Bronco *street* build...

This customer wanted something he could drive to Vegas and back in comfortably. The paint and suspension were already done, and the job was referred to me by Louie at CTS.

We put in a one piece rear main 302 with a roller cam and valve train. Edelbrock heads and FAST EFI, with all MSD ignition.

Also added Vintage Air A/C, Dakota Digital Dash and all Lokar shift components. We rebuilt the AOD trans someone else had previously installed, and I rewired just about the whole vehicle.

I'm real happy with how it came out. The drivability of this thing is awesome. :thumbup:

Here are some pics of the build, start to finish...

Nice

Saw this rig a couple months ago on a visit to RM's shop.

Looked real good.

Progress...

Not bad for a FORD


Nice work Joe :bowdown:

Starting to go back together. Test fit with the stock radiator...

Final install was with a Mattson triple pass raidator and Spal Sidewinder fan. It was the only thing that would fit!



I had to reclock the fan to get it to fit properly.



Lokar shift linkage and sensor for the Dakota Digital dash. The dash displays what gear it is in. Totally programmable feature. Bad azz. :thumbup:



Had some issues with his aftermarket steering column as well. Horn contacts were destroyed. Fortunately, Louie at CTS had the T/S switch I needed in stock. A few mods to make it work and it came out really nice.



We painted the engine compartment, the electrical box I made and the old air cleaner with truck bed liner paint. It should hold up well over time.

Details of the finished radiator install...



Details of the finished EFI/Linkage install...



Header detail. Remflex gaskets and Nord Lock washers will assure this build will Not Ever have any exhaust leaks.



AN hoses and fittings for all EFI high pressure lines. This truck got a whole new 25gal fuel tank with an EFI pump built in. CTS installed it. All I had to do was plumb and wire it up!

Last set of pics. All done and ready to leave. I drove it for about three days making sure everything was perfect. I'm gonna miss having this parked in my driveway!!!



Dakota Digital factory replacment. I absolutely love their products!



Lokar shifter installed...



This thing has a real nice stance...



I'm gonna miss this build!!! That's all folks. Hope you like.

Looking good

Very Cool, I want one!

That is pretty sweet.

I forgot to mention that the bottom end of the engine was made into a 331 stroker with all forged components. We used the stock Ford 5.0HO cam for the drivability we wanted. This thing pulls HARD off the line. It will break those big tires loose easily. :thumbup:

Not sure if I'd want to drive that long-distance, but that's definitely bad-ass!

rivermobster said:

I forgot to mention that the bottom end of the engine was made into a 331 stroker with all forged components. We used the stock Ford 5.0HO cam for the drivability we wanted. This thing pulls HARD off the line. It will break those big tires loose easily. :thumbup:

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LOL yea its all stock..

Nice work Joe. Your skills really show the pride in your work. :thumbup:

pronstar said:

Not sure if I'd want to drive that long-distance, but that's definitely bad-ass!

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Why not? If it has decent seats and mild suspension It is probably not bad at all, especially considering its 50 years old. If its got some Dynamat or other sound deadener in it, it is probably reasonably tolerable.

Bad ass! Nugent would be proud!!

LargeOrangeFont said:

Why not? If it has decent seats and mild suspension It is probably not bad at all, especially considering its 50 years old. If its god some Dynamat or other sound deadener in it, it is probably reasonably tolerable.

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The seats are real comfy. He's working on deleting all the rattles right now. AC works well and the Trans shifts Nice. It's been all dynomated, and the top has a thick felt headliner in it. It's carpeted front to rear.

It's going back to CTS soon to have the body bushings replaced and a whole new floor pan put in it.

No expense is being spared on this build.

He dropped off his 67 Camaro when he picked up the bronco. I'm gonna redo the suspension on it for him next.

rivermobster said:

The seats are real comfy. He's working on deleting all the rattles right now. AC works well and the Trans shifts Nice. It's been all dynomated, and the top has a thick felt headliner in it. It's carpeted front to rear.

It's going back to CTS soon to have the body bushings replaced and a whole new floor pan put in it.

No expense is being spared on this build.

He dropped off his 67 Camaro when he picked up the bronco. I'm gonna redo the suspension on it for him next.

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I'd drive that Bronco cross country when done.

LargeOrangeFont said:

I'd drive that Bronco cross country when done.

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I would too. I drove it all weekend before I delivered it. It cruises down the freeway with the AOD in it. I had it in traffic, all over the street, and up to 80 on the freeway. Temp gauge sits solid at 200* with the A/C on or off. CTS did the suspension. It is Very comfortable ride. :thumbup:

LargeOrangeFont said:

Why not? If it has decent seats and mild suspension It is probably not bad at all, especially considering its 50 years old. If its got some Dynamat or other sound deadener in it, it is probably reasonably tolerable.

