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What did you do for your ford today?

I bought the next project wheeler.
05 explorer sport trac 4wd. Heated electric leather seats, remote fob, decent stereo. Needs a transmission.
I have also gathered a complete 5.0 v8 explorer for the engine and misc parts, a zf5 sbf pattern, a set of steel beadlocks and 08 f350 diffs that are being geared and locked in the next month or so. Also a set of 42” iroks.

Going to get the engine and tranny swapped and running, then move onto suspension and diffs.

I still haven’t decided whether to use modified factory arms for a 3 link or do a 4 link. Going to depend on cash availability probably. If I do the 4 link it will get coil overs right away. Modified 3 link will get coils and separate shocks.

Rear will probably remain leaf for now, unless I fall into a bucket of cash and enthusiasm. :laughing:

This is being built as primarily a snow wheeler with an annual rock trip to Moab or sand hollow. The gf and I are getting older so I’m going to build it as low as possible so I don’t have to put electric steps on it:laughing:
Edited to add pic.

You going to start a build thread on it?:grinpimp:
 
I ordered parts off Am.azon to finish up my timing chain/water pump/T-stat and housing project.

Seven items from seven different places all arriving between yesterday and the 15th.
The first to arrive was the oil sending unit; arriving yesterday.
The last to arrive will be the front main seal; on the 15th...😠

If all parts were to have arrived yesterday; the Bronco would be running by tomorrow.:shaking:
 
Bent the bumper to make the bolt holes line back up. Wound up giving it a pretty nice symmetrical curve with a bump out in the middle. :laughing:

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New Pertronix iii didn’t fix the Bronco stumble/popping at highway speeds. It refused to go over 65 mph, just starts stumbling like it’s not getting enough fuel.

Close to home it suddenly died. I had just seen it had a 1/4 tank left so I was surprised. The fuel filter in the engine bay was empty. Grabbed a gallon of gas, thought to check the gauge again and it was empty. Opened the cap and heard a huge whooshing sound, and then the gauge read 1/4 full again. Put a gallon in it anyway, started right up without much cranking.

I have a few thoughts at this point:

1. Vented gas cap isn’t venting. I’ve read a lot about this today, will remove the springs from the mechanism in the cap so it vents both ways and try again when I have time to mess with it some more.

2. The high gearing (3.50) and 33’s isn’t helping the Holley 4160 get out of the idle circuit (if I had to guess this is happening at 2200 rpm or so). Will try raising the float levels.

3. Adjust the kickdown helped a bit, could probably use more adjustment to come on even earlier.

I’ve run a Holley 600cfm with 3.50’s and 35’s on a Bronco just like this (302/c4) and that thing ran great, but an old timer (Rick Walker in El Cajon) that worked for Holley built it for me with vent extensions and who know what else. Not sure he’s around anymore.
 
#1] are you hearing the tank pop and flex? Sometimes mine draws a surprising amount of tank vacuum. Easy check would be to do a quick drive with half a tank of fuel and leave the cap off completely, see if it's better or not

#2] I disagree with your thought there. Shouldn't matter if you are doing steady cruise. How lean is your idle? Decent accel pump and vacuum secondaries mean it shouldn't have any issue fueling as you increase throttle from 2.2k rpm. Shouldn't be running the bowl dry and floats can influence that, but if the filter and line is dry, that's a different pump/supply related problem

#3] yeah that could help, you'd think it would pull better from that high rpm with just mild acceleration
 
Thats a lot of work just to end up with a ford ranger:laughing:
Maybe if you weren't too much of a little bitch to put in the work you'd be closing in on retirement with more to your name than a small business of questionable solvency and decidedly negative google reviews.

You don't see me following you and every other piece of shit around in the tech forums and making snide comments on everything. Maybe return the fucking courtesy.
 
#1] are you hearing the tank pop and flex? Sometimes mine draws a surprising amount of tank vacuum. Easy check would be to do a quick drive with half a tank of fuel and leave the cap off completely, see if it's better or not

#2] I disagree with your thought there. Shouldn't matter if you are doing steady cruise. How lean is your idle? Decent accel pump and vacuum secondaries mean it shouldn't have any issue fueling as you increase throttle from 2.2k rpm. Shouldn't be running the bowl dry and floats can influence that, but if the filter and line is dry, that's a different pump/supply related problem

#3] yeah that could help, you'd think it would pull better from that high rpm with just mild acceleration
1. It's an aftermarket tank, pretty heavy wall, i'd be shocked if there was enough pressure to suck those in. So no, not hearing that. Will fill it up to half tank and drive with no cap tomorrow.

