Our new project/wheeler/camping rig (1 Viewer)

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Score!!! Congrats.
 
Funniest thing ever was walking around the rig with the deliver guy today to do an inspection..... Wasn't this thing a full resto when it left Colorado???

He took it well.

That’s hilarious! Well played.
 
Is this really for Andrea? I have a feeling this is more for you.

Gotta say, didn't expect you to buy a 4bt powered truck. Looking forward to how you modify it. Hydroboost a must, NV4500 is very good. What's your rear driveshaft length?
 
I still vote fixing/cleaning up the little things and driving it for awhile before making huge changes.

Honestly it runs great and is really fun to drive. Gets lots of attention tho!

You do need tires.
 
I still vote fixing/cleaning up the little things and driving it for awhile before making huge changes.

Honestly it runs great and is really fun to drive. Gets lots of attention tho!

You do need tires.



That's the plan my man... all the fixing of the body is years off and who knows that may never happen past sealing the cab
 
Is this really for Andrea? I have a feeling this is more for you.

Gotta say, didn't expect you to buy a 4bt powered truck. Looking forward to how you modify it. Hydroboost a must, NV4500 is very good. What's your rear driveshaft length?


You'd be forgiven or thinking that. Lol but this is Andrea's rig. I the 8 years I have been together she has always had the newer safer, expensive car and I've always had the fun ones. That's reversed now she has two fun vehicles and I have the luxo barge.


But in a marriage that doesnt mean much right?? The 80 was mine but Andrea drove it as much or more than I did to work and back... yes I'll get to drive it and ave fun with it also but it will very much be hers to build as she wishes when we have the funds.

I had to take the keys from her today as she wanted to drive it to work to show the kids. No insured and no Seattle traffic until it has better brakes and an exhaust that goes all the way back. :cheers:


On the 4bt thing. It's more of a mental thing. I wouldnt want one in a full bodied rig that I DD (although I'm sure I'd get used to it) or a long range expo but in a rig that is loud no matter what is powering it a 40, bronco, series 1, it seems to fit. Like I said mental.... I'd would be like if I had a deuce and a half I'd think it was awesome but take that motor and put it in one of my suburbans I'd think it was too loud.

Andrea doesnt really care about the mechanics of it just the look.
 
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Wanted to share a little more of this story...let's call it a mid-life adventure!

I bought the bronco from Claudia Sanders (Bronco Bob's wife) after he passed. He owned Early Bronco Specialties and was somewhat of a bronco pioneer.

When I first contacted her, she was hesitant to sell it (this bronco was specifically mentioned in his obituary) and it was clearly important to the family.

Honestly, it felt like an interview on why I wanted it. I told her that what I really wanted (and desperately needed) was an adventure to take my mind off of other things. This seemed like the perfect vehicle (literally and metaphorically). She could relate.

We struck a deal and I committed to fly up the Saturday after Thanksgiving to Boise and drive it back to Denver.

My one condition is that they didn't do anything to it before I got there - I wanted to drive it back exactly how he left it. They had no idea when the last time it even ran was! I was willing to roll the dice. Adventure.

I think she liked my "spirit"! Everyone else thought I was crazy...

I get it running, top it off with gas and embark home...in the freezing cold. No windows, doors, heat, nothing but 3 jackets, thermals, two hats, gloves and winter boots.

I make it 20 miles outside of Boise and I feel like I am going to die. I have 800 miles left - what the hell am I doing??

Five more miles pass and I see a hitch hiker!

The only thing I can think of is body heat and a wind blocker. I stop, he jumps in. I ask him "Where are you headed?" he replies "Anywhere", perfect that is right on my way.

We sit speechless for the next 300 miles - mostly because you can't hear anything at highway speeds and our jaws were frozen shut.

I drop him off in Ogden UT (he couldn't believe we were in UT!), wish him the best and he does the same.

I push on but it is getting dark and the temps are dropping.

I make it to Rock Springs, WY.

Decision time (1) get a hotel or (2) get a another coat.

Two it is! I walk into Murdoch's (wearing 3 coats mind you) and ask the lady working where are the coats? She thought it was a prank!

