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1981 Bronco Project

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fiftyfordfloored

1981 Bronco Project

This story started with a trip to a local garage... Was talking to the guy and telling him I'm looking for an old Bronco. He says I have one on the trailer out back going to the scrap yard in a couple hours.

I bought it and had him drop it off a mile away at my buddies farm. It was a 1986 Bronco (U152) with an EFI 302/AOD/3.55 8.8. Quad shocks and all that cool stuff, plus a rust free tailgate and nearly immaculate interior. After really looking it over, I decided the rest of the body was really pretty terminal. They had fiberglassed over rust everywhere and now it was chunking off. Ok, I figured I'll find it a nice shell to swap everything into.

The 1981 Bronco (U151) that was originally a 302/C6/3.00 9" (engine is gone). I had originally planned to swap the engine/trans/front axle from the '86, swap the gears in the 9" to 3.55, and end up with an EFI 302/AOD/3.55 9". I also originally thought that the EFI 302 was in good shape. Purred before I shut it off a few months ago. Go to start it and it lights right off with a slight rod knock which continues. Okay, that's my luck.

My goal for this truck is to make it the best daily driver combo, with plenty of torque to tow smaller loads, but still get reasonable fuel economy cruising. I decided I'm going to build a nice 300 I6, leave the C6 (probably build that as well) and the 3.00 gears alone. Quad Shock outfit the '81, and transfer all the goodies I can into it.

Double Trouble...

1980 F100 --- 300/C6/9" - SOLD
1980 F250 --- Ranger 400/C6/D50/D60 - Parts Donor
1981 Bronco - ***/C6/9" - Current Project
1983 Bronco - 302/C6/8.8" - SOLD
1986 Bronco - 302/AOD/8.8 - Parted
1986 F250 --- 6.9idi/C6/10.25 - SOLD
1986 F250 --- 6.9idi/C6/10.25 - Parts Donor

fiftyfordfloored

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

I gutted everything from the '81 to get to the rust I have to repair... And tossed everything, as the interior was complete trash...

Excepting the back seat...

Any one needs a nice seat in red let me know.

Gary Lewis

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Administrator

I’m jealous! I have dreams of building an ‘80 or ‘81 Bronco, or maybe an ‘82 or later disguised as an ‘81. But it would be for tooling around in the high country so would be outfitted for that rather than cruising.

By the way, you may have missed the notice, but threads in this Projects folder can be locked by the author so others can’t post. Like I’ve done on my EFI thread. That’s so you can either use it as a whiteboard, like I’m doing, or a blog where you post what you are doing but don’t want comments. So, if you decide you want to do that I can delete this post and move any others that come along. But, you’ll want to have some place to move them, like a real back & forth thread on the build. Your call.

Anyway, cool project! 👍

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

fiftyfordfloored

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Gary, if that makes you jealous, my sister's '83 I picked up for her for free has factory perfect floor pans and also all perfect factory rosewood trim and dash-pad.

I welcome commentary. Probably going to take me a while and I'm sure people will have some constructive ideas or advice.

Gary Lewis

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Administrator

Hmmm, "free" and "perfect" don't usually describe the same truck. But, good for her!

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Ford F834

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Administrator

In reply to this post by fiftyfordfloored

First of all welcome and I'm glad you found us here on this forum. I've always been a fan of your red flareside 🙂

Next, thank you for sharing your Bronco build. I am with Gary, I'm envious of that truck! Like Gary I really love the 1981 model year. I'm working on a '81 F150 but the further into it I get, the more I wish it was a Bronco instead of a pickup. Maybe someday... for what it's worth I have the 300 six and 3.00 gears and I like it, but mine has a close ratio diesel T19 not a C6 so your experience may vary. I look forward to your build.

SHORT BED 4-DOOR DIESEL: 1986 F350 4x4 under construction-- 7.3 IDIT ZF5+GVOD

STRAIGHT SIX 4X4: 1981 F150 2wd to 4x4-- 300 I6 close ratio diesel T19, hydroboost brakes, Saginaw steering

BIG F: 1995 F-Superduty under construction— converting to 6.9L IDI diesel ZF5+DNE2

fiftyfordfloored

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

In reply to this post by Gary Lewis

Gary, perfect floor pans, not perfect truck haha. She needs a hood and some rear fender work and tailgate work but around here solid floors are an exciting start. Over all it's really good though; minimal rot. My mother's friends apparently have money and no concept of what anything's worth, so when they asked me if I wanted their "crappy old plow truck", I said sure. Free bullnose, don't have to ask me twice. Once I get to working on her truck, I'll post pics and progress in a different thread.

fiftyfordfloored

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

In reply to this post by Ford F834

F834, 80-81s are my favorite as well. I miss my red flareside, but she went to a good home. The guy did a nice job with her; she's 4x4 now with a fuel injected 300 on 33's.

