Okay, welcome to trucks.

The moment is finally here, we get to test out our full size 79 Bronco and in honor of our military style camouflage paint job, we've officially named this rig dots Bronco, and I don't care who you are.

This thing looks mean.

But it wasn't long ago that it looked a heck of a lot different and was closer to a sad ending in a junk yard than a new beginning out here in the trail.

But that's the beauty of these rigs. 00:00:59.590 --> 00:01:1.470 They're tough and they're worth saving. 00:01:1.640 --> 00:01:6.250 Just as the guy's full size bronco dot com and the potential for an all around trail truck. 00:01:6.340 --> 00:01:13.040 Well, it's not out of the reach of the average guy, even if you want to build an expensive, elaborate weekend toy or street truck.

Well, these full size Broncos are built on a bulletproof platform that have stood the test of time and they still prove themselves out on the trail.

And that is exactly what we're gonna do today.

And this is an experiment on how much money we did not spend.

But first, let's take a look back.

And where we began, our Bronco, like a lot of trucks, had seen a hard life, is a service vehicle.

But it had all the right stuff, like heavy duty running here and suspension.

And although it didn't have an engine in it, we got a 4 60 long block thrown in on the deal.

So the potential that we saw with this 79 definitely outweighed the huge amount of work it was gonna take to get it up and running.

So with our Bronco on the trailer and a plan in mind, we dragged our new treasure back to the shop and set to work on some of the body rotten basic chassis maintenance. 00:01:58.500 --> 00:02:8.340 And with Doc's Bronco torn apart, new floors in the tub, we decided to focus on the drive train and with our new short block back from the machine shop, we did a few inexpensive hot rodding tricks, too. 00:02:9.090 --> 00:02:17.220 Ryan Gas could match the intake and exhaust, and we threw in a hotter camp Adle Brock aluminum intake and carb rater along with stock accessories.

Now the 4 60 needed a new rear, some pan and some transact engine mounts to both it in between the rails, but it bolted right up to the new Reman See six.

We threw stock drive shafts back in and rolled the dice on the two or three t case with just a fluid change since and checked out okay with some simple tests.

And we'll know soon enough if this thing has what it takes to get us out of trouble or, better yet, into some trouble.

But one of the things that gave this Bronco its most dramatic changeover stock the rough country for inch lift kit.

We decided right from the start to keep this project real and not throw tons of money and a bunch of expensive parts of this Bronco. 00:02:56.360 --> 00:03:7.450 The four inch lift gave us the height we wanted without having to go to custom like Dr Chefs, and that, combined with the bushwacker flares, gave us enough ground entire clearance to do some pretty serious wheeling.

So with the body back on the frame, we decided to shape up the sheet metal.

Most of the bodywork was simple.

Just some service rust and road rash, but the left rear corner was mashed in pretty good.

So after a few rounds with Senor Knocker, our stud welding gun and some good old fashioned polyester surface enhancement material and that stretched out, dented up quarter panel was now a distant memory and looking like new again like we've talked about before, this cab offers very little protection, so Roll Cage was definitely in order.

So Ryan went to work designing and building a basic six point cage out of one of 5/8 D.

O M.

Steele.

He angered it down with large foot plates well into the tub floor and lower a pillars.

And that's gonna give us plenty of head room and lots of protection. 00:03:56.590 --> 00:04:8.850 Using the same one and 5/8 inch tube and 1/8 inch plate, he designed bumpers that give us increased strength, steeper approach angle's as well as a winch matting surface and staying with our low buck theme. 00:04:8.850 --> 00:04:19.250 On das Bronco, we found a pain system from Duplo color that allowed us to do a unique paint job with three different colors and clear coat, all with the historical significance for cheap.

We use the lacquer based paint shop system and a design taken from World War Navy ships and lay down a three color camouflage paint scheme and then gave it to coats, a clear to keep the tree branches from digging into the color.

We also covered the back of the Bronco in a rubber mat from LMC.

Then we put our focus on finding a way to mount the mandatory spare tire in the back.

So here's what we came up with using some leftover tubing from the bumpers we designed amount that would distribute the load and be more than strong enough to handle this big, heavy swapper.

Plus, if we want to go to a little bit bigger tire in the future, it will handle that, too. 00:04:55.600 --> 00:05:4.720 And with this £12,500 rated Super Wind sitting on top of Ryan's new bumper, we ought to be ableto hang this sucker from a tree and one last thing before we hit the trail. 00:05:4.820 --> 00:05:10.100 We're gonna throw in this double trouble Recovery Hill while we incorporated a receiver hitching a rear bumper design.

Okay, so here's what we spent to get to where we are now.

Here the big chunks, including the Bronco itself.

For 750 bucks.

The five super Swampers cost us more than 1200.

