C6 Transmission Rebuild

Lonestar Early Bronco Club Rocks Katemcy

July August 2007 Issue 28

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t n e g u N d e T Readers Stories | Tech Features | Event Coverage

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A Bronco II is a Bronco Too!

BY JOSH BRYNER, UTAH

LITTLE DID I KNOW OF THE COMPUTER AND WIRING NIGHTMARE THAT LAY AHEAD. WHAT STARTED AS A WEEK-END TO WEEK-LONG PROJECT AT A LOCAL HOT-ROD SHOP, SOON TURNED IN TO A 6 WEEK HACK-JOB!

hey tell me that Im crazy; I just put my 1989 Bronco II through a 10 month frame-off restoration. To further complicate my condition, I intend to wheel the heck out of it too! Where were from we are known as The Ford Family. We are extremely loyal to the Ford brand and my father has a nice collection of vintage Fords. We had always loved the Early Broncos, and my dad was looking to add one to his collection. In the fall of 2003 he purchased a mint 1974 Bronco Ranger, loaded with all the goodies, and built to conquer any trail in Moab. Thats when my Bronco sickness took over. I was recently married, attending college, and trying to get out from under my wifes monthly car payment. There was no way I could afford an Early Bronco, but I wanted something with 4 wheel drive and of course it had to be a Ford. I loved the boxy look of the Bronco II, and to me it represented the reincarnation of the Early Bronco. So the search began After months of searching locally and on the internet, I needed something to come along to scratch

my Bronco itch. I narrowed my search down to a 1989 XLT 4x4 located in Fort Worth, Texas. It was rust free, had an automatic with manual transfer case, rebuilt 2.9L and transmission, 6 Skyjacker suspension lift, Flowmaster exhaust and 31 tires. On a whim one Friday morning, I purchased a one-way plane ticket to Dallas with hopes of completing the journey before school and work resumed on Monday morning. The previous owner was gracious enough to pick me up from the airport and take me to his home. He was aware that I would be driving it all the way back to Utah, and he was kind enough to have it fully serviced and ready to go. He handed over the title and I was on my way. It was a leap of faith for me, having never seen the Bronco in person and not knowing if it would make the 20 hour voyage home. She was rough around the edges, but she was mine now. The long drive back to Utah gave me plenty of time to contemplate future modifications and upgrades. It also gave me time to wonder what everyone