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I'm not a fan of very short wheelbase/high center of gravity vehicles for high-speed running.

Not a knock on the build at all.

pronstar said:

I'm not a fan of very short wheelbase/high center of gravity vehicles for high-speed running.

Not a knock on the build at all.

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Thats fair.

pronstar said:

I'm not a fan of very short wheelbase/high center of gravity vehicles for high-speed running.

Not a knock on the build at all.

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No one knows vehicles better than you do. I would have to agree with this statement.

This thing is super happy right around 65. 80 was pushing it, but I had to make sure it worked as it should under most any condition.

Very, very nice work!

Sweet rig, nice work Joe.

Looks great Joe... I'm impressed but I know little about the EB [emoji1]

Pretty cool ride joe. Not sure I would want to drive that back and forth to Vegas fro so cal, if I read that right [emoji202]

Thanks everyone. He has a house there, and lives here in So Cal. He just wants something he can take with him where ever he decides to go.

How did the FAST EFI conversion work? I bought one last year for my sandrail and it has been hit or miss ever since. When its working, its great and out performs the edelbrock carb that was on the engine. But, probably a third of the time it has been sketchy. I don't even know how much time I have spent on the phone with there tech guys. Just cant seem to get it totally dialed in. I hate to say it but I have not been as satisfied as I thought I would be with it.

That came out great Joe! The guys over at CTS are too on itch as well. Really happy with everything they did for me.

jailbird141 said:

How did the FAST EFI conversion work? I bought one last year for my sandrail and it has been hit or miss ever since. When its working, its great and out performs the edelbrock carb that was on the engine. But, probably a third of the time it has been sketchy. I don't even know how much time I have spent on the phone with there tech guys. Just cant seem to get it totally dialed in. I hate to say it but I have not been as satisfied as I thought I would be with it.

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This is probably the fourth or fifth one I have done. It runs great, just like every other one I have done! I'm real happy with their stuff.

What ignition are you running with it? Is the fuel pump and pressure all dialed in? I re-wire their system a bit and use all my own fuel system components. We always go with all new perfierial components when we set one up.

Not sure where you are, but if you want to run it by, I'll be happy to look at it for ya and see if I can straighten it out: http://jmsservicecenter.com/contact/

I just may bring it by JMS. I did not realize you worked there. Mike did the rebuild on my 4.3L V6 that the FAST EFI is on. I had JMS do the long block and I finished assembly when it was in the sand car because I was short on time. He also did the machine work on my small block for my Nova that I bracket race. JMS has done all my machine work since back when they were in Monrovia. What a small world. Hopefully after the first of they year I will have extra cash to have the Nova motor dyno'd so I can drop it in. Anyway, Im glad to hear that JMS has experience with FAST and will definitely be looking into getting some help to get it dialed in.

jailbird141 said:

I just may bring it by JMS. I did not realize you worked there. Mike did the rebuild on my 4.3L V6 that the FAST EFI is on. I had JMS do the long block and I finished assembly when it was in the sand car because I was short on time. He also did the machine work on my small block for my Nova that I bracket race. JMS has done all my machine work since back when they were in Monrovia. What a small world. Hopefully after the first of they year I will have extra cash to have the Nova motor dyno'd so I can drop it in. Anyway, Im glad to hear that JMS has experience with FAST and will definitely be looking into getting some help to get it dialed in.

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JMS moved to this location about 8 years ago now. I started working on vehicles here about 4 years ago now. I'll work on (almost) anything that doesn't have to be smogged.

Stupid question but...

It it set up as a V6 in the basic configuration settings?? I've seen em set up as the wrong engines before. They don't run real good like that.

Yes it is set up for the V6. FAST tech has walked thru the set up several times with me over the phone. The biggest issue is the cold starts. It is extremely difficult to start when it is cold in the morning or evening. I takes a while to warm up and I have to sit and work the throttle just to keep it running. Once the engine is at operating temp, I have to shut it off and restart it because the blue light on the computer is blinking. After that it runs pretty strong almost all the time.

jailbird141 said:

Yes it is set up for the V6. FAST tech has walked thru the set up several times with me over the phone. The biggest issue is the cold starts. It is extremely difficult to start when it is cold in the morning or evening. I takes a while to warm up and I have to sit and work the throttle just to keep it running. Once the engine is at operating temp, I have to shut it off and restart it because the blue light on the computer is blinking. After that it runs pretty strong almost all the time.

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Bump your idle fuel mixture setting up a couple of tenths. Then bump the accel pump setting up two points as well. Don't touch the pedal when starting. Let me know how That works out.

Note: On this last one i did, the accel pump setting was backwards in the hand held. Didn't take long to figure that out! Some kinna software glitch I guess. Wasn't work contacting them about it. Pretty easy to work around.