BlueBronco budget build

[Jcplante]

Well I'm gonna be working on mine again soon I hope. I want to do some of the bodywork you did here. I had a 78 bronco on 38 inch boggers about 10 years ago. It proved to be much less water proof then ur 1:10 scale one lol

[66sprint6]

Took the Bronco out to LRC for some abuse...and it took it like a champ!!! Still surprised at the stability and predictability of this little rig.





My exhaust took a whoopin this ride. Both tips were destroyed and bent outta shape by the end of the day. Ill have to do some work on the pipes behind the axle or else they will eventually break and fall off lol



I ended up tearing a seam on one of my rear tires part of the way down one of the trails. Thank God for workin spare!!!



The Bronco worked like a champ all day and the only issues outside the tire I had were purely cosmetic. Both doors pulled the metal pieces off the tub that kept them closed so they were swinging open all day long...which was kinda funny. The top ripped the front alignment tabs off of the windshield, the exhaust took a beating and some minor body damage that can easily be fixed. The steering is now awesome thanks to the new servo and she still handles the rocks like a goat. Fix all the minor issues and she will be ready for more!

Matt

[STRAT]

Great build, read through it non stop , this is one fine bronco

[66sprint6]

Thanks!!! Its been around a while now and the build thread keeps getting longer and longer, I love it. Hopefully itll keep goin too!

Matt

[66sprint6]

Dusted off the BlueBronco and ran 5 battery packs through it at LRC. Did a 3.5 mile trail and then some!







Sucker took a lickin and kept on tickin









The foam in the spare tire eventually said ENOUGH leading to a tire swap



Tossed on a set of 3.7" reduced Trepadors from the Mule and tried to keep going. The Bronco did NOT like the taller, lighter setup at all which led to a nasty tumble.



I was having electrical issues as well at this point so it was time to retire the Bronco for the day. The door frame, both window frames, the tub in the rear and a couple other spots are busted but easily fixed and Im HOPING the electrical glitch is something simple. Only major issue I need to sort out is I stripped one of the screw holes for the steering knuckle. I need to get a new bottle of blue top CA glue so I can patch up my tires, make some new foams and then patch up the damage and she will be ready for more!!! I was having so much fun with it (happens alot with this rig) that I only ran the Courier for a couple minutes that day. Cant wait to get her back together and out again!

Matt

[King James]

Glad to see that its still getting some trail time.

[lil' bear 4wd]

the chronicles of the little blue bronco that could!

[joe122]

Just read the entire thread, great build, and awesome rig. Love old Bronco's, had a '68 really miss it.

[66sprint6]

Thanks guys, this rig always seems to work its way into the front of the line of my rigs when it comes time to go play. Its way too much fun and has turned out to be way more capable than it should be plus it holds up better than I thought it would. I can run it with rigs of all shapes and sizes and not only keep up but have a blast doing it. I think if I really had to I would sell all my other rigs just to keep this one going. Speaking of which, I patched up the busted body and am looking at taking the front axle apart to either tap the knuckle mounting hole or helicoil it if I can find one small enough. Then I will look at whats bothering the electrics. Might just be a heat issue...not sure.

Matt

[SMFtwstdHICK]

Been awhile since I have looked at this build thread. Just outstanding work man. Nice. Great job. So many ideas.. LOL..

[LoneRanger]

Matt, I may have said this before, but you have grown so much with this truck. It is a really cool progression to have watched. I know for me personally I can get burned out on one rig- You have always come back to this truck and tweaked it here, made this mod and that mod, and it has been run all over creation! The beat down body shows its life story in a very scale manner. So glue it all back together replace a bearing here or there and get back to driving it like the SCALE TRAIL RIG IT IS!

Props~

L.R.

[66sprint6]

I intended to completely repaint the body (again) and repair all damage on this latest round of body mods, even started looking around for a new body to replace it all and start fresh but during the mockup phase I was really drawn to the ragged, beat up look and it kinda hit me...this is like a 1:1 build. Started with a clean stock Bronco and beat the piss out of it, broke stuff and repaired along the way. Now the beat up ugly body lives on and looks RIGHT at home on a muddy trail or upsidedown on the rocks lol. I love the little POS and hope to keep it going.

