t realize just how bad it really was until I got it off the frame and started really looking it over.
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More pics of the teardown. Definitely got my money’s worth out of the clutch disk.
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The frame itself was in pretty good shape, mostly light rust. It was a little heavier back under the bed, but cleaned up ok. There was one area that had rusted through by the left rear spring hanger. There was a mouse nest inside the frame, and it had rusted through underneath it. I ended up cutting out about an eight inch section, also had to put a small patch on the inside rail.
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Frame all painted and ready to reassemble.
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Tore the transfer case down, and put all new seals and gaskets in it. I didn’t tear the transmission down, just cleaned it up good and replaced the seals and gaskets.
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Rebuilt the engine, it had some taper in the bores, so it got re-bored, and the crank got turned. At least engine parts are cheap for this, Ford built millions of these 170s. Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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More reassembly. I needed to change oil in my pickup yesterday, so the Bronco got pushed outside. It looked good sitting there! I thought so anyway.
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And this brings us to today. Last week I drove over to Jeff’s Bronco Graveyard to pick up my body tub kit. It comes some assembly required.
Lots of pieces.  Attached FileAttached File |
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Yesterday and today were spent laying out all of the pieces.
Once I figured out what piece goes where, more or less, I started fitting them together. I’m just clamping everything together to check the fit to start with. I need a lot more clecos and clamps. They won’t be here until next week. Attached File Attached File |
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Bonus pics of my parts donor, another 66. I hauled it down from my parents place this summer. I’m glad I did, grabbed a few bits and pieces off it already.
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Absence of proof is not proof of absence.
Joined:
Oct 2013
Posts:
27474
EE: 100% (120)
KY, USA
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Subscribed. Love these threads. Thanks. |
Originally Posted By FLAL1A:
"Pretty much the only thing that keeps me paying my taxes and not turning my house into a chickenshit particle board and stucco compound is the fact that the police occasionally kill douchebag criminals in comical ways.
"Pretty much the only thing that keeps me paying my taxes and not turning my house into a chickenshit particle board and stucco compound is the fact that the police occasionally kill douchebag criminals in comical ways.
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Damn, that was a lot of rust. I have that same rear end from a EB with trac lock under my 47 Chevy pickup.
A friend made an extended frame crawler out of an EB and stacked it up, endo about 5 times, very close to killing him. His Currie front axle housing separated at a weld and the lawsuit is still not settled. A full cage saved his life. There are many rust free EBs in AZ, and I make sure I don't look too hard, or I will be building one.
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Overwatch.
| I almost shed a tear looking at your pics. Great job. I love me some old skool 4 cylinders. And Broncos are real nice too. Would love to be able to afford the new one coming if it's any good. |
John 16:33 In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
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Not much visible progress today, other than the engine and bellhousing being back out of the chassis.
I was thinking about it over coffee this morning, and decided it would be a lot easier to work on the firewall and tunnel without them in. Only 4 bolts holding the bellhousing to the transmission, removed the motor mounts and it was back out. Took longer to lift the Bronco up, and lower it twice to roll my engine crane from behind the Bronco and back again than it did to pull the engine. And it is a ton easier to access the firewall tunnel are, so the 20 minutes spent yanking the engine will save a lot of swearing. Still waiting for the clecos I ordered to show up, and we’re also going on vacation, so not much is going to be happening for the next 10 days, or so. |
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Originally Posted By kfs35: Whoa, thank you! Although are you trying to say it's going to take so long to finish that you had to set it to non-archive status? 
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For fuck's sake. It is possessive. For the sake of fuck.
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Originally Posted By Kornbread:
Awesome thread! Look forward to the progress as I have a Blazer that I need to do this with. It always amazed me that Ford put the VIN on the glovebox door, essentially letting you do a whole body swap. |
q3131: I can enjoy necrobeastialexhibitionism as much as the next guy, but homonecrobestailexhibitionism is just plain sick.
Tomislav:If you truly love something, you need to shoot it, then set it on fire. (And then post pics!)
كا
Tomislav:If you truly love something, you need to shoot it, then set it on fire. (And then post pics!)
كا
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Originally Posted By mcculver5:
Subscribed. Love these threads. Thanks. |
"Fuck em. Prairie dogs had just as much time to evolve and develop high-powered rifles as we did...We win. "
This thread is like watching a loaded 1911 with the safety off just laying on the ground in the middle of a playground-Aimless
This thread is like watching a loaded 1911 with the safety off just laying on the ground in the middle of a playground-Aimless
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Originally Posted By Kornbread:
Awesome thread! Look forward to the progress as I have a Blazer that I need to do this with. It always amazed me that Ford put the VIN on the glovebox door, essentially letting you do a whole body swap. On the 66, the VIN is only on the frame rail, and the warranty plate on the left sidewall by the e-brake. |
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Originally Posted By johnh57:
I had a '68 289 w/ 3 on tree, in high school / college. I wish I still had it. Nice work OP! Awesome job OP, subscribed. |
8404/0000 and proud...
