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Fixing up Dad's Bronco after he let it sit for 14 years...

BroncoBrown73

New Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2018
Messages
10
Loc.
Santa Rosa
Title says it all! My dad bought a 1973 Bronco when i was 7 in back 2002, drove it for 2 years, and it's sat untouched in our driveway ever since. 302 V8 automatic C4. In a lot of ways, this is my dream project. I've wanted to own this truck ever since he got it. But, in a lot more ways, this project is a friggin nightmare. I'm studying automotive technology in college, so i have the know-how. I've just never done this extensive of work on a vehicle yet. I've also never worked on anything older than 1992 yet (my 240sx project).


At any rate, all he wants done is: new tires, new fluids, gaskets, hoses, paint, 3" lift in front (already has 3" in rear), and a new gas tank (the main reason he stopped driving it apparently).

In reality, it probably needs all that, plus: full driveline rebuild (engine, trans, T-case, front and rear diffs), new brakes, shocks, springs, radiator, steering box, and a bunch of rust patching.

Basically, i want to fully restore this truck with some modern upgrades (mainly front disc brakes), but my dad just wants it driving again....

Regardless, i'm just excited to finally start working on it!

https://imgur.com/gallery/k66r0yN
 

bronconut73

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
9,916
Don't tear it all the way down.

Do a little at a time and keep driving it.

Lesson learned.


Oh and welcome to the best site on the net.
 

triracer67

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Messages
606
Agree with Bronconut. I bought one that sat in field for 20 years, I replaced the entire fuel system, hoses, and fluids. That's all it took to make a daily driver. Enjoy it and don't tear it apart the first week, your Bronco wants to run and drive.
 

chuck1022

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2017
Messages
562
EVERY SINGLE CAR PERSON WILL SAY THE SAME THING......do not tear it down unless you have the $$ to finish it .
 

Howard2x4x4

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Apr 19, 2014
Messages
2,278
What they've all said! Have fun with it, get to know the quirks, do what you must, don't go overboard, oh, and welcome aboard! Howard, in beautiful west michigan
 

Remos69

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2017
Messages
660
Loc.
SW Florida
Even if you have the $$$ give yourself a minimum of 2 years if you take it all the way down cause it sounds like you are way too young to be retired. And if you are way too young, you also have a social life ��
 

gnpenning

Contributor
Bronco Slave
Joined
Dec 26, 2011
Messages
2,190
Loc.
I have more questions than answers.
Great advice so far. This being a vehicle you have wanted to own for many years and haven't been able to drive. Making it drivable and spending time enjoying it while fixing the little easy things, will help get you through the down times.

Welcome

We love pictures.
 

1strodeo

Squirrel Watcher
Joined
Sep 15, 2016
Messages
3,596
Loc.
Wisconsin
So how many people have knocked on the door to try and buy it over the last 14 years?? ;D

welcome aboard, as mentioned get her running and stopping...get a carb rebuild kit (mikes carburetor sells them and usually has videos) a fire extinguisher, dump the tank, blow out the fuel lines, clean up the plugs etc etc

why exactly did the fuel tank make him park it?
 

El Kabong

Contributor
Driving stuff Henry built
Joined
Oct 8, 2009
Messages
1,487
Here's some info put together for FSB awhile back. Please excuse the cut & paste:

28- I'm trying to start a vehicle that has been sitting for a long time. What should I do?

This is a combined reply from a few threads (Run it or Not? That's the question, Starting a Bronco after being stored for prolonged period, & Engine has sat for 2 years). There's more info in those threads from several members that you might want to check out too.


You should expect the compression to be low at first after sitting several years with no oil on the rings. Dry rings alone will drop the compression. You should squirt oil in all 8 before trying to crank it.

My dad is a guy for bringing those back to life. He had a garage when I was a kid, then taught auto shop for years, & was always trying to revive some old engine. His routine was to change the crankcase oil & filter, squirt a little Marvel Mystery Oil thru the plug holes, rotate the engine without starting it just enough to coat the cylinder walls, add a little more thru the plug holes, & let sit for a bit before firing it up. He'd run the engine easy for little awhile (Maybe 15 minutes to 1/2 hour?), then change the oil & filter again. Of course the 1st fire up would smoke a lot as the oil burned out of the cylinders. Sometimes he'd mix in a little ATF (1/2 quart at the most) with the crankcase oil in the 1st oil change to aid in cleaning if he thought the old oil looked especially bad. He'd drive it easy for few days, & make the call after that as to whether or not it needed more work or just another oil change. It would usually work out pretty good.

