Doing some updates to my '75

[fuzzymoomoo]

Starting to come along nicely. I'm getting jealous. I need a good project. 

[blksn8k2]

Still need to wet sand and buff but it's getting closer.

[blksn8k2]

I decided to try a different design for the "rock sliders" or "nerf bars". I initially planned to use the ones from Wild Horses but decided instead to go with this set from Aries. I still like the look of the WH design better but sometimes looks aren't everything. The biggest issue is that the WH bars are not designed to be used as steps. I assume that is because they attach to the sheet metal of the rocker panels. The Aries design is made from 3" powder coated pipe and attach directly to the frame rails. They are also a direct bolt on and do not require drilling any holes in the body. It also doesn't hurt that they are less than one third the price of the WH design. I may lose a little ground clearance but there aren't many places to go rock crawling around here anyway. The Bronco has a 3.5" suspension lift, 2" body lift and sits on 35" tires meaning it would be great to have something I can actually step on besides a step ladder to help me get into it. I must be getting old.  ?

[danglin]

8 hours ago, blksn8k2 said:

I decided to try a different design for the "rock sliders" or "nerf bars". I initially planned to use the ones from Wild Horses but decided instead to go with this set from Aries. I still like the look of the WH design better but sometimes looks aren't everything. The biggest issue is that the WH bars are not designed to be used as steps. I assume that is because they attach to the sheet metal of the rocker panels. The Aries design is made from 3" powder coated pipe and attach directly to the frame rails. They are also a direct bolt on and do not require drilling any holes in the body. It also doesn't hurt that they are less than one third the price of the WH design. I may lose a little ground clearance but there aren't many places to go rock crawling around here anyway. The Bronco has a 3.5" suspension lift, 2" body lift and sits on 35" tires meaning it would be great to have something I can actually step on besides a step ladder to help me get into it. I must be getting old.  ?

 

I really liked the WH crawlers better for looks, but understand why you chose these instead. 

[blksn8k2]

7 hours ago, danglin said:

 

I really liked the WH crawlers better for looks, but understand why you chose these instead. 

 

I may need to modify the mounting brackets to try and tuck these up as close as possible to the rocker panels which should look a little better as well. The fact that my Bronco has a 2" body lift will probably make modifying the brackets even more of a necessity.

 

I also decided to swap buildings and parking spots today with my '68 Cougar. The steel building has the bigger air compressor and other tools to get me to this point but no heat. I'm still waiting for the clearcoat to cure so I can wet sand and polish it and I'm hoping the heated garage will help to speed up that process. Everything else is just reassembly work after that and now that winter seems to have set in the heated garage will also be a much nicer place to work. There's that age thing again. 

[ice-capades]

12 hours ago, blksn8k2 said:

 

 

Love the Cougar! My best friend in college had a new '70 Cougar XR-7 Convertible that I drove often. I later traded in my '71 Torino for a '74 Cougar XR-7 and then a '76 Cougar XR-7 that I drive on tour all over North America. And with all the Thunderbirds and Mustang GT's I drove over the years, the '76 Cougar XR-7 is still my all-time favorite car! FYI... at the same college, Edsel Ford had a custom built '73 Cougar XR-7 Coupe... Black, Black Alligator Leather, 460 CID V8, Power Moonroof, etc. that was gorgeous. He drove it for about a year and a half and then sold it to a friend. 

[fuzzymoomoo]

As cool as the Bronco is I like that Cougar. You don't see too many of them around anymore for some reason and that is a shame. 

[akirby]

2 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

As cool as the Bronco is I like that Cougar. You don't see too many of them around anymore for some reason and that is a shame. 

 

Go look up the one that Stacy David did on Gears a few years ago.

[fuzzymoomoo]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

 

Go look up the one that Stacy David did on Gears a few years ago.

I'll have to do that sometime. 

[blksn8k2]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

 

Go look up the one that Stacy David did on Gears a few years ago.

 

The V8 Interceptor was an awesome build. So was the Crazy Horse Bronco. Two of my favorite Stacy David projects.

