Officially one of you build - Code name Bronconius the Gentleman

[Mattco]

Alright, jumped in the shop this morning and got the seats pulled and the auxiliary tank pulled. I might run out tomorrow morning and pull the doors off and start modifying them: pulling the windows and window guts out and welding sheet metal over the opening to make permanent half doors.

I'm thinking about leaving the floor pans as is. There are some big benefits from being able to sharpen a stick while going down the road.

On a serious note, about half of the bolt heads broke off while pulling the seats. What do I do about that? Are there brackets that I will be able to get to under the floor pans and just deal with it then or do I need to start drilling and backing them out?

 

[Mattco]

I pulled the trigger today, after buying my new Miller mig welder Friday and playing with it this weekend I need more stuff to weld. I ordered my floor pans, rockers, rear quarters and went ahead and got new front fenders too. Once they are on then I should be done with the rust on it outside of surface rust that will be soda blasted off.

Hoping to get them this week so i can start putting some of it together next weekend but don't expect it this week, more realistically it will be the week after. What are realistic expectations to get the pieces cut out and put back? I am a first timer doing this stuff. Rockers one weekend, maybe a quarter a weekend and floor pans one weekend? Fenders are bolt on and I went ahead and ordered a new set of fender clips/bolts.

 

[Mattco]

began working on the doors today while I am waiting on body panels. I pulled the window guts out and am tacking sheet metal across the top of the door to close it off for permanent half doors.

On another note, how do you remove the exterior door handle? I plan to buy a new set of handles and locks and would like to remove them to clean up the door for paint.

 

[Mattco]

Been a long time

OK, so work got absolutely nuts for the last few months which is both good and bad. Can't complain about being too busy but it is stressful.

Finally was able to cut out the passenger floor pan and brace up the door opening and cross braced the bed.

I've been dreading pulling the rockers in fear that the body would shift or twist but bit the bullet yesterday and pulled them. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. The inner rocker had a few tough spots to get out but I finally got them out.

I am hoping to make it out today to start repairing a few spots on the tunnel cover before putting the floor pan and rockers back in.

Will I do better to go ahead and get the bottom of the rear quarter out of the way before putting the new outer rocker on?

Also, I am starting to plan the drivetrain. I bought a 302 out of a 98 Explorer with the big intake and everything. I still have to buy an ECU, MAF and a few other things to get the EFI to work. Since I want to keep the Bronco on a 2.5" lift to a 3.5" lift at the most and I like the stock hood, will the Holley (or equivalent) EFI set up allow me to not have a body lift and buy a new hood?

Also, I like the idea of getting a 4r70w to mate with the EFI 302.
- I have 3.50 axles and 31.5" tires on 15" rims,
- I am mainly using this as a truck to drive two hours down to the beach and kick back on. I have the C4 and D20 transfer that can both be rebuilt pretty easily
- If I decided to go with the 4r70w, what would I need to do to get the 4r70w to run correctly on the road?
- What gas milage could I expect to get out of the 302 with Holley EFI/C4 combo versus the 302 with Holley EFI/4r70w combo? How would both drive on the road as far as speeds at a decent RPM? If I could get near 14 or 15 out of the C4 and drive it 65 mph, I would just stick with the C4 instead of investing a good chunk more to install the 4r70w.

 

[broncosbybart]

You should keep the Explorer EFI and run the 4R trans. Just get in touch with the EFI guy on here. That will be the cheapest and most reliable route to go. The stock EFI will fit under the hood with a 1" body lift and the explorer computer will control the trans.

I'd fix the striker or quarter area before putting the rockers back on. I like to tech screw it all together first and verify the doors and fenders align before welding anything.

Great progress!

 

[Mattco]

What are the benefits of going with the 4r over the C4 that I have? If I go to the 4R would I need to redo the axles to a 4.xx gear or would I be good with the 3.50s that I have now?

The explorer efi and intake will fit under a stock hood with just a 1" lift? I don't want to go more than an inch of body lift so I don't have to buy new driveshafts too.

 

[broncoitis]

Well one advantage of the 4R over the C4 is gonna be an overdrive which is gonna help increase your fuel mileage. As for removing the door handles and locks you have to do it from the inside of the door. The handle has a little nut inside the door to unscrew and the is a screw on the outside lip of the door also holding the handle in place. As for the lock, there is a spring like clip that is holding it in place the you have to wiggle out and it will come out.

As for the sheetmetal you have ordered, take you time with it and don't weld anything until you are absolutely sure that it all lines up nice. There are a lot of restorations on this site and I can't think of any that have ever praised the fit of the aftermarket sheetmetal. It is pretty close but most of the time some LOVE is needed to make it fit nice.

Welcome aboard and good luck with the build. Keep the pics coming! ;D

 

[Mattco]

What about the axle/wheel/tranny combo? How does the 4r70w do with 31" tires and the 3.50 axles?

