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Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

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JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Yessir, plan was to put on the slip yoke while aligning the stub shaft before welding to get it right.

I looked into it a bit more, and it seems pretty straightforward. Guys are building driveshafts using a lathe and a dial gauge to check runout, however I might be able to get away with using the pipe threading machine at work if I can get it in there straight.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

Gary Lewis

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Administrator

It would take a big, long lathe! Mine is fair sized but I don’t think it would be big enough.

Anyway, good luck.

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

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Finances have not recovered enuff to do the driveshafts just yet, but the other big things I needed to do was paint the firewall and clean up the transfer case. Just used degreaser, pressure washer, and steel wool to clean up the case. Hooked it up the transmission and discovered the threads holding the 4x4 adapter to the transmission are stripped. So I gotta yank the transmission, open it up (and hopefully not disassemble), and tap for 1/2" bolts. Ugh.

Firewall paint came out nice. Scuffed and degreased original paint, primer was Eastwood epoxy rattle cans, PPG single stage out of an airless sprayer on top. I also hit the clean air intake with some rattlecan black to cover the rust before all this. Now I'm freed up to start putting back the dash and exhaust heat shields.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

Gary Lewis

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Administrator

Looking nice! That's going to come out good.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

BigBrother-84

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

In reply to this post by JimJam300

Wow!

Jeff / 1984 F350 Crew Cab 4x4/5.8L w351 4V/ T18/ D50 4.10 front/ 8' bed.
Restored 2019-2022.
Nicknamed «Big Brother 1984», due to its soooo-looong shape & nod to George Orwell's 1984 famous novel.

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Tore off the masking tape and let it sit over the weekend while I went camping.

Homemade firewall insulation lines up fairly well. Some holes are a little too large, but it's not the end of the world. I'll have a verdict on fitment once I start bolting stuff to the sheet metal.

Speaking of camping, as of 2 days ago in the Sierras there was plenty of snow and lakes still thawing above 8000 feet. It ruined my original plans of where I wanted to camp, but the wife and I made the best of it and decided to do some exploring. The beater Dodge did alright but stock ground clearance and the very mild Goodyear Wrangler AT/S tires could not handle the snow without a running start. Plow trucks weren't quite put away yet. Now it's back to the grind and there's plenty to do on the Bronco.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

Gary Lewis

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Administrator

Looking good! And I don't think the oversized holes will make enough difference to worry about.

And the mountains look great! Reminds me of when my son and I took BB to NM. Lots more snow than expected, but we enjoyed it.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

BigBrother-84

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

In reply to this post by JimJam300

tcbaklash wrote

Plow trucks weren't quite put away yet.

When I think I was considering that I'm living in a cold country...

Jeff / 1984 F350 Crew Cab 4x4/5.8L w351 4V/ T18/ D50 4.10 front/ 8' bed.
Restored 2019-2022.
Nicknamed «Big Brother 1984», due to its soooo-looong shape & nod to George Orwell's 1984 famous novel.

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

BigBrother-84 wrote

When I think I was considering that I'm living in a cold country...

The amount of snow and it lasting this long is highly irregular. Every lake and reservoir is full after what seemed like an eternal drought. Rivers are rushing. It was warm during the day, as high as 80 degrees Fahrenheit. When I took that picture of the lake with ice still floating in it, I was originally looking for a place to go swimming. I packed swim trunks in my hiking backpack but what I really needed were snowshoes for the trail going up.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

In reply to this post by Gary Lewis

Gary Lewis wrote

Looking good! And I don't think the oversized holes will make enough difference to worry about.

And the mountains look great! Reminds me of when my son and I took BB to NM. Lots more snow than expected, but we enjoyed it.

I've been wanting to do AZ/NM in one fell swoop after falling in love with the desert in Utah during a 2 week trek last year. It's inspiring that you bring your Bullnose truck everywhere. That's my plan when the Bronco is roadworthy, though I'd be hesitant to bring on anything rougher than a dirt road. But that's why I'm not destined for a carb, elevation differences in California alone are too great.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

Gary Lewis

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Administrator

Where I want to use Big Blue is usually far away, so I built him to go there with ease. The ZF5's OD makes cruising at 70 reasonably quiet and easy. The speed control means that you can relax to some extent, although I do need to change out the steering box. Having the bucket seats and the console means you go in comfort. And having the A/C working well means you go in relative quiet.

