Priorities changed as of November 21.
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What I aim to achieve over the 07'-08' winter, this is the order I *think* things will happen in. I can't say how much on this list will get complete this winter, as long as I have the V8 in and body work done for next summer then I'm happy.

- Done > Rip apart my 90' Lincoln TownCar to get the 5.0L and AOD out and awaiting installation into Bronco.
- Done > Add some D-links to the rear. They are so handy.
- Done > Poor man re-build on the 5.0L, its getting a hone and new pistons.
- Comeing along nicely... > Get the 5.0L and AOD into Bronco, and running.
- Make some bump-stops for the front suspension, I have to limit the up travel.
- Swap in my junkyard special Dana35 front end.
- Finish some left over body repair, drivers side wall/floor separation behind the rear wheel well.
- Snorkel the 5.0L
- I would also *Like* to get On-board-air rigged up, but it's last on the list for this winter.

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This stuff below is very unlikely this winter, but still on the list.
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- Remove some leaflets from the rear leafs to achieve more flex (I will maintain the 6" lift by compensating by changing where my leafs mount to the frame)
- Some sort of roll bar. Especially since I will have more power available.
- Obtain and install a Ford 8.8.
- Second battery, and locate both battery under the rear passenger seats, just in front of the rear axle, outside the body.
- Above the axle cross member, for rigidity and to mount rear shocks too.

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November 2nd
So, shock boots are the devil. What are they supposed to do? What is their job in life?
A: Keep dirt out
B: Keep water out
C: Look nice, bling
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What do they REALLY do?
A: Hold the dirt in
B: Hold the water in
C: Keep the newly acquired mud mix sitting right on top of the shock seal
D: Look nice
THEREFORE THEY ARE A FAILURE AND SHOULD NOT BE USED. This is what I found after I removed mine, obviously the one pictured is not going back on, it's cut in 1/2.

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November 4th
So I have this awesome hitch mount winch, and I rigger up the bumper to hang it off on the front of the rig. And even welded a hitch receiver to the rear bumper. But winches need electricity, and there was none at the back, I carried booster cables if I got in a dire situation and NEEDED to winch out my ass, lol. So this weekend I rigged the power to the back. I used 1/0 welding cable, and just ran in inside the frame most of the way. I used insulated wire straps to attach it, and plastic wire loom where it may rub. Two places I used heater hose on the positive cable instead of plastic loom because having a 1/0 cable short out is not a fun or battery friendly thing to do.

I included approx 18" of extra cable for whenever I get around to putting in the second battery I dream of. It is going to live down near the rear axle, in the picture on the right you can see where I am tying up the extra cable.

The transition from in the frame to under the frame to get past the gas tank. Don't worry, my axle nor my shock never get near enough to the frame to bother the cables. Here you can see one of the places I used heater hose to protect the positive cable.


I scratched my head for a long time as'per where to put the plug so it was safe, (sometimes I back into trees, who knew???) and accesable. I didn't want to have to reach under the bumper to get to it, mainly because the times when I will need it I will be in mud/water/grossness that is up to the bottom of the bumper. I am very happy with where I ended up putting it, I scrapped the stock trailer lights plug that was on the left, and moved the license plate light over to it's spot, and TA'DA', I am quite pleased.

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November 7th
I bought a 87' F150 off some dudes a while ago, they couldn't get it running. I paid $150, I pulled it into the shop for 1/2hr and I had it running.

Later that day I installed my Tip-O-meter, (inclinometer) on the dash of Bronco in preparation for this weekend. Here is the before picture, with the 'barf' imitation wood. This dash belongs back with the 80's style clothing that was hip when it was at Discount Village.

And here is the newly installed Inclinometer.

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November 12th
EXCITING!!! I loaded up the $150 special 86' F150 and trailered it to a wrecker and traded (plus $30) him for a 90' Lincoln Town Car with:
- A Ford 5.0L with a AOD transmission!! (the F150 had a toned down 5.0L and a un-cooperative tranny)
This is very very very good in terms of giving Bronco a bit more umph!
Here is the Lincoln, the cab/inside has been raped by the junkyard. But the drive line is all present, and the engine turns over!