And of course, check all rubber parts for signs of cracking or stiffness. Tires, hoses, belts, wiring, & especially anything handling fuel.

Look for signs of animal damage. Chewed wiring, nesting material under the hood, along the exhaust, or even in the intake to the air cleaner. I've actually removed nuts stored by squirrels from inside an air cleaner.

Check the brakes. Low fluid is not unusual after sitting for awhile. If the master cylinder is dry, you will probably have to bleed the brakes. Check the brake hoses for cracking, stiffness or swelling. Check the entire system for leaks after topping off the master cylinder & stepping on the brakes several times. Also step lightly on the brakes & hold them to see if the master cylinder creeps down. Even after inspection, be sure that they're working right before driving. Try them in the driveway several times before taking it out. Expect the brake drums & rotors to have some surface rust, but that's usually light enough to come off after a few stops. But the brakes might be prone to grab or pull until it's gone. Depending where & how long it was stored, the rust might be more serious. It's not a bad idea to check the condition of the pads & shoes anyway, you can see how much rust there is at that point. Does the parking brake work & release? Lube its cables while you're at it.

Check all the fluids. A radiator flush with a change of coolant is a good idea too.

There is also the condition of the fuel to be considered. Sometimes it has sat so long that the tank & components have a build up of varnish that requires removal, cleaning, or replacement. If you decide to not remove & replace/clean fuel system components, here's a routine for a carbureted engine when the fuel isn't that bad. If marginally bad fuel is suspected, disconnect the fuel line at the carb & run a fuel hose from a small gas tank sitting on a blanket on the roof. I have used a lawnmower tank for years, & recently got a small boat tank for the job. So you have known good fuel & positive gravity feed to the carb for the first fire up. If there is a fuel issue at that point, you know the carb itself has the problem. Also remove & plug the fuel line before the fuel pump so you don't have to deal with it pumping bad gas just yet. Even so, still direct the output line from the pump safely into a container in case there's a little fuel in the pump. I like to run a hose to a can on the ground. Later the input to the pump can be reconnected, the line from the pump can be used to empty what you couldn't get out of the tank, & flush a little new gas through the system into the gas can while the engine is run from the temp tank. All of this requires attention to fire prevention (Being sure that nothing is going to pump, leak, or drip fuel anywhere & that anything spilled while making connections is wiped up, dried, & the rags removed from the area & allowed to dry before throwing or washing) since the engine will be run while some lines are disconnected.

If you are inexperienced or don't feel confident about taking on this type of work, seek advice from a local experienced person, or take it to a shop to do the work.
 

74BroncoCO

Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
2,374
Sounds like you are on the right track. You may be surprised at how little you have to do to get it running!

Address safety issues first (brake system, steering, Tires etc). Meanwhile, change all the fluids and soak the top of the pistons with something like mentioned, or seafoam. Let that sit a few days. Flush the fuel system out, replace any rubber hose and anything else that looks suspicious. Perform a tuneup, clean out the carb and before you turn it over with the starter, spin it a few revs by hand. Once you have it running, it will tell you what it needs next.

And share your pics here! (please!)
 

MS73HD302

Jr. Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Messages
128
Mine was dads hunting rig that had caught on fire twice and sunk in the the Mississippi River for a month before he parked for 15 yrs ( after fluid change from its swim )and my machanic friends at ford said it’ll need a motor 100% $$$$ yeah right! gravity fed it fuel and cleaned the points... it fired right up and runs strong to this day. replace things as needed and take it easy it can get outa hand quick throwing parts at it
 

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BroncoBrown73

BroncoBrown73

New Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2018
Messages
10
Loc.
Santa Rosa
EVERY SINGLE CAR PERSON WILL SAY THE SAME THING......do not tear it down unless you have the $$ to finish it .

Thanks everyone! I'm definitely gonna be starting slow. Luckily dad will be supplying the parts, while i supply the labor. It is his truck, after all! Haha. Anyway, i'll be washing the crap out of it in the afternoon, and start making a shopping list for fluids and gaskets. The hoses seem pretty good for now. I've also printed out a wiring schematic from Mitchell, so i'm going to go through and inspect all the circuits and grounds. There's definitely been some rodents in there over the years.
 
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