MY build thread...'88 Bronco II Desert Rat Patrol Edition: 1/26/24 update!

[Peter Griffin]

Can you get a picture of the coverlay dash cover? I'm curious how well it fits around the vents.

Yes Sir, here y'all go!

I said this before about the Coverlay; if you want perfect...keep looking! But if your dash was like mine and looks like an axe murderer had at it, for $135 shipped from Bronco Graveyard it's an excellent option and in keeping with my theme, a 90%+ improvement over what I had. Since I bought their door panels I knew that they would match each other and compliment my interior desert color scheme of tan, saddle, camel, brown and black...

Bronco II & Ranger Dash Pad Cover-Broncograveyard.com

1984-88 Ford Bronco II & 1982-88 Ford Ranger Coverlay Dash Cover Exact Color Match NOT Guaranteed To Request Color Swatches Call 1(800)633-7090 Rejuvenate the life of your vehicle by enhancing its interior. Coverlay dash covers are vacuum-molded from the original dash to give an original...

shop.broncograveyard.com

You'll notice some paint missing above one of the vents and that's what happens when you use Gorilla tape to hold the dash in place while the silicone adhesive sets and it's 115 out...! I knew almost immediately after I did it that it was a bad idea and I'm lucky that's the worst of it.

There was one corner of the overlay next to the HVAC controls that was REALLY problematic and would not stay put. I ended up using a heavy duty storage tote with a handy dandy CrossFit certified 1.5 pood (52.9 pounds) kettlebell on top of it, leaning up against the dash overlay. That did the trick and held it in place while the adhesive was setting/curing.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Bunch more interior work yesterday. First, I remembered that before re-installing the interior body panels I just repainted, I needed to repair the hole one of the previous owner jackwagons managed to drill through the brake light sheetmetal surround, square into the rear window wiper fluid reservoir. From the looks of it they were trying to run wiring for roof mounted LED lights and managed to strike oil! I saw a YouTube video where epoxy is used with gauze and figured I'd give that a shot. Additionally there's damage at the bottom edge of the reservoir where there's several small cracks so I'm giving that a coat of Flex Seal liquid. I had previously tried the Flex Seal tape but the edge/corner location of the damage made it problematic getting a watertight seal.

For whatever reason, I waited until now to add the insulation on top of the sound mat on the roof. Pretty straightforward, just took a couple of hours. I bought 4 huge rolls of it from LMC Truck, but since the new carpet I got from Bronco Graveyard was pre-insulated, I ended up only needing one roll for the roof. Cut to fit and 3M automotive headliner adhesive to stick it on top of the sound mat...

I also ended up replacing the weatherstripping on the tailgate and now that closes like a vault door.

Lastly I painted the indicator arrow and the min/max settings on my separate subwoofer volume knob fluorescent orange. I tried to use the gauge needle paint that I used on instrument panel but despite the top being on tight, it had largely solidified and was useless. I grabbed some white (for base coat) and orange fine tip paint pens from Amazon and considering how nearly microscopic the markings were...I got my 90%-ish improvement!

I'll take a razor blade to clean off the excess now that the paint's dried and clean it up a bit. I'll mount in on the dash with some double sided tape, probably near the USB charger/old cigarette lighter.

Headliner is up next! Once the second coat of Flex Seal on the reservoir dries I can then start to put the rest of the interior back together...

 

[RobbieD]

You've probably already considered and/or covered this, but if the adhesive putty bonding the roof structural strips to the roof sheet metal have come loose, now is the time to rebond them.

I like how you've sound-proofed and insulated. I'm sure that it'll be worth the time and expense.

Looking good!

 

[Peter Griffin]

You've probably already considered and/or covered this, but if the adhesive putty bonding the roof structural strips to the roof sheet metal have come loose, now is the time to rebond them.

I like how you've sound-proofed and insulated. I'm sure that it'll be worth the time and expense.

Looking good!

That's an excellent point and I knew to check from watching the Fractured Rooster YouTube video. His had completely separated and we're "popping like an oil can" going down the road but fortunately with mine that's not the case and they're still tight/bonded to the roof sheet metal. About time I caught a break on something!

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Just for future reference, plastic can also be repaired with baking soda and superglue. You have to work fast to mix it a little and spread, but it hardens like plastic and can even be used to build up. I’ve actually repaired a damaged starter solenoid, the plastic around the terminals like that. It’s a good thing to keep in the back of your mind for broken plastic.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Just for future reference, plastic can also be repaired with baking soda and superglue. You have to work fast to mix it a little and spread, but it hardens like plastic and can even be used to build up. I’ve actually repaired a damaged starter solenoid, the plastic around the terminals like that. It’s a good thing to keep in the back of your mind for broken plastic.

Yes I used that trick too after seeing it on YouTube, my Bride was not particularly enthused to ask where her baking soda was and my response that it was in the garage...!

 

[RobbieD]

Yes I used that trick too after seeing it on YouTube, my Bride was not particularly enthused to ask where her baking soda was and my response that it was in the garage...!

I think that the worst time I've ever had in this department, was when I painted my truck, and trying to think up the best answer for "And WHAT were you measuring with my good Pyrex measuring cup out in the garage?"

Afterward, I didn't see the little woman for two whole days.

Third day, the swelling had gone down enough so that I could open one eye just a little . . .

 

[Peter Griffin]

STARTED on the headliner, which I anticipated finishing but much like other jobs with this project, it was much more involved than I initially planned on...

