1979 Bronco- 2003 Lightning swap

[Jimbo26]

Looking 4ward to doing the pop-a-top thing one fine day also.
The soft top conversion seems mighty practical. Pricey, but practical as it can be stowed/deployed.

 

[L\Bronco]

Putting the new windshield in tomorrow!
Insurance and plates tonight.
hoping for the first of MANY trips to the gas station tomorrow!
(Maiden voyage!!)
Then fix everything I forgot!
Cheers!

 

[Motech]

Oh ya L\Bronco, I'm gettin' all quivery for you over here!

 

[L\Bronco]

Did my maiden voyage in the lightning resto mod last night. (5 miles to the gas station and back) HEAVY ON THE BACK PART!! Whoo Hooo!! made it all the way 1st trip!!
(It felt a bit how I would imagine the early mercury missions felt, Exiting and scary)
It drove very well and performed admirably (for a Beta test.)
Now I have fiddlybits to deal with. Exh tone, the rest of the weatherstrips, harness tidying....ect.
I didnt want to go too far without proof of concept.
Concept proved!
The home shortened driveshafts don't even vibrate!
Had it up to 80 MPH and smooth as silk!!
Sorry, no picts for now. (Camera is still down in my phone)
You were very correct Tiha, I definitely need to finish installing the weatherstrip kits in all the doors. A bit leaky at 80.
My guestimate with the 30lb injectors and 5.4 32v pcm has paid off.
-7% fuel trim at idle and -4% at 50MPH. Clean hard accel.
(No word on fuel econ yet) But the "smiles per gallon" are off the chart!! (She pulls very hard)
So far so good! (Ill try and get a 0-60 time)
Drives and rides like a new truck! The Audi seats are awesome too!~


Cheers

 

[Tiha]

Awesome news. Can't wait to hear more.

Your swap has me thinking about a lot of different possibilities. Being able to update a vehicle you love driving is priceless.

 

[L\Bronco]

Awesome news. Can't wait to hear more.

Your swap has me thinking about a lot of different possibilities. Being able to update a vehicle you love driving is priceless.

Thanks Tiha, I'm about 18 months into it and driving now, Still a ways from done, but now I can enjoy it while I work on it!
Man 80mph feels way different on modern suspension! Plus it's about 2-3" higher than stock, but you'd never know it while driving!
Cheers

 

[L\Bronco]

Road test again last night.
Smooth as silk at 75!

 

[Jimbo26]

Now you know a bit about how Gen. Yeager & some of his compadres felt when proving out aircraft- but they didn't have to be concerned about getting a 'reservation' when breaking the sound barrier.
Next investment- fuzzbuster.

 

[L\Bronco]

Now you know a bit about how Gen. Yeager & some of his compadres felt when proving out aircraft- but they didn't have to be concerned about getting a 'reservation' when breaking the sound barrier.
Next investment- fuzzbuster.

I hear that!
Its hard to keep it under 70!
The up side is most officers wont believe their radar guns at first.
Just did a windy backroad near home at 60MPH and it handles like a car! (A good car) It felt slow!
I'm going to deal with the weather stripping and window seals this weekend and see if I can quiet her down a bit.
Thanks for the support all!
Cheers

 

[johnnyreb]

I hear that!
Its hard to keep it under 70!
The up side is most officers wont believe their radar guns at first.
Just did a windy backroad near home at 60MPH and it handles like a car! (A good car) It felt slow!
I'm going to deal with the weather stripping and window seals this weekend and see if I can quiet her down a bit.
Thanks for the support all!
Cheers

Glad all that hard work is starting to show and pay off for you Bronc.

 

[Motech]

-7% fuel trim at idle and -4% at 50MPH. Clean hard accel.

Are you serious?! On your first run, with no dyno to peak into fuel control prior, no tuneable PCM or piggyback signal modifiers?
Did you choose to run that 32 valve PCM on your 16 valve engine just on your own hunches?
Or did you research and/or make that decision based on input from some other source(s)?
That -4% at 50 MPH... I'm assuming that was a light load, cruise sample.
If so, can you capture where trims go with some boost pressure before it defaults to OL? I'm real darned curious.
I'm impressed with your first-run results Mister. My hat is off to you, exposing my disheveled, unkempt coif splayed outside in and about my barren yamaka dome sir.
You're my new Gearhead Hero and I bow to you.

 

[Motech]

(Err, hold up... Please don't form any inferences from dome to little man on knees there, m'kay?)

 

[Tiha]

Next investment- fuzzbuster.

Fuzzbuster, LOL
How to tell someone you are old without saying you are old.

Have heard them called that in like 30 years. Awesome!

 

[Jimbo26]

Not hard to figure that I'm 70s-80s vintage.
but dam, we had the best music & concerts back then.
I agree with Motech about seeing some of the data on that setup. Curious to.
Kinda a trip to do Forscan on a 2nd gen. Bronc.
A Super-sleeper.

