Bronco final days

'68 Bronco Project

Well, the big day is fast approaching. We're having minor last minute issues with carpet fitment, and we still need to mount the stainless Steel Horse CJ mirrors, but the end of this project is, most assuredly, in sight!

The photos on this page are from January 2, 2003. On that day we got the engine started and broken in. The following day, the major task was getting the Specialty Tops custom top & doors in denim blue mounted. (No pics of this yet, but soon, in the final installment.) If you're interested, you can click here to view the previous installment along with the body almost ready for paint. (I also plan to post a page showing how we started this build back in late 2000, with a bare frame and axle parts everywhere.)

Concerning the carpet issues, it seems the manufacturer MAY have incorrectly built the section for the cargo area because it fits perfectly between the wheeltubs, however it appears skewed to the left by at least 6-8 inches, and looks to be at least 2-4 inches too short. My friend, Gary, decided to spend some "quiet time" with this part of the carpet, and felt he could get to fit acceptably. Given he's the master builder and has way more experience in these matters than I do, I told him to take his best shot. After several hours of effort, he was able to "convince" the carpet to fit.

The section for the tailgate, even though my research shows it to be consistent with what is being offered by other manufacturers, is too narrow for my tastes. Thus, I will order a half a yard of material from my vendor, Auto Carpet Originals in Florida, and make a custom panel myself. That way, the 'gate area will look right. I've got way too much invested at this point to cut corners.

I want to point out something I'm sure you'll be curious about, that big puddle of engine oil under the motor on the driver's side of the truck. The puddle in question is clearly vsible in the photos below.

That was a result of swapping three oil pressure switches before we determined the gauge was screwed up and that the motor did, indeed, have enough oil pressure to fire it up and break it in correctly. The oil pressure gauge in the dash cluster wasn't working. (At this point we are suspecting a bad ground.) As a result weren't weren't prepared to crank it up to two grand for 20 minutes before we knew for certain we had good oil pressure. I was confident this was an electrical/mechanical problem, but when you don't know, you don't go!

We started by yanking the valve cover and cranking over the engine, and saw plenty of oil was being fed through the system. We'd not only filled the filter, but also primed the engine's oiling system, so seeing fresh 10W-30 oozing from the valve train was a relief.

With one possibility eliminated, we swapped the sending unit for a brand new Stewart-Warner sender and gauge, which we set temporarily on the battery. We didn't have another good mechanical sending unit handy, so rather than head to town for a new one, Gary yanked one from a set he planned to install in one of his antique speedboats to see what the heck was going on. Upon restarting the engine, idle oil pressure was just under 40 pounds and when we got the little six screaming, it went above 50!

You may also notice some stray wiring hanging under the dash and inside the engine compartment. Not sloppy workmanship, I can assure you. I still have speakers to install for the stereo system, which is powered by a nice high-power Alpine AM/FM/CD radio. I also want to be sure that "everything electrical" works properly before tucking everything out of the way. I'd like to test the custom-built 110-amp GM alternator, too. One planned test is to turn on every possible accessory and see what shakes out. I'm sure the new Centech wiring harness, complete with modern blade-type fuses, will be able to take it, but I'm not assuming anything.

In the next installment of this series, I should be able to provide some final photos with (most) everything completed. I'll also point out a few areas where I might have done things differently had I known better, as well as show closeups of some of the hot rod features of my truck.

STAY TUNED!

-Dan

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