Advice Needed

[semostickbow]

Hello all, first post here and I'm looking for advice. Last summer I re-purchased the 1982 Bronco that my parents bought for me when I was 19. I was driving down a rural highway about 1 hour from my house when I saw it sitting under a carport behind a house. After looking it over and driving it I brought it home. I owned this Bronco all through college, needless to say I had a lot of fun in it, so there it quite a bit of sentimental value. Plus it's just bad looking! I put a 2" body lift on it when I had it w/33" under it, currently it has 35" on it. I think I might remove the 2" body and replace all the suspension w/4" lift. Mechanically the bronc is pretty sound, 60xxx miles on a re-built motor, re-built tranny, etc... However, the body is pretty shot w/the standard rust out that bronco's have. The suspension is also shot, squirley on the highway, so I need to replace that as well.

My goal is to restrore the bronco, however, I don't neccesarily want it "showroom" perfect. I also don't want to invest a small fortune in it and I'd like to drive it this fall. In other words, I want to drive it and use it as a hunting vehicle without worrying about messing it up. I thought about contacting the local Vo-Tech school and seeing if they want to work on it as a project vehicle. I basically have minimal mechnical/body work experience, however, my father-in-law does and he's agreed to help me on the project. He's got a pretty nice shop that I have it stored in for now.

I stripped out the old vinyl flooring/insulation this weekend, removed the seats, etc... The front passenger floor is rusted and the wheel wells are rusted through where the rear floor plan seam is. The rear floor pan has surface rust, but I don't think it's un-salvageable. The frame appears to be in fine shape, minus normal surface rust. How do you know when you have too much rust, other than being able to see daylight through your floor?

I guess the advice I'm looking for is, where should I start first? Should I strip it down to the frame and have it dipped/painted? Should I not worry about the frame, put new 4" suspension lift on it and replace the body a little at a time? I also want to put a flowmaster system on it to help w/performance, etc... I've got a 302 in it, so I think I might put 33"s back on it eventually as well.

What do you all think? Thanks for your help in advance.

Geoff

 

[semostickbow]

I forgot to add, could you tell me what the average costs are in restoring a vehicle like this. I realize you can put as much in it as you want too, I basically am curious about a 4" lift, what brand you recommend, how much? Do you recommend after market body parts or OEM? How much does a good paint job cost? You get the point.

Again, thanks for your help! I'm really excited about getting started!

Geoff

 

[sweepersrgr8]

The thing about rust is, it's a Cancer....If you dont get it all out, it WILL come back. If you can't get clean shiney metal, cut it out.

The frame is up to you. if you live in a rust prone area, and have a good place to work on the truck...yes, lift the body off and Media Blast the frame clean, besides if you are going to add all new suspension , this will give you better access.

If you are going be beating through the woods in persuit of that elusive 12 pointer, just weld some panels in from Jeff's Bronco Graveyard, and roll with it.

 

[sweepersrgr8]

One more thing, I have seen too many friends put more money into a Rustbucket than it will ever be worth. There are better specimens out there.

 

[Seabronc]

cut out the serious rust and put in new metal. You can use POR15 on the less serious stuff which will convert and seala the rust. With body off frame you can do the same to it. There is also a product called Rust Bullet which is essentialy the same thing as POR15. I have had excellent results with POR15 as well as several other people I know of. A mechanic friend of mine swears by it. Both Por15 and Rust Bullet claim to be the best, so read upon both ad make up your own mind. Perhaps there is someone out there that has used Rust Bullet who cares to praise their favorite product /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> If you look at the pictures in my profile, you will see what I have done on my 83. It's a labor of love and what ever you can do,do it. Body work is easier than you might think. I got my replacement metal from donor trucks, but you can buy replacement parts from Jeff's Bronco Graveyard or other places. I have heard that the metal from JC Whitney is thinner than OEM stuff. Check Jeff's 80 and up catalog starting at page 49.

Good luck,

>-

 

[Justshootme84]

I've been repairing and restifying trucks for about 25 years, and rusted body panels are definitely your worst enemy. You will spend tons of money on patch panels and welding rods and Bondo, then have to do it all over again a year later. If you can see daylight or have a gaping hole in the floor board, I would advise pulling the entire body to get a closer inspection before doing any major repairs. As already stated, don't try to cover up or hide rust, cause it will keep on spreading. If the cab and rear cargo area appear good, then you might just want to replace the front floor pans. You can get cheaper, new panels or cut some good ones out of a donor truck from at salvage yard. My guess is that you will find some of the frame supports and body mounts are rusted out as well. It won't cost you a great deal to replace most of that, IF you do the work yourself.

My current 84 Bronco was in great condition body-wise when I bought it, so the only repairs I needed to do were to reweld the rain gutter cracks and fix a small rust spot on the tailgate. I've still spent over $10K for the paint, motor, lift kit, etc.

If you plan to just use the Bronco for a hunting rig or mainly offroad, I wouldn't even worry about the rust. You might drop a bullet or two thru the holes, but it will let the water run out!!! I just wouldn't spend a ton of money on such a rig buying new parts. Salvage yards are goldmines for projects like this. Good Luck!!!