- Joined
- Sep 22, 2007
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- 12,609
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- Location
- Michigan
- Vehicle Year
- 1987
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Type
- 2.9 V6
- Engine Size
- 177 CID
- Transmission
- Manual
- 2WD / 4WD
- 2WD
- My credo
- A legend to the old man, a hero to the child...
86 Bronco II.
Some might remember the rust issues i mentioned in my other thread....but for convience ill rehash a bit here.
The frame and everything is very solid. Its just the rear sill (where the very rear body mounts bolt to) that is rotted. Initially i thought it was the the drivers corner but today after looking its actually rusted worse. The passenger side corner is iffy, and its rotted around the rubber bushings. It is solid throughout the middle though, or atleast from what i can see without removing the fuel tank.
The whole ass end has sagged a bit because of it.
The way i see it i have a few options....wanted to see what you guys thought....in order from most feasable given my body work abilty to least...
1- Undo body mounts...remove rubbers, jack up ass end, try to slide a piece of channel around the sill (so the stock sill sits inside the C channel) across the whole width from tail light to tail light. Drill holes for the body bolts, slide the rubber back in (or replace, they look good though) and bolster up the corners from there.
2- Try to do similar to above....but just use a big thick piece of plate steel the whole width between the body mounts and factory sill.
3- Find a good B2 in a junkyard (asking alot around the rust belt) and attempt to cut out the sill and reinstall in my rig. Theres a guy on youtube who did this but used a 90-94 Explorer sill, he had to narrow it though...and im not sure i can do this myself.
Other POSSIBLE (maybe) options that im curious about....
1- Adapt a sill from another vehicle of similar size (i was thinking maybe an early bronco or wrangler....both of these are available everywhere online for 150 bucks or so)
2- Buy a sill for a FSB (available online), and try narrowing it....but thats a 350-400 dollar gamble.
3- Use the back end of a 1st/2nd gen ranger bed? This one im curious the most about. If i cut it up to where the ridges in the bed floor start, and weld a piece of plate on the bottom to box it in....do you guys think this maybe a feasable option?
I really wanna save this thing. I could probably drive it as is but im afraid of it getting worse to where itd need much more work...and the rest of the body is pretty solid. But im pretty ignorant when it comes to metal and body work.
Maybe im overthinking the whole thing?
Either way....discuss and throw out ideas...im all ears
Some might remember the rust issues i mentioned in my other thread....but for convience ill rehash a bit here.
The frame and everything is very solid. Its just the rear sill (where the very rear body mounts bolt to) that is rotted. Initially i thought it was the the drivers corner but today after looking its actually rusted worse. The passenger side corner is iffy, and its rotted around the rubber bushings. It is solid throughout the middle though, or atleast from what i can see without removing the fuel tank.
The whole ass end has sagged a bit because of it.
The way i see it i have a few options....wanted to see what you guys thought....in order from most feasable given my body work abilty to least...
1- Undo body mounts...remove rubbers, jack up ass end, try to slide a piece of channel around the sill (so the stock sill sits inside the C channel) across the whole width from tail light to tail light. Drill holes for the body bolts, slide the rubber back in (or replace, they look good though) and bolster up the corners from there.
2- Try to do similar to above....but just use a big thick piece of plate steel the whole width between the body mounts and factory sill.
3- Find a good B2 in a junkyard (asking alot around the rust belt) and attempt to cut out the sill and reinstall in my rig. Theres a guy on youtube who did this but used a 90-94 Explorer sill, he had to narrow it though...and im not sure i can do this myself.
Other POSSIBLE (maybe) options that im curious about....
1- Adapt a sill from another vehicle of similar size (i was thinking maybe an early bronco or wrangler....both of these are available everywhere online for 150 bucks or so)
2- Buy a sill for a FSB (available online), and try narrowing it....but thats a 350-400 dollar gamble.
3- Use the back end of a 1st/2nd gen ranger bed? This one im curious the most about. If i cut it up to where the ridges in the bed floor start, and weld a piece of plate on the bottom to box it in....do you guys think this maybe a feasable option?
I really wanna save this thing. I could probably drive it as is but im afraid of it getting worse to where itd need much more work...and the rest of the body is pretty solid. But im pretty ignorant when it comes to metal and body work.
Maybe im overthinking the whole thing?
Either way....discuss and throw out ideas...im all ears