The headliner that was in there was pretty faded, dirty, stained, burned, ripped and otherwise damaged so there was no way around it, and I wouldn't shortcut it with all of the other interior work I did/plan on:

I ripped the actual fabric off and it wasn't particularly loose in any area or otherwise sagging/hanging, leaving the foam backing glued to the actual headliner core:

It took 2+ hours of work with a nylon bristle brush on my drill to get the foam removed to the point shown below. I'd gather it might not be the first time it's been done as it appears there's several glued over/crack repairs that were visible. Several small pieces fell off which I'm planning on reattaching with 3M vinyl tape:

I went with a very light camel color which I think will brighten the smaller sized interior and compliment the other desert colors tones I've used. I should be able to get it knocked out in the next day or so and then I'll get it installed with all of the exterior trim pieces...

That dang 20-second time lapse on the Fractured Rooster video sure threw me off!

 

[Peter Griffin]

Well...THAT was a disaster!

I went to lay the headliner material onto the prepared shell and the first (back) half went on just fine and was glass smooth. I went to do the front half and as I was pulling it over a corner folded in on itself and stuck...like super stuck.

While there's NO mention of using an adhesive promoter in the Fractured Rooster (or any other headliner restoration video I've watch) for some unknown reason I decided to and instead of being able to pull and reposition the material while the glue was still sticky and hadn't set, the adhesive promoter had the effect of turning the glue into a one and done...well duh?!

I realized almost immediately that it was gonna be a real show, and it was. The headliner weighs practically nothing (less than 2 pounds) and is obviously fragile and not only did the material on the front half bunch up, when I went to test pull on the corner of the back half it was set like week old concrete. I already knew these headliners were near impossible to find (unlike full size Broncos were they're available aftermarket) so it was critical that I do everything I could to save it.

I couldn't believe the amount of force I was using to pull it off and as you can see, I started getting HUGE cracks along with chunks of it breaking off and staying stuck to the headliner material. My wife came into the garage at the worse possible time (after previously offering to help, to which I politely declined, which in retrospect would have likely avoided this entire incident) as I wrestling with it and after telling her what happened I continued to try to save it...

You can see that the previous green top layer of the Styrofoam is almost completely gone as the headliner material tore off large chunks of it and where it didn't stick the glue did. It took me several hours to get it to this point above and I was fairly certain that I had recovered all the puzzle pieces to put it back together, so I stopped to take a breath...

I had 3M vinyl tape handy which is what was recommended to tape over the cracks so I proceeded to piece it back together. Long story short with the exception of a very small piece that is maybe a half-inch square and on the corner of the front 4WD overhead console/map light; I got it entirely put back together. The tape is having a hard time staying stuck because it flexes so easily due to it's size and obviously because the Styrofoam is porous and doesn't have a flat mating service, but it'll do for now, until I figure out what's next...

Sooooo at this point it's 98% whole and no doubt can be reused but I'm not sure how I'm going to proceed. I know some people have done fiberglass/resin and I have the material to do that. I could just do one side for strength or both sides and I could likewise either Raptor line or go back to standard headliner material, but I would not try to re-headliner it in it's current state, it's Dead Sea Scrolls fragile with that top layer gone...

UGH!

 

[Peter Griffin]

Apparently this is my 200th post...so I better make it a good one since I haven't posted in a bit...

So, without further adieu, Raptor liner (bedliner) is DONE!

There's was some minor bodywork to get done which came out excellent. No hyperbole it's near perfect IMO! The side window surrounds and windshield trim still need to be done too. As far as exterior lighting goes, the front turn signal lenses are brand new as they were badly faded. They're going to be tinted and upgraded with high out LEDs. The side markers are clear with amber LEDs are blindingly bright and those are likewise going to be tinted and give some nice contrast to the Raptor. I added the brand new black anodized mirrors which I think looks great in addition to D-rings/tow shackles on the front and rear bumpers, which look great with the black Raptor lining.

I likewise bought high output LEDs for the rear brake/turn/reverse lights which will reside in brand new smoked assemblies. I already have a flasher module ready to install to correct the load/flash rate so they won't hyperflash. Speaking of which my brake lights stopped working (with the stock incandescent bulbs) so I grabbed a new brake light switch to hopefully correct that issue...

I still need to deal with getting the interior put back together, including dealing with the headliner issue...which apparently I've been MASSIVELY procrastinating about but it'll get done. Some minor odds and ends (but you know how that goes...) and it'll be "done".

At this point I likely have 300+ hours working on it and would hope at this point I have another 30 or so to get it wrapped up but it's really feeling like I'm in an awesome place with it!

 

[RobbieD]

That is a great looking B2. Nice work!

 

[Uncle Gump]

Nice...

Not that it needs anything... but two old school 6 inch round off road lights on the front bumper would look great IMHO.

More time to just enjoy it will be priceless.

 

[Northidahotrailblazer]

Did you do the raptor liner yourself? looks like it came out great! really looks nice!

 

[Peter Griffin]

Did you do the raptor liner yourself? looks like it came out great! really looks nice!

It was a friend of a friend type deal. Since it needed some bodywork, that was out of my wheelhouse so to speak, so all I had to do was buy the Raptor liner/tint and dropped it off with him.

That being said it came out better than I had expected, and since he did an excellent job on my buddy's truck I was that much more impressed!

 

[Northidahotrailblazer]

It was a friend of a friend type deal. Since it needed some bodywork, that was out of my wheelhouse so to speak, so all I had to do was buy the Raptor liner/tint and dropped it off with him.

That being said it came out better than I had expected, and since he did an excellent job on my buddy's truck I was that much more impressed!

Defiantly came out good! I wonder how much he used? I've been thinking about doing it to my 89 B2. I really like the way yours came out!