I push on.

After nearly 24 hours after I had left, I arrive home.

Frozen.

I honestly thought I was hypothermic.

But I made it.

And over the next two years I drove it all over the place here in CO - never missed a beat and never needed anything.

It served its purpose in more ways than one. For that, I am grateful but it was time to move on and move past "it".

I'm so happy that it stayed in the family.

I hope it serves some sort of purpose for both you and Andrea, Al.

Brett
 
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Wanted to share a little more of this story...let's call it a mid-life adventure!

I bought the bronco from Claudia Sanders (Bronco Bob's wife) after he passed. He owned Early Bronco Specialties and was somewhat of a bronco pioneer.

When I first contacted her, she was hesitant to sell it (this bronco was specifically mentioned in his obituary) and it was clearly important to the family.

Honestly, it felt like an interview on why I wanted it. I told her that what I really wanted (and desperately needed) was an adventure to take my mind off of other things. This seemed like the perfect vehicle (literally and metaphorically). She could relate.

We struck a deal and I committed to fly up the Saturday after Thanksgiving to Boise and drive it back to Denver.

My one condition is that they didn't do anything to it before I got there - I wanted to drive it back exactly how he left it. They had no idea when the last time it even ran was! I was willing to roll the dice. Adventure.

I think she liked my "spirit"! Everyone else thought I was crazy...

I get it running, top it off with gas and embark home...in the freezing cold. No windows, doors, heat, nothing but 3 jackets, thermals, two hats, gloves and winter boots.

I make it 20 miles outside of Boise and I feel like I am going to die. I have 800 miles left - what the hell am I doing??

Five more miles pass and I see a hitch hiker!

The only thing I can think of is body heat and a wind blocker. I stop, he jumps in. I ask him "Where are you headed?" he replies "Anywhere", perfect that is right on my way.

We sit speechless for the next 300 miles - mostly because you can't hear anything at highway speeds and our jaws were frozen shut.

I drop him off in Ogden UT (he couldn't believe we were in UT!), wish him the best and he does the same.

I push on but it is getting dark and the temps are dropping.

I make it to Rock Springs, WY.

Decision time (1) get a hotel or (2) get a coat.

Two it is! I walk into Murdoch's (wearing 3 coats mind you) and ask the lady working where are the coats? She thought it was a prank!

I push on.

After nearly 24 hours after I had left, I arrive home.

Frozen.

I honestly thought I was hypothermic.

But I made it.

And over the next two years I drove it all over the place here in CO - never missed a beat and never needed anything.

I served its purpose in more ways than one. For that, I am grateful but it was time to move on and move past "it".

I'm so happy that it stayed in the family.

I hope it serves some sort of purpose for both you and Andrea, Al.

Brett


You and hitchhikers dude.... I remember following you for 5 miles in charlotte because you picked up that crazy looking dude in the parking lot after the lakers/bobcats game. :hmm:


But I know this scene was playing in your mind ;)


 
HAHAHA!

Absolutely...almost anything for warmth.

Funny you say that because the two fly-and-drive since that trip, someone from my family has insisted on going with me. Probably to prevent hitchhikers...
 
Al - just catching up. This is AWESOME.
 
The history behind this rig is amazing. Cant wait to follow along.
 
So I took a mini adventure in the truck yesterday. Added bushings and body mounts to the list after lol.
As Brett can attest the diesel fumes will try to kill you when sitting still due to the exhaust stopping directly under the cab.... add to that no doors or back glass and it makes for a fun time when sitting still or in traffic.

So I drove it 20 miles to my moms house for safe keeping in her garage while mine is occupied with the turbo replacement on the celica. Or should I say finding a turbo without a cracked exhaust housing. Finally got one now to combine two to make one this weekend.

So with the traffic going to tacoma i didnt want to give myself the black lung and donned my ever so stylish face mask filter (heavy duty one with those cute little pink filter housings) add to that by complete outfit was basketball shorts, flip flops, sun glasses and a hoody because I have a badly bruised rotator cuff and was wearing an ice pack strapped to my shoulder.