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November 22nd
I tore into the Lincoln today, removed a-bunch of stuff on and around the engine

When I took the Plenum off my spirits drooped abit. It would appear that this engine has been dusted, the intake side is GROSS.

This exercise in disassembly has caused me to HATE automotive engineers. No joke, whoever makes the decision that 80% of the stuff is impossible to work on should be forced to work on it every hour of their life. After disconnecting the 89th wiring harness plug/connector that day I discovered that I was unable to pull that arm of the harness free because some f^king engineer thought it was a good idea to bolt down a grounding wire back here. I just cut it, it's a ground wire, but it was the straw that broke the camels back, I'd had enough of that nonsense for the day. The pic on the right is the caption of the pic on the left, the ground wire was about 6 inch down from the camera lens of the right pic.

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November 24
ENGINE IS OUT, booyeah.
Here is the dragon of a wiring harness that I battled with to get out of the car.
And the dragons head on the right.

Here is the engine poised and ready to leap from the old boat of a car.

Here it is leaping.

And the landing.

The cavity.

Me, and the 5.0L

On the engine stand, ready for dissection.

The AOD

It was a good day. I rocked out to Queens of the Stone Age and Dethklok.
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November 25
Back in the shop, wootwoot.
Stripped off all the nonsense on the front.

She's belly up and exposed!

Here we have the rare and elusive Header'Antler deer.

I used to get quite worried if the engine oil was ever below the 'add' mark on the dipstick. In between the two green lines is the hatching on the oil dipstick. Look'it how far away the oil pickup is! For on road driving oil level is not as critical I guess, after seeing this.

On that OIL topic, shortly after taking the above picture I tore off the intake manifold and learned that the last owner of this engine DID NOT BELIEVE IN CHANGING OIL. BOOOOOO TO HIM. This is *some* of the crud I dug out of this engine.

This engine could be a commercial for changing your oil. This is beyond sludge, this is sludge cookies. Blech.

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Funner things,
Valve train, chooochoo.

Heads are off, pistons are out, and life is good. Although their may not have been a lot of maintence done on this engine (and I think it may have *nearly* overheated) there is no major damage to the cylinder bores. I believe this engine can be successfully re-lifed by honeing the cylinders and getting new rings and bearings.

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November 27
This is what happens when I am bored and anxiously awaiting engine parts. haha

I built this so I can quickly and easily move Bronco around while it is undergoing the engine transplant. AND I think it will be a useful tool on the trail, two trucks can be rigidly tied together and help each other thought the messy stuff. (or two trucks can get fantastically stuck, together.) It could also be very useful if one rig is broken down.

I'm pretty confident it will survive the winter being used as just a tow bar, but I could see it getting mangled this summer, hehe, especially since I will have a V8 connected to my right foot.
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November 28th
Again, awaiting parts has me tackling smaller stuff. Like improving my rear bumper. A little bit of this...

...and you get this.

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December 4th
Look, it's shiney.

Freashly honed, gotta love it. I am excited about putting this thing together as soon as parts arrive! I sanded down all the gasket surfaces on the block today and things look good. V8's are so baddass, I especially love it now that it's all clean and such. Here it is sleeping, shhhhh.

Next I tackle disassembly and cleaning the heads.
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This is how *we* roll when we blow snow, hehe.

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December 6th
Pulled apart the heads today. Anybody know why the exhaust valves where white? All 4 on the right side of the engine and 2 on the left...? Nothing else in the combustion chamber was, just the faces of the exhaust valves, there was no white stuff in the ports either.

A forest of valves. They all needed cleaned, and if you recall what was in the intake ports, the back side of the intake valves was NASTY, the wire wheel had it's work cut out for it.

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December 7th
Gasket scraper - check
Tapping hammer - check
Patience - almost check?
Die grinder with wire wheel - check
Orbital sander - check
The result, some clean and shiny heads ready for valves to be ground and then re-assembly.