 

My Cougar still has the original 390/C6 drivetrain although a PO converted it from the original 2V to a 4V carb. Here's a short video I made of it running. Turn up  the volume for some sweet '60s sounds. 

 

[blksn8k2]

I couldn't resist trial fitting some of the trim even though I still haven't done the wet sanding thing yet. I also bolted the passenger door back on which hopefully won't cause too much extra grief with the sanding process. I think the orange peel (rough texture) in the new clearcoat is what is causing at least some of the mismatch effect with the old paint. The angle from the rear quarter view makes it look really off. The flash from the camera also makes it look worse than it really is. I'm hoping that smoothing the finish out with 1500 grit sandpaper and then hitting it with the buffer will reduce the amount of light refraction and give it a better match. If not, I might be painting the fenders, hood and driver side door next... 

[blksn8k2]

One of the frustrating things about the early Bronco is the fact that there are no stops on the doors, just hinges and fabric straps that restrict how far the doors can swing. Depending on where you park it is impossible to keep the doors open. My truck has a slight reverse rake which means the damn doors won't stay open even on level concrete. I asked what other Bronco owners have done on classicbroncos.com and whether you could use aftermarket doors stops made for a Jeep. One of the members over there said he had used the door checks from an '09-14 F-150. That is an awesome idea! I looked at the ones on my '18 F-150 and I think I can make those work as well. I will need to drill three holes in the front of the door shell and install the door check from inside the door. The other end attaches to the A pillar. 

 

 

[blksn8k2]

Weird issue with ordering the Aries side step bars. They were initially supposed to be delivered on Dec 3rd but when I checked the UPS tracking number UPS stated that they had been damaged during shipment and apparently it happened that day on the way to my house. I sent multiple messages to the eBay seller asking what they planned to do but never received any response. So I asked eBay to step in which resulted in the seller issuing a full refund. What's odd is that I stated to eBay that I still wanted the item knowing that the same seller still has the same item listed with more than one still available. I'll try ordering again but I may have to find them somewhere else. Maybe this is a sign that I should have bought the Wild Horses bars instead? I just can't get past the thought of paying more just for shipping the WH bars than the full cost of the Aries bars which would actually be more useful. This just seems to be a bad time of year (holiday/Covid season) to order anything on eBay or anywhere else for that matter. I have had issues with three different items in the past couple of weeks, mostly having to do with shipping.

[blksn8k2]

The seller accepted my offer again which was slightly less than their BIN price and the same as I paid the first time around. Crossing my fingers that the bars make it here safe and sound this time. Makes no sense to me why I had to reorder in the first place since they could have simply reshipped the first order. Whatever... ?

[blksn8k2]

I sandblasted the roll bar a few days ago. I also decided to add another horizontal bar so that I would have a proper place to attach shoulder harness straps. The original upper crossbar is obviously way too high. One of my friends belongs to the SCCA and sent me their rules for safety belt installation. I have no intention of racing the Bronco but their safety rules are some of the best. The shoulder harness needs to be attached between level with and 20° below your shoulder height. I still need to sandblast the new crossbar before welding it in. This pretty much eliminates any thought of using the back seat unless I mount it backwards. LOL.

 

BTW, those small horizontal tabs on the vertical bars are where the roll bar attaches to the inner flange at the tops of the quarter panels. That should give you some idea of how high the top of this thing is above the body. As long as you're strapped in there's not much chance of bouncing your head off that thing.

 

 

[blksn8k2]

Driver side finished.

 

 

[blksn8k2]

Update on the Aries side step bars saga: The seller used FedEx instead of UPS this time around and the bars are supposed to be delivered on Saturday. I also just realized after all this nonsense that I actually saved $5.60. Ebay just so happened to be running an Ebay Bucks promotion that earned 5% the day I placed the second order instead of the normal 1% that I would have earned on the date of the first order. ?

 

Today's tasks included welding in the extra crossbar on the roll bar and wet sanding the passenger side quarter panel which is an extremely tedious process. Once you get into something like this you begin to appreciate why having a car painted is so freaking expensive. It takes F O R E V E R !