Bucks are Super Winch was 900 a reman see six was $650.

But from there on out, everything was 500 bucks or less, all the way down to our 4 60 long block.

That was the best deal we got on.

Anything hit was free.

So all things considered, we've got about $6600 invested in Das Bronco.

Give or take a few bucks.

And that leaves us with just enough gas money to run this thing up and down a few trails.

Let's go see what this big boat will.

D'oh!

Hang on!

Because Das Broncos about to get unleashed. 00:05:59.140 --> 00:06:0.200 Don't go anywhere.

Hey, welcome back to trucks Were here wings off road park, putting Dad's Bronco through its paces.

We've got the very best crew always willing to pay the price to get you guys the best camera angles.

We're ready for anything and does Bronco is to a 55 £100 vehicle that could devour Willie's mud box.

This is the flow through design that we've customized into this into this Bronco comes through here, pulls up over here, cools the transmission housing and then goes out the back.

It's ingenious now. 00:06:58.650 --> 00:07:4.370 We knew this Bronco was not a perfect off road truck yet, especially on non B block wheels. 00:07:4.380 --> 00:07:10.140 Way pop the tire off the damn room way brought a spare.

I'll get the tire you get, you get jacked up.

We wanted to test out the articulation and traction of the Bronco, and Willie's has great trails and obstacles for any level.

Vehicle reflexes out pretty good, doesn't it?

Especially the rear axle twists up pretty well now, even though the suspension flexed out enough to give us traction most of the time, some locking dips sure would have been nice.

Where we ought to know.

Is this you?

There's a great big hill in.

Just over the crest of the hill is a beer joint system.

That's what work.

Well, before we get to the beer, we need to see what this thing will do up an incline, and we found some pretty gnarly hills appeals and on tight trails we were reminded just how big and heavy this full size Bronco really is. 00:08:2.130 --> 00:08:8.350 That comes from, but it held its own and clawed its way to the top of everything we tried. 00:08:8.740 --> 00:08:11.060 Picard hasn't stuttered once, not once.

We've been having a pretty hard core angle.

Now you have to remember that what we're driving is a slightly beef your version of a stock Bronco.

What we're able to throw at it is a true testament.

Ruggedness and versatility of these big now that I'm surprised.

But I'm pretty happy these nine inch in the 44 standing up to these 30 sevens in the big block all day long, you forget that this is such a heavy truck.

Das Bronco at power to burn with the Big 46 Never let us down.

Well, except for the power steering steering pump.

Still completely way have done very did already, having conquered all the major land obstacles for, decided to take our boat to the ocean, or at least the closest place we could find in Middle Tennessee. 00:09:3.030 --> 00:09:11.500 Now, just when I started to look for a good winching tree Ryan finally found enough traction to get us out of it.

Yes, sir.

Thank you very much.

So does Bronco get the job done.

You bet your ass it did.

But it also showed us where we could make improvements.

But that's another show.

When we get back to the shop, we're out of the mud and getting ready for the strip with Holland es Tan.

Hey, welcome back.

Well, dos Bronco showed its colors and with a pretty much stock drive train, this thing took everything we threw at it and shrugged it off.

This thing is a beast will definitely be back for some more upgrades, like some feed locks. 00:09:56.130 --> 00:10:0.250 And we'll give you guys a heads up when this project returns, because this story is far from over. 00:10:0.640 --> 00:10:4.720 But here at the truck shop, we got a lot of unfinished business, especially on our holidays. 00:10:4.720 --> 00:10:5.550 10 project. 00:10:5.640 --> 00:10:9.480 Now, this is a pro street truck, so it needs some form of it exhaust system. 00:10:9.650 --> 00:10:12.730 But we're so far from stock on this truck that we're gonna have to make one.

So we're using magnifies universal hot rod system with three inch pipe to do it.

We're also going to use these cut out so we can open it up at the track.

Now this man drove a trio four Stainless is beautiful stuff, and the workmanship is pretty outstanding.

So we thought would be pretty cool to show you guys how this stuff is made.

Everybody wants a performance exhaust that delivers more power and better sound on for 25 years.

Magna flows.

Designing complete high flow systems.

They're RND team develops, fabricates and validates everything.

Even catalytic converters were one of the only manufacturers it can actually bring to market a full catalytic converter line to complement our performance exhaust line. 00:10:55.340 --> 00:11:3.180 Compared to the stock GTO cat, magna flow cells are bigger, with nearly twice the rate of flow to complement the increased cell right. 00:11:3.190 --> 00:11:7.360 We actually also increased diameter tubing to enhance overall flow. 00:11:8.070 --> 00:11:11.840 Not all vehicles need a new converter, but most can use a performance cat.

Back way witnessed the build process on a high flow kit for the new 5.7.

