www.ColoradoClassicBroncos.com

Happy New Years!

I thought I'd take a few minutes to start a proper build thread for the 66 we picked up a few months ago. It will be a somewhat stream-of-consciousness series of requests for pics and questions about how a 66 would have been built. The plan is to do a fairly true "restoration", returning the truck to its original Caribbean Turquoise color with a white top. The truck has 57k original miles. It was owned by a Gunnison high-school science teacher. My boss & a couple people I know had him as a teacher. He was killed when he pulled onto HWY 114 near Gunnison, and was hit broadside, about 20 years ago. Obviously, he wasn't driving this truck.

My only decent picture



The good:

The body is amazingly rust free, many of the original 66 specific body panels are still in great condition. Really, the only rust seems to be in the driver's floorpan. It was replaced with a flat piece of sheet metal at some point. The driver's door, quarter & rocker seem to have been damaged & repaired. The door will get a new skin (a Dynacorn skin was included with the truck), and the quarter will get re-repaired or replaced, as necessary. The body & frame will probably get sandblasted to start the project.

The windshield appears to be the original "Carlite" glass.

The original buck tag was still hanging from the firewall, and I found another loose metal tag that seems to have been part of the production process.

The bad:

Unfortunately, many original items have been removed/upgraded through the years.

The grill was replaced with a non-eyebrow grill, I have already acquired a decent eyebrow grill from Don Allison

3-speed was replaced with a NP435. I'll replace it with a correct 3 speed, and return the shifter to the column. The floor pan & brace will be repaired.

Vacuum wipers were replaced with aftermarket electric. I believe, the original rearview mirrow was attached to the window frame. This has been changed to a glass hung mirror. The mirror, and sun visors are missing. I think these original frame hung mirrors are nearly impossible to find. So my plan will be to install a later year, factory electric motor cover & visor set. It won't be original, but it will look stock. I'll replace the more modern wiper switch with a stock style switch & 66 knob.

Side mirrors were replaced with aftermarket. I was given the old mirrors with the truck. I just realized these were 66 specific and difficult to find. I haven't looked at the old ones, but I will soon.

Dash has been cut for a modern radio. This will get returned to a factory style radio, or radio delete dash.

Bench seat was recovered. I'll probably get a silver cover & return it to its original style.

The lower steering column has been replaced with a collapsible style shaft. This will probably not get returned to stock.

Non-original wheels & missing 66 hub caps. The 66 hub caps are made of unobtanium, and will probably not be part of my restoration. As is the missing 66 horn button.

It has a mild lift that will probably get replaced with stock height springs. It has James Duff blue coils & some bushings. I'll be replacing them with black rubber, except maybe the 'C' bushings, the'll probably be black poly, just for reliability.

Reverse lights & lenses were added. This will get returned to stock.

Hubs were changed to later Ford hubs. I have a set of original hubs on their way to me. They should be here tomorrow.

The ugly:

The bumpers, obviously. The front bumper & winch has already been removed. The Warn 8274 winch will be a long term refurb/upgrade for my 74. I got a fixable set of 66 bumpers from Don, with the grill. They'll get straightened out & painted white. The truck might have come with chrome bumpers. The chrome bezel around the tail lights was included when you upgraded to chrome bumpers. I'm assuming the cost of chrome plating may be out of the budget.

I only have pictures from before I bought the truck, but here they are:

http://s245.photobucket.com/user/c-w-a/library/66

It hasn't started, and run under its own power. It needs a fuel pump. I've pulled the grill & front bumper off, so it isn't in a very photogenic state right now. I might get it started & run it around a little, but I might just take it apart & get it ready for the blaster. But first, I'm going to get my 74 running, so this one won't get touched for at least 6 months.

In search of the following items (I'll be adding/modifying this list as I go) This list is also as much for my reference, to keep a neat list of what I'm looking for:

Rear seat belts
Washer bag cap
Lug wrench & jack tool tie down brackets & hardware
Light switch
?Plate, bolt & wing nut for spare tire carrier
Gas Cap

If you have any of these please contact me, or post up in the thread.
Thank you.

Can anyone tell me what is up with this gas tank skid plate? It was included with the truck, but it also has the same skid plate my 74 had on its main tank.

Sorry I don't have a specific pic, I can get one if necessary.

It's leaning against the spare tire carrier in this pic

Looking forward to seeing how this progresses. If you need a 3 speed with the intermediate housing let me know. I have the original one from my Bronco that I swapped to go to the np435. Yours for the taking.

Thanks for the offer, it has to be a 3 speed from behind a I-6 motor, not a V-8. They were different.

Doh. Yeah, I forget about that intermediate difference. Still looking forward to how it turns out.