 

[L\Bronco]

Glad all that hard work is starting to show and pay off for you Bronc.

Thanks Johnny

 

[L\Bronco]

Are you serious?! On your first run, with no dyno to peak into fuel control prior, no tuneable PCM or piggyback signal modifiers?
Did you choose to run that 32 valve PCM on your 16 valve engine just on your own hunches?
Or did you research and/or make that decision based on input from some other source(s)?
That -4% at 50 MPH... I'm assuming that was a light load, cruise sample.
If so, can you capture where trims go with some boost pressure before it defaults to OL? I'm real darned curious.
I'm impressed with your first-run results Mister. My hat is off to you, exposing my disheveled, unkempt coif splayed outside in and about my barren yamaka dome sir.
You're my new Gearhead Hero and I bow to you.

Thanks again for your kind words Motech, It means a lot considering the source!
I looked into tuning it when I first was unable to locate the correct PCM for a lightning, but that is very limited when working with a 104 pin EEC V system. (The tuning world didn't explode till the next gen of controllers) I refuse to run it standalone, my goal with this build is that only the chosen few can recognize it for what it truly is at a glance. To most, it looks like a rough but decent old Bronco.
That being said, I was an electrical\electronics\drivability specialist at a large FORD dealer for many years and have been teaching the apprenticeship program up here for 22 yrs.
So there is a lot of planning, thought, research, and even a little math involved. (Including a whole big pile of S H I T H O U S E luck!) and failure too.
I chose that PCM as it is readily available, it also runs the correct data stream for my build (SCP) and it will run the 4R100 auto correctly. (most of the F-150 PCMs are setup for 4r70W which has a different solenoid strategy)
The luck part was that the 32 valve engines run a bigger injector than the 19lb ones the stock 2v engines run (I can't find my notes now but I think they were 24lb) The lightnings come with 48's) I had a set of aftermarket 30's on a shelf and threw a hail Mary to see what happened and I think it is in the ball park. I really just need to find a stock 99-03 lightning PCM and all my woes will cease. FS1 can supply for 3500.00 (for reference, the one I'm running is 175.00 from them!
If I start down the Tuning road, its going to be a full time job without a DYNO and someone I can trust. I'm so close the juice ain't worth the squeeze at this point, plus it has been a lot of fun (and frustration). I have a lot of feelers out for the PCM and I trust that an affordable one will show up.


I have an IDS that I use for Datalogging, I have watched the short and long terms live a few times to make sure she wasn't going to melt down, but have not done any good recordings yet. I also haven't gone past 3/4 throttle under load yet for fear of whats coming when she tries to go to open loop enrichment.
And yes that -4% was flat road almost no load. Good eye!
Thanks again Motech
Cheers

 

[L\Bronco]

Not hard to figure that I'm 70s-80s vintage.
but dam, we had the best music & concerts back then.
I agree with Motech about seeing some of the data on that setup. Curious to.
Kinda a trip to do Forscan on a 2nd gen. Bronc.
A Super-sleeper.

Thanks Jimbo, It was an awesome time for sure! Parts of the stereo I used were from my 70 mustang fastback in high school in 82! Nazareth, Van-Halen, Aerosmith....

I actually have a Ford IDS and a laptop to talk to her with, It is extremely cool!
You should see heads turn when I punch it and they hear the supercharger howl!
We have a Race in Bakersfield(hot rod reunion) and Vegas the next weekend coming up in a couple weeks.
Trying to get the farm ready for winter up here first.
Ill post something as far as the data goes when I get a chance.
Thanks again
Cheers

 

[Jimbo26]

I'd say you've pretty much earned your Frankenstein badge at this point,
so now you can SHOUT those famous, immortal words...............

 

[L\Bronco]

Replaced the felt seals in the glass runs in both doors today, taking Tiha's advice to try and cut down the wind noise. Road test later.
I've got almost 500 miles on her now, still awesome!
Put her on the alignment rack last week, (First time, so far, everything has been tape measure and angle gauge!)
ALL GREEN! upped the caster 2 deg on each side to settle it down a bit on the hwy, but everything else was very close! The T H R U S T angle was zero!
(Sorry, that one made me happy, considering the framework was all tape measures and triangulating!)
Big win!
Cheers

 

[johnnyreb]

Replaced the felt seals in the glass runs in both doors today, taking Tiha's advice to try and cut down the wind noise. Road test later.
I've got almost 500 miles on her now, still awesome!
Put her on the alignment rack last week, (First time, so far, everything has been tape measure and angle gauge!)
ALL GREEN! upped the caster 2 deg on each side to settle it down a bit on the hwy, but everything else was very close! The T H R U S T angle was zero!
(Sorry, that one made me happy, considering the framework was all tape measures and triangulating!)
Big win!
Cheers

Congratulation Bronc. Your doing a great job.