85 Bronco Rusted Out, what to do?

[shift1313]

nope im not asking how to fix it I just wanted to get some opinions on what to do with the truck. Getting rid of it is not an option. And im not interested in doing a motor swap, i actually like the low low 1st on the tranny and the torque of the 4.9l.

here is the run down.

85, 4.9l single barrel, all emissions equip removed, machined tb spacer to remove the check valve. Tranny is a np436 4speed. NP235(i think) transfer case. rear axle is an 8.8 with an open diff. Truck is sitting on 33's right now with no lift. Ive got 2" add a leafs for it and debating coil spacers or new coils.

here is my problems. this truck was my daily driver from 99-04. its got just over 200k on it. besides having privacy glass on the rear windows and factory ac the thing is bare bones(less to break in my mind). before i had the truck it was my brothers hunting vehicle and before that my cousins so its been around for a long time(brother has passed). It got to the point where i was just dumping money at it to keep it on the road and finally in 04 i bought an 89 f150 to take its place and its been off the road since. I start it up every couple weeks and drive it around but its just rusting away and not seeing any use. There are holes in the floor that small children could fall through and the fenders are done for, atleast from the centerline down. The holes in the floor are the main reason i pulled it off the road because they are behind the driver and passenger seats and i felt this was getting dangerous.

here is a pic i took a few months ago.




What im trying to figure out is which direction i want to go with the thing. Whichever way i go I would like to still be able to drive the thing in the winter and stay warm and dry. I used to off road the thing a little but i just dont have the time for that but wouldnt mind it being tough enough to take the trail when needed.

ive looked at new fenders front and rear, tailgate, floor etc for doing a full restore on the body but I dont know that i really want to dump that much money in the body of it. The big predicament is the frame is in great shape. Its got a little surface rust on it but no scale at all. my 89 that was street driven one owner is way worse!!



so id like to hear opinions if i should do a restore on the body, or hack up what i have and make a street driven trail rig. Ive looked in the local wrecker yards to see if i could find some good usable bodies with no luck. most have been stripped pretty good. I did find some usable front fenders but not much else so far.

also im a fabricator by trade so i dont mind fabricating whatever I need to.


thanks!!

[khadma]

I have an 84 with the similar running gear
My tranny NP435
My tc NP208
300 I6
rear 3.08 8.8inch

My body is not as bad as yours. I plan to chop up everything (bob the rear) and use it for trail/sand/rocks only.

I plan to get rid of the cap and doors also. Too bad I am so far away I would give you this stuff.

Why don't you replace floorpan and trim the fenders back of the rust (install Bushwacker cut away flares) and replace the doors (there are so many years of doors that will fit). It would be a good trail truck with these repairs.

[shift1313]

i was looking at the cut away flares and considering them. it would get rid of most of the problem. im not sure how far back the floor pan preoblem goes. ive got to pull out the rubber floor mat and seats to get a real idea. I think my Tcase is a 208 like yours, its been awhile since ive been under the truck.

i wish you were closer, id gladly take those parts off your hands. It sounds like youve got a cool plan for your truck. id love to do that one day but i want this truck to replace my f150. i love driving the bronco around but the f150 just doesnt do it for me.

any pics of your bronco?

[dragogt]

I'm kind of in the same predicament, on mine the floor is rusted to the rockers, and a long firewall some "Einstein" ran a bead of selicone from finder to finder to cover? some rust, and behind the cab before the top its rusted out.

[khadma]

Originally Posted by shift1313

any pics of your bronco?

I am a computer dud, I do not know how to post pictures YET. I will do a gallery on this site and you can see my trucks.

You should have a 208 also, These are pretty good for old technology.

I think cutting out the rust and using flares are the most cost effective.
keep us posted.

[shift1313]

well this project wont progress very fast im affraid. i have a few things lined up before it but its in the planning stages now. im going to work in the engine bay getting rid of alot more stuff i never pulled then im going to do a little rewiring.

do any of you guys have a problem with the metal support under the dash that the parking brake attaches to? mine is broken(years ago) and i believe it runs the length of the dash.

if i get into pulling the interior today ill post some pics of those holes so you can see what im working against.

thanks

[80351]

Can I add my 2 cents.
For the body your going to pay more for the flares than you would for patch panels to fix the quarters and for that matter they make 2 different full quarters to fix it.
Don't know where you are but your truck doesn't look any worse than a lot of winter trucks I have seen in Rochester NY.
If you look at Bronco Graveyard, Keystone, and JC Whitney they all have most of the panels including the floor boards. If your going to do wiring and stuff under the hood why not do the body right.
I haven't been to this group in quite sometime, but I'm sure if you can't weld someone around here can help.
Dave

[shift1313]

thanks for the input dave. if i do the fenders im not going to patch them( i dont think anyways), they will be full fenders. bronco graveyard had rears for like $250 i think. i know the flares are like $170 per set or somewhere in there. I did find decent front fenders at the junk yard for $35 a piece. one had no rust but was dented, the other was straight but rusted a little. here are a few pics i snapped a couple hours ago.

this is behind the drivers seat.



inside shot. i had the flooring out when i did the tranny rebuild before i took it off the road and the drivers floor pan has a small hole(maybe bigger now).



here is the pass side. A couple years back i started body work when it was still on the road. i stripped the door and the front fender and "rebuilt" the front fender with great stuff and bondo. rustoleum black both fronts were in the same shape so you can imagine how much foam and bondo is there.




im going to try and walk the junkyard next weekend to look for some good body pieces. If im going to patch them im not going to use new stuff because im affraid of what id be welding too.

im in VA so its not like we have big problems here like you guys. they do salt the roads but they use some nasty stuff up there for you guys. This thing has just been rusting since before ive had it and ive done alot to try and slow it down but it needs to be stopped. id really like to find a decent full body with a blown motor or bad frame or something but they are hard to come by. there was one here a few years ago that was a flood damage and got taken to the junk yard. mint no rust and as soon as it got to the junk yard they rammed it with a fork lift through the rear glass and tried to lift it with the fiberglass top! that poor truck.

[80351]

I'm only in MD about 20 minutes from Gettysburg PA.
When I was refering to upstate NY thats where my wife
is from. I saw vehicles, cars that were rusted so bad I'm not sure
how they went down the road.
My wife has some real horror stories about some she had.
Good Luck and if I can help just shout.
Where in Virginia?
Dave

[shift1313]

thanks dave, im from fairfax county but im blacksburg VA, work for va tech as a fabricator in transportation research, the truck fits in nicely down here

[blue beast]

Put some zinc anodes on that frame and body to slow the corrosion down!! Paint the
new pieces and the underbody and gastank with cold galvanizing paint. Or put a Mack
R model cab on the frame, Air ride seat and cab and have a smooth riding trail RIG!!

[SpectreZ91]

I'd just hack off all the cancerous rust and then bolt new metal down to good metal..

You being a fabber you can think of a lot more options then I could give ya..

Just keep hitting the junkyards here and there.. You'll find some stuff..

Or hit up FSB's website. I'm sure someone close to you has some things you need..

[throttle]

Man I'm gonna be going thru the same stuff with my bronco after I get my 77' F150/350 done. At least your bronco is in better shape then mine! lol

[flareside_thunder]

Wow....Uh, I might be swapping a Supercab onto my Bronco frame to build a good trail rig and the body would be up for grabs for a good price....check out my gallery.......Glad I live in Florida....we just spray for Mosquitos lol....

JR

[shift1313]

wow i wish you werent so far away.

i walked the junk yard yesterday and found some good front fenders i can use. no good rear fenders though. it may still get cut out and flared, i cant decide for some reason