Hello to all
Somewhat new to Trucks and Broncos. I want to put together a Diesel Bronco, I'm have modest Fabrication skills but do not know or want to do electric.
That being said--- I want to marry the front of the diesel truck to the back of half of the Bronco. Cut the A-pilar in the middle and the floor just behind the front seat. That way no A/C WORK NO Electrical (to speak of) That takes care of the Body.
Now the chassis--- cut the Truck chassis and weld the back of the Bronco chassis to the Truck.
I know these are the broad strokes but you get the picture.
Well let me know what you think, Thanks for your time

I forgot I a 89 Bronco and I'm currently looking at 90 f250 4x4 diesel donor truck

 

Personally I would not even try cutting and splicing 2 different frames together. There will be issues. Remember the frame of the Bronco is a shortened F-150 The 250 is most likely different dimensionally and trying to make two perfect cuts on two separate frames and have them match up so they are straight is going to be very difficult, not saying it can't be done but it is going to take significant time. And that is another thing to think about, to cut and splice the frames and body back together is going to take so much longer than to fabricate mounts and exhaust in the bronco and you would still have to do exhaust for either one. The AC system is a no brainer as they are not that difficult and both systems would currently be R-12 and need to be converted to 134 so new compressor and seal changes in all the hoses and if you want to do this you'll want to do it right by going through all of the mechanical components, engine, transmission, transfer case, cooling and heating, AC, Charging, adding the second battery

There are several threads where people have installed the 7.3 in Broncos and it's a good fit, a little tight but still fits nice. Doing it with a donor truck is not going to be as hard as you can swap parts as necessary. There is not that much to change on wiring and you'll have more issues trying to mate different harnesses between the front and back then to change/add a few for the diesel to the Bronco harness. You can check the Full Size Bronco web pages for more and better information as they have a dedicated forum for this.

I toyed with doing this to my 95 but it wouldn't be as good on the beach with the 7.3, and I like playing on the beach with it.

 

That sounds like a really interesting project, although I suspect you'd run into the same issue that EDC mentioned with the frames. The 150/Bronco frame is VASTLY different than the 250/350 frame and would likely lead to many issues if you attempted to splice the lighter frame to the heavier one. If you're intent on having the F250/Bronco combination, your best bet (IMO) would be to use the 250 frame and splice together the two truck bodies.

Another option, if you just want a diesel bronco, is to transfer everything from your donor truck to your Bronco. The engine bays and cabs even are dimensionally very similar and you will be able to put the diesel engine and associated wiring from the truck into your Bronco. While it may seem like a daunting task, it would really just be removing a complete harness and replacing it with another complete harness.

Whichever way you go, SOME wiring will need to re re-routed or redone, it's the nature of the beast. I can 100% agree though that wiring is a pain in the butt. I'm a greenhorn novice with most electrical systems.

 

Just to be a little different. Why not strip both rigs down to the frames, then bob the rear of the 250 frame, move that rear axle forward to match the Bronco wheelbase and fabricate body mounts to set the bronco body on the 250 frame? Shouldn’t be any more difficult than trying to match up two frames in the middle.

 

EDC8008
Thanks, good advice. I hadn't given much thought to the frame difference. I will use the truck chassis
Thanks for your time

 

evan nugget
Thanks for responding, I've seen other diesel conversions and seen the work it takes. To be honest, my expertise is Fabrication.
Doing the chassis and the 2 bodies splicing is the most economical way for me, in both money and time.
The A/C in the truck has already been converted to R134,, and what little wiring there is , I'll just have my friend help me with.
Besides from what I learned from my X-CABBRONCO I'm buiding, the body splicing is by far what I like to do.

 

99150
Thanks for chiming in, Using the truck chassis is the best way to go, I'll just have to fabricate mounts for back of the bronco body.
My most challenging thing is going to be registration/insurance. I guess most insurance. Insure it as a truck or bronco????????
At any rate Thanks for the input.