Hello From Santa Cruz, CA

[Motech]

Hi, Steve Arnold here, owner/proprietor of Motech Automotive in Santa Cruz, CA. I am a certified ASE Master, L1 Tech some 30-years now, Ford Factory trained in the early eighties, and I specialize in technical driveability/electrical with very deep Ford experience and have developed and administer technical training clinics for independent technicians. My largest customer base is local shop owners.

I've only owned two Broncos in the past--an '84, 2.8L, carbureted Bronco II and a full-size '93 5.8L EFI Bronco--but have a lot of experience in classic, gen-1 Bronco mods from basic repairs to full mechanical/chassis and drivetrain mods.

I've owned plenty other Fords over the years, including a Pinto (!), '71 Torino GT 351 C, 72 and 73 Lincoln Mark IV (460 PI in the '73), 4 Mustangs--65, two 69s and a 74--many F-series dating from 65 to 93, a few Econolines--66, 74 (favorite) and 88--a kickass 1967 Cougar I wish I'd never sold, and probably a few more I've forgotten.

Currently own a 2004 Crown Victoria LX Sport and a 1971 F100 Ranger XLT Styleside (302 w/ NP-435 4-speed).

Pleased to be here and hope to be helpful in all things Ford technical.

S.A

 

[miesk5]

Yo Steve,
Welcome to our Ford family!
I often refer folks who seek a used Bronco to an ASE Member for to inspect it for them, especially in a distant location.
Be well Steve!
Al

 

[Griffin]

Hi, Steve Arnold here, owner/proprietor of Motech Automotive in Santa Cruz, CA. I am a certified ASE Master, L1 Tech some 30-years now, Ford Factory trained in the early eighties, and I specialize in technical driveability/electrical with very deep Ford experience and have developed and administer technical training clinics for independent technicians. My largest customer base is local shop owners.

I've only owned two Broncos in the past--an '84, 2.8L, carbureted Bronco II and a full-size '93 5.8L EFI Bronco--but have a lot of experience in classic, gen-1 Bronco mods from basic repairs to full mechanical/chassis and drivetrain mods.

I've owned plenty other Fords over the years, including a Pinto (!), '71 Torino GT 351 C, 72 and 73 Lincoln Mark IV (460 PI in the '73), 4 Mustangs--65, two 69s and a 74--many F-series dating from 65 to 93, a few Econolines--66, 74 (favorite) and 88--a kickass 1967 Cougar I wish I'd never sold, and probably a few more I've forgotten.

Currently own a 2004 Crown Victoria LX Sport and a 1971 F100 Ranger XLT Styleside (302 w/ NP-435 4-speed).

Pleased to be here and hope to be helpful in all things Ford technical.

S.A

Welcome Steve! Being in the automotive shop business are you having trouble getting parts? Or has the back order situation improved?

 

[Shaggy]

Hi, Steve Arnold here, owner/proprietor of Motech Automotive in Santa Cruz, CA. I am a certified ASE Master, L1 Tech some 30-years now, Ford Factory trained in the early eighties, and I specialize in technical driveability/electrical with very deep Ford experience and have developed and administer technical training clinics for independent technicians. My largest customer base is local shop owners.

I've only owned two Broncos in the past--an '84, 2.8L, carbureted Bronco II and a full-size '93 5.8L EFI Bronco--but have a lot of experience in classic, gen-1 Bronco mods from basic repairs to full mechanical/chassis and drivetrain mods.

I've owned plenty other Fords over the years, including a Pinto (!), '71 Torino GT 351 C, 72 and 73 Lincoln Mark IV (460 PI in the '73), 4 Mustangs--65, two 69s and a 74--many F-series dating from 65 to 93, a few Econolines--66, 74 (favorite) and 88--a kickass 1967 Cougar I wish I'd never sold, and probably a few more I've forgotten.

Currently own a 2004 Crown Victoria LX Sport and a 1971 F100 Ranger XLT Styleside (302 w/ NP-435 4-speed).

Pleased to be here and hope to be helpful in all things Ford technical.

S.A

Welcome to BZ! Do you have pics of your 2 older broncos you could share?

 

[NotaVegetarian]

Whoohoo you have some knowledge to share awesome

 

[Motech]

Welcome Steve! Being in the automotive shop business are you having trouble getting parts? Or has the back order situation improved?

Hi Griffin.

Haven't really noticed an ongoing issue with parts availability. Our industry is not like, say, the automotive manufacturing industry, where they rely upon last minute production and delivery of parts for their final assembly. Everything we need is already stocked up in local and regional warehouse inventory, and available typically for same or next day delivery.

Where we did have delivery issues was spring and summer of 2020, when draconian covid isolation was being enforced. My town of Santa Cruz is a coastal community separated from the bay area by a small mountain range, so when we needed parts normally not available here, there sometimes were delays getting them delivered from suppliers over the hill.

Curiously, as I track changing parts pricing trends regularly, I have not seen any significant upward spikes in replacement parts prices. Granted, we are seeing commodity items costs going through the roof. Car Care products, oils and chemicals, the basic things you find out on the floor of your retail parts store chains have all gone up.

And battery prices. They have gone up quite a bit.

But I am constantly surprised most every time I order a replacement part--like yesterday for instance some manifold seals, power steering pressure hoses and two in-tank fuel pump modules--and find when I compare cost to the last time I purchased the same items that increases have been very minimal. I'm talking pennies in some cases, maybe 10 bucks on a $300 module over the last 2 years. That's not even keeping pace with inflation, and it's definitely surprising.

With our gas prices here in Santa Cruz already above $5 a gallon for regular, 5 1/2 for premium, I expect with the jumps we're going to see resulting from diminished Russian supplies to have an impact on the cost of delivery. I know it's going to have an impact on the cost of delivering my ass anywhere I want to go.

 

[Motech]

Yo Steve,
Welcome to our Ford family!
I often refer folks who seek a used Bronco to an ASE Member for to inspect it for them, especially in a distant location.
Be well Steve!
Al

Thanks Mod. I'm glad to be here, and already appreciative of the thoroughness of your own technical replies. Good stuff, and I suspect you and I will be trading quite a few differing and equally useful diagnostic approaches in the future.

 

[Motech]

Welcome to BZ! Do you have pics of your 2 older broncos you could share?

Regrettably no. I'm not much for snapping pics, even with the smartphone camera always in my pocket. The 67 was long gone before I ever even had a cell phone (a bronco I forgot to mention in my introduction), the 84 I drove for about a year and then gave to my stepson when he turned 16, and the 93 was a brief acquisition that I ended up selling off much cheaper than it would go for now. (Story of my cool vehicle life I suppose)