DSCF3311 - drip rail repair prep.jpg
77 hits | 33.61 KB | Posted: 9/3/21
Prepping the drip rail and b-pillar for repair. Because Bronco.

DSCF3312 - drip rail repair prep.jpg
62 hits | 30.36 KB | Posted: 9/3/21
Prepping the drip rail and b-pillar for repair. Because Bronco.

DSCF3314 - drip rail repair prep.jpg
62 hits | 25.28 KB | Posted: 9/3/21
Prepping the drip rail and b-pillar for repair. Because Bronco.

DSCF3315 - drip rail repair prep.jpg
53 hits | 23.64 KB | Posted: 9/3/21
Prepping the drip rail and b-pillar for repair. Because Bronco.

DSCF3315 - drip rail repair prep.jpg
52 hits | 23.64 KB | Posted: 9/3/21
Prepping the drip rail and b-pillar for repair. Because Bronco.

DSCF3316 - drip rail repair prep.jpg
40 hits | 47.08 KB | Posted: 9/3/21
Prepping the drip rail and b-pillar for repair. Because Bronco.

DSCF3318 - drip rail repair prep.jpg
42 hits | 53.37 KB | Posted: 9/3/21
Prepping the drip rail and b-pillar for repair. Because Bronco.

DSCF3325 - bed mat rust.jpg
51 hits | 41.41 KB | Posted: 9/5/21
Addressing rust under the rubber mats (padded backing holds water like a sponge) in conjunction with...

DSCF3331 - bed mat rust.jpg
48 hits | 36.58 KB | Posted: 9/5/21
Bed rust cleaned up a bit for a better look at the status.

DSCF3332 - bed mat rust.jpg
49 hits | 48.16 KB | Posted: 9/5/21
Bed rust cleaned up a bit for a better look at the status.

DSCF3333 - bed mat rust.jpg
41 hits | 28.36 KB | Posted: 9/5/21
Bed rust cleaned up a bit for a better look at the status.

DSCF3342 - b-pillar passenger access hole.jpg
46 hits | 37.21 KB | Posted: 9/9/21
B-pillar access hole cut on the passenger side. Lots of rust hiding in there!

DSCF3343 - b-pillar passenger access hole.jpg
37 hits | 40.96 KB | Posted: 9/9/21
B-pillar access hole cut on the passenger side. Lots of rust hiding in there!

DSCF3344 - b-pillar passenger access hole.jpg
43 hits | 45.44 KB | Posted: 9/9/21
B-pillar access hole cut on the passenger side. Lots of rust hiding in there!

DSCF3345 - b-pillar passenger access hole.jpg
37 hits | 45.82 KB | Posted: 9/9/21
B-pillar access hole cut on the passenger side. Lots of rust hiding in there!

DSCF3346 - front seat pan.jpg
48 hits | 59.82 KB | Posted: 9/9/21
Rust wasn't too bad under the front carpet. It traps lots of moisture, but the seat pan sits up hig...

DSCF3347 - front seat pan.jpg
45 hits | 71.3 KB | Posted: 9/9/21
Front seat pan.

DSCF3348 - front seat pan.jpg
45 hits | 52.04 KB | Posted: 9/9/21
Front seat pan.

DSCF3350 - front seat pan.jpg
81 hits | 54.44 KB | Posted: 9/9/21
Almost all of the sound insulation under the front seats just lifted away -- a big chunk even came u...

DSCF3367 - old wiring.jpg
43 hits | 59.36 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
I had previously patched the green/yellow wire that rotted out in the 6-pin connector that Ford deci...

DSCF3370 - b-pillar wiring connector old vs new.jpg
47 hits | 33.13 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Old 6-pin connector on the left, with no hint of water insulation. New Delphi Weatherpack connector...

DSCF3368 - dr b-pillar rear footwell seam sealer.jpg
40 hits | 42.7 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Sloppy seam sealer caked on all around the driver's b-pillar base.

DSCF3371 - pass b-pillar rear footwell seam sealer.jpg
39 hits | 53.63 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Sloppy seam sealer caked on all around the passenger b-pillar base.

DSCF3372 - pass rear footwell gnarly panel gap.jpg
40 hits | 66.32 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Passenger b-pillar base. Under all those globs of seam sealer is some gnarly panel gap. It's almos...

DSCF3376 - pass rear footwell gnarly panel gap.jpg
42 hits | 54.1 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Another view of the gnarly panel gap.

DSCF3375 - pass bed seat bracket panel gap.jpg
35 hits | 34.12 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Passenger rear seat bracket / bed rail panel gap. It's a little tough to tell, but that's gravel do...

