how do i pick a donor vehicle?

[wolf83]

i think i found a donor vehicle, but since i have never done this before, i am not sure what to look for in a good donor. i would like to upgrade to v8, but i also need some body panels, glass, etc...

here is the question...

will it save me money in the long run if the donor has the powerplant i want but bad body? or should i pick a donor with a good body and bad powerplant?

whatever part is bad, i would have to buy it by itself.

bottom line is this: is body work cheaper to do in the long run, or is "guts" work cheaper?

i own an 83 bronco 6cyl and i found an 86 f150 2wd 351cid for a possible donor (for its powerplant)

thanks

 

[Justshootme84]

It is more likely that you'll find a donor with the engine, tranny or axles you want than it is to find one with a good, rust-free body. You'll have to search harder and longer to find a complete donor with both, and one for a reassonable price. If the truck with the engine you need is cheap, get it and use what you can from it then junk it. A running 351W V8 shouldn't cost you more than $1000, but you can often get the whole truck for less than $500. JSM84

 

[Seabronc]

A donor vehicle is just that. You pick it based on how many good things it has that you want to transfer to your vehicle. I personally don't buy a donor vehicle. Any vehicle that I take parts off is a donor vehicle. If you need a bunch of stuff like internal trim, seats an engine that is rebuildable, sheet metal , glass, etc and you find a vehicle most of that then buy it. The parts you don't want or need you may be able to strip off and sell. OR just take what remains to the junk yard or keep for future use and trash what you don't want or need or think you may need. I have a dash out of a pickup, internal trim out of another Bronco, seats and door gaskets from a Windstar, an under the hood fuse box and relays from a Ford something, I forget, intake from another engine, electric fan from a Lincoln, a 3G alternator, an overhead console from a 96 Eddie Bower Bronco,a tail gate from a 93 Bronco, head liner from the same truck, front fenders from an 85 Bronco, my lower rear quarter panels are from a pickup bed (slightly modified),etc. etc. It goes on and on. You may be lucky to find a vehicle with good sheet metal that you need and you may not. That leaves the after market and replacement parts dealers like LMC truck, Bronco Graveyard, etc.

Good luck,

 

[wolf83]

i went ahead and bought the donor i found. the guy swears it was running only a week ago. he claims a bad starter -- which is an easy fix on my part. i got no problems replacing starters. its an 86 2wd 351w f150, so the underneath looks weird to me -- since my bronco is a 4wd 6cyl. i wonder how much of the guts i can use? a lot of stuff looks the same -- like power steering pump, but some things look different -- like the radiator (it's cap is on the driver side, and my rad-cap is on the pass side).

good body -- well, the front is good, and that's the only part i can use anyway. it's got an upgraded interior, so i think i will use the speedo (it has an rpm gauge and mine doesn't) but probably not much else, since its interior is in just as poor shape as mine.

good powerplant (i hope).

it doesn't come with a title, so if i can't get one from the state, then i'll probably take what i want and then part out as much as possible, then make a trailer out of the bed, axle and frame. i could certainly use a trailer. of course, this requires welding -- which i can't do, but i am eager to learn. how hard/expensive is it to put together a beginner's welding system? any thoughts for me?

if i do get a title, then i will put the 6cyl in it and probably keep it. i found out that my 6cyl (300cid) has more torque than a 302 v8! at least, that's what i read from one of the threads that is pinned on this board. that explains why my gas mileage sucks! i also read that they used to put the 300cid 6cyl in heavy trucks -- they just mod'ed it a little bit, like bigger exhaust and carb.

anyway, now my next step is to get a repair manual and maybe look into a welding system. can anyone recommend a good repair manual for me? i think jsm84 said something about a chilton's manual in my intro thread? is that the best out there or the only one out there?

any ideas on a welding system? and how to figure out how to use one? i would hate to burn a hole in my hand, or burn my eyes out, or set fire to the garage! yikes! b-( @-) :-"

edit: fix spelling and more clarity

 

[wolf83]

Don't buy a welding machine until you learn how to use one. Try a local college or trade school to see if they offer evening classes on it. It'll be safer (in every sense) and quicker to pay a pro until you learn.

fair enough... but those guys who offer classes want all my money -- not just a few bucks. so how much do i actually need to know? can i learn it in a weekend? ... in a few weeks of night classes? will it take me 3 months or more to learn it?

 

[Justshootme84]

As far as learning to weld is concerned, i agree with Steve83 on taking some instruction. A 5-6 week night course will get you started, but you need alot of practice to make a good weld that will not break before the metal does. You could learn to either stick weld (heli-arc) or learn how to use a MIG, but the stick weld equipment will cost less in the beginning. The other option is to find a buddy that can weld stuff for you in trade for work, beer, whatever.

As far as the repair manuals go, I have one of the old, thick Haynes ones from ten years ago. The newer version is thinner with less pages, but still useful as a guide. AutoZone has a good tech library on their website that I refer to often. Our good friend Miesk5 has his Bronco links website with hundreds of links to repairs and mods on the Bronco as well as other Ford trucks, And our good friend Steve83 has the most extensive album of diagrams and parts breakouts on his Supermotors.net site.

Concerning the title, is it lost, a salvage recovery, or a stolen vehicle??? I ask that because it is very, very hard to get a new title transfered to your name without the original. It's impossible on a salvage recovery (like my 88 Bronco). And while it's not likely that someone would steal a junker, you should be careful before stripping off any parts. The VIN plate is located at the bottom of the windshield on the dash on the driver's side, and is also stamped into the top of the passenger-side frame rail just below the firewall.

 

[Seabronc]

Ditto on the above. I always take my heavy work or things that are iffy on the safety side to my local friendly mechanic. It may hurt your pride, but it also may keep you alive. Develop a good relationship with a PRO, it comes in handy and most of them are willing to give you some good suggestions for a "Do It Yourself" project. I've had to walk in with my tail between my legs a couple of times. It doesn't hurt, even if he gets a kick out of my predicament.

Good luck,

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