1984 Ford Bronco

[charliewagers]

Hey y'all I am totally new here! I bought an '84 Bronco last week. I was google-imaging to see similar models... and by absolute happenstance I found this forum. Turns out I bought FleshEater's old Bronco.

Matt did such a good on the guts that I think I'm gonna get workin' on fixing up some of the interior. I figure I'll come back here and share updates as I continue this whip's journey. 🤙

 

[charliewagers]

Some updates on this Bronco:

• New Retro Radio head unit, so the stereo looks old but has all the modern amenities (bluetooth, aux input, etc)
• New speakers + an amp to power 'em. It's SO good to have tunes in this truck now!
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Cut some new rear interior panels out of 1/4" ply with a nice stain to compliment the deep red interior
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• swapped the dry-rotted weatherstripping on the windows to cut down on the draft. And also stop the glass from scratching.
  
  
  

 

[charliewagers]

Also replaced the original vinyl flooring with a brand new carpet. Cleaning up every part along the way. This really felt like a huge upgrade.

I'm currently having some issues with the gas tank filler hose so I'm gonna get one of those on order from the Graveyard. Slightly nervous about dropping the gas tank to fix this part, but it's a nightmare to fill up at the gas station right now... so tedious and time consuming (and also messy).

Last thing: I also noticed the tailgate has a good amount of rust on the inner lip. Instead of trying to clean this one up, I'm probably gonna source a new tailgate shell, have it painted to match, and swap all the guts to get it looking good as new. I realized that the lock on the tailgate originally raised & lowered the rear-glass. Those wires are totally chopped up so I'm hoping I can possibly get that working again.

 

[CDA 455 II]

Damn; lot of work!

Looking good.

 

[FleshEater]

That interior job made this an incredible vehicle!

If I tackled the interior I was going to chase down those rear wires and re-wire it into the factory switch.

The gas tank isn’t hard to drop. It’s just a nightmare if it’s almost full. I dropped it full and it pinned me to the floor (the gauge didn’t work). I think it’s just 4 bolts, unclamp the filler neck tube, and unplug the sending unit and down it comes.

You could try replacing the filler neck without dropping it, but it’s an absolute BITCH.

 

[holdmypocket]

Also replaced the original vinyl flooring with a brand new carpet. Cleaning up every part along the way. This really felt like a huge upgrade.

I'm currently having some issues with the gas tank filler hose so I'm gonna get one of those on order from the Graveyard. Slightly nervous about dropping the gas tank to fix this part, but it's a nightmare to fill up at the gas station right now... so tedious and time consuming (and also messy).

Last thing: I also noticed the tailgate has a good amount of rust on the inner lip. Instead of trying to clean this one up, I'm probably gonna source a new tailgate shell, have it painted to match, and swap all the guts to get it looking good as new. I realized that the lock on the tailgate originally raised & lowered the rear-glass. Those wires are totally chopped up so I'm hoping I can possibly get that working again.

Is it causing the pump to stop prematurely because it fills the neck up with gas before the tank is full?

If so, you might check to see if there's an evaporation/vent line (just a small rubber hose) coming off of the top of the gas tank, it might be capped off (sometimes people strip the smog stuff off these trucks and just stick a bolt or something in the line to plug it). If you unplug that line and try filling the tank up you may notice a big difference.

Another possibility is if you have the incorrect gas cap (I'm not sure about this one on this year of truck), I believe it should be a vented cap to prevent pressure from building up in the tank.

 

[FleshEater]

Is it causing the pump to stop prematurely because it fills the neck up with gas before the tank is full?

If so, you might check to see if there's an evaporation/vent line (just a small rubber hose) coming off of the top of the gas tank, it might be capped off (sometimes people strip the smog stuff off these trucks and just stick a bolt or something in the line to plug it). If you unplug that line and try filling the tank up you may notice a big difference.

Another possibility is if you have the incorrect gas cap (I'm not sure about this one on this year of truck), I believe it should be a vented cap to prevent pressure from building up in the tank.

Hose isn’t capped on top.

 

[reptillikus]

The new interior looks really good.

If you decide to get a new tailgate, I replaced mine about two years ago with one from LMC, and it fit the truck pretty good. No issues with installation or alignment.

 

[charliewagers]

Is it causing the pump to stop prematurely because it fills the neck up with gas before the tank is full?

Yep, this is exactly what's happening. From researching; the vent line runs inside of the filler neck, but I'm guessing it's corroded or pinched or something. I'll just replace the part and hope it does the trick.

The gas tank isn’t hard to drop. It’s just a nightmare if it’s almost full. I dropped it full and it pinned me to the floor (the gauge didn’t work). I think it’s just 4 bolts, unclamp the filler neck tube, and unplug the sending unit and down it comes.

New filler neck is on order, I'll give it a try!

A little side-story: A few years back... one of my oldest friends was working on his truck in his garage and dropped the tank. The gas flooded his garage and made contact with his water heater. It exploded with him under the car and he had burns on something like 80% of his body. He was in the hospital for an eternity with skin grafts on entire body but lived to tell about it.

Needless to say... that's got me nervous about fiddling with a gas tank! I'll make sure it's empty and have a fire extinguisher nearby. 😅

If you decide to get a new tailgate, I replaced mine about two years ago with one from LMC, and it fit the truck pretty good. No issues with installation or alignment.

Thanks! That's the plan. I've already sourced the replacement tailgate, just waiting to hear back from a body shop about painting it for me.

 

[M92PV4U]

A little side-story: A few years back... one of my oldest friends was working on his truck in his garage and dropped the tank. The gas flooded his garage and made contact with his water heater. It exploded with him under the car and he had burns on something like 80% of his body. He was in the hospital for an eternity with skin grafts on entire body but lived to tell about it.

That's crazy. Don't do that.

Bronco looks good.

 

[charliewagers]

Well after my post yesterday, FleshEater dropped me a text suggesting I look into the charcoal canister. I tried disconnecting it and the gas filled up with no issue. Incredible!

Very stoked that I don’t need to drop the tank. 😎🥳

 

[FleshEater]

Charlie text me this weekend. No compression in 2 cylinders.

Think it’s time for a head rebuild.

 

[charliewagers]

Charlie text me this weekend. No compression in 2 cylinders.

Think it’s time for a head rebuild.

It's true. 🥲 I need some help y'all!