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would think of my new rig. I jokingly thought of painting it white and getting the license plates WHTRASH! She made the trip without a hitch. Shed passed her first test. On the way home I met up with some family in Southern Utah. There, I was finally able to lock in the hubs and test out the 4 wheel drive. I was amazed with what the little Bronco II could do off-road. Low range was awesome! It could maneuver through anything and it was a great climber. I played in a few mud holes and climbed over a few rocks. I then proudly headed back home to Salt Lake City with healthy dose of red mud caked to the paint. Once back home, she would encounter her next challenge. I told myself that if she could only put me through my last year of college, then Id have a chance to fix her up right. There was just one catch, the commute between work and school totaled 80 miles a day! No one else believed she could make itand I could only hope she would pull me through. The months passed, working full time and a full schedule at school kept me busy, and my Bronco II kept plugging along. 2 weeks before graduation my family made the annual Easter trip down to Southern Utah. I decided to take the Bronco down and I caught up with them late on a Friday night. I worked her pretty hard on some trails over the weekend, and headed back home on Sunday night. On the way home, the overdrive on the infamous A4LD started to go. I had a transmission shop drop the pan and they told me it was completely shot to pieces. So, the last couple weeks of school I cruised the interstate without any overdrive. It was slow going, but she limped home and got me through to graduation. Second test passed! Now the fun could really begin. Rather than drop a bunch of coin to just repair the stock transmission, I figured it was a good time to start the V8 swap. I searched for a while for a 5.0L V8 with auto transmission. I knew little about the differences between the different years of the 5.0, but I found a good deal on a wrecked, low mileage 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. Out came the 215hp 5.0L with GT-40p heads, 4R70W transmission, OBD-II ECU and every inch of wiring. And so, the drivetrain transformation had begun To maintain the stock transfer case, I purchased an adapter from Advanced Adapters. James Duff motor mounts, V8 radiator, dual sump oil pan, and custom Ford Lightning transmission mount were crammed in the tiny engine bay as well. Just getting it to fit was quite a task. The
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heater box was generously trimmed to clear the valve cover, the trans tunnel clearanced, the inner hood modified, and battery tray relocated. The huge radiator and electric fan were stuffed into a modified radiator support, and the oil filter relocation kit was custom mounted. Little did I know of the computer and wiring nightmare that lay ahead. What started as a week-end to week-long project at a local hot-rod shop, soon turned in to a 6 week hack-job! We quickly learned that we were venturing in to uncharted waters. While many V8 conversions had been performed on other Bronco IIs or Rangers, the later model DIS Explorer/Mountaineer 5.0L was not a popular conversion option, and to my knowledge had never been performed. Due to the complicated wiring and computer controlled transmission and emissions sensors, there were many concerns that could have been bypassed with an earlier Mustang 5.0L. Also, the aftermarket support for such an engine was slim to none. Basically every local Ford technician was stumped. They said there was no way it would work in my Bronco II. Techs from SVT, Ron Morris Performance, Painless Wiring, fordfuelinjection.com, and many other aftermarket companies were stumped. In short, the ECU needed to think it was still a Mercury Mountaineer, and all systems in the Bronco needed to be identical to the Mountaineer. At the time, the technology didnt exist to fool the computer. What had I gotten myself in to? After some time, and to the dismay of all the technicians at the hot-rod shop, the Bronco started on the first try! No one knew how or why it was running, but it was! Another question remainedwould the computer be able to shift the 4R70W? A short road test proved it shifted through each gear just fine. We were shocked! Due to major wiring flaws, the first couple of months left the computer stuck in open loop. Meaning the ECU was controlling the engine based on preset algorithms, and it wasnt functioning based on feedback from sensors. The 5.0 screamed and was full of torque and power, but it wasnt running as efficiently as it should have. Also, the computer still wasnt satisfied and was constantly tripping the check engine light. Months and months of tweaking, troubleshooting, and tuning still left any who worked on the truck baffled. We decided to start the wiring from scratch once again. A custom wiring harness built for the 97 5.0 in a Bronco II was designed by Street Performance. Once installed, the computer was running in closed loop and all systems were monitoring the sensors. Road testing left a few more bugs to be discovered, but
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one by one they were all taken care of. One year after starting the conversion she passed state inspection and emissions, which was a good sign to me that the conversion was finally complete. I then added 33" tires, 15x10 Cragar Soft 8s, James Duff receiver bumpers and a few other bolts-ons. She made her first couple of trips to Moab and I fell in love with rockcrawling and the town. I couldnt believe that I had lived in Utah my whole life and I was just now experiencing what Moab had to offer. She did very well in Moab. The short wheelbase, 33s, and plenty of ground clearance made quick work of many difficult trails. But, I also realized that more upgrades were necessary if I wanted to conquer some of the areas tougher trailsmainly lockers and axle swap. Im still waiting on those, but I figure they can wait until the stock running gear gives up the ghost. At that point I felt like I had a sweet rig, but one thing was missing. It didnt look the part. It was just another Bronco II with faded paint and a dented body. I started looking around for a cheap paintjob; after all it is a trail rig! My search led me to Ratstang Restoration in Hooper, Utah. Richard, aka Ratstang, convinced me that a frame off restoration was possible, and that he could take my Bronco II to a whole new level. I gave him the green light, and on May 26th 2006 the restoration began. Ratstang found many small problems that would soon have turned into big problems. For one, the radiator support that had been modified to fit the new V8 radiator was being torn to shreds! Most of the support braces had been chopped out, and with the articulation in the body and suspension, the radiator support was taking quite a beating. He also found some portions of my frame that were starting to crack. In addition, he encountered