1978 Ford Bronco Based Class 3 Score Race Truck 400/c6/kingpin Dana 60 on 2040-cars
Florence, Texas, United States
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1978 Ford Bronco-based Class 3 Desert Racer Ford 400/C6/NP205/Dana 60 ('79 Ford Kingpin!) front axle/GM 14 bolt rear No longer a "project" -- needs finishing touches to be race-ready by this summer! This has been a several-year project that has been "back-burnered" by more pressing needs of the shop. While we were hopeful to have it completed in time for the Baja 500 this summer, we have been forced by the current company's direction to move some of the toys out of the shop permanently. It absolutely kills us to part with this after so much work and resources have been poured into it -- and to have it tantalizingly close to race-ready -- but there are no other options available. We don't have the resources to put the last bit into making it 100% race-ready, and storing this off-site isn't an option. We'd rather sell it to someone who can quickly button up the final few items and terrorize Class 3 the way we know they'll be able to. Vehicle started life as a low-mileage 1978 Ford Bronco with a factory 400 engine and C6 automatic. The truck was completely stripped down, and a significant amount of time, money and effort was put into the rebuild. The frame was boxed for strength, and the entire frame and underbody was blasted, ospho'd and painted for future rust prevention. The (original) engine is an October, 1977 product of the Michigan Casting Center (all of the blocks associated with water jacket cracks were produced prior to March 1, 1977). The crankshaft and connecting rods are the only items retained from the original assembly. All engine work performed by Ledford Performance Machine Shop in Waco, TX. Highlights include:
You can see a video of us starting it up and running it last night, below Power is fed into the original C6 automatic, which has been completely rebuilt with all-new race bands/clutches, a 300M input shaft, all new fluid and filter. The stock shift linkage is included, as is a floor shifter for the C6. You choose which way to go on the shift linkage -- the stock shifter is still installed on the steering column. B&M transmission cooler (with SPAL electric fan) already installed and plumbed into the tranny. Stock NP205 has new bearings and seals, and is in exceptional condition. Flanges installed and ready for driveshafts. The steering and suspension is where so much time and effort has been invested. As you can see from the pictures, the axles are not the stock pieces. This truck has the holy grail of axles -- a 1979 Ford kingpin Dana 60 high pinion and a rear GM 14 bolt. The Dana 60 has been completely rebuilt with a new 4.56 R&P, new outer U-joints, and a high-steer setup for the drag link. Drop track bar bracket, custom Dana 60 track bar bracket and track bar fully aligned and installed. Drag link and tie rod are fabricated from .250" wall DOM with adjustable Bullet Proof spherical rod ends (Heim joints) throughout. Warn Premium locking hubs installed. The front Dana 60 is mounted with a CAGE Industries (now Bloody Knuckle Garage) big Bronco radius arm kit and 4" lift Deaver coil springs. Arms mount to custom CAGE Dana 60 weld-in mounts. While the arms are still available from BKG, the Dana 60 mounts are no longer available! Steering is via a Borgeson steering shaft, coupled to a Saginaw power steering gear rebuilt (and converted) by West Texas Offroad. Their 8" Redneck Ram (rock ram) is installed and fully plumbed. You can see it operational in the video below: The GM 14 bolt rear has been fully rebuilt with a Detroit Locker and 4.56 R&P. It also has the DIY4X disc brake conversion and 3/4 ton GM disc brake rotors/calipers installed. New custom rear Deaver springs with a 4" lift (no blocks) and F-450 rear shackle upgrade INSTALLED. New brake pads in front and rear. New 17" steel wheels all around. Full Painless Products fuse/relay panel and wiring harness throughout engine and body. All lights wired and operational (some bulbs might be required for tail/reverse lights). Auto Meter gauge cluster wired with all senders/sensors (transmission temp, oil pressure, water temp), Master kill switch and waterproof military-grade starter/switches in dash panel. Roll cage is a custom 6pt. unit built by Rhodes Race Cars/BD Racing. All required hoops are present, and constructed out of 2" x .120" DOM -- as required by SCORE. This is a full-height cage, so we opted to remove the roof of the cab in order to install the cage without cutting it down shorter. Roof was then replaced and tack welded back into place so it can easily be removed as needed to remove/reinstall the cage. Jaz 32 gal. fuel cell with all required fill pipes, venting and braided stainless fuel line from the tank to the Carter fuel pump on the engine block. New body mounts Body is in good condition. When we first stripped the car down several years ago -- what we thought at the time were "rust issues" with the body were quickly addressed. It turns out there weren't really any rust issues -- just some superficial bubbling in the driver rear quarter and the driver floorpan. Unfortunately a shop assistant got a bit overzealous with a wire wheel and ended up removing the bubbling and everything beneath it -- creating a few pinholes in each area. There was no perforation except for that the wire wheel did, and the entire underbody was ospho'd and painted with a heavy coat of Rustoleum to prevent any future rust. This was done well over a year ago, and there has not been development of as much as a single additional bubble. You can see in the pictures where the pinholes are -- and seen from underneath you can clearly tell that the floorpans are solid. Should have just given the guy a wire BRUSH... So in addition to the cost of the Bronco, as well as the $15k+ in parts invested in this build, there are over 350 man hours in the construction, fitting and testing of this rig. If you commissioned this at an outside garage, you'd likely be in it somewhere in the $35-40k range, and still not as near completion as this rig is. Here is a list of the items needing completion, and/or not included in this sale:
and that's it -- you will have a running/driving rig. There are a few additional details (safety lights, racing tires, finish welding on the roll cage (currently spot welded only) and this is a SCORE legal Class 3 racer. All rules from the 2006-2010 Technical Specifications have been followed. The only changes in Class 3 since publication was a clarification that the stock cab must be used. Not a problem here, as all of the original sheet metal is present, and has not been altered from its stock dimensions. A winning bid in this auction will require a (non-refundable) $500 deposit within 48 hours of auction close. Full payment must be received within 7 days of auction close. Will assist in loading the truck for shipping, but buyer must make all arrangements for shipping from Florence, Texas (approx 15 miles west of Interstate 35 in central Texas). Please feel free to ask any questions prior to the auction close. Vehicle is for sale locally, so we reserve the right to end the auction early. Good luck, and thanks for looking! |
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