2. It's not steady cruise, this was getting onto the freeway and once it hit about 65 mph. Grasping at straws here for a solution at this point.
 
1. It's an aftermarket tank, pretty heavy wall, i'd be shocked if there was enough pressure to suck those in. So no, not hearing that. Will fill it up to half tank and drive with no cap tomorrow.

2. It's not steady cruise, this was getting onto the freeway and once it hit about 65 mph. Grasping at straws here for a solution at this point.
How are the fuel supply lines? Any tight bends? Stock fuel pump or electric with regulator?
 
How are the fuel supply lines? Any tight bends? Stock fuel pump or electric with regulator?
New line/hoses, new filter at the tank and just before the carb. I’ll check again for bends/restrictions but it’s all new. Really hoping driving without a gas cap resolves this. There’s plenty of forum posts on various car sites about “vented” caps not actually venting and causing the exact same issue im experiencing.
 
New line/hoses, new filter at the tank and just before the carb. I’ll check again for bends/restrictions but it’s all new. Really hoping driving without a gas cap resolves this. There’s plenty of forum posts on various car sites about “vented” caps not actually venting and causing the exact same issue im experiencing.

Have one of those old style vac/pressure guages? Back in the day, I'd T in right before carb inlet, then leave hood slightly open, and tape it to windshield facing in, to check fuel pressure.
 
New line/hoses, new filter at the tank and just before the carb. I’ll check again for bends/restrictions but it’s all new. Really hoping driving without a gas cap resolves this. There’s plenty of forum posts on various car sites about “vented” caps not actually venting and causing the exact same issue im experiencing.
Yup, just thinking of all the other supply side things to check. The filter going dry shouldn't be carb related at all
 
Yup, just thinking of all the other supply side things to check. The filter going dry shouldn't be carb related at all
Nah, I think that was totally an air lock from being so low on fuel and how much pressure or lack of pressure was in the tank.

Have one of those old style vac/pressure guages? Back in the day, I'd T in right before carb inlet, then leave hood slightly open, and tape it to windshield facing in, to check fuel pressure.
Yeah was thinking of getting a fuel pressure gauge and running it where I can see it while driving.
 
New line/hoses, new filter at the tank and just before the carb. I’ll check again for bends/restrictions but it’s all new. Really hoping driving without a gas cap resolves this. There’s plenty of forum posts on various car sites about “vented” caps not actually venting and causing the exact same issue im experiencing.
What kind of filter at the tank? Stock diaphragm pump? My chevy with 400sb wouldn't run good with a ⅜ inline filter at the tank with a stock diaphragm pump.
 
What kind of filter at the tank? Stock diaphragm pump? My chevy with 400sb wouldn't run good with a ⅜ inline filter at the tank with a stock diaphragm pump.
Stock mechanical pump, and yeah I believe a 3/8” filter at the tank and before the carb. The clear plastic kind.
 
Bout average.

Opened the thread to see what all was going on, and made a comment. If the guy that slings shit at everything he can, wants to get offended. So be it.
I’m sure if you really dug there are a couple examples but I don’t sling shit in the tech forums.
 
I ordered parts off Am.azon to finish up my timing chain/water pump/T-stat and housing project.

Seven items from seven different places all arriving between yesterday and the 15th.
The first to arrive was the oil sending unit; arriving yesterday.
The last to arrive will be the front main seal; on the 15th...😠

If all parts were to have arrived yesterday; the Bronco would be running by tomorrow.:shaking:
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I’ll try that out if the fixed gas cap doesn’t work. Thanks for the tip. Honestly, will probably do it either way, looks like a much better filter. :smokin:
Drove around with no gas cap, filled the tank up to 1/2, still have the popping/stumbling/wtf ever problem in 3rd gear getting up to speed.

This time I was able to make it happen a bit at 50mph and on the return trip I got up to 60 mph but it just felt like it should have been in 2nd gear (I ran out of room before it could stumble/pop/hesitate).

I'm thinking I need to adjust my kickdown rod some more since this only happens in 3rd gear trying to get up to speed and it feels like there just isn't enough power in 3rd gear. Seems like I'm just bogging the engine down in too high of a gear. Depending on the load I guess that can happen at 50mph or 65mph.

Plenty of room for a downshift:

Screenshot 2024-04-09 at 10.40.57.png



Otherwise, around town power is what I expect, idles great, accelerates out of idle great, goes in and out of turns fast without stumbling and accelerates great. It's just that 3rd gear stumble. Thinking back to my last Bronco with a similar setup, I had a Winter's shifter so I always downshifted manually, I don't think I even had a kickdown rod. Anyone know Lance from the old board, he has that Bronco now :flipoff2:
 

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