G'day from Australian new member

[uzz32soarer]

G'day blokes. Thanks for having me here.

I purchased my first Bronco brand new from the dealer back in 1982. My first and only brand new car. Now I'm closing fast on 60 and decided it was time to have another one, so last week I picked up a 1986 5.0 EFI which had been owned by a local chap since he purchased it new in early 1987.  

He died about 6 years ago and his wife has been keeping it running, but it's only done 130 kms since he died so she decided to move it along.

It's done just on 200 000kms (120k miles), has Edelbrock alloy heads with roller rockers, runs on LPG (propane) and fuel and has a C6 three speed auto.

Plans are to get rid of a few oil leaks, do a 4" lift on it to clear 33's off road, and then look towards some power.

Might try a Weiand roots blower and a sniper, and probably change out the camshaft for a more suitable unit.

Here's a picture of my early car and my new girl.

[Gary Lewis]

Welcome!  And G'day!  Sure glad you joined.  

So, what part of Australia?  We have a map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and can add you with a city.  And you'll find we have other members there.

Nice trucks!  It is particularly heartening to see one that you bought new, but to have another one where you are only the 2nd owner is super.  But does the support for the grille guard actually run done to the step?  I've never seen that before.

[uzz32soarer]

I live outside Melbourne in the Yarra Valley wine growing area. I'm close to some awesome mountain trails and bush tracks.

Yes, there are fender protection bars from the bullbar running down to the steps. Braces the bullbar so you can hit even BIGGER Kangaroos!!

I'm not keen on it, and would rather my original bar, but these days there is nothing available down here for these poor old girls, so either fab it yourself or turn to the good old US of A.

She's pretty much mint inside except that the UV has damaged the top of the door cards and I have to do something about that. Also need to find a couple of brown arm rests as mine are split.

[Gary Lewis]

Yeah, I'm not to keen on that bar either.  Can you cut it off?

And yes, it does look mint!  Excellent interior.  On the door cards, if you want to paint them SEM has the paint.  Dunno if anyone in Australia carries it or if they'll ship to you, but one member in the UK found it there.  Anyway, info here: Documentation/Specifications/Interior Paint.

[uzz32soarer]

Yes I can cut them off, but today I find that the front mount of the steps is to body and the rear is to a spring shackle bolt (ie: Chassis) so that seems pretty damn stupid. So I'll pull the steps, side bars and bull bar off and build something better for it, but given that I plan to lift it I'll have to make a step of some sort or the good lady wife (Who is also the Minister of Finance) shall be able to mount the steed!

[Gary Lewis]

By the way, we are in a period of flux on the forum.  The people who host the forum are moving us to another server in the coming days and in order to ensure I can access the forum I've taken the redirect off.

What that means in layman's terms is that if you click the link in an email notification you will be taken to the forum directly and you won't see the menu at the top of the page.  But if you go to www.garysgaragemahal.com you'll see the forum and the menu.

Sorry for the confusion, but there's nothing we can do about it at the moment.  

[uzz32soarer]

Back in the day, I traveled from one end of the country to the other in that old Bronco, it was amazing.

Deserts, mountains, all the way to the top of Australia. Just loved it.

She started life as a 6 cylinder with a local 250 ci crossflow head straight six mated to a manual transmission.

One day I was about 500kms from the nearest town, rising up out of a creek bed, and the threaded rod that held the air filter on, fell through the carby and entered the cylinder, cracking the piston right off at the gudgeon. Not what you need before breakfast!

Had to strip it down on the side of the river bank and pull the piston out. Grabbed a bit of old inner tube and a worm drive clamp and covered the oil feed hole in the crank, put it all back together and drove it nearly 1000 kms on 5 cylinders till I got to a decent sized town.

One tough Ford that one.

[uzz32soarer]

***NOTE

Picture was taken in 1984 from memory. Now that strapping young fellow is nearing 60. Ah memories!

[Gary Lewis]

Wow!  That is one cool story!  I have a few, but none like that.

So, "it started life" implies it is different now.  Tell us more?

[Gary Lewis]

uzz32soarer wrote

Yes I can cut them off, but today I find that the front mount of the steps is to body and the rear is to a spring shackle bolt (ie: Chassis) so that seems pretty damn stupid. So I'll pull the steps, side bars and bull bar off and build something better for it, but given that I plan to lift it I'll have to make a step of some sort or the good lady wife (Who is also the Minister of Finance) shall be able to mount the steed!

Makes sense - that you'll build something else.  Doesn't make sense to be bolted to the frame and the body when there are rubber bushings between.

Will be interested to see what you build.  My MoF/wife of 52 years makes it in Big Blue on step bars.  But Big Blue may not be as tall as your Bronco when it is done.  However, he's pretty tall given the solid axle & superduty springs.

[uzz32soarer]

250 fell out and was replaced with 351c. After a while that got stroked to a 408 with an early Holley Pro Jection throttle body system.

Massive torque monster.



But I was competing with a mate who had his 351 twin turbo charged and a 4" skyjacker kit sent over from the USA. He had (and has) more cash than me. He's currently in the top of Western Australia in his new Hennesey Velociraptor, the only RHD converted one in the World.

His old Bronco back in 1983

[Gary Lewis]

Sounds like you have had quite a bit of experience.  A 4" stroke on a 351C with a .060 overbore?  That's right where the 351M for Dad's truck is sitting, although in its case the stroke is from a factory 400 crank.  Yep, torque!

But a twin turbo'd 351 would be hard to beat.  Blue, my twin turbo'd 3.5L must be right there with my NA 460/7.5L as I'd much prefer to tow with it than the 460.

[Gary Lewis]

By the way, I put you on the map.  Just picked a winery in that valley, which is probably close enough.  But if you want me to move you let me know where to.

And, to make it easy: Bullnose Forum/Member's Map: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/members-map.html

[grumpin]

Welcome!