DSCF3373 - dr bed seat bracket panel gap.jpg
37 hits | 32.1 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
No such gap on the driver's side.

DSCF3377 - F-Bomb canopy awning.jpg
40 hits | 26.51 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
The project was interrupted by heavy rain several times, and I noticed the awning on the canopy line...

DSCF3379 - dr door sill rust under weatherstrip.jpg
39 hits | 18.94 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Quite a bit of rust under the driver's door weatherstrip.

DSCF3380 - dr b-pillar base stress cracks in seam sealer.jpg
47 hits | 46.02 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Base of the driver's b-pillar. Stress cracks like this are evident everywhere in the seam sealer wh...

DSCF3381 - dr b-pillar base rust under seam sealer.jpg
36 hits | 44.75 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Another thing to watch for is the surface rust often found under the seam sealer, which was applied ...

DSCF3383 - dr rear footwell panel gap.jpg
34 hits | 41.01 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Pretty big panel gap at the end of the rear footwell on the driver's side. The passenger side has r...

DSCF3388 - donor pickup bed.jpg
40 hits | 33.28 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Project keeps on creepin'... Acquired a donor pickup bed for either reinforcing my bed or replacing...

DSCF3392 - donor pickup bed chopped.jpg
41 hits | 52.53 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Three hours later ... all the flavor, none of the calories.

DSCF3401 - pickup bed dents.jpg
55 hits | 61.08 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
There were a few dents at the tailgate end of the donor bed that weren't obvious in the photos. But...

DSCF3403 - pickup bed stress cracks below dents.jpg
42 hits | 44.83 KB | Posted: 9/26/21
Crawling underneath, I noticed rusty cracks forming below the dents. You wouldn't guess at that con...

DSCF3419 - pass rear footwell welded.jpg
39 hits | 54.41 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
Passenger rear footwell seams mostly completed. (The horizontal seam at bed level has proven challe...

DSCF3421 - dr rear footwell welded.jpg
33 hits | 57.74 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
My side didn't turn out quite as well, but in my defense, it was my first time trying the technique ...

DSCF3425 - pass door seems welded.jpg
45 hits | 26.94 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
Filling out the door seams. Most of those welds were done by my neighbor. I think I finished up th...

DSCF3428 - dr door seems welded.jpg
40 hits | 40.91 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
I take full credit, and blame, for this side! Other than major struggles keeping the bead tucked up...

DSCF3422 - b-pillar bed vertical seam welded.jpg
49 hits | 45.17 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
Getting into some of the tough spots ... this seemed like a pretty important seam to reinforce.

DSCF3424 - dr drip rail filled in.jpg
54 hits | 22.95 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
Solid drip rails weren't the initial plan, but once you start filling out the long seam, there's not...

DSCF3423 - pass drip rail filled in.jpg
54 hits | 26.28 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
My neighbor did most of this side ... then proceeded to thump the roof to show how solid it was, and...

DSCF3426 - pass sail panel welded.jpg
65 hits | 26.5 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
Passenger sail panel welded. My neighbor did this side, but even he had some significant burn throu...

DSCF3427 - dr sail panel welded.jpg
59 hits | 36.08 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
I struggled a bit more than anticipated with burn through on the driver's side sail panel. The bead...

DSCF3429 - dr door seems welded.jpg
54 hits | 19.42 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
More from the driver's door seam. I was very pleased with my vertical bead, but again, stuffing the...

DSCF3430 - floor pan screw holes filled.jpg
53 hits | 31.34 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
I pulled the right rear speaker wire and seat belt buzzer wires, filled their screw holes across the...

DSCF3420 - floor and bed cleaned up.jpg
56 hits | 50.04 KB | Posted: 10/4/21
Floor and bed cleaned up; most of the seam sealer removed, miscellaneous holes and rusty corroded lo...

DSCF3438 - pass sill weatherstrip patch.jpg
40 hits | 20.37 KB | Posted: 10/6/21
Rusty section (right where the weatherstrip splits, not surprisingly) cut out of the driver and pass...

DSCF3443 - pass rear footwell bed curve seams welded.jpg
61 hits | 42.71 KB | Posted: 10/6/21
I managed to burn in the seam sealer enough to finally get this section filled in on both sides. No...

DSCF3449 - dr bed vertical seam bottom fractures welded.jpg
48 hits | 34.21 KB | Posted: 10/6/21
By far the toughest item, a) squeezing the MIG nozzle into that space, and b) filling all the sheet ...

DSCF3450 - pass bed vertical seam bottom fractures welded.jpg
47 hits | 43.05 KB | Posted: 10/6/21
Ditto on the passenger side.