[blksn8k2]

I installed one of the F-150 door checks on the passenger side door. Works like a charm! I now have three open positions and it even closes properly.

 

[blksn8k2]

I installed the other door check on the driver side door today. Also works great. The only parts that I still need to wet sand and buff are the passenger side door and rocker panel. I also have a James Duff hood strut kit to install. The extra crossbar for the roll bar has been welded in. I still need to finish smoothing out some of the rough areas on the roll bar and then paint it. The Aries side step bars are now supposed to here tomorrow. The last time I started the Bronco it was running rough and smelled of unburned fuel. All signs of a sticking float on the Holley carb. Probably due to old gas. Who said retirement has to be boring? 

[blksn8k2]

Received the Aries side steps today. Fortunately, they have a lot of scratches and gouges from piss-poor packaging which gives me an excuse to send them back. If this is how they always package them there is no way you would ever get a set without damage. They were both wrapped in thin styrofoam padding with nothing to stop them from digging into each other.

 

I think they look like crap anyway. They stick out way too far and they're not worth the effort to try and modify them. As you can see one end actually attaches to the front shackle of the rear leaf springs. They are supposed to be powder coated but it's obviously not very durable. Must be the Chinese version...?

 

If I do anything it will probably be to go back to the Wild Horses version or perhaps just a simple step that mounts under the rocker panel. Live and learn...

 

 

[tbone]

Thanks for all the updates blksn8k2. She is looking great!  I’m with you on the Aries steps though, they don’t look good. I like the sound of your alternatives though. 
 

It is shocking how poorly some things are packed nowadays. That packaging wasn’t going to protect two steel items from banging into each other.  Hopefully your next options are packaged better. 

[blksn8k2]

Thanks again for the encouragement. I did find another, slightly less expensive source for the WH style sliders/rocker covers but it is also on the west coast and the shipping charges to PA are still ridiculous. Other Bronco owners that have used that style have used long enough bolts to run all the way through the rockers which adds a lot more strength meaning they are able to actually stand on the pipes. The one feature I do like on the Aries step bars is the plastic foot pad. Maybe I can find a way to do something similar on the other design. I'm a little concerned about someone slipping on the smooth metal surface. Most of the plastic step pads I have found so far are made for 3" dia pipe. Not sure what the pipe dia is on the WH design but it looks to be smaller than 3". Another solution might be to paint them with a flat black spray-on bedliner coating which would give them a rough texture and could be easily touched up when they get rock chips. They come as bare metal anyway...?

 

 

[blksn8k2]

Today's task: Paint the rollbar. Once I get the rollbar installed I can put the soft top back on which gets it off the hood. Then I can install those Duff's hood struts.

 

Better than having to drive anywhere in this snowstorm. Getting about an inch per hour. About 8" on the ground so far...I have a feeling most of tomorrow will be spent plowing myself out. I live about 1/4 mile from the highway on a gravel road and I'm the only one who plows that road. 

[ice-capades]

Are you keeping a log of all the time and expenses involved in this project? It would be interesting to know what the totals add up to when you're done. 

[tbone]

On 12/15/2020 at 9:36 AM, blksn8k2 said:

Thanks again for the encouragement. I did find another, slightly less expensive source for the WH style sliders/rocker covers but it is also on the west coast and the shipping charges to PA are still ridiculous. Other Bronco owners that have used that style have used long enough bolts to run all the way through the rockers which adds a lot more strength meaning they are able to actually stand on the pipes. The one feature I do like on the Aries step bars is the plastic foot pad. Maybe I can find a way to do something similar on the other design. I'm a little concerned about someone slipping on the smooth metal surface. Most of the plastic step pads I have found so far are made for 3" dia pipe. Not sure what the pipe dia is on the WH design but it looks to be smaller than 3". Another solution might be to paint them with a flat black spray-on bedliner coating which would give them a rough texture and could be easily touched up when they get rock chips. They come as bare metal anyway...?

 

 

Those steps look significantly better. My Raptor running boards basically have a textured bed liner type coating on them which has been very durable and offers plenty of traction.  I think you would be happy with that type of coating.