Show Transcript
You know guys, sometimes doing YouTube is hard, and it takes a lot of time to make videos and a lot of time to sit down and do the research and write the scripts and do all this stuff. So I thought this week I’d try to catch up a little bit, just do a real quick simple video about my plans for the Bullnose. You know, I haven’t done one of those in a while, and that way you guys can kind of see what the plans for the Bullnose are going to be. So, uh, oh, I, uh, yeah, you already know the plans for this Bullnose. I mean, the plan for this Bullnose. Hello, hi folks, Ed here. Welcome back to Bullnose Garage, and meet Bullnose number two. She’s a 1982 Ford Bronco. Just picked her up this weekend from my actual friend that I’ve got in another town over. He saw my channel, went, ‘Hey, I got a Bullnose rotting out in my yard. You want to come pick her up and add her to your list of projects?’ I thought, ‘Ah, you know what? Why not? Because one Bullnose is never enough, right? Mongo’s Garage, mm, I’m coming for you. I got two now!’ Actually, no, I will never have as many Bullnoses as those dudes have. That is crazy. Anyway, I just thought I would introduce you and let you take a look and talk a little bit about what my plans are.
So this old girl is much rougher than my ’85, but one thing I love about her is that she has a manual transmission. Of course, being a Bronco, she’s a 4×4. She’s pretty rough, but you know, that’s okay because I’m going to cut my teeth on my ’85 and learn my way in and out of these things really, really well, and then we will start restoring this girl right here. Now, as you can see, she does have a little bit of rust coming in down through here and some back over here. My guess is, I’m not sure if you can see that from the camera. I guess you can. And so my guess is that the guy who the previous owner had was doing some mudding and some off-roading and stuff, and those tend to be the places where the mud and the grime and the stuff gets caught up in the fender wells and up inside of here. And so that’s where a lot of dirt and debris and G got caught up in there. As a matter of fact, I can see some, um, already in there. See if I can feel the dust coming out of there. Dust and dirt with grunge and stuff in there. You can actually see where there’s some rocks and dirt caught up inside of there. So my guess is that that stuff got wet and just stayed wet for a while, packed up in there, and that’s where that rust happens.
You got the same thing over by the tailgate. You can see pretty clearly down here on the bottom there. So this tailgate is pretty much roached. I could probably fix this, I guess, but I don’t think I’m going to. They make repop tailgates for these, so I’ll probably just go ahead and do that. The rear window, unfortunately, doesn’t go up and down. I think that’s probably because the motor is busted. So the rear window has been down for a long time, and so that’s allowed the elements to get in here. So the inside of this, especially in the back, is pretty well roached out. But you know, it wouldn’t be a project if it was easy. So my current plan is to take the tailgate off, replace it with a new one. Probably I’ll cut some panels out of this and use them to fill in some of the body areas and the other parts of the truck that are a little bit rusted out. Teach myself how to weld body panels and do some fill and that kind of stuff, just kind of make it look nice. This one, the plan is not to be a show truck like my other truck is. This one is actually going to be something a little bit different.
So my plan for this truck is to be a desert crawler. We’re out here in the desert Southwest. There’s a lot of trails and mountains and stuff here, so I figure I could, uh, you know, it’s kind of pretty much already set for it, right? That’s what a Bronco is. So, uh, I’m not going to go like full pre-run or anything, but just, you know, give it like maybe a 4-inch lift with a 1-inch body lift, and I’ll put some bigger tires on it. You know, it’s already got the 49 in the rear, and it’s got a J44 TTB in the front. And I think, uh, you know, if I just beef up the components for both of those, that should give me what I need to be able to go out and do some serious desert crawling around here. You know, just kind of clean it up and clean up the rust and make sure that it runs right. Now, it’s not roadworthy, unfortunately. Now, it does run, and it actually runs like a top. It’s got an inline six in it, which is awesome, and I think the inline six in this thing runs almost as good as the inline six in my ’85. Now, of course, you guys that are paying attention to my channel all the time know that I’m pulling the inline six out of the ’85 and putting a 351 Windsor in and stroking it to 408. That is not what’s happening to this thing. You guys don’t have to worry. This truck is keeping the inline six. I probably will pull the inline six out of this and do some refreshing on it. I may decide to do some mods to it. You know, there’s some talk in my channel comments about, you know, did you see this where they turboed inline sixes and all this stuff? You know, I might look into some of that stuff. I don’t know that I have the chops for a project like that yet, but you know, by the time I get done building my Windsor and stuff, maybe I’ll feel more comfortable around that stuff, so I might give it a try. Anyway, but regardless, the inline six in this thing is a puller. It’s a workhorse. It got me up on the trailer no problem. There’s some fuel issues, so you have to actually, uh, here, you know what? I’ll show you. There we go. Ah, all right, so there we go. There’s the old inline six in there, and right now the only way I can get it to