DSCF3448 - floor pan stripped.jpg
43 hits | 41.39 KB | Posted: 10/6/21
With all the floor pan welding done, I hopped on Rust Bullet prep so I can get that done with this b...

DSCF3451 - floor pan stripped.jpg
59 hits | 50.86 KB | Posted: 10/6/21
I filled the ~1" hole at the back of the floor pan, that I'm told is for electronic transfer ca...

DSCF3457 - pass door seams welded better.jpg
50 hits | 31.48 KB | Posted: 10/8/21
Passenger door seams. Better success on the overhead, recessed beads after a bit of practice.

DSCF3462 - floor pan prepped.jpg
104 hits | 53.56 KB | Posted: 10/8/21
Floor pan nearly done with prep. Got the last few stubborn bits of paint out of their nooks and cra...

DSCF3463 - Rust Bullet front pan.jpg
49 hits | 46.41 KB | Posted: 10/8/21
Second coat of Rust Bullet drying. That stuff goes on nice and thick! (Pro tip: Toss the brush be...

DSCF3464 - Rust Bullet front pan.jpg
48 hits | 35.22 KB | Posted: 10/8/21

DSCF3465 - Rust Bullet front pan.jpg
47 hits | 41.53 KB | Posted: 10/8/21

DSCF3466 - tranny tunnel cover cleaned up.jpg
60 hits | 36.31 KB | Posted: 10/10/21
I'll add the mat back in after the Rust Bullet has had more time to air out, but for the time being,...

DSCF3503 - dr b-pillar access hole welds.jpg
72 hits | 65.4 KB | Posted: 10/17/21
Driver's side access hole. Finally enough material on both sides to crank the heat up a bit and fil...

DSCF3507 - pass b-pillar access hole welds.jpg
77 hits | 31.25 KB | Posted: 10/17/21
Passenger side access hole. I re-sprayed Rust Reformer everywhere inside after this, so I wouldn't ...

DSCF3508 - pass drip rail rear shaping.jpg
66 hits | 55.5 KB | Posted: 10/17/21
Had a little dry weather left to do some basic shaping of the new weld work (more heat, filling in t...

DSCF3509 - dr drip rail rear shaping.jpg
224 hits | 68.31 KB | Posted: 10/17/21
Driver's side rear drip rail, post-final pass welding, pre-smoothing.

DSCF3510 - dr drip rail rear shaping.jpg
125 hits | 67.13 KB | Posted: 10/17/21
Quick 'n dirty smoothing on the driver's side. The clouds and wind were getting ominous.

DSCF3511 - dr drip rail rear shaping.jpg
67 hits | 58.95 KB | Posted: 10/17/21
Even with the weld built up that much, there's still a little clearance for the hardtop.

DSCF3512 - pass drip rail rear shaping.jpg
70 hits | 56.87 KB | Posted: 10/17/21
Passenger side has a better smoothing of the weld and more appropriate looking hardtop clearance.

DSCF3518 - pass b-pillar access hole welds rust treated.jpg
59 hits | 47.89 KB | Posted: 10/23/21
Rust Reformer sprayed on the b-pillar inner welds; looks a lot more complete welding-wise now that i...

DSCF3520 - dr drip rail channel carved.jpg
46 hits | 30.21 KB | Posted: 10/23/21
Driver's drip rail channel carved. I got most of the porosity out with the final welding passes, bu...

DSCF3522 - painting.jpg
46 hits | 33.72 KB | Posted: 10/23/21
Top slid back (and bolted down one slot back, safety first!) for painting. The tarped up canopy was...

DSCF3523 - buttoned up.jpg
35 hits | 53.02 KB | Posted: 10/23/21
Paint and feathering look good from 15+ feet, decent from 10', and rather lousy any closer.

DSCF3525 - buttoned up.jpg
48 hits | 29.24 KB | Posted: 10/23/21
I painted the old roof light patched and seam sealed holes while I was at it, but of course, matchin...

DSCF3527 - tailgate vertical seams prep.jpg
44 hits | 24.05 KB | Posted: 10/23/21
Vertical seams alongside the tailgate will get the same treatment as the b-pillar verticals. Not su...

DSCF3528 - tailgate vertical seams prep.jpg
50 hits | 17.46 KB | Posted: 10/23/21
Vertical seams alongside the tailgate will get the same treatment as the b-pillar verticals. Not su...

DSCF3533 - b-pillar drain cover removal.jpg
47 hits | 33.14 KB | Posted: 10/27/21
Removal of the recently learned of plate that blocks what would otherwise be a great drain at the ba...