OH...I was looking back through the build thread and I think it was you LoneRanger who called the potential issue with hogging out the axle for the Yota 2 CVDs and not having enough meat for the knuckle screw...its stripped and Im not looking into how to not only repair but make it stronger. Might have to invest in a new Yota 2 front axle and start over.

Matt

[66sprint6]

Pic sucks but the Bronco really is spoiled.



And for the record, RC4WD customer service is second to none. I ordered the axle and only after placing the order did I realize they were not in stock. I emailed asking if they knew when they might be back and received a tracking number in response. Axle showed up today. Hats off and thumbs up RC4WD, thanks a ton!!!

As for the axle. Ive got some shaping to do, gonna look at my options for making or buying a diff cover (LOVE the removable cover on the Yota II axles) to look like a Dana and then probably put the upgraded guts from the current setup into this housing. Then it should be good to go and stronger than ever.

Matt

[4RunnerKid]

curious to see what you come up with for the diff cover... i've been toying with the idea of trying to make mine resemble a fabbed 9" housing. i'll be watching

[66sprint6]

Look back a couple pages, I made the rear look like a 9" as best as I could. I could actually do more to shape the ring gear hump but figured it was good enough. Im toying with some ideas...not many good ones but Im gonna either just go easy like I did before and just shape and paint the diff cover to look right OR Im gonna shape it, drill some new holes and use scale hardware to make it look legit. I know there is an ARB cover that fits this which is AWESOME but its still too round and wont quite make me happy. Im up for the challenge tho so I look forward to it. Im also gonna weather and rust it like the old one while Im at it.

Matt

[4RunnerKid]

i was referring to a fabricated 9" housing, like those made by Spidertrax, Currie, Diamond Axle, Trail Gear, etc.



in reality, the idea would be very similar to the BTF covers for Toyota axles: BTF Toyota 8" Front Kryptonite Differential Cover :: Blue Torch Fab

[LoneRanger]

let me know what you think of the quality of the axle. did you get 2 or just the front? I was very disappointed with my k44. pot metal, horrible screws, etc. I know a lot of people run these new ones, so like I said I am curious.

L.R.

[66sprint6]

Originally Posted by LoneRanger

let me know what you think of the quality of the axle. did you get 2 or just the front? I was very disappointed with my k44. pot metal, horrible screws, etc. I know a lot of people run these new ones, so like I said I am curious.

L.R.

I ran Yota II CVDs in the TF2 axles and have yet to break em. In fact, they are going into the Yota II axle housing! I have run into a GIANT issue. In order to run this housing on the Bronco, I have to flip it over. No biggie...except that the Yota II knuckles and mounts are drilled at an angle so you cant simply flip the knuckle over and move on. You either have to keep them upside down and run your steering from the bottom of the knuckle or get crafty. Im gonna get crafty. Ive got some aluminum brazing rod on the way and Im thinkin wild thoughts. Ill either go the easy way and simply move the steering arms up the knuckle OR I might go with sheer insanity and cut the housings, flip the knuckle mounts and leave the knuckles alone. Who knows.

Matt

[66sprint6]

RC4WD is really onto something with these Yota II axles!!! I took mine apart last night to figure out how to solve my steering knuckle issue and was smacked in the face by awesomeness. You can take the cover and the "chunk" out and flip sides with them!!! Not only that but you can also flip the ring gear and pinion so they now spin the same direction as before! All you have to do is drill out the 4 holes that hold the diff cover on so that the bolts can reach and your set!!! Now I can flip the rear back over the right way and be golden!

As for making it look like a Dana...its being a pain. The axle tubes are skinnier (which looks awesome) on the Yota II but it makes the pumpkin look HUGE and there isnt alot of meat to take off in order to shape it correctly so its gonna be a stretch but Ill at least put some angles in it so it doesnt look round. Itll work tho until an affordable, durable K44 comes out!

Matt

[LoneRanger]

I was going to suggest flipping the axle and taking the knuckles off and swapping sides, but I had figured you had already tried that.

L.R.