www.ColoradoClassicBroncos.com

You might be able to treat what you can, weld in the patch.. then make a small hole in the bottom and excessively spray some rust inhibitor in there... then weld up that hole? I would think you can get most of the scale with a rust inhibitor but welding the edges will burn it off anyway.. I know POR15 is decent - but messy (not sure about the fumes form welding), there are quite a few others out there, i will be looking at the same thing as you as i know the inside of mine looks similar...

I'd be tempted to do paint away from the welding, then weld thru primer closer to the welds. It's crap paint and won't hold up to wear, but this is a non wear area and it'll hold up to heat better than most.

Remove as much rust as possible with abrasives, then rust convert, maybe some rattle can paint over that, if it needs a top coat. Weld through primer all the new bare steel & spot weld areas.

Anything except weld through primer will catch fire when welding close by.

Consider using panel bonder across the face of the tailgate, and around the hinge areas. It will completely seal the joint, and avoid heat warpage.

Gunnibronco wrote:Remove as much rust as possible with abrasives, then rust convert, maybe some rattle can paint over that, if it needs a top coat. Weld through primer all the new bare steel & spot weld areas.

Anything except weld through primer will catch fire when welding close by.

Consider using panel bonder across the face of the tailgate, and around the hinge areas. It will completely seal the joint, and avoid heat warpage.

I have used panel adhesive in the past. The lower quarters on the 74 were put on that way. Tailgates rust when the drain holes in the bottom of the tailgate get plugged up and the moisture can no longer escape. Are you thinking it would be better to attempt to seal the tailgate completely to keep the moisture out?

Throw some of these in there and seal it up?


LOL!

Jesus_man wrote:Throw some of these in there and seal it up?


LOL!

That is how ALL modern cars are built. I have bags of descant that I pour back into rockers, doors, and quarter panels once I'm done with a repair. LOL.

I got that steering column yesterday. It took a beating under the pile of metal. It needs a steering wheel, which I'll give you my Grant wheel, but the cover for the transmission indicator is gone, and the tilt lever is gone. But wiring & everything else is attached. I'll get some pics tonight.

My thought is that the panel bonder will prevent water from getting between the layers of steel where spot welds would leave gaps and allow those overlapped seams to possibly rust. I wasn't considering that it would completely seal the cavity.

If you could completely seal it up, you wouldn't need the drain holes. I wouldn't mind leaving the drain holes, or even putting a small rubber plug into each hole. Actually, most modern rockers, etc, are seam sealed to keep contaminants out, but thy have drain holes with rubber stoppers in each one. But I rarely find much crap in them. The tailgate didn't get water into it through the drain holes, it probably came through other spots higher up in the tailgate. I seam sealed Viper's tailgate where the bottom panel meets the sides, that is where most the water probably came from.

Well after much procrastination and a lot of time sidetracked by house remodeling, we have gotten down to the wire on the kids Bronco. We have yanked out the engine, transmission, and T case and removed the doors, hood , fenders and grill. We will start by repairing a minor smooshing to the right inner fender and core support and fix the rust in the aprons before moving inside to floor pans and rockers. Viper has been plugging away at the Dana 20 which is a T shift but is getting the J shift conversion treatment.
In that last photo of the boy, you can see him giving me the finger. Nope, not just an unfortunate accidental gesture. That was intentional!

Incidentally, the 302 and three speed that came out will not be going back in so if anyone needs a running 302, send me a message. It runs pretty smooth and I have video of it running and driving right before we pulled it out. The engine is of the 1983 vintage but I have no idea what the miles are or how long it was in the bronco. The price is extremely reasonable to a CCB member in need. If nobody here has a need it will go to Craigslist.


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Additionally, we will be putting together a list of things we need. Cheap and free parts will absolutely be appreciated by a 15 year old boy who has large bronco aspirations but no job to pay for them.

Currently on the list

A decent grill better than what we have.
Early explorer front drive shaft
Rotor and hub assembly for chevy disc brakes
Might need a right fender if we can't save what we have.
Soft top. Preferably in black
Roll cage
Rear springs. 3 1/2"
Trac bar riser
Adjustable trac bar

A bunch of other stuff needs to be on the list but that's what comes to mind right now.


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Congrats on the progress!! Hope you enjoy the garage time with your son! Mine is old enough now to spent some time out with me and begin learning!

I've seen a really cool coffee table made out of a V8 block and they seem to sell for a good chunk of change! Someday I want one when I have a permanent man-cave, but that could be a money maker for your son!

The cleanest part on this bronco is officially the transfer case. Viperwolf got it wrapped up with August serving as the helper. With a little luck, the whole bronco will end up looking this good.


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I have NEVER seen a D20 that clean!!

X2 That is super clean better wear gloves while installing it!

Today, August learned that sand blasting is only fun for about five minutes.


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^ so true.

You gotta love a father, son and Viperwolf1 project!

So if I'm going to give the kid my engine and my fuel injection along with it, I'm going to need some parts to get mine back on the road.

This little bargain came along this week and will eventually end up giving its life so that the bronco can go on. It may live on in the short term as wheels for the kid while his bronco project continues. The body is in good enough shape that I'm tempted to fix it and keep it around as a spare set of wheels and find another donor for the bronco.


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