Thanks guys!

I changed out the serpentine belt and idler pulley the other day. The belt was cracked and the pulley didn't really want to spin, and had wear marks all over it from the belt sliding on it.



Pic is a little deceiving, pulleys are the same size.

 

Hopefully you get on that clip swap soon!

I'm curious to know if the inner fenders for the bullnose fenders really need to be used, or if you can use the OBS inner fenders just fine?

I'm always wondering if you do need to swap the inner fenders, do you need to drain anything? Or can everything be done by simply removing the batteries and setting things aside to bolt back down to the replacement inner fenders.

 

I should be starting on it in about 2 weeks. I just want to make sure I have everything I need before I tear it all down.

I have been told you can use the front OBS inner fenders, and just screw them in place, but I grabbed bullnose ones just in case, and I'd like to use those if it isn't to hard to swap them. I don't know yet if my current radiator will work with the older core support. I have't measured mine or the parts truck one yet. I also haven't looked at mounting the AC condenser or tranny cooler yet.

 

I'd like some confirmation on that myself so I know if I can get less parts, haha. No one has clarified one way or another, and the one person I can ask, has a full inbox!

I believe the bullnose core support will work fine with my radiator from the 7.3. I know for the bricknose trucks and the diesel it may have been an issue from a few threads I've read on that.

 

Just wondering where you got the patches under the tail lights, need to patch up my 82 in the same spot

 

They were from Bronco Graveyard

 

Justa FYI on the POR15. It HAS to go to Rusty metal or sandblasted metal or it flakes off in Sheets

 

Yep! Everything I put POR15 on was sandblasted before I painted. I did 2 coats of POR15, and 1 topcoat of gloss black Rustoleum

 

Finally completed my front clip swap!

Here is how I did it:



Unbolt the front clip. Save all the bolts, you will need them later. I was able to snake the core support out without pulling the radiator or trans cooler.



I had to cut the head off the core support mounting bolts with a plasma cutter in order to get them out. I replaced these mounts with one I got for free from a junkyard (Still waiting on another one) and new polyurethane mounts.







Here they are all laid out, also pictured are some JBG frame savers I didn't need.



Here is the sandblasted and painted core support from the 84 above the old one. They look very similar.



While I had it apart, I painted the front half of my frame with POR15



Also did my battery tray and coolant/air box mount



The 84 radiator won't work with the newer truck, because the inlet/outlet holes are on opposite sides from the 95 radiator. So I modified the 84 core support to work with the 95 radiator.
The lower radiator mounts are spot welded onto the 95 support, drill them out, and attach them to the 84 support. If you have a 85-86, you won't need to do this because they switched to the newer style mounts in 1985. Here is what they look like removed and sandblasted:



Here they are painted and bolted to the new support. I should have welded them on, because the bolts caused interference with the battery tray bracket.



I used the 95 battery tray, and had to drill a big hole in it so the nut would fit through, and I couldn't use the lower bolt hole on the tray.

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The upper radiator mounts are also farther spread apart on the 95. I didn't get a picture, but I used a hole saw and a smaller bit to replicate the factory holes, and inserted the clip from the 95. You can kinda see it here

[url=https://flic.kr/p/W5xURf]

Once you have the radiator mounts made, you are ready to put the new core support on the truck. I needed to use the 95 center hoop, but you might not need to if you don't have a trans cooler or AC. I also needed to trim the upper mount on the left side of the hoop a tiny bit to work with the 84 hood handle. You need to use the 84 hood latch. The cable from the 95 worked fine. Leave the core support bolts loose until you have the front fenders lined up.



Then start fitting the fenders. You will need to modify the lower mounts. Some people just use L brackets. I cut mine, oriented them, and welded them on the correct way. Then I mounted the front fenders. USE THE 80-86 INNER FENDERS. I thought I could use the 92-96 ones, and they do not work. I chopped mine up to fit in there, and I will have to go back later and replace them with 80-86 ones. I also used an 87-91 cowl panel, since it was an upgraded design from the 80-86 style. The 92-96 cowl won't work. The hood lines are not the same.



Spliced in the older headlight wiring. Turn signals and marker lights were the same. Just needed a smaller bulb for the marker lights to fit in the older housing.



I made sure I had all the grounds reattached, hooked up the battery, and made sure it still ran.



The air box mount/overflow tank doesn't fit very well inside the older fenders. I need to go back later and modify them to work better. The hood bolts right on, and I put on my grille, headlight surrounds, and clear turn signals I saved from my last bronco. Bumper is test fit.




I haven't made new bumper mounts yet. The 92-96 F150/Bronco frames have a crumple zone that sticks out farther than the older frames. I'm going to have to cut a few inches off the front of the frame to make the bumper fit right. I just made some Z shaped brackets that use the 95 mounts to temporarily mount the bumper.

Here's what it looks like:







Still needs paint and a better passenger fender, but it is done for now

 

Looks great!

Looks like you also managed to stick with the OBS inner wheel wells, am I correct?

 

Thank you!

The OBS ones are in there right now, but do not fit well. I cut the outer edges off with some tin snips so they fit in there, but they are just dangling right now, and not attached to the fenders. I do plan on putting in the 80-86 ones, but one of mine was damaged, and I did not want to put it in, and have to pull it out later.

 

Ah that's a shame! Was hoping it was possible to retain the originals so there's a little less work to be done.

 

I've looked at the thread on and off but never realized you were planning on swapping the front clip as well.

Now that the front fenders and clip match the rear fenders, it looks much better! (It looked good before and you did tons of good work, I just noticed the mismatching year fenders!)

To be honest, the 92-96 bodystyle is my favorite, but that body style you swapped to is my second favorite. They didn't make a centurion in that model did they?

 

Thanks! 80-86 is my favorite body style! That was the first year they started making them, and they only produced a few. I have seen pictures of 3 with a rear bronco top, and a few more with a non removable top.

 

Man, I just wanna do this already myself!