run is to throw some fuel in a water bottle like this and spray some fuel down in the carb, and then she’ll run. And she runs really, really good. The inline six in this purrs like a kitten, so I’m really happy about that. But, um, I’m not sure what’s going on with the fuel line. I’m not sure why it can’t pull fuel from the fuel tank. I got to look into that. The brakes are basically shot. When we dropped it back off the trailer, I had to actually put it in gear and pop the clutch to make sure that it didn’t roll back into my wall over here. So, uh, yeah, the brakes are pretty much shot. I got to do a complete brake job. I’ve already got a video series on my complete brake job on the other truck, so I won’t bore you with doing that whole thing again. But at least I know what I’m doing there, so I’ll do that. It needs new parking brake. Yeah, obviously. I mean, there’s no, uh, coating in it. There’s, uh, I don’t have any idea what the condition of the oil is. Um, you know, I got to look at all that stuff. But the engine itself runs really well. And you know, my thought was that even a worst-case scenario, the engine in this turned out to not run very well, I can always pull the 300 six out of my other truck and pop it in here and use that. But I don’t think I’m going to have to. I think I can just use the 300 that’s in here, and we’ll see. You know, I’ll get them both out at some point and see which one I want to use for my rebuild.
But yeah, so if you were paying attention to the engine when I had it closer up here, one thing you’ll notice that this truck does not have is air conditioning. And if you’ve watched a couple of my videos before, you know that I specifically bought my other truck because it has air conditioning and because it’s so damn hot down here in the Southwest when it gets to be in the summer. So, uh, that’s kind of okay for this build. Again, this is not going to be an around-town cruiser, really. It’s going to be mostly going out in the desert and having fun. So most of the time, I think this will have windows down, top off, that kind of stuff. But, uh, I still think I want to put AC in it, so I may make a video series about putting AC in a non-AC Bullnose. Um, because that’s, you know, I think that’s worth the content. And I actually do have a dash already from an AC Bullnose truck that I might be able to use as parts and pieces for this. I don’t know how hard that’ll be. I haven’t actually done the research to see how hard it’ll be to put an AC in a non-AC truck, but there are kits that you can use that’ll do that even if you don’t use the factory AC. So, um, yeah, we’ll see how that goes.
All right guys, here we are underneath the Bronco, and you can get a good look at what’s going on down here. There’s the Dana 44 front TTB, and, uh, let’s see, this, believe it or not, is an NP435 transmission. This is the same manual transmission that I got in the ’85. Um, with these trucks for a manual, it’s either going to be a T18 or an NP435, and you can tell this was an NP435 because it’s got the PTO cover on the passenger side right there. You can also see the drain plug is indicative of an NP435 too. So, uh, yeah, same transmission, and that transmission is going to stay in here because NP435 is basically bulletproof, and it’s perfect for a desert runner, desert crawler like I want to build here. So, uh, yeah, as long as it shifts well, which I think it seems to so far, but I haven’t had it out on the road to test it. But yeah, so we’re definitely going to keep that. And as you can see, there’s not really a lot of rust. There’s some surface rust on the frame, nothing real bad. There is some rust there under the seat pan. I think that happens quite a bit in these trucks, so I’ll have to cut that out, put some rust inhibitor or converter on there, and eventually cut that out and probably weld a little pan or something in there to make sure that doesn’t get any worse, make sure it can support my amper frame while I’m in the truck. And then, uh, yeah, so scoot back here. All right, scooting back just a little bit, you can see the transfer case here. I believe it’s an NP205, although I’m not 100% sure. I got to check this tag here and double check, but, uh, I think that’s going to be what it is. Believe it or not, guys, I was wrong. It’s actually a Borg Warner 1345, not a New Process 205 transfer case. Both of those transfer cases were used in this era of Bullnose Broncos, so I wasn’t sure which one it was, and I took a stab, and I was wrong. They’re both really good transfer cases. They’re both pretty similar. The Borg Warner’s got a chain drive, and the NP205’s got a gear drive. I’ll do another video about the differences in the different transfer case options that there are, but I think I’m probably going to go ahead and stick with what I’ve got. I’ll do a service on it and make sure that it runs okay. But, uh, yeah, so it’s a Borg Warner 1345. And then, uh, yeah, you can see underneath here to the back, got the famous Ford 9 inch, which I’m super excited about. It’s not an end case, though I wouldn’t expect it to be an ’82 Bronco. So, uh, but it should still do perfectly for what I want. Beef it up a little bit, put some high spline axles in there and, you know, a locker and some stuff, and we’ll be good to go there. And then, yeah, the driver’s side of the body here doesn’t look too bad. Um, so I think I’m in good shape. There’s some surface rust on the cross member and the frame and just in general, but there’s no rot through. It’s just surface stuff. So, man, got rust falling on me. Uh, but hey, you know, that’s part of the job. So, yeah, um, I’m super happy with it. I’m looking forward to digging into this thing and see what we can make out of it.