I love that little 66! I like them more original too. Aqua will be awesome!
I don't know what your budget is but this would surely take a big bite out of it. The first set that I've seen under 1000 bucks!

http://m.ebay.com/itm/272074365839?_mwB ... noapp=true

I saw a 66 for sale on my craigslist tour of America the other day and it was sporting these off of a 52 or 53 mercury. They look identical to the '66 Bronco except you have to cut out the middle for the front hubs and instead of saying ford in the middle it has a little mercury dude wearing a winged hat!
For about 100 bucks a set or maybe cheaper if you buy them individually, then you wouldn't have to worry about people stealing them when you leave it outside at the dollar store!

http://m.ebay.com/itm/251519124801?_mwB ... noapp=true

From what I've seen anything under $1000 is a good deal, but I just can't go there. Thanks for the suggestion on the Merc caps. I could see running those.

I got.a used fuel pump
If needed. It is out of my 71 with a v8. Don't know if they are interchangeable. Yours for free if needed.

Are you looking for a vacuum operated fuel pump?

There is one on CB:

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showth ... p?t=262302

I don't know if V8 fuel pumps fit the I6.

If I keep the electric wipers, I don't need the extra vacuum ports. There are some cars that came with the 170 I6 & electric wipers, and I can use those pumps. If I convert back to vacuum then I'll need a stock pump. Either way, they seem to be available new/rebuilt from Napa/Carquest, so I'll probably get a rebuilt one.

Thanks.

There's a thread on reproducing some kind of mirror bracket on CB.com. Not sure if you have seen it.

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showth ... ?p=2794078

Awesome, thanks. I would consider switching back to 66 vac wipers & sunvisors, if I can get the mirror right for a reasonable price.

Of course there is a mirror button glued to the original Carlite windshield. After reading Rox's thread, I'm afraid to try to pull it off. Honestly I'm afraid of pulling the windshield & trying to reinstall it. It is showing some signs of age, and I'm afraid it might break.

I applied the torch to the button just long enough to warm to the touch, doubt it really made a difference.

Used a gasket scraper / putty knife and it popped right off.

Gunnibronco wrote:Can anyone tell me what is up with this gas tank skid plate? It was included with the truck, but it also has the same skid plate my 74 had on its main tank.

Sorry I don't have a specific pic, I can get one if necessary.

It's leaning against the spare tire carrier in this pic

That skid plate is not for the gas tank. The skid plate actually is for the trans / transferase. If you lay it next to a later transfer case skid plate, you can see that the part of the skid plate that covers the T case looks almost identical to the later skid plate. The guy that owned my 66 before me actually welded the damn thing to the frame. He also welded the bumpers to the frame. On mine, the stuff that should be bolted on was all welded and the stuff that should be welded ( Floor pans ) was put down with sheet metal screws. Did you get the original oil bath air cleaner with it? The photo looks like it has a later dry filter air cleaner. My 66 also had the buck take hanging on the firewall. It was hanging by one strand of wire so it now resided in the glovebox.

Thanks

I found a little info on the trans skid plate, but not much.

No oil bath filter, as you noticed. I did find the buck tag, and a warranty plate. The buck tag was hanging from the firewall, but I removed it for safe keeping.

A guy on CB.com decoded the tag. Oddly enough it says its an "open cargo/bulkhead delete", "bucket seats", and "rear seat". All of which appear wrong. It also has a special order DSO code, so that might account for the changes. The bulkhead definately has factory mounting hardware, and it has mounting holes for a rear & bucket seats, but at least the front bucket seat holes don't look to have ever been used.

I'm pretty sure Ford built the hardware for buckets, bench, bulkhead, and rear bench into all tubs. At least until those particular options were no longer available.

That being said, I don't recall my '66 having the bulkhead provisions. But I think it was a September build.

akaFrankCastle wrote:I'm pretty sure Ford built the hardware for buckets, bench, bulkhead, and rear bench into all tubs. At least until those particular options were no longer available.

That being said, I don't recall my '66 having the bulkhead provisions. But I think it was a September build.

I think that is correct in general but maybe not for the early 66's. I do not have provisions for mounting the rear seat in the 66 nor does it have factory holes for the hard top. Mine was originally a bench seat and didn't have all of the bolt holes for buckets or the footman loop. Incidentally, I would love to go back to a bench in the 66 so if anyone spots a an affordable and savable one, I would love to know about it.

casadejohnson wrote:

akaFrankCastle wrote:I'm pretty sure Ford built the hardware for buckets, bench, bulkhead, and rear bench into all tubs. At least until those particular options were no longer available.

That being said, I don't recall my '66 having the bulkhead provisions. But I think it was a September build.

I think that is correct in general but maybe not for the early 66's. I do not have provisions for mounting the rear seat in the 66 nor does it have factory holes for the hard top. Mine was originally a bench seat and didn't have all of the bolt holes for buckets or the footman loop. Incidentally, I would love to go back to a bench in the 66 so if anyone spots a an affordable and savable one, I would love to know about it.

Is yours early? I've never checked it out in that much detail.

Chad's 767 VIN would have been an October build and I don't think it falls into the early category.

Most of the peculiar '66 trucks I've seen, specifically Budd body trucks, were August-early September builds.

akaFrankCastle wrote:

casadejohnson wrote:

akaFrankCastle wrote:I'm pretty sure Ford built the hardware for buckets, bench, bulkhead, and rear bench into all tubs. At least until those particular options were no longer available.

