Project "Donkey Kicked" (Bronco) update and pics..

[Donziweasel]

Got a lot done this week. My media blaster came in and I spent three days in the snow blasting the frame down to bare metal. Cleaned, etched and painted with Por-15. Buiz, you were right, crap doesn't come off. Got a little on my hand and I think it is going to be there a while!:wink: Rebuilt my tranny and transfer case. Hopeing to get the axles done this weekend.

Body has been re-mounted on the frame and started cutting out the rusted floor boards. Although much of it is crap, some of it is not as hopelsss as I thought. One thing that completely blew me away was that the rocker panels are perfect. They had diamond plate on them and when I pulled it off, bam, nice and not rusted. This is always a hot spot for rust in any vehicle, especially a 1969 Bronco. Ordered my 351 from Ford Racing.

Been spending some time on the Bronco boards, but mostly for info. They have some real winners over there, makes me miss Sofaking:smash:. They do have some very knowledgable people as well, but there are a lot more members and some are just plain good ole' boys.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics of the frame before I slapped the body back on. Been a very satisfying project so far and I am very pleased with how the frame came out.

[vonkamp]

Looks good John, you've been a busy guy!

[Donziweasel]

Thanks Barry. A few stats-

How many broken bolts- 8
How many pounds of abrasive to blast frame- 425
Money Spent so Far- $3,500.00 (not including engine)
Time spent so far- 1 month 3 days
How much abrasive came out of my ears, hair and other areas after blasting- I would say a pound:smash:
How many times I cussed this project- 1,287
How many mistakes have I made- I have no idea
How much am I learning- a lot
How much fun I am having- a good bit
Still shooting for April 1 to have her done!

[DonziFreak]

Looking good! Can't wait to see the finished project! Keep us posted!

"D"

[SilverBack]

Weasel,
It is funny how the people on this board have overlapping hobbies and interest. This is a couple of pictures of a dirt drag/mud race 1979 bronco that I had. It had a cast iron head 466 w/730 hp and a reverse pattern manual valve body c-6. We ran it in a modified stock class. The pictures don't show the paint good but it is the HOK paint florescent paint that glows under lights at night. I had tons of fun with it. These pictures were after the frame off and engine swap but if you notice I still had not put the windshield back in at this point. Have fun!! You really feel good after you get done with it and it turns out like you wanted it to.

[Donziweasel]

Nice looking Bronco 502! As I said, I ordered a 250 hp Ford Racing 351W, a little less than the 700+ ponies you were running. It is a pretty complete crate engine, but of course, it doesn't have enough power for me at this altitude. So, going to replace the stock cast iron heads with Edelbrock Performers. Going to match it with a Performer intake and 600 cfm carb. Should push the ponies into the 300+ range.

The body is driving me a little crazy. In 1969, I guess they did not have computerized welders. It is hard to find all the spot welds when cutting out panels. I also made a pretty big mistake. When going through the floorboards with a sawzall and cutting wheel, I cut a channel brace. Although it was rusted, it was intact and could have been re-used. Oh well, just weld in a new one and hope I have it aligned right. In the end, I ordered $2,000.00 worth of Bronco sheet metal to replace the following-

1. All sheet metal and braces from firewall forward (this area was so badly rusted that when I pulled the body off, the entire front end of the body collapsed)
2. Both front door posts.
3. Inner rocker panel covers
4. Both striking posts.
5. All of the driver and passenger floorboards
6. All braces and brackets for the above
7. Rear center bed section

The rest is salvagable. It will eventually need front fenders, grille, tailgate and hood. These items are pricey, so waiting till the end to order them.

Transfer case is done, except I lost a ball and spring for the shift levers. Hmmm..... Got the Dana 30 apart. It did not have a vent tube on it, just a hole in the casing. Water, dirt, mud, sludge and sand came out. U-joints, seals and bearings all shot. Going to try and get her back together today and break open the Ford 9.

Also for today, bolt on the rear shackles and new leaf springs for the rear suspension, front C-bushing, trac bar, tie rods, spring retainers, springs, steering stabilizer, and all four shocks. Probably won't get it all done, but we will see.

I will probably post again next weekend on the work done this week as I plan on spending a lot of time on it.

Thanks for the support, some days I really need it!:wink: