Gary Lewis Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimJam300 Posted July 14, 2023 Author Share Posted July 14, 2023 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimJam300 Posted July 18, 2023 Author Share Posted July 18, 2023 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 18, 2023 Share Posted July 18, 2023 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. Wow! That is pretty! And I agree, now is not the time to cut corners. Do it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimJam300 Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 Wow! That is pretty! And I agree, now is not the time to cut corners. Do it right. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimJam300 Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimJam300 Posted September 21, 2023 Author Share Posted September 21, 2023 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimJam300 Posted September 26, 2023 Author Share Posted September 26, 2023 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted September 26, 2023 Share Posted September 26, 2023 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. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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