I'm thinking of building, or buying an early bronco. I was wondering what years had a tree shift, and what years, if any, were floor shift. Also, I've seen a lot of them that had twin shifts. I was wondering if someone could explain these to me, I've never seen a twin shift 4x4 so I'm completely ignorant to them. I'm thinking I'd want a 4 or 5 speed, on the floor, in one if possible. I have a 289 hipo that I'd put in and realy want to make her manual, but dont know about a 3 spd. any opinions? also is it possible to have a manual shifter, aftermarket or not, up between the driver and passengers leg space, or will it have to be between the seats?
Any advice or opinions would be appreciated. Dont stone me if my thought prosess is to far out of reach. lol
__________________ 79' F150, 4x4, longbed, 351m, auto ------------------------------------- "Negligence, is failing to act properly when you have a duty to act."
1) All manual shift's were on the column
2) Twin stick for the transfer case is aftermarket and allows independent shift of front and rear axles.
3) Numerous 4 and 5 speeds can be adapted, depending on your needs for off-road or street gearing. Some with the shifter forward of the tranx. case shifter, some by your right leg.
I am on my fourth EB build and you can buy cheaper than build in this market. Just buy one that has some of the mod's you desire.
If you indeed have an original K-code 289, to an enthusiest? you could sell the engine to finance a portion of your project. They bring good money.
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76 Bronco Explorer 289 Hi-Po
66 Bronco Half Cab 203ci I6, CI aluminum head and intake, Isky 256/256 cam, Keith Black pistons, Clifford header, Holley 390cfm 4v, 9.7:1 comp. 4:11 gears-3 speed
Last edited by gfw1985; 10-02-2009 at 08:49 AM.
Reason: After Thought
I agree that you could buy what you want cheaper than building. With the economy being the way it is you can find some very good deals if you look around.
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94 F-250 Ext cab IDI Turbo diesel 2wd auto
92 F250 Reg Cab 7.3l auto 4x4
89 F250 7.3l 5spd 4x4
89 F-350 ambulance 7.3l auto
70 Bronco 5" lift 33 swampers
03 New Holland TC40d SS loader/backhoe
Thanks guys. How are the factory 3 speeds, do they have a decent range to their gears or are they gonna be redlining @75mph? the reason I ask is because I might want to just swap an auto into one. trying to decide. lol
__________________ 79' F150, 4x4, longbed, 351m, auto ------------------------------------- "Negligence, is failing to act properly when you have a duty to act."
I'm not sure what that means. sorry I'm not very mechanicaly inclined yet. but I'm learning.
__________________ 79' F150, 4x4, longbed, 351m, auto ------------------------------------- "Negligence, is failing to act properly when you have a duty to act."
Normal tranny will have 1:1 final high gear, Overdrive, some 4 speeds, 5 speeds final ratio will be say .85:1 ratio dropping engine rpm. Only Bronco having a problem with topping out early was the small 6cyl. engines. Rear axle ratio and tire size comes into play also.
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76 Bronco Explorer 289 Hi-Po
66 Bronco Half Cab 203ci I6, CI aluminum head and intake, Isky 256/256 cam, Keith Black pistons, Clifford header, Holley 390cfm 4v, 9.7:1 comp. 4:11 gears-3 speed
The HiPo 289 is a high rpm high horse motor. What you need in a Bronco is a high torque engine. You need to build your power at the low range, say 1000 to 3000 rpm.
The HiPo 289 won't get out of it's own way until about 4000 rpm.
well, the thing isnt going to see any mud. I'm just planning on building a road truck out of one. but, I do want it to be able to get up and go. lol More 0 to 60 speed than low end power.
__________________ 79' F150, 4x4, longbed, 351m, auto ------------------------------------- "Negligence, is failing to act properly when you have a duty to act."
The HiPo 289 is a high rpm high horse motor. What you need in a Bronco is a high torque engine. You need to build your power at the low range, say 1000 to 3000 rpm.
The HiPo 289 won't get out of it's own way until about 4000 rpm.
I agree with everything but the last part. Don't know what gears were in the Mustang's with the K code, but with my 3:50 locker it will do much more than get out of it's own way.
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76 Bronco Explorer 289 Hi-Po
66 Bronco Half Cab 203ci I6, CI aluminum head and intake, Isky 256/256 cam, Keith Black pistons, Clifford header, Holley 390cfm 4v, 9.7:1 comp. 4:11 gears-3 speed
I agree with everything but the last part. Don't know what gears were in the Mustang's with the K code, but with my 3:50 locker it will do much more than get out of it's own way.
Kinda what I was thinking, I dont plan on mudding it, and if I geared it right, it should be pretty fast shouldnt it? Especialy when I dont plan on taking the thing anywhere near as fast as a mustang would be able to go, so the gearing should be even more in my favor. Shouldnt it?
__________________ 79' F150, 4x4, longbed, 351m, auto ------------------------------------- "Negligence, is failing to act properly when you have a duty to act."
Gearing and tires go together. The 289/302 works fine with near stock tires and gearing. The further up you go in tire size the more it hurts your low end. I'm running 235/75/15's on the 76. Just sold a 72 with a mildly built 302 and 33/10.50/15's and the larger tires and 3:50 gears dropped the rpm's about 500 rpms at 55mph and really doggy on low end. You need a plan and build from there. Still better financial sense to buy one you like. A 351 engine will make a noticable improvement in torque which means a lot more than horsepower.
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76 Bronco Explorer 289 Hi-Po
66 Bronco Half Cab 203ci I6, CI aluminum head and intake, Isky 256/256 cam, Keith Black pistons, Clifford header, Holley 390cfm 4v, 9.7:1 comp. 4:11 gears-3 speed
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