or is somebody else going thru what I'm going thru.My neighbors '74 Bronco sat in his back yard for years, and except for an occasional glance,I never gave it much thought.I had mentiond to my wife a couple of times that it would be a good rig for Her,I, and my two children to do the things that we like most,grouse hunting in the fall and fishing in the spring,and camping when ever work allowed.We have a GMC safari van which is not really a off-road vehicle and a brand new Jeep TJ that I absolutely cherish and up until about three weeks ago "I sold it to go to Disney Land,Huge Mistake" a '86 Toyota 4x4 truck from my "single" days that was only good for going to the dump when you are a family of four. I came home from work one day late in December of '00 and my wife handed me the title to that Bronco.She said Merry Christmas.I was cheesed.It came complete with dented and rusted quarter panels, smashed in rocker panel, rusted out windshield frame, paper thin floor boards and nasty fiberglass front fenders.The hood has been cut to accommodate the air filter that sits on top of the seemingly oversized,under powered 351M that someone hacked into place.It still has the original three speed transmission,front drum brakes and no power steering.I'm currently taking a break,and writing this post 'cause for the last several hours, as I do every night for the last six months, I have been out there in my garage with the Bronco.I now rent a storage unit across town to store several Bronco body parts, a NP434,early ford power stearing unit,302 ci engine,and a slug of other Bronco relatad parts that I have aquired within the last six months. My rolling chassis is parked along side my house, only the body tub remains in the garage and I now have the rocker panel removed, a good portion of the driver side quarter panel removed and the rusted out windshield frame removed.My wife has recently told me she wishes she never saw the Bronco,My kids look at me as if I'm a stranger and the dog growls at me when I come into the house for a cup of coffee.Often when I become discouraged,as I am tonight with the top portion of that quarter panel, I will surf the net until I find a really nice Early Bronco to look at. Then I will somehow become inspired to return to the work of drilling out spot welds. It is this late night surfing that has brought me to this sight and although I have been visiting regularly,this is my first post. It seems a good forum, but not enough activity.Since I have no other friends involved with the Early Bronco,I think I will post here more often.If anyone is considering removing a Early Bronco body panel,feel free to email me a question.If someone has already been thru this,maybe I could ask you a question.
Mark.

 

Chin up Mark , It will all be worth it when it's on the road. Although I have no experience with body work I do sympathies with your plight of the never ending project. My '68 needs floorpans in a bad way. but that doesn't keep me from driving it all over the place. Good luck.
Eric




Proud owner of a '73 F-250 4x4 High Boy, 460 V8, NP435, NP205
And a '68 Bronco 289 v8 , NP435 , Dana 20

 

No, You're not alone!!! My project includes a custom built Dana 44 with disc brakes out of a '79 F-150. It was narrowed by Dynatrax in Cali. They also used 1/2" tubing, installed the 5.13 gear set and the ARB locker. Moving rearward I have built a EFI 302 using GT-40 heads a retro roller conversion('83 block) custom grind cam from FPS, GT-40 intake and '93 Cobra electronics(24 lbs. injectors and 70MM MAF) The trans is an AOD(4 speed auto) with an advance adapters kit using the stock Dana 20 T/C. The AOD has a wide ratio gear set and 2400RPM B&M convertor. The rear is a Lincoln Versailles(sp?) 9" with disc brakes(still under construction)The front suspension uses 5 1/2" Wild Horses coils with a custom shock hoop using 2 undetermined shocks per wheel(Fox?, King? Duetch Tech? Bilstein?) I lengthened the stock radius arms and utilized rod ends for the pivot point at the frame. The rear uses Wild Horses 11 leaf spring pack and will also have a dual shock set up. The body is all steel and MINT and I still need to figure out the power steering.

All told we're at around $10,000 and 4 years but it's getting close to final assembly. Hang in there!!!

 

Before I pulled out that 351 I would make very sure that it is a "M". I am sure that a "M" would not fit in the Bronco without a bunch of custom fit adapters and such whereas a Windsor is nearly a bolt in having the same bell pattern. The M has a different bell pattern and would not mount to the original tranny without an adaptor (which I haven't seen) for an "M".
JUst my two cents.....
and mine is still in the garage for what it's worth. I am rebuilding the front axle from knuckles out right now......
Wishing I was driving it.........
Chris

1972 Bronco 302 3 on tree
1978 F150 SC 351 C6 $650
1969 Buick LeSabre 400
1941 Farmall "A"

 

i'm actually looking at trucks right now so that it's easier to haul bronco parts around. i'm pretty sure that my wife would freak if i tried to bring home a dana 60 from the junk yard in her grand cherokee. she has actually been known to say "why don't we just drive that bronco around and throw money out of the window. seems like it would save time and ultimately be cheaper." silly wife.

 

Heck no....you are not alone. I've owned my 70 EB for 10 years now, and I love it more now than I did then. Last summer I purchased a terminally rusted 77 out of Virginia and towed it back to Atlanta on a dolly, where I plasma torched the body off and am in the process of swapping out the 3 speed for the c-4, manual steering and brakes for power, 2 1/2" suspension lift, 1" body lift (my 70 is uncut, never wrecked and clean) to clear the 33x9.5 BFG AT's, 6 point cage, Dana 30 to 44, sb 9" to bb 9", and four wheel disk brakes (B.C. BRONCO'S kit for rear discs). Just watching it all come together is a real joy. I purchased my 70 in '92 from the 2nd owner for $2,200 and it's the best vehicle I've ever owned. It still turns heads and I get offers on it every time I take it out. Early Bronco owners are a truly passionate lot. I dont think I could ever sell mine.

 

Don't worry, you'll get there. At one time my truck was rusted through everywhere. I even cut it in half behind the seats and welded another rear half on. It was six very different colors for about six years and then it all just came together in the end. I have been through every inch of that truck several times (learning from mistakes) and for some reason I ask for more. I helped a friend build his 67 and I am building a 72 for another friend. I must me insane. I have swapped in two different transmissions and two engines, lots of bodywork and drivetrain. I have also converted mine to discs and power steering with a saginaw pump. If you have any questions just email me directly:
flpanhead(No Email Addresses In Posts!)

 

Thanks for all of the support. This forum is worth while. It has been a few months since I last posted but I can tell you guys I am still dedicated to my Bronc. Lately I have ordered and received all of my sheet metal from BGY. And I beleive it will all fit up nicely. I have not installed any yet but I have very high expectations. Also, I now know some things about removing body panels by way of spotweld drilling.....If anyone is wondering about this, post and I will respond. My wife is talking about divorce now and I think I may let that happen. Worse things have happen to better men. In the end I will still have my Bronco. It is kind of a sickness isn't it? Anyway I may be posting here more often. Seeya. Mark.

 

I know the feeling, I got what I thought was a sweet deal on a 75 bronc with factory p/s. Until I got home and read the vin code and saw it was from Michigan(Salt capital of the WORLD!!!!!) I should of know something was wrong when I went for the test drive and I shut the door and the door latch bolt in the door jamb broke off.
But It didn't phaze me in the least, I bought the beast and two years later its still sitting in my yard with the motor on a stand! Don't give up just yet, and don't get divorced either, that could seriously cut into the restoration budget! Good luck to you!