That being said, I don't recall my '66 having the bulkhead provisions. But I think it was a September build.

I think that is correct in general but maybe not for the early 66's. I do not have provisions for mounting the rear seat in the 66 nor does it have factory holes for the hard top. Mine was originally a bench seat and didn't have all of the bolt holes for buckets or the footman loop. Incidentally, I would love to go back to a bench in the 66 so if anyone spots a an affordable and savable one, I would love to know about it.

Is yours early? I've never checked it out in that much detail.

Chad's 767 VIN would have been an October build and I don't think it falls into the early category.

Most of the peculiar '66 trucks I've seen, specifically Budd body trucks, were August-early September builds.

Yes, early September

Oddly, I don't think mine has all the holes necessary for the bucket passenger seat or footman loop.

What defines "early build" and why? When did Ford start making the bodies vs Budd?

Gunnibronco wrote:Oddly, I don't think mine has all the holes necessary for the bucket passenger seat or footman loop.

What defines "early build" and why? When did Ford start making the bodies vs Budd?

I have always considered Budd bodies to be early but thats just my opinion. I don't know what the cut off date was when Ford started making the bodies.

If your interested, this is my 66 rear view mirror. There was more than one style used on the 66, I have personally seen two styles used but rumor has it there is 3-4 versions that were used.


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I'm amazed at the variety of parts used. I've heard there were 3 or 4 different hoods used in the first year or so.

I'd guess there was a slow evolution between Budd to Ford. Since many Budd parts could be bolted to a Ford tub, and vice versa, the key differences to ID a tub would be the door posts & the driver's floor?

EDIT: Are you offering to sell that mirror? or just posting for the info? I'm interested in buying, or thankful for the pics. LOL.

It's funny, at first, I thought my truck had few options. But as I read more, I'm guessing it actually came pretty heavily optioned.

The truck has rear chrome taillight rings & a cigar lighter that came as part of a "Bright" package that included chrome bumpers, hub caps, & horn ring. The horn ring is 66 specific, and even more rare than the normally rare 66 specific horn button. It also has a windshield washer system, driver's (and possibly passenger's mirror) that were options too. I'm guessing it had a radio since it has a stock looking antenna.

I was just posting the photos for reference. I am trying to gather original 66 parts to replace parts that have been changed out on mine over the years. This one will go on mine when I replace the windshield. I have no plans to go back to 100% original but I would like to have as many of the "66 only " features as possible. Like yours, my grill was replaced. I have been thinking about the possibility of adding "eyebrows" to my current grill or transplanting them over from a trashed 66 grill that I have.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for another mirror for you. I actually found mine in a junkyard along with a 66 tailgate and the trashed grill that I have.

Gunnibronco wrote:It's funny, at first, I thought my truck had few options. But as I read more, I'm guessing it actually came pretty heavily optioned.

The truck has rear chrome taillight rings & a cigar lighter that came as part of a "Bright" package that included chrome bumpers, hub caps, & horn ring. The horn ring is 66 specific, and even more rare than the normally rare 66 specific horn button. It also has a windshield washer system, driver's (and possibly passenger's mirror) that were options too. I'm guessing it had a radio since it has a stock looking antenna.

It funny how the 66 was much less desirable when I got my first Bronco. Nobody wanted to deal with the oddities of the 66 back then but now they are arguably the most desirable Broncos out there because of those same oddities.

With some work, I bet the eyebrows could be transplanted. I'd be interested in seeing pics of the 'trashed' grill.

Thanks for the pics of the mirror. Are you still running vac wipers?

Budget will drive this 'restoration'. I'll fake whatever is too expensive. Looks like there is a $80 3D printed option now, add a $20 repop mirror. That would be fine with me.

Barring some miracles, chrome bumpers, real hub caps, mirror, etc will probably not happen.

casadejohnson wrote:It funny how the 66 was much less desirable when I got my first Bronco. Nobody wanted to deal with the oddities of the 66 back then but now they are arguably the most desirable Broncos out there because of those same oddities.

I'm falling down the 66 rabbit hole.

My Vacuum wipers were gone before I got it but my 68 has them. They are awful !! Mine was born a roadster. I would guess that a tree or something came down on it early in its life. The driver side fender, hood, grill and windshield frame were all replaced. There was also a large dent across the top of the passenger side fender that was filled in with about a quart of Bondo. I figure they added the doors and half cab about the same time. The passenger door appears to be one that was purchased from Ford ( Not previously painted ) while the driver side door was scavenged from another Bronco. My bench seat was also gone before I got it and replaced with Bronco II seats. I have installed the seats that were previously in my 74.

Gunnibronco wrote:

casadejohnson wrote:It funny how the 66 was much less desirable when I got my first Bronco. Nobody wanted to deal with the oddities of the 66 back then but now they are arguably the most desirable Broncos out there because of those same oddities.

I'm falling down the 66 rabbit hole.

It's easy to do. I still wish I had my U13. I almost made a play for it when it was up for sale last year with another donor Bronco. And now I've lost track.

Guess I'll just stay in the Stroppe hole. It's almost as maddening.