DSCF3535 - b-pillar drain cover removal.jpg
44 hits | 44.25 KB | Posted: 10/27/21
Once enough of it is pried up, the rest can be twisted free with pliers.

DSCF3536 - b-pillar drain cover removal.jpg
36 hits | 33.49 KB | Posted: 10/27/21
The big hole has a huge chunk of expanding foam pushing down below, while the smaller hole is one of...

DSCF3537 - b-pillar drain cover removal.jpg
42 hits | 36.72 KB | Posted: 10/27/21
Better angle of the back of the pocket. The expanding foam continues out of reach and looks like it...

DSCF3538 - b-pillar drain cover removal.jpg
37 hits | 53.32 KB | Posted: 10/27/21
Front of the pocket, and the other push pin hole. The area out of view just to the left and in fron...

DSCF3539 - b-pillar drain cover removal.jpg
39 hits | 56.79 KB | Posted: 10/27/21
The water can now escape from the door sill through that gap behind the seat belt anchor bolt hole. ...

DSCF3547 - dirt buildup below tail lights.jpg
46 hits | 46 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
Pulled the tail lights before welding behind them, and was surprised to see significant dirt accumul...

DSCF3549 - dirt buildup below tail lights - cleaned out.jpg
37 hits | 28.83 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
Dirt mostly cleared out below the tail light. You know it's a lot when that size hole isn't big eno...

DSCF3552 - dirt buildup below tail lights - debris pile.jpg
49 hits | 46.42 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
Dirt pile from below passenger tail light, alongside 15" rim and 33" tire for perspective....

DSCF3550 - pass rear floor screw holes.jpg
38 hits | 21.45 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
I'm not sure what these screw holes were for -- there was some sort of plastic or paper, mostly disi...

DSCF3551 - dr rear floor screw holes.jpg
43 hits | 34.07 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
Only two of the mystery screw holes on the driver's side.

DSCF3556 - tailgate verticals seams fully spot welded.jpg
43 hits | 24.53 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
Got the vertical seams alongside the tailgate fully welded. I did it as a series of spot welds and ...

DSCF3559 - tailgate verticals seam penetration.jpg
49 hits | 54.18 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
Pretty happy with the amount of penetration I got out of the spot weld method. Fairly consistent an...

DSCF3557 - pass rear floor screw holes - filled.jpg
40 hits | 33.81 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
Passenger side rear corner screw holes filled. I clipped a copper backer plate to the underside wit...

DSCF3558 - dr rear floor screw holes - filled.jpg
48 hits | 40.69 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
Driver's side rear corner screw holes filled. The fuel filler neck passes between them, pretty clos...

DSCF3562 - outer tub-tailgate seams welded.jpg
45 hits | 24.29 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
I also fully welded the seams where the outer tub meets the tailgate crossmember, using the same spo...

DSCF3563 - almost ready for bed wall paint.jpg
50 hits | 31.73 KB | Posted: 10/31/21
That pretty much does it for interior welding to-do's; just need to finish up paint removal and get ...

DSCF3566 - cargo area sanded.jpg
44 hits | 34.41 KB | Posted: 11/4/21
Cargo area done with sanding.

DSCF3568 - cargo area sanded.jpg
33 hits | 47.9 KB | Posted: 11/4/21
Cargo area done with sanding.

DSCF3571 - cargo area Rust Bulleted.jpg
39 hits | 21.03 KB | Posted: 11/4/21
Rust Bullet applied to bed sides. I poured out a little too much, and with how fast it dries, didn'...

DSCF3574 - cargo area Rust Bulleted.jpg
30 hits | 31.55 KB | Posted: 11/4/21
Rust Bullet applied to bed sides. New speakers reinstalled and hardtop wiring clipped back into pla...

DSCF3577 - cargo area Rust Bulleted.jpg
64 hits | 26.97 KB | Posted: 11/4/21
Cargo area Rust Bulleted.

DSCF3575 - cargo area Rust Bulleted.jpg
34 hits | 31.17 KB | Posted: 11/4/21
Interior going back together...

DSCF3578 - tailgate weatherstrip-weld interference.jpg
28 hits | 43.3 KB | Posted: 11/4/21
I need to shave the welds down a bit flatter for the tailgate weatherstrip to screw down flush. I a...

DSCF3579 - cargo area reassmbly.jpg
28 hits | 33.86 KB | Posted: 11/4/21
Halfway back to a full interior!

DSCF3593 - dr b-pillar access hole welded.jpg
40 hits | 54.75 KB | Posted: 11/9/21
This wasn't my best idea... I started the b-pillar access holes on the passenger side, doing a full...