I've always been a huge Bronco fan, just never found a decent one. All of a sudden, they're everywhere and people are practically giving them away or scrapping. I have a huge hoarding problem; anything '80-86 I can't say no to. I still have dash boards and clusters and trim panels all over from various shenanigans and junk yard trips, so now I can put some of it to good use. Still looking for a set of correct Marchal fog lamps for the '81. I have the cluster bezel and the switch all ready to go. My end goal with this truck is to make it more or less like this one:

Probably never find those cool stripes anywhere, but I always thought they were neat. I never heard of a Trailer Special package Bronco before, but I'd love to recreate that package as well (if I can figure out what exactly made up that package).

I like the idea of the 300 and the 3.00 gears too. Probably work well for cruising the interstate. The C6 is a power leach, but very strong and bulletproof. I'm thinking I may pull it apart and rebuild it with some high performance pieces to help it out a bit.

Ford F834

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Administrator

That is/was Christopher Lott's Bronco. He restored it and is now working on another one just like it except it has a EFI 351W in it. He had those stripes reproduced. If you are serious about wanting a set he is the guy to talk to. He can get them made. Not inexpensive, surely, but he has the templates on file and a source that can make them. He posted brochure pages with the ad for that truck and this is what it says about the tow package:

I have also been looking for a set of the factory fog lights since I have a XLS instrument bezel with the fog switch face plate and the correct switch. The lamps themselves are Marchal 750/759 series lights and come up fairly often on eBay, but not with the Ford surrounds. That is an extremely rare item to find, and quite expensive if the seller has any idea what he has. I keep wishing a set would turn up in the junkyard but it will never happen...

Edit: Christopher Lott's handle on FTE is Early Cobra, and he runs a really neat Facebook page for Freewheel package and Chromatic striped trucks and Broncos if you do the FB thing at all:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/443736922474997

fiftyfordfloored

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

That's awesome. He did a really nice job on that truck.

Ended up at the junkyard this past Sunday and grabbed a cylinder head off of a '69 240 six.

There was a really nice front half of an '81 F150 flareside next to it with a complete 300 and all the accessories and Duraspark II set up. Bed was shot, fenders were nearly mint. May have to go back for that stuff.

Gary Lewis

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Administrator

Does the head off the 240 raise the compression ratio on a 300?

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

1986F150Six

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Administrator

Yes... approximately 1/2 point.

fiftyfordfloored

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

My sister decided to go with something more modern and bought an Expedition, so here's a picture of the '83 that's now mine as well. Pictured after I pulled the plow setup completely off. Yes, now I'm hording Bullnoses. First thing with this one is to take the stupid body lift off of it. Body mount hardware is insanely expensive.

Gary Lewis

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Administrator

Wow! If there's a prize for the most Bullnose trucks I'm so far behind I might as well bow out. My 2.x pales in comparison. (The "x" is for the parts of several trucks that are being stored. Not sure how many trucks I could build, but as there's no frame I guess it is less than one.)

Anyway, congrat's! Other than removing the lift, what are the plans?

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

fiftyfordfloored

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Plans for this one are to clean it up, probably wiring harness swap since the mice got to it... and daily drive it/rolling restoration while I 4x4 swap my '87 Bricknose. If you want a clean 4x4 truck in New Jersey, start with a 2WD. Less salt, rarely driven in the winter.

The '81 is going in the garage and getting an actual resto. That's going to be the Mrs's. She liked the idea of going to shows with His and Hers Broncos. The '86 is going to donate it's parts to both the '81 and '83.

Gary Lewis

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

Administrator

Cool idea - his and her Broncos.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

fiftyfordfloored

Re: 1981 Bronco Project

We thought it was very cool. She wanted to learn how to weld, so now she'll get her chance. Going to keep the '81 black with red factory pinstripes and black interior, and a set of 80's RamCharger Hurricane wheels for that nifty 80's look. On the '83 Rootbeer Float, I need to find a nice set of 90's Alcoas. I have so many sets of ford wagon wheels now... I think her's is going to end up with the fuel injected drivetrain out of the '86, and if I can figure out how to put a electronic T-Case in it... She likes the creature comforts. The '83 has a 302 in it, but I'm ether going to build a 300 six, or swap in a 351W I have laying around. Eventually.