And valve springs swimming in Varsol till then are needed.

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December 9th
Ground some valves today, this is my worst exhaust valve. Most of the intake valves were fine, but I freshened most of them up just because I have it apart, why not?

Most of the other exhaust valves had to be spun with grinding compound for 30-60 seconds. This one took at least 2 minutes before it was looking reasonable.

This engine should be in tip-top shape once I get it back together and running! I'm excited!
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December 10th
Horray!! Parts arrived.

There is only 2 engine shops in town, one of them does invredibly good work, he is 'the best', he puts other engine builders to shame. But I didn't go to him because we already have a relationship and I had a feeling he was going to be cross with me that I bought my parts over the internet (and saved over $300) so I didn't go to him. I went to the 2nd-rate one, hoping the swapping my new pistons was simple enough that he couldn't screw it up. Well, all the pistons where the right orientation and whatnot, but he heated the crap out of the connecting rod to push the pin in. More heat than was necessary, enough to leave a mark, enough to show that he is amateur.

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December 13th
So I have been installing stuff, here is the pistons in the block.

Heads UP!

And here is my Advanced Adapters transmission-to-transfer case piece of work.

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December 28th
Traveling, visiting friends, partying, and other stuff took priority for alot of December. Oh, and Christmas. Here is me in my favorite Christmas presents.

And here is me and dad seeing if the new combines will fit in the shop. We have a 14' shop door. The combine has 1.5" of clearance. (Ignore those silly yellow rims, we where changing around tires and our spare set of combine rubber is on yellow rims, yuck)

Anywho, on to the bronco. With one of my best friends helping me we pulled the engine + transmission + T-case out, as one unit, in one day. It kicked ass.

Unfortunately, the crane ran out of vertical reach...

So, I got the out the big gun to lend the crane a hand.

I thought the entire drive train, suspended 5 ft in the air was way cool. I figure the whole thing weighted between 400-500 lbs. (50lbs T-case, 130lbs trans, 250lbs engine, approx)

There it is, the whole thing, out without disattaching the transmission OR T-case. All we had to do was pull the fan off. Easy-smeashy.

I clobbered together a crate for easy of handling and storage of the old engine & transmission.

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December 29th
Then is was time to make-ready my engine and transmission, so-as I can put them in so I know what to build for engine mounts. The AOD transmission needs a new tail shaft, (the Lincoln was obviously 2wd) to mate up to the BW1350 T-case. To change out the tail shaft you NEED TO GUT THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION. This is considered MAJOR SURGERY, on par with rebuilding an engine. Do not just go about this blindly. I had the Ford published manual at my disposal. Neither me or my dad have had an automatic apart, manual gearboxs are easy. Autos are a little intimidating. But, with the manual in hand, we started pulling it apart.
Had to remove the Valve body to pull out the first planetary assemble. This is the valve body resting in the trans pan.

This is whats underneath the valve body, this is what makes your automatic an automatic.

Here is my friend marking the position of a snap ring for correct re-installation later.

And here is a just a shot of the almost empty AOD.

With my dad and friend helping the transmission came apart in a little under an hour. We changed out the tailshaft and began re-assembly. It was going well until we found that we had an extra snapring.
Thats never cool.
So after spending a two hours getting ourselves frustrated, re-assembling the transmission about 4 times, we went in for the day. I will get it, I HAVE to get it, just some patience.

This story continued on Page 7.

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Email me if you have any questions, or need more specific pictures. Scar_boy75@yahoo.ca - I will try and answer them and let you know what my experience has been.
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Page 1: The Beginning
Page 2: The Lift Build
Page 3: The Bumper Build
Page 4: Summer of 07' Wheeling
Page 5: Fall of 07' Wheeling
Page 6: Winter of 07' Work, - YOU ARE HERE X
Page 7: Ongoing/Winter of 08' Work
Page 8: A cool day of work
Page 9: Uploads for other pages, Ignore...