Brianut
Official CCB Member
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 7:06 am Posts: 350 Location: Parker,Co
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Re: Used bronco checklist
Also, Gear ratios and limited slip/lockers. Usually if there is a locker of somekind ARB etc the owner will know and it would be obvious with switches. Or id they tell you there is one you can verify.
Jack up rear of vehicle rotate tire forward. if opposite side turn same direction there is some sort of a lim slip device. If that is the case count the number of driveshaft revolutions per one tire revolution to find gear ratio. a little over 4 driveshaft turns to 1 tire = 4.10 3.5 to one tire = 3.55 etc etc
Now if the opposite tire turns a diff direction of the one you are turning then you have an open diff. at this point you will need someone to push (dont drive it and get run over) the truck as you lay under and slide on the ground to count driveshaft revolutions. dirty but this is the best way to make sure the tires are turning the same amount.
this can be usefull when you buy one and are considering lifting and adding bigger tires or in my casse my truck came with 33" tires and has 4.10 gears. If it were 3>55 then I would have bargained the price more knowing i would need the proper gearing in the future.
or as with a limited slip claim you can verify gearing claims.
also I found that spinning tires with the truck off the ground and engine off you might hear things like dragging brakes, bad wheel bearings, ujoints etc that you would hear with the truck running and driving under its own power.
Mods: Feel free to clean up what I wrote if need be.
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akaFrankCastle
Official CCB Member
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:25 pm Posts: 4901 Images: 0 Location: Colorado Springs
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Re: Used bronco checklist
Core support at the reinforcement points. The orange and white Bronco we looked at in the Springs a few weeks ago with Dan had cracks in the core support at these points. Possibly an indication of front end damage.
VIN tag. Take note off all tag information and verify it against seller's stated description of the vehicle. Gear ratio changes and other modifications can be asked about when dealing with the seller to determine what has been changed and whether it was done in a professional shop versus in someone's garage. Not that people don't lack the skills, but always good to double check someone's work.
Frame VIN number, if possible. If you are dealing with a FrankenBronco whose body/glovebox has been swapped on to another frame, you could run in to issues with liens against your new purchase when you go to register it. There is an active thread on CB.com about this issue right now. Better to find out before hand by querying your local DMV about liens on a VIN than to bring your new ride home and find out someone else is laying claim. (Okay. Tape technique failed. I think I cleaned the frame TOO much, if that's possible. Turns out the easiest way I could find was this: take a rag and give it two quick sprays of your favorite lubricating/penetrating oil. WD-40 might work too. Reach inside the passenger side wheel well, to the rear of the tire. Starting from the vertical line of where the transmission and engine block meet, wipe the top of the frame rail, towards the rear of the truck, approximately 6-8 inches. Open the hood, if not already open, and peer down through the engine compartment at the frame rail. The VIN should be stamped in 1/2" tall letters with the last character approximately 3" short of the vertical line referenced before. If the VIN is unreadable, apply loose white chalk to the frame top and rub it in. Recheck the VIN. Mine was completely readable this evening without the chalk.)
Casting numbers from engine block and transmission. My '69 came with an '88 302 block. Would have been nice to know before purchase. A mismatched block then leads to questions about rebuilds and documentation of the build. Additionally, you're off to a great start when you go to swap out that fried clutch, instead of making 3 trips to the parts store before you can get everything right.
Wiring. Wiring. Wiring. Not only "does everything work", but does it look like a frigging rat's nest under the dash? Did the seller use 6 boxes of connectors and splices to make it all work? Does it look as though he gave a damn about the wiring or does it look as though he "made crap work"? A seller/PO who takes the time to ensure the wiring is done right and is for the most part clean, is a seller/PO who cared about the truck. If it's an ungodly mess under there, odds are you are dealing with a guy who takes a lot of shortcuts, not just with wiring.
Body mounting points. Apply upward pressure on all of the points where the body mounts to the frame. Any seperation between the sheetmetal, frame points, and the body mounts themselves is usually an indicator that you will need to replace that hardware. Some give is okay, but anything you can slide the blade of a knife between, non-cutting side first, is going to need to be replaced.
_________________ Stroppe'd 1972 Sport, 302, 3 speed with old school Duff floor shifter, T shift Dana 20 with JB Fab twin stick, 4.11 gears with Trac-loc, Lincoln hydroboost, Chevy disc conversion, WH gas lift gate shock kit, 33" Duratrac tires on slots and about 2.5" of lift, Stroppe installed: bumper braces, dual shocks on all four corners, GM power steering, trans cooler mount, auto shift column, rollbar.
The Terrible One 1972 Sport uncut, 302, C4 with 1974 column , T shift Dana 20, 3.50 gears w/ limited slip, 1966 U13 Roadster kick panel, and factory power steering.
1973 Stroppe Baja project
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