many sections of the wiring harness that were in need of repair. Once the paint was stripped, he also found some collision damage in the drivers front fender and rocker panel. Only minor rust repair was needed beneath the cowl on the firewall. Overall, a very small amount of rust was found. Im glad I found a Texas truck! The decision was made to pull the entire drivetrain and separate the body from the frame. The frame was stripped, blasted, coated with 4 coats of POR-15 and then sprayed with urethane Raptor Liner. The result was very clean, and should last forever. The entire underbody was given the same treatment, hopefully giving it some protection from off-roading and the harsh Utah winters. The body went through a very painstaking and meticulous restoration. Each body panel was taken to the bare metal and straightened. Ratstang will be the first to tell you that Bronco IIs didnt come straight from the factory! Add to that the fact that the previous owner of my Bronco lived on a golf course and you can see there was quite a bit of body work to be done. The collision damage on the drivers side was repaired, so too was break in damage on the drivers door. The drivers rocker panel was deemed irreparable, and replaced with a brand new one. The previous owner had also installed an A pillar spotlight. This was removed and the metal was repaired and smoothed. Several other cosmetic flaws were corrected and repaired. To finish off the body, a base coat of Land Rover Buckingham Blue Pearl Metallic and Chawton White was applied. Five coats of clear capped off the show quality paint job. To repair the radiator support we decided to go with a tubed frame support. This would give it much more strength and prevent future stress from occurring in the radiator support. It would also give more room to mount the new Aluminum radiator. It was built in a manner that it could be easily removed to allow access to the motor for future upgrades. Many custom brackets were created on the new tubed support including headlight mounts, hood latch mounts and radiator mounts. It was then painted to match the truck.
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Rather than purchase new fenders, we concluded that we could cut most of the collision damage out of my current fenders and add Bushwacker cutout fender flares. The Bushwackers were custom formed and fitted to the fenders, and inner fenders were modified to increase clearance of larger tires. 35 inch BFGoodrich Mud Terrain tires were then added, and stuff nicely in the new wheel wells. To mate the frame and body once again, new James Duff polyurethane body mounts were used. The 5.0 was remounted on the James Duff motor mounts, this time going in with new Torque Monster Headers. The headers lead to Magnaflow high-flow cats and true dual exhaust, exiting through two Flowmaster 40s. To help keep the automatic cool, and in addition to the stock trans cooler, a B&M transmission Supercooler was custom mounted to the new radiator support. A B&M transmission temperature gauge was also custom mounted to the A pillar. Body trim and accessories, including Bushwacker flares, rearview mirrors, skidplates, grill and headlight trim were hit with a coat of bedliner,
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giving the truck a tough, rugged look. Many other areas of the truck were modified and repaired. Modification of the heater/AC box was repaired, and internal volume increased to create more air flow. After much research on calibration of the tachometer, a solution was found at a local junk yard. The internal components from a full size V8 Bronco tach were wired up to the stock Bronco II gauge, giving an accurate RPM reading for the new 5.0. Many repairs were needed on the factory 89 chassis harness, and the wiring harness was further updated to accommodate the drivetrain conversion. Also many small parts were replaced, such as rear tail light lenses, power door lock actuators, front valance, custom trans dipstick, brake fluid reservoir, rear brake modulator, electric fan and many nuts and bolts. The result is ONE BAD BRONCO II! She turns heads everywhere we go. The color of the paint was just what I wanted, as it appears black most of the time, but the blue really pops in the sun! I wanted to stick true to the classic Bronco II color scheme, yet give it a clean, updated look.
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The two tone lines are close to the stock position, but have been slightly modified. The headers and mufflers on the exhaust give the V8 a throaty, mean sound, and the 5.0 in the light-weight Bronco II will smoke just about anything. And Im glad that I stuck with the DIS 5.0, its unique and the OBD-II custom tunability is great. Shes a beast. A dead-sexy beast! The next area needing an overhaul is the factory interior. For now though, it is nice not to have to worry about getting it dirty, and in the future I plan to install a full internal roll cage. Custom rock sliders will be going on sometime soon to protect the smooth body work. Not only do I have to keep up with my fathers 74, but my brothers Jordan and Jaden drive built 66 and 70 Broncos, respectively. Obviously a solid axle swap is next on the menu. The replacement axles are currently being built at Sexton Offroad of Kamas, Utah. The Dana 28 will be dropped in favor of an Early Bronco solid Dana 44, stuffed with Yukon chromoly axle shafts, Yukon Superjoints, Yukon 4.88 ring and pinion, ARB, and disc brakes. Replacing the rear 7.5 will be an Early Bronco Ford 9 inch, shaved and trussed, complete with Yukon chromolys, 4.88 ring and pinion, ARB, and disc brakes. When time and money allows, Sexton Offroad will be performing the axle swap and setting it all on a custom long travel suspension. I cant wait! Of course I have many to thank for helping me bring my Bronco to where it is today: My son Jaxon for being my Bronco buddy, Richard Cordon of Ratstang Restoration for the meticulous restoration, Scott and John of S&J Motorsports, Dustin Sexton of Sexton Offroad, Heath of Modular Madness West, Robert Pasquale of Torque Monster Headers, Jamie Fortune, explorerforum.com and finally broncoii.org. Without their help, the Bronco wouldnt be close to what it is today. I also need to thank my wife Beki for putting up with all my Bronco madness, and supporting me in what I love. To me, the Bronco II continues with the tradition that the Classic Bronco started. I hope that I can inspire other Bronco II owners to take their trucks to the next level and show the potential these trucks have. I sure hope Im not the only crazy Bronco II guy out there!

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EACH BODY PANEL WAS TAKEN TO THE BARE METAL AND STRAIGHTENED. RATSTANG WILL BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU THAT BRONCO IIS DIDNT COME STRAIGHT FROM THE FACTORY! ADD TO THAT THE FACT THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER OF MY BRONCO LIVED ON A GOLF COURSE

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