DSCF3606 - dr b-pillar access panel not covered by trim.jpg
50 hits | 42.86 KB | Posted: 11/9/21
I can probably smooth the upper welds and blend it in enough once painted to not be noticeable, but ...

DSCF3591 - dr door sill footwell rust under seam sealer.jpg
47 hits | 42.53 KB | Posted: 11/9/21
The front of the door sill on the passenger side didn't look like a pressing need to pull up the old...

DSCF3591 - dr door sill footwell welded.jpg
51 hits | 35.41 KB | Posted: 11/9/21
No more seam sealer to rot away at the front of the driver's door sill. Of course, as soon as I rea...

welding cart add-ons and paint - b.jpg
55 hits | 60.71 KB | Posted: 11/9/21
A bit off-topic... Now that the workload has settled down from the rush to seal things up before Fa...

welding cart add-ons and paint - d.jpg
63 hits | 59.18 KB | Posted: 11/9/21
All loaded up, to the tune of nearly 400 lbs. It's a beast to move around, but I remembered to grea...

DSCF3646 - bed floor dent raised.jpg
54 hits | 25 KB | Posted: 11/16/21
With the gas tank removed, raising the dent in the floor was pretty easy, albeit imperfect, with the...

DSCF3648 - fuel tank area pre-cleaning.jpg
40 hits | 56.94 KB | Posted: 11/16/21
The view from below, sans undergarments (aka gas tank), because the Bronco world needs more photos o...

DSCF3650 - fuel tank area post-cleaning.jpg
42 hits | 47.33 KB | Posted: 11/16/21
Fuel tank area cleaned up. I scraped all the rubbery gooey coating off that I could reach, then pre...

DSCF3651 - fuel tank area post-cleaning.jpg
50 hits | 59.25 KB | Posted: 11/16/21
Opposite view of the fuel tank area after cleaning. Definitely some surface rust there, but nothing...

DSCF3652 - fuel pump access cutout bracing.jpg
49 hits | 26.99 KB | Posted: 11/16/21
C-channel brace for below the bed, boxing the fuel pump access panel. The visible side will face do...

DSCF3654 - fuel pump access cutout bracing.jpg
46 hits | 26.26 KB | Posted: 11/16/21
Bed brace test fit up top, to make sure I got the short braces squared up well and properly aligned ...

DSCF3647 - rear axle breather 2nd hose broken off.jpg
39 hits | 38.77 KB | Posted: 11/16/21
I noticed with the tank out of the way, one of my rear axle breathers is MIA. I had meant to do som...

DSCF3658 - bed-access panel brace fitted.jpg
57 hits | 33.12 KB | Posted: 11/18/21
Bed/access panel brace bolted in place but not yet welded. I decided the brace needed gussets to be...

DSCF3656 - bed brace spot welds lined up.jpg
54 hits | 21.05 KB | Posted: 11/18/21
Spot weld holes drilled for the bed/access panel brace. The four corner bolts will secure the acces...

DSCF3659 - fuel tank skid plate painted.jpg
63 hits | 46.03 KB | Posted: 11/18/21
I painted the fuel tank skid plate. Very minimal surface rust on the inside, but the outside was a ...

DSCF3662 - bed brace welded.jpg
38 hits | 30.71 KB | Posted: 11/21/21
Bed brace spot welded from above, and fully welded at the ends below. I drilled the bed holes for t...

DSCF3661 - bed brace painted.jpg
40 hits | 34.04 KB | Posted: 11/21/21
Bed brace and surrounding areas painted, now that welding is done.

DSCF3666 - tank installed.jpg
31 hits | 43.98 KB | Posted: 11/21/21
Tank emptied, cleaned, and reinstalled. I had to shave down the four spot welds surrounding the cut...

DSCF3668 - tank-brace clearance minimal.jpg
40 hits | 31.25 KB | Posted: 11/21/21
Minimal tank-brace clearance ... don't trust other people's estimates of the space between the tank ...

DSCF3669 - tank-brace clearance minimal.jpg
37 hits | 31.81 KB | Posted: 11/21/21
Minimal tank-brace clearance ... don't trust other people's estimates of the space between the tank ...

DSCF3670 - tank-brace clearance minimal.jpg
47 hits | 39.8 KB | Posted: 11/21/21
Minimal tank-brace clearance ... don't trust other people's estimates of the space between the tank ...

DSCF3709 - dr b-pillar still leaking.jpg
99 hits | 54.46 KB | Posted: 12/19/21
Parked in a different spot for brake work, sloped down a bit to the passenger side, and had another ...