I just bought a 68 bronco half cab, straight 6, dana 30/ 9inch rear. It is pretty much a basket case. I have been tinkering with 73-79 F series and had a 79 Bronco. I know nothing about the earlier Bronco's. What would be a good all around shop manual to give me some basic how to info? This truck has a three speed manual on the the tree-what transmission would this be? If I wanted to go to a 302 what would need changed besides, motor mounts, rad, clutch linkage- would there be a bell housing to match the 302 over to the tranny. Any general info or web sites would be appreciated.

 

not much to them. have a 68 wagon.
same set up drive line wise but 289 (unrebuilt by the way)
redid the trans from reading early mustang books from Checker.
got rest of stuff and details from bronco graveyard for trans case and front end.
this is my favorite ford..and one of them is a shelby
69 f-250 comes close...but
last forever.

 

About the only reference I've found. It covers all phases of Bronco's from 1966, including VIN decodes, accessories, production totals, etc.

Standard Catalog of Light Duty Ford Trucks (krause.com) ISBN: 0-87349-411-3

 

A 302 should pretty much drop-in place of your I-6. The bell housing is the same, if I recall correctly. I do think you have to reverse the motor mounts side to side, to compensate for the shorter length of the engine. At least that's what I had to do when I went from I-6 to 390 in my '79 F150

 

You need to weld in V8 engine mount towers. The bellhousing is different. And the 6 cyl transmission won't hold up to V8 power, so it should be changed as well (good time for an upgrade). You need to change the clutch linkage and associated parts from the frame to the bellhousing.

The transmission you currently have is known as a 3.03. The 6 cyl uses the HEF version. There are 2 V8 models, the light duty RAN and the heavier duty RAT. These are pretty similar to the 3 speeds used in pickups of the same vintage.

Jason

 

Bronco 6 cylinder: The HEF transmissions were used in 1966/67.

According to the parts catalog, from 1968 thru 1974 only the RAN 3.03 was used.

1968/69 = RAN-N1

1970 = RAN-N2 - RAN-N3 - RAN-N4

1971 = RAN-N3 - RAN-C4

1972 = RAN-CF - RAN-CF1

1973/74 = RAN-CF1 - RAN-CF2
----------------------------------------
1966 V8 Bronco's used HEF-DB's.

1967/68 V8 Bronco's used RAN-R1 - RAN-R2

From 1969 thru 1977, all the V8's used RAT's.

Sources of info: Transmission Application Charts = 1965/72 & 1973/79 Ford Passenger Car Parts Catalogs.

 

Thankyou all for some education. I took a look at this truck this morning to see what way I want to go- It will never be a show truck-too much rust- frame is good and body is not too bad- I have seen worse in the North East. Looking at the drivetrain- it is pretty much all there and complete. How do I tell the difference between a 170 or 200, or are they externally the same? The motor spins by hand- good sign! I was going to put some juice to this and see if I can get a compression reading to see if this thing is savable without doing a rebuild-I have a 79 shortbed 4x4 in the paint shop now that is a complete frame off restoration and do not want to go overboard on this one-yet. One other question- the front drive shaft is complete the rear is missing a peice- at the end that connects to the 9inch- it is splinned and ends about a foot short- Is this considered the slip yoke? If so where can I find one to fit? I cant remember what my 79 looked like?

 

144/170/200 sixes look identical.

The difference for the 6's is mainly internal. 144/170's have 4 main bearings, 200's have 7 main bearings.

I-6: 1966/71 Bronco's are all 170's; 1972's have either 170's or 200's; 1973/74 are all 200's.

V8: 1966/68 Bronco are 289's, 1969/77's are 302's.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1966/72 ~ ~ (1973/77 is different)

C3TZ-4851-A .. Flange Assembly-Rear Axle Universal Joint ~ Overall length: 4 1/16" / overall height: 3 15/64" / 28 Splines / Mechanics type u-joint / size: 2.5RL / Ford u-joint p/n: C6TZ-4635-H

2-C8UZ-4529-A >> replaced by >> D8UZ-4529-A .. U-Bolt-Universal Joint ~ 5/16"-24 for 1 1/16" bearing cups.

Try FTE sponsor BRONCO GRAVEYARD for the parts you need. A link to their website will be found on this page.

 

Don't believe everything that comes out of the parts book The 6 cyl HEF is a completely different transmission from the V8 RAN and RAT. The HEF uses a unique adaptor to the transfer case. If this was used with a V8, the firewall would have to be cut out. The RAN and HEF cases are the same length, but output shaft length and internals makes the difference.

I have seen both the RAT and RAN originally installed up to 77 model year. There are 2 versions of the RAN and the RAT, as ND listed. The major difference between them is the width of the gears, and the synchro sizes.

Jason

 

If the driveline hasn't been converted to the Spicer style (from a Cleveland), now would be a good time. Parts are easier to come by and cheaper. To do it, you would need to change the output yoke on the transfer case.
I can get you a picture of the differences later tonight, unless someone else can post them. If it is a Spicer, you should be able to come up with one at any driveline shop.

Jason

 

Yes, I know that the HEF is a different trans than the RAN/RAT. I didn't say they were the same. Since the parts catalog I'm using is the final issue printed (5/1975), I'd be surprised if the info I typed above is in-correct. Parts catalogs were updated twice a year back then, with new updated pages replacing the old ones. The catalogs were loose-leaf paper, and changing all those pages was a royal PITA!

But I'm no Bronco expert...the only thing I can tell you is the rear driveshafts used in 1966 were crappola, and Ford had to replace every one under warranty. The originals were out of balance, and vibrated horribly.

In 1967, some customer walked up to the parts counter and threw a driveshaft on the floor...saying this POS in no *&%^% good. He was then handed a new one, and out the door he went, a happy camper.

btw: it was a royal PITA two finger typing all that info. All the Ford parts catalogs are on CD's from 1948/89 = hipoparts.com is the outfit that scanned the CD's from the original catalogs. If more ppl had these parts catalogs on CD's, it would greatly assist them in what fits what and what interchanges. The illustrations alone, are worth the 25 buck price.

 

Once again- I appreciate all the help- this site is always a great resource!

 

Bill,
Didn't mean any disrespect towards you. I appreciate your wealth of knowledge of Ford parts, interchange and history. And your firsthand view of working for a dealership during the greatest era of automotive history, IMO.

Jason