All right guys, well then, these are the twin sisters of Bullnose Garage. They’re not identical, just like my other twin girls aren’t identical, but they’re both the same vintage, and one’s an ’85 F150 and one’s an ’82 Bronco. Um, yeah, I’m super, super thrilled of them both. Can’t wait to get them both on the road and going. This one here will obviously get done first. Uh, this is one that I put the new engine in, the 408 that’s going to go in here. Uh, this one has got a lot of work yet to do. I got to do some body work and, uh, obviously work on the engine fueling system, brakes, all that stuff. The fiberglass cab’s got some issues. Some of the fiberglass is kind of getting worn down. I got to, uh, probably coat that and put a coat of paint on it and stuff. But you know what? I’m going to bring you guys along for all that stuff. Uh, you know, this whole channel, everything’s about me cutting my teeth and getting some experience on some of the stuff that I don’t really know that much about. So, uh, yeah, looking forward to getting both these girls fixed up and ready to go. And if you want to be along for the ride, make sure you like and subscribe. I really appreciate that. And like I said, I got that 408 that I’m getting ready to build that’s coming up on the channel. So if you want to see what I’m doing there, make sure you subscribe and, uh, you know, ring the bell and keep in touch with all that stuff. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, C interet ramblings, stick them below. And thanks again so much for watching, guys. We will see you next time. She’s rough around the edges, but she’s doing fine. Take her away, getting things to shine. That Bullnose Garage, she’s considered divine. Thanks again for watching. We will see you next time. Thanks again for watching. We will see you next time.
Hey folks, Ed here from Bullnose Garage. Sometimes, diving into the YouTube vortex can feel like a grind, so this week, I decided to keep things simple and share my latest project—a 1982 Ford Bronco that’s seen better days. But hey, one man’s rust bucket is another man’s desert crawler, right?
Meet the 1982 Ford Bronco
Say hello to my second Bullnose, a 1982 Ford Bronco I recently picked up from a friend. Now, she’s a far cry from my ’85 F150, which is destined for a full restoration. This Bronco, on the other hand, is packed with potential to become a rugged desert crawler. She comes with a manual transmission and, of course, the 4×4 setup you’d expect in a Bronco. It’s a bit of a fixer-upper, but that’s the fun part.
Rust and Repairs
This old girl has her fair share of rust—especially around the fender wells and tailgate. The previous owner was likely into mudding, which tends to trap grime and moisture in all the wrong places. The tailgate is a goner, but thanks to the wonders of reproduction parts, that’s an easy swap. The rear window motor is shot, so the elements have had free rein inside for a while. But hey, that’s what makes it a project truck, right?
A Desert Crawler in the Making
Living in the desert Southwest, turning this Bronco into a desert crawler is practically a no-brainer. I’m planning a modest 4-inch lift with a 1-inch body lift, along with beefier tires. Under the hood, she’s got an inline-six that, surprisingly, runs like a charm. For now, it’s staying put. The NP435 transmission is a keeper too—it’s as bulletproof as they come and perfect for a desert runner.
Tackling Unique Challenges
Adding A/C to this non-A/C truck is on the to-do list. Let’s face it, the desert heat doesn’t play nice. I’ve got a dash from an A/C Bullnose that might come in handy. Installing A/C in a truck that never had it will be a challenge, but hey, who doesn’t love a good DIY project?
Under the Hood and Chassis
The engine purrs like a kitten once I manually feed it fuel, so there’s some detective work to be done with the fuel line. The brakes are shot, which isn’t a surprise. I’ve got a brake job series already, so no need to rehash that. The Borg Warner 1345 transfer case and Ford 9-inch rear end are solid, just needing some TLC to get them trail-ready.
Wrapping Up
So, these are the twins of Bullnose Garage—an ’85 F150 and an ’82 Bronco. Both have their quirks, but that’s what makes them fun. The Bronco might be rough around the edges, but with a little elbow grease, she’ll be tearing up the desert trails in no time. If you want to keep up with the chaos, make sure you subscribe and maybe ring that bell. I’ve got a 408 stroker build coming up too, so stick around for that.
Check it out above, and let me know what you think. Questions, comments, or just want to share your own project woes? Drop them below.
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