So I look fabulous and the looks and thumbs up (some fingers also) I got while in traffic were amazing

Got out of traffic and go through the little town before the base of the huge hill to my moms house and there is a group of college girls standing on a corner. I notice one is yelling something drunkenly to me.... I cant hear a thing. So I shut the truck off and she was yelling "you look like the ficking unabomber" (not the first time in my life I've heard that)

So I give her a thumbs up since my mouth is covered up and carry on.

The super steep, long and tight cornered hill up to my moms house was fun finding the right gear.

Get there and put it to bed much to the delight of my moms neighbors I'm betting, Ha!!
 
Oh and also adding LED headlights for that class she deserves.

Always forget how terrible sealed beam headlights are until I drive with them.
 
It's also doubles as a babysitter.... these three sat in this thing for 2 hours

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Teaching Andrea to use the stick in the rocks

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Thought some might like this. The original article on the bronco from many years ago. Bronco Bob was old school was never on the internet or social media, no email, did everything over the phone. Therefore this is just about the only document ever made about how he made set this thing up.

Its still exactly how he built it (minus the exhaust stack). I've got to get a bigger air intake though that dinky little filter can't be feeding this thing right.
 

Attachments

  • bronco.pdf
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Well Andrea did her first oil change on the bronco over the weekend. Mobil 1 Delvac and a cummins/fleet guard filter. Also got a new fuel filter but didn't get around to doing it that day as she wanted to do it and had to go in to work for a bit. Nice thing is having a Cummins shop right down the block. Filters are cheaper there than on Amazon. Going to do some research to see if I can find a venturi filter to fit on the 4bt. Those are fleetguards bypass filters. They act like a regular filter but also have a bypass filter built into it. If my filter was a verticle attached one it would be easy but mine is the horizontal one and i'm just about at maximum length with the stock filter so I may be stuck on that front short of switching it over but for that cost I could get an amsoil bypass system.


Also while going over what I wanted to do to the 4bt in the short term, Fluidampr adjust valves, check on killer dowel pin and fix if hasn't been done yet, I realized how the strange motor mounts are the guy built there is no room for a fluidampr and also looks like it may not be possible to get to the 4 bolts on the crank pulley and get that pulley off to pull the timing cover. I need to check that this coming weekend as my mom's house is pretty sparse for tools but if that is right i'm going to have to remove the mounts and use a cherry picker to hold up the motor while I do the KDP fix. Really wanted the dampr also so I may be making new mounts for this at some point.


Picture of the venturi filter and the motor mounts.

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Believe it or not, that's not that weird of an engine mount arrangement. The bolts on the block that he used to create that front mount are designed either for a front mount, albeit shaped differently than that custom job, or for individual side mounts.

Don't use a cherry picker to hold the engine up, would be in your way working on the front of the engine. Use a bottle jack with a block of wood on the oil pan to hold the engine up. The oil pan is more than strong enough for it.

Replace the lift pump (assuming stock mechanical diaphragm) when you replace the fuel filter. The lift pump can go out while going down the road. This won't usually cause your engine to stop running, as your injection pump can draw fuel from the tank on it's own, but the added strain will destroy the injection pump. Cheap and easy insurance.

Bypass filter is good. I used to run one, but stopped when I forgot to order one for my last few oil changes :confused: I think I have a spare vertical oil filter head if you want/need it.

Other timing cover notes:
- Plan on a timing cover gasket and front main while it's apart.
- Make sure to get the depthing/installation tool for the front main, as well as the installation sleeve, that's used when installing the cover. Both come with the seal when ordering from cummins in my experience, but make sure.
- Check on the IP nose seal. This requires removal of the IP gear. Easy to do after rotating the engine to line up the timing marks (take a picture for reference), just watch out for the woodruff key that may or may not be there. IP nose seals can work their way out over time and fill the crank case with diesel. No bueno, easy to check and replace if needed with the timing gear off, without removing the injection pump.
- Peening over the bore where the KDP is works just as well as putting in a KDP retainer tab thing, and is free.


EDIT: Wow, that's a lot of words. Sorry!
 

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