1978 Ford Bronco Based Class 3 Score Race Truck 400/c6/kingpin Dana 60 on 2040-cars
Florence, Texas, United States
1978 Ford Bronco-based Class 3 Desert Racer Ford 400/C6/NP205/Dana 60 ('79 Ford Kingpin!) front axle/GM 14 bolt rear No longer a "project" -- needs finishing touches to be race-ready by this summer! This has been a several-year project that has been "back-burnered" by more pressing needs of the shop. While we were hopeful to have it completed in time for the Baja 500 this summer, we have been forced by the current company's direction to move some of the toys out of the shop permanently. It absolutely kills us to part with this after so much work and resources have been poured into it -- and to have it tantalizingly close to race-ready -- but there are no other options available. We don't have the resources to put the last bit into making it 100% race-ready, and storing this off-site isn't an option. We'd rather sell it to someone who can quickly button up the final few items and terrorize Class 3 the way we know they'll be able to. Vehicle started life as a low-mileage 1978 Ford Bronco with a factory 400 engine and C6 automatic. The truck was completely stripped down, and a significant amount of time, money and effort was put into the rebuild. The frame was boxed for strength, and the entire frame and underbody was blasted, ospho'd and painted for future rust prevention. The (original) engine is an October, 1977 product of the Michigan Casting Center (all of the blocks associated with water jacket cracks were produced prior to March 1, 1977). The crankshaft and connecting rods are the only items retained from the original assembly. All engine work performed by Ledford Performance Machine Shop in Waco, TX. Highlights include:
You can see a video of us starting it up and running it last night, below Power is fed into the original C6 automatic, which has been completely rebuilt with all-new race bands/clutches, a 300M input shaft, all new fluid and filter. The stock shift linkage is included, as is a floor shifter for the C6. You choose which way to go on the shift linkage -- the stock shifter is still installed on the steering column. B&M transmission cooler (with SPAL electric fan) already installed and plumbed into the tranny. Stock NP205 has new bearings and seals, and is in exceptional condition. Flanges installed and ready for driveshafts. The steering and suspension is where so much time and effort has been invested. As you can see from the pictures, the axles are not the stock pieces. This truck has the holy grail of axles -- a 1979 Ford kingpin Dana 60 high pinion and a rear GM 14 bolt. The Dana 60 has been completely rebuilt with a new 4.56 R&P, new outer U-joints, and a high-steer setup for the drag link. Drop track bar bracket, custom Dana 60 track bar bracket and track bar fully aligned and installed. Drag link and tie rod are fabricated from .250" wall DOM with adjustable Bullet Proof spherical rod ends (Heim joints) throughout. Warn Premium locking hubs installed. The front Dana 60 is mounted with a CAGE Industries (now Bloody Knuckle Garage) big Bronco radius arm kit and 4" lift Deaver coil springs. Arms mount to custom CAGE Dana 60 weld-in mounts. While the arms are still available from BKG, the Dana 60 mounts are no longer available! Steering is via a Borgeson steering shaft, coupled to a Saginaw power steering gear rebuilt (and converted) by West Texas Offroad. Their 8" Redneck Ram (rock ram) is installed and fully plumbed. You can see it operational in the video below: The GM 14 bolt rear has been fully rebuilt with a Detroit Locker and 4.56 R&P. It also has the DIY4X disc brake conversion and 3/4 ton GM disc brake rotors/calipers installed. New custom rear Deaver springs with a 4" lift (no blocks) and F-450 rear shackle upgrade INSTALLED. New brake pads in front and rear. New 17" steel wheels all around. Full Painless Products fuse/relay panel and wiring harness throughout engine and body. All lights wired and operational (some bulbs might be required for tail/reverse lights). Auto Meter gauge cluster wired with all senders/sensors (transmission temp, oil pressure, water temp), Master kill switch and waterproof military-grade starter/switches in dash panel. Roll cage is a custom 6pt. unit built by Rhodes Race Cars/BD Racing. All required hoops are present, and constructed out of 2" x .120" DOM -- as required by SCORE. This is a full-height cage, so we opted to remove the roof of the cab in order to install the cage without cutting it down shorter. Roof was then replaced and tack welded back into place so it can easily be removed as needed to remove/reinstall the cage. Jaz 32 gal. fuel cell with all required fill pipes, venting and braided stainless fuel line from the tank to the Carter fuel pump on the engine block. New body mounts Body is in good condition. When we first stripped the car down several years ago -- what we thought at the time were "rust issues" with the body were quickly addressed. It turns out there weren't really any rust issues -- just some superficial bubbling in the driver rear quarter and the driver floorpan. Unfortunately a shop assistant got a bit overzealous with a wire wheel and ended up removing the bubbling and everything beneath it -- creating a few pinholes in each area. There was no perforation except for that the wire wheel did, and the entire underbody was ospho'd and painted with a heavy coat of Rustoleum to prevent any future rust. This was done well over a year ago, and there has not been development of as much as a single additional bubble. You can see in the pictures where the pinholes are -- and seen from underneath you can clearly tell that the floorpans are solid. Should have just given the guy a wire BRUSH... So in addition to the cost of the Bronco, as well as the $15k+ in parts invested in this build, there are over 350 man hours in the construction, fitting and testing of this rig. If you commissioned this at an outside garage, you'd likely be in it somewhere in the $35-40k range, and still not as near completion as this rig is. Here is a list of the items needing completion, and/or not included in this sale:
and that's it -- you will have a running/driving rig. There are a few additional details (safety lights, racing tires, finish welding on the roll cage (currently spot welded only) and this is a SCORE legal Class 3 racer. All rules from the 2006-2010 Technical Specifications have been followed. The only changes in Class 3 since publication was a clarification that the stock cab must be used. Not a problem here, as all of the original sheet metal is present, and has not been altered from its stock dimensions. A winning bid in this auction will require a (non-refundable) $500 deposit within 48 hours of auction close. Full payment must be received within 7 days of auction close. Will assist in loading the truck for shipping, but buyer must make all arrangements for shipping from Florence, Texas (approx 15 miles west of Interstate 35 in central Texas). Please feel free to ask any questions prior to the auction close. Vehicle is for sale locally, so we reserve the right to end the auction early. Good luck, and thanks for looking! |
Ford Bronco for Sale
Auto Services in Texas
Yescas Brothers Auto Sales ★★★★★
Whitney Motor Cars ★★★★★
Two-Day Auto Painting & Body Shop ★★★★★
Transmission Masters ★★★★★
Top Cash for Cars & Trucks : Running or Not ★★★★★
Tommy`s Auto Service ★★★★★
Auto blog
Ford confirms 1.5-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine for 2014 Fusion
Thu, 11 Apr 2013Earlier this week, reports were swirling 'round the internet about the 2014 Ford Fusion getting a new 1.5-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine. That was... half correct. Ford today confirmed that the 2014 Fusion is, in fact, getting a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost mill, but it has four cylinders, not three.
The new 1.5-liter engine will be the fifth EcoBoost powerplant from Ford Motor Company. Initially to be built at the automaker's Craiova, Romania plant, it will also be offered in the Fusion's twin, the Mondeo, in other markets. This engine will debut at the Shanghai Motor Show next month, and the 1.5-liter is of particular importance in the Chinese market - there is significant tax relief in the People's Republic for vehicles powered by engines with a capacity of 1.5 liters or less.
At a media briefing Thursday, Ford declined to divulge exact power or fuel economy numbers, though Joe Bakaj, vice president of powertrain engineering, told Autoblog that power output should be similar to that of the current 1.6-liter inline-four, and that overall efficiency will be "better than the 1.6." Our earlier report stated that the 1.5-liter four will produce 177 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque - losses of 1 hp and 7 lb-ft versus the 1.6-liter engine. Ford states that the 1.5-liter four will feature many of the same technologies used on the company's 1.0-liter EcoBoost inline-three, including an integrated exhaust manifold that recaptures much of the engine's heat.
Mulally to stay at Ford through end of 2014 at least
Fri, 06 Dec 2013Alan Mulally isn't going anywhere... at least not just yet. The CEO who helped turn around Ford Motor Company has been linked to the top job at tech behemoth Microsoft, leading to a flurry of rumors about potential successors. Those rumors, though, may have just been put to rest - at least for a little while.
Speaking to Edsel Ford II (great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford) at the unveiling of the new Mustang, Automotive News Europe confirmed that Mulally would stick around until the end of next year. "Alan is staying through the end of 2014 and that's all I know," said Ford. "Frankly, he has told us that his plan is to stay with Ford through the end of 2014."
Presuming that Edsel Ford is correct and that Microsoft isn't so hot on Mulally that it saves the position for him, it seems increasingly likely that the 68-year-old exec is more interested in continuing to work in Dearborn rather than in Redmond.
Ford F-150 King Ranch celebrates 'history and authenticity' for 2015 [w/video]
Tue, 04 Mar 2014What's life like on an authentic Texas ranch? We honestly have no idea, having never lived on such a ranch, but we imagine it requires lots of hard work, grit and determination to keep all 825,000 acres - that's larger than the state of Rhode Island - of the King Ranch in Texas under control. Indeed, a total of 350 vehicles, all of which come from Ford, we're told, are currently in use by the ranch. No wonder, then, that the collaboration between Ford and King Ranch has lasted for 15 successful years.
For 2015, in celebration of that 15th anniversary, Ford is debuting three new King Ranch models today at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The most significant is the 2015 F-150 King Ranch, which, naturally, will add unique interior and exterior bits and pieces to the new aluminum-intensive F-Series pickup. Color choices will consist of Caribou, Bronze Fire, Guard and Ruby Red Metallic Clearcoat, with a range of two-tones to go along with a monochromatic scheme in Caribou. Inside, a bespoke King Ranch interior will be swathed in Premium Mesa Brown leather.
Joining the F-150 King Ranch on dealership floors later this year will be 2015 King Ranch editions of the Super Duty pickup and Expedition fullsize SUV, all of which will offer similar levels of content. Scroll down for more details and two videos from Ford, and be sure to check out the high-res image gallery above, which was shot by the official State Photographer of Texas, Wyman Meinzer.