 

[Mattco]

Got the passenger lower quarter out and prepping to POR15 the inside rear fender before starting to dry fit everything. Hopefully can start welding the passenger side back in next week.

Got to say, it is exciting when you see progress on something that you are learning as you go. Feeling of accomplishment.

I appreciate all the help this site is giving me on this very different adventure from what I'm used to.

 

[half cab]

Great job you doing for sure!

 

[Mattco]

Got the POR 15 prepped and applied on behind that rear quarter. I didn't apply it to the fender as I am going to raptor line the undercarriage.

While I was waiting on the prep, I figured I would go ahead and pull the door handle and strip the paint off the passenger door. Went ahead and primed while I had it to bare metal.

 

[Tiko433]

Save Um ..... Don't crush Um ... Pretty work !

 

[Mattco]

There is another one I found in the woods that the owner wants 500 for. It doesn't have a rear axle but the body is in solid shape that I can see, needs a full set of floor pans.

If I can get him down some more might grab it and hold it for another project.

 

[slowRoaner]

this should help with your tire gear ratio question:

http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

But the short answer will be, regear to a higher numerical number like 4:11, to get the most out of 65mph as far as power vs mpg. with 31's.

The 3:55's came stock without an overdrive, so adding bigger tires and an overdrive will push you out of your power band.

slow

 

[Mattco]

To swap my 3.50s, would I need to buy a new axle or can I get a ring and pinion set and replace just those?

Also, would I need to replace the front too or just the back for road use?

 

[slowRoaner]

the front and rear will need to match, so when in 4x4 the tires move at the same rate.

You can buy the ring and pinion for each axle, they usually come in a set. What i like to do is purchase the ring and pinion, then bring the stripped d44 axle housing and 9" third member to a reputable drivetrain shop, and let them set it up on their bench top. The place i go charges $150 per setup, plus the cost of new bearings and anything else thats replaceable. This is a much cheaper way of doing it over driving a truck in to a shop. It is also cheaper in the short run, if you dont know how to setup a ring and pinion. Cause you probably wont get it right the first time(ie burn your r&p up), and will also need to buy a couple tools to do it.

slow

 

[Mattco]

the front and rear will need to match, so when in 4x4 the tires move at the same rate.

You can buy the ring and pinion for each axle, they usually come in a set. What i like to do is purchase the ring and pinion, then bring the stripped d44 axle housing and 9" third member to a reputable drivetrain shop, and let them set it up on their bench top. The place i go charges $150 per setup, plus the cost of new bearings and anything else thats replaceable. This is a much cheaper way of doing it over driving a truck in to a shop. It is also cheaper in the short run, if you dont know how to setup a ring and pinion. Cause you probably wont get it right the first time(ie burn your r&p up), and will also need to buy a couple tools to do it.

slow

I thought that both needed to match closely, I think there is a 4.10 ring and pinion for the D44 front and a 4.11 for the 9" rear. I will check around to see if I can find a good shop to do them or I might give it a whirl, this is a learning process. What tools would I need? I have nearly everything under the sun at my shop now and have lots of mechanic buddies that get big discounts on SnapOn gear if I need anything else (like 75% off).

Still unsure that I want to go the route of swapping to the 4r transmission. I know there are benefits but it is a huge difference in price when you figure in the AA, axles, driveshafts,tranny and rebuild versus rebuilding the C4 and using it for now. What if I geared the axles down to 3.00 like the old mustangs had, in theory that gets my RPMs in my range that I was wanting, is that not a good move overall though?

 

[slowRoaner]

4.10 and 4.11 are considered numerically equivalent as far as gear goes. Just dont diverage away greater than .05 as a general rule of thumb.

Yup that 4speed auto can be pricey, but if you are wanting to drive it highway and daily, it is a nice route to go.

Youre thinking in the right way as far as gearing and gas mileage goes, but you just wont be able to keep your powerband with all the other variables that come with a bronco on larger tires.

Lets put it this way, im running 3:55 gears on 33's, with the factory 302 and efi, a 3 speed, and wouldnt be able to pass myself on the road if i had too!

think of larger tires as a multiplaction loss of power, instead of a summation.

If your drive train is still together, id whip that body work out, then give it a spin or two around the block. I think you'll be quite pleased with 3:50's and 31's. Ive contemplated dropping down to 31's - that would still let me do 70 on the highway, have a little more low end to pass, as well as off the line. check out the gear ratio calculator and look at the associated speeds and rpm's

slow

 

[sprdv1]

Lots of potential there brother.. Just concentrate on one step at a time. Good luck

 

[Mattco]

Apparently I was called a planner the other day. I tend to think in both what is in front of me and what is way out in front of me at the same time. The drivetrain concerns me because it is a numbers thing and if I am needing to get parts I can keep a look out for deals as I go.