After pulling baseline numbers on the dyno jet, Dodge goes on the rack to get prepped for surgery.

Everything from the factory cats back.

It's unbolted, cut out or disconnected so it could come out as a youth.

New layout begins with measurement for larger diameter Mandrell Bent pipe.

Once the best radius and angles are established, prototype dimensions are laser scan on a vector device generates data and transmits it to engineering for full documentation and production program.

Pipe is clocks and tacked to the resonator and mufflers. 00:11:55.780 --> 00:12:1.360 Tips are added and everything comes off for final welding factory. 00:12:1.440 --> 00:12:7.340 Hundreds of fixtures, everything from sport compact systems to diesel to muffle painters. 00:12:7.350 --> 00:12:12.250 For monster trucks, all the products are different, but they have one thing in common.

This massive outdoor yard was our first clue, Exhaust veteran Ryan Van Dyke explained.

If you put a lifetime warranty on the product, you better be able to back it up.

So everything we use is 100%.

Stay in the steel internals, externals.

Everything on the mufflers.

100% stainless stand this world rust, but it won't add power for that.

There's the X pipe and X pipe.

When you have an exhaust pulse that fires and goes through this bank in a fraction of a second later, you get another pulse that fires through that bank.

You can see through the X pipe have you as you have the exhaust gases.

Crossover within the X pipe creates a scavenging or vacuum effect in the rear.

Part of the exit starts to pull the exhaust gases through.

Thes guys go through tons of stainless every day.

Buffer making here is mostly automated. 00:12:59.150 --> 00:13:4.750 Polished flat stock is cut stamp form and spot weld it into shells. 00:13:6.450 --> 00:13:11.810 The Magna flow, straight through design, uses perforated pipe wrapped in sound absorbing stainless mess.

Additional acoustical suppression material is added before the internals are inserted into the case after the end, caps or insult the assembly is conveyor to a multi station welding cell where computerized robots lap well.

The end caps in the vertical seat.

Back in our Andy, the crew final installs a cat back.

It's 20% lighter, flows nearly 100% over stock and delivers a deep, powerful cell.

Final step Power validation.

Dina Jet reveals an extra 12 horsepower and 14 foot pounds of torque at the rear wheels.

Proof again, A quality cat back is a great way to add attitude. 00:14:4.640 --> 00:14:12.940 Hey, welcome back to trucks Will are recycled to be eight s hand project that we have aptly named Holland as 10 is finally starting to look like something.

And, of course, the big 6 71 blowers sticking up over the horizon doesn't hurt things either.

But since we're gonna be running 6 to 700 horsepower just on the engine what?

We have to make it safe too.

Now, like we showed you guys before, we're gonna surround ourselves in this roll cage.

Kitt we got from S and W racecars comes with all the two being braces and foot plates you're going to need and for the rest of the safety gear.

So we went for some one stop shopping at Summit Racing.

Picked up these Kirky Pro Street aluminum race seats.

Along with these five point harness is that feature?

The nights can lock disconnect.

And you guys have already seen our main power disconnects, which, and for added measure, we're gonna install a £5 fire suppression system that's activated by cable release mounted within reach of the driver and to top things off.

But we'll both be wearing shiny new brain buckets now for our dash.

What? 00:14:58.980 --> 00:15:4.350 We've done some renovation here, too, to the point where this is now just a shell of what the stock dash used to be. 00:15:4.740 --> 00:15:11.310 So we're gonna load it up with auto meter, carbon fiber faced Ganges, starting with our monster attack and shift like the mount on top.

Now the rest of the gauges will put inside these 20 gauge sheet metal inserts that will sink the gauges down into and creates a mounting tabs to mountain right on top of the dash plate.

And our new painless performance switch plate is gonna mount right here where the A C vent used to be.

Between the switch plate and our auto meter gauges, we're gonna have excellent communication with our truck.

But since we've lost all hope of a mechanical fan because of our blower belt, what we're going to rely on this flex a light aluminum dual fan of radiator to keep this bad boy cool because of its low profile design, it'll fit nicely up in our core support.

And since this truck will see some street action, we got to keep the battery charge.

So we went to Power Master and got one of their high output alternators mounted it on a nice looking March performance bracket and for a starter. 00:15:55.120 --> 00:16:3.680 What Power Master also sent us one of the high torque units that will fire this thing up even after a few rips down the track on a hot day, we were really close toe. 00:16:3.680 --> 00:16:8.140 Lighten this thing off and lighten up those rear tires so you guys could look for that to happen real soon.

Here's something for you guys that Dr CK 1500 Siri's pickups.

This is G M's new heavy duty test aluminum and Finn differential cover.

It actually doubles fluid capacity, allowing the differential to run cooler and therefore letting your rear axle live a longer life.