But the icing on the cake is EFI. My brother and I took BB to Ouray while he was still carb'd, and he did OK. But the EFI added so much torque to the lower RPM range that it would now be soooo much easier to pull the trails. And it now runs the same at 13,000' as it does at sea level, although power is down a bit. Plus it gets better MPG as well. I highly recommend it, especially for a vehicle that is used at varying altitudes.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Been thinking about how I'm going to repair my transmission and drilling/tapping the tailshaft adapter bolt holes will require a lot of work, as I would have to remove mainshaft. I came up on Loctite Form-A-Thread and if this works as described, I think it will hold up. Unless I'm wrong, I don't think the transfer case adapter takes a lot of force from the drivetrain.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

I just need to pull the transmission apart and do it right with some threaded inserts. I haven't taken any half measures on the rest of the truck, I don't need to begin here.

Anyway, heat shields are now attached with aluminum blind rivets.

Lined the interior firewall with Kilmat (cheaper alternative to Dynamat) so I could button up the firewall insulation. Currently working on doing the whole steering collumn, cleaning, painting, and greasing whatever I can. Probably will get a new bearing for the steering shaft since the original is a bit crunchy.

I tested the HVAC fan on the bench and it's functional. Only thing is the housing is pressed together and I don't think I can open it up for inspection and cleaning. I will have to get a new vane fan or just harvest an entire unit off another truck.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

Gary Lewis

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Administrator

Wow! That is pretty!

And I agree, now is not the time to cut corners. Do it right.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Haven't done much on the Bronco in over a month except some thinking.

I have come to the realization that doing things the legally gray method with fuel injection (in california) is not very wise. I don't want to lose my truck after putting so much work into it. So I've decided to do it the legal way, which means using factory fuel injection. I thought it MIGHT be cool to do a 1996 system since it would be OBDII but the wiring intensity might get a little crazy, so I'm leaning toward an earlier EFI setup.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

Gary Lewis

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Administrator

I think that is good thinking. Do it the legal way.

As for which system, I can attest that going with an EEC-V system has a bunch of wiring, and it can be intimidating. So going with an '86 EEC-IV system would be easiest as it will interface nicely with your existing wiring. And all you'll lose is the OBD-II bit and the ability to "hot rod" the engine as the speed density system expects a pretty stock setup.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Well, the way it works in California, you have to swap the entire "engine package" from a specific vehicle. If my donor vehicle is a 1990 F-150 4.9L manual, the engine, emissions regulated equipment (complete intake and complete exhaust to cat), and computer must match what was on a factory 1990 F-150 4.9L manual. I would have to use an EEC from a 4.9L manual truck, and then match all the rest of the parts for whatever year the computer is.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Got threaded inserts for the transmission. Had to remove the main shaft which is by far the hardest part of disassembly because of the lock rings... Went with TimeSert. Kit was about $120 but very nice.

Got the fuel tank ready to rock. Will probably throw it in tonight.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

JimJam300

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Fuel tank is in. I need to re-do one of the 3/8 aluminum fuel lines I ran on the frame and either get a beading tool or put a flare fitting on them. The fuel hose I bought was Gates Barricade for EFI.

This week I might get my driveshafts from Tom Wood's. Was just under $800 after taxes for front and rear. Could've gone cheaper but I didn't want made in China u-joints and fittings.

1982 Bronco restomod in progress: Built 4.9L, T19 4spd, 9" 3.00 rear w/ Eaton TrueTrac, 31" tires, fuel injection soon
https://www.youtube.com/@jimjamauto

ArdWrknTrk

Re: Jim's 1982 300 Six Bronco Original Restoration

Administrator

At least you have a place.

The local driveline shop closed up a couple of years back, and I found out yesterday that my alignment guy retired and closed the business about a month ago.(they've been open in the same location longer than I've been alive)

Tank looks good!
I have to drop mine and figure out where it leaks if I overfill it.

Jim,
Lil'Red is a '87 F250 HD, 4.10's, 1356 4x4, Zf-5, 3G, PMGR, Saginaw PS, desmogged with a Holley 80508 and Performer intake.
Too much other stuff to mention.

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