Hey, I'm new here, btw. OK, I bought this '78 Bronc a few weeks ago:These pics were taken the day I got it.The chassis and underside of the cab was sandblasted, epoxy primed and painted. New 6" skyjacker suspension front and rear, with poly bushings throughout. New shocks were included, too. Also came with 2 brand new Ford front fenders, and the original np205 iron transfer case. The 351M and 4 speed were sold long ago. The truck has only 86k miles on it.I have since installed a 3" body lift. I also modified the stock tracbar mount and installed the factory bar with poly bushings. It's now a 4" drop to correct the angle.I have a 9" nodular chunk lined up for it, with the stock 3.50 gears and a locker carrier. I still need to find and install a locker for the front D44.As for the powertrain.. hmmI found a 1991 Dodge flatbed last week, for $1300. It's got about 150k miles on it, with an all-mechanical 5.9L turbo cummins diesel. So I will be picking that up soon. Along with the 5.9, I'm making an adaptor plate to mate it up with a low mileage 4x4 C6 I have, with an adaptor to bolt the C6 converter to the Cummins flexplate, and I'm using the original np205 iron transfer case.With the new 35" tires I'm putting on it, the motor will turn 1900 rpm at 55 mph. Perhaps slightly higher than optimal for fuel mileage, but it should still get in the high 20s mpg. And at less than 5000 lbs, the Bronc should move out pretty well, too.
welcome to the site,,youll probably have better luck posting this in the bronco forum,,not the truck forum,,good luck with it
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Welcome to FTE. That sure is a clean looking front end. I'd love to have one of these someday. You don't see all that many of them, at least in my area.
Thanks!
I've wanted a '78 Bronco since I was 10 years old and they first showed up on the streets. I stared at the first one I saw and said, "I will get one of those one day" I'm serious, too. I even went out and bought a '78-'79 Bronco "stomper 4x4" toy and it was my favorite one.
So anyway, after 30 years, here it is, I have one at last. haha
This body style, the '72-'79 F series and Broncos, are esthetically perfect inside and out. There just isnt any way to improve on their looks except for lift and bigger tires.
I'm big time into battleships,(designated "BB" class by the Navy) especially our 887' WWII Iowa-class, (BB61, BB62, BB63, and BB64) which were still in service up until the early 1990s. In the 1940s, some of the Iowa class ships had various forms of camo paint. So I've decided to paint my Bronco in a similar BB camo theme, and I'm calling it "BB78", which stands in this case for Big Bronco '78.
The Iowa-class paint scheme in haze gray and black:
I'm even putting "78" in the same military style white with black shadow fonts on the front fenders.
The dashboard will be satin black with haze gray splatter paint.
And lastly, my buddy is making me some rear window decals on his vinyl cutting machine:
And that about does it. Opinions??
P.S. Hmm, I somehow put the pics side by side and made it double wide. oops! I also hadnt noticed that the Broncos had their own section, oops again! Can a mod fix this please?
It will look good, but I say this because I've sorta seen it. "Trucks" on Spike TV built a same year bronco a few years back with a very similar paint scheme- modeled after the WW 2 Navy ship camo. But even so, it didn't have a deisel. I say either way, it will be cool, so get er done
Thread moved to Big Bronco by user request. Thanks!
FWIW, I have two coworkers who are veterans that sailed on the New Jersey.
Thanks for the move
That's awesome about the BB coworkers, you must have heard some good stories from those guys. I went onboard Big J in Camden a few years ago, a veteran named Gus gave us the tour, what a great trip that was. My kids loved seeing the ship, too. The wife just wasn't impressed by the triple mount 120-ton rifles, but she's weird like that.
I installed a 3" body lift, some 35" tires, removed the factory engine mounts, swapped in a new 1978 F350 master cylinder and brake booster assembly, along with F350 rear wheel cylinders. Also swapped in a steering joint from an F800.
Here's the 5.9 Cummins still sitting in the '91 Dodge parts truck.
Discovered that the motor had suffered from a killer dowel pin in the past, and somebody had "fixed" the timing case with silicone.
New(used) case installed, motor prepped and painted Ford blue.
Motor mounts from Fordcummins.com
Mount plates I made to move the engine back where I want it to be.
Mount plate installed. Uses the stock integral nuts that the original frame mounts used.
Stock Dodge downpipe is a perfect fit. (only it has more clearance than it did in the Dodge)
The 3" body lift gives a lot more room to work.
Still says Dodge, that won't work for me.
Ground, belt sanded, polished, clear coated.
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OK, I bought this '78 Bronc a few weeks ago:
These pics were taken the day I got it.The chassis and underside of the cab was sandblasted, epoxy primed and painted. New 6" skyjacker suspension front and rear, with poly bushings throughout. New shocks were included, too. Also came with 2 brand new Ford front fenders, and the original np205 iron transfer case. The 351M and 4 speed were sold long ago. The truck has only 86k miles on it.I have since installed a 3" body lift. I also modified the stock tracbar mount and installed the factory bar with poly bushings. It's now a 4" drop to correct the angle.I have a 9" nodular chunk lined up for it, with the stock 3.50 gears and a locker carrier. I still need to find and install a locker for the front D44.As for the powertrain.. hmmI found a 1991 Dodge flatbed last week, for $1300. It's got about 150k miles on it, with an all-mechanical 5.9L turbo cummins diesel. So I will be picking that up soon. Along with the 5.9, I'm making an adaptor plate to mate it up with a low mileage 4x4 C6 I have, with an adaptor to bolt the C6 converter to the Cummins flexplate, and I'm using the original np205 iron transfer case.With the new 35" tires I'm putting on it, the motor will turn 1900 rpm at 55 mph. Perhaps slightly higher than optimal for fuel mileage, but it should still get in the high 20s mpg. And at less than 5000 lbs, the Bronc should move out pretty well, too. 
