Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1978 Ford Bronco Based Class 3 Score Race Truck 400/c6/kingpin Dana 60 on 2040-cars

Year:1978 Mileage:1
Location:

Florence, Texas, United States

Florence, Texas, United States
Advertising:

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:
  • Original virgin block bored 0.20" over
  • Crank and rods reground, with all new bearings and ARP cap/rod bolts throughout
  • Ford Australia 302C heads ("Aussie Heads") completely torn down and rebuilt with:
    • Stock size (2.04"/1.66") Ferrea SS valves
    • Hardened valve seats
    • DSS roller pedestal rocker arms
    • Comp Cams valve locks, springs, and seats
    • Mickey Thompson/Holley tall finned aluminum valve covers
  • Federal Mogul forged aluminum dish pistons -- with current heads CR approximately 9.6:1
  • Comp Cams XE262h hydraulic camshaft, new cam bearings
  • Comp Cams hydraulic lifters and pushrods
  • Weiand Performer Plus aluminum intake
  • New Holley 4150 carb (Truck Avenger/off-road version)
  • Sanderson headers
  • KRC power steering pump with mount
  • Powermaster 1 wire race alternator
  • Champion 2 row aluminum radiator with shroud and flex fan
  • Milodon 8qt. hi-capacity oil pan/pickup
  • Blueprinted hi-capacity Melling oil pump from Precision Oil Pumps
  • ARP hardened oil pump driveshaft
  • Cloyes double roller timing set
  • Flow Kooler water pump
  • MSD ignition and MSD performance distributor
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:
  • shock absorbers (shock mounts present front and rear)
  • drive shafts (front and rear)
  • brake lines (new booster/MC is included)
  • install transmission/t-case shifter (included but not installed currently)
  • seats
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!

Auto Services in Texas

Zepco ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Speedometers, Truck Equipment, Parts & Accessories-Wholesale & Manufacturers
Address: Kemp
Phone: (972) 690-1052

Xtreme Motor Cars ★★★★★

Used Car Dealers
Address: 1025 1/2 North Loop, West-University-Place
Phone: (713) 863-1165

Worthingtons Divine Auto ★★★★★

New Car Dealers
Address: 2412 E Trinity Mills Rd, Bartonville
Phone: (972) 820-0980

Worthington Divine Auto ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service
Address: 1325 Whitlock Ln, Lake-Dallas
Phone: (972) 335-9823

Wills Point Automotive ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Wheels-Aligning & Balancing, Wheel Alignment-Frame & Axle Servicing-Automotive
Address: 712 Houston St, Canton
Phone: (903) 873-5900

Weaver Bros. Motor Co ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, New Car Dealers, New Truck Dealers
Address: 2035 S Wheeler St, Newton
Phone: (409) 384-6847

Auto blog

MotorWeek remembers pre-EcoBoost Ford with the Thunderbird TurboCoupe

Thu, Feb 26 2015

Sometimes it feels great to embrace nostalgia for a trip down memory lane, and MotorWeek indulges that occasional desire with its regular Retro Review series. This time, the long-lived show goes back to the '80s to check out two of the top performance vehicles in the Ford lineup at the time – the 1987 Thunderbird TurboCoupe and Mustang GT. Both models had just received thorough refreshes after several years on the market. Long before an EcoBoost badge ever met its models, Ford made early forays into experimenting with turbocharging on vehicles like the T-Bird TurboCoupe. Based on MotorWeek's assessment, the company was on the right track. The boosted 2.3-liter four-cylinder was apparently a bit coarse but offered 190 horsepower with little turbo lag, compared to 155 hp the year before. The Mustang GT is likely the more-fondly remembered of these performance Fords today and provides an interesting point of comparison against the TurboCoupe. MotorWeek found some faults with the 'Stang, though. While it was quick for the time with a sprint to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, the 'car was described as "a nose-heavy beast" for its handling. And for a look at Ford's future in turbocharging – the GT will have an EcoBoost powerplant – check out our Related Video:

Ford blimp crashes inside Portland Trail Blazers arena

Fri, Dec 5 2014

Portland basketball fans got a free, very safe recreation of the Hindenburg disaster when a Ford airship crashed into the stands during a game between the Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers. Reportedly no one was hurt, but arena staff trying to push the inflatable vehicle through a hole it was too big for, made for some fantastic video and photos. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Check out two clips of the incident, below. The first gives an idea of just how hard it was to fit the blimp through the exit of the arena, and the second is a time-lapse look from someone right next to the action. All these clips need is Yakety Sax as background music for some true Internet gold. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Twitter, 3lilpigs81, Turner Team, Inc via YouTube [1], [2], Deadspin Auto News Humor Ford portland blimp dirigible

Ford paying $750 million just to close plant in Belgium

Thu, 21 Mar 2013

According to a report from Reuters, Ford is shelling out $750 million in a severance deal that will see the automaker close its facility in Genk, Belgium. The automaker reached this deal with the 4,000 hourly workers employed at the plant last week, which means the company will pay out an average of $187,500 per worker.
Ford is still negotiating with the 300 salaried workers at the factory, which currently produces the Mondeo sedan. All told, Ford expects to lose around $2 billion in Europe thanks in no small part to the region's ongoing economic downturn, and two more plants are scheduled to be shut down in Europe this year. The company will log its $750 million payout under "special items" for this quarter.
As you may recall, Ford took a similar path in the US back in 2009 when the domestic market took a spill. Back then, the company shelled out around $50,000 per employee with at least one year of experience, plus either $25,000 toward a new car or an extra cash payment of $20,000. It would seem the cost of closing plants in Belgium is a much harder pill to swallow than in the States...