Bronco rebild

broncopilot65

New member
Hello to all Bronco fans,
I have a 67 with a 200 in it and a RAN three speed with 4.10 rear end. I would like to keep the 6 in the bronco and put a nv3550 5 speed in. I had the chance to pick up a 200 that was in the machine shop the block was bored out .030 and checked and decked. I also picked up a newer 80's head no work done on it. I'm looking for some ideas as to how to build up this engine. I also received pistons rods and a new oil pump and duel timing chain. I use this rig and a daily driver and a hunting rig. Any help and ideas would be appreciated. Looking at a 2v conversion with the webber carb. Not sure what cam to use that would still give me torque and HP. I'm very new to rebuilding engines. Thanks for the input Frank
 
broncopilot65,
I moved your post to a more active place, most of your questions would be best answered and seen here.

Don't know much on the trans I'm sure others can chime in for that. but I do know I really like my 5 spd manual behind my 200.

Great score on the 80's head, already has the bigger valves and if you clean up the valve bowls would be the best for your investment along with the 2bbl conversion, for your needs it sounds like you want a cam with a short duration, and high lift, both will improve torque and smoothness. maybe a 256/256 .450 112 or a 260/260 .450 112 would be good, i don't recommend a dual grind as it's more meant for a race. The head won't breath much past 400, but the extra lift gives best duration for the maximum flow. and to finish it off, get a header and pipe it down to a 2.25 inch exhaust, you'll be able to keep it quiet or if loud then just keep it open :eek:

for ignition, I recommend a duraspark II, HEI is nice and convenient if you would rather go that route, but either one will improve economy and and you'll really enjoy them startup's

one last thing i like, is the electric fan upgrade. it Free's up so much power it's a nice feature, and if controlled via electronic, it can turn off on them cold days automatically helping warm up and helping maintain temps on freeways. I'm running a 2 spd fan now but just have it switch controlled, someday I'll fix it to run depending on temp.

it's simple, but I recon you'll be able to push close to 120-140hp at the tires, which is a huge increase compared to what you feel now. Take your time on getting exactly what you want and most importantly understand why your putting it in. please ask any questions that might come up.

Good luck!
 
I've been very pleased with my Isky 256/256 .450 lift, 112 lobe center. It has a broad torque curve that remains pretty flat from 1500-4800 rpm. The NV3550 has a 4.0 first gear, too low to use constantly. Second gear is 2.32, too high to use as first gear with the six, and fifth gear at .72 will probably be useless unless you drive on flat terrain/high speed only. You have to remember at 4000lb, you weigh at least 1,000 lbs more than the Mustangs most people on here are running. Mating it to the 200 six/Dana20 is another issue. Your present first gear is 3.46. Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
thanks for all the good information. I will have to look into a different trans or just keep the three speed. The cam that you both talked to me about looks like what i want. I have a DUI and two into one CI Headder so Just need a carb choice. Have you heard of a trans that works with a 200 in the Bronco. With what I have now 31 inch tires I cruse at 3,400 rpm at 60 would like to be at 2,800 to 3,000. Will the eng build and different cam help with this. Thanks again
 
RPM's won't change without swapping gears or tire sizes. Your speedometer is off unless you have changed the speedo gear. I'm running 30/9.50/15's and verified by GPS it turns 3000 at 60mph. With 31" tires you should be running less than that. Here is a very good calculator you can use, measure actual tire height as whats marked on tire is usually not correct. It will give you rpms for any mph. High gear will be a 1:1 ratio. http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html I have considered a four speed toploader with overdrive(RUG) but I'm running close to 50HP more than you will be.
An afterthought: Verify your gear ratio. 4:56 gears were available and would make that much difference.
 
broncopilot65

If you change your rear gear to 3.56 it will result in a first gear the same as you already have and give you a total of 4 useable gears if you are using the same tire/wheel combo as before.
 
Is your Bronco cut or uncut? If cut you could go to a 32" tire to lower highway revs a bit.
I don't think a 3550 can attach to a 200 unless it is an 80 to 83 block as outlined in the Falcon Performance Manual which you should get a copy of, a great resource to have for the Ford six owner. As stated the 200 may not be enough motor to use the od very often although the idea of 4:56 geras would help but you may be able to find a good running used 250 like I found to use with my 3550. I paid a 100 for it and it supposedly had a new valve job. The 250 is a great choice for the Bronco, even stock it has a lot of torque. Your new head, dui and headers will work with a 250.
The Autolite 2100 may be a better off road choice from what I have heard.
Good luck.
 
Did you see the 3 speed plus od trans for sale on Classic Broncos? I don't know if it would work with your existing 200 but should bolt up to a 250, because the 250 has a small block Ford bell pattern, or late model 200 with some modification. Probably worth investigating what the gear ratios are first. Too bad kurtboyd gave that 250 away it had a header and some performance mods.
Does your Bronco have a suspension lift? You need that with the 250 because the oil pan can interfere with the d30 or d44 unless lifted or you modify the oil pan.
I found my first 250 with a 'wanted ad' on craigslist and recently found another 250 at picnpull, on half price weekend no less.
When I decided what all the mods to my Bronco were going to be It took about a year to gather most of the parts because they are used. So it is just diligent scrounging around on here,CB,CL, and Ebay, and long term planning. One other good source seems to be car-part.com from what I have heard.
I was glad to get rid of that 3 speed trans, never felt like I had the right gear and having to run the engine at high rpms on the highway was a real drag. Good luck and keep us up to date.
 
@bmbm40: The issue I find is the length of tranny, adapter and TC. Tranny will bolt to the bell housing, but as you know the length of the intermediate housing and shaft is shorter on the six than the V8. Not to say this can't be overcome, but some driveline mods will have to made. Resulting pinion angle will be a concern. I'd do it, but think it's above my skill level to get it right. I could really use the right four speed. Broncitis (on here) has a four speed toploader behind his turbo 200ci. so I know it can be done.
 
Yeah I see what you mean. The only swap I have practical knowledge of is my nv3550 and it did end up being a bit longer, had to have the driveline lengths changed. All these options have to be researched very carefully and does not seem to be an easy inexpensive way to accomplish. Mine is working out fine but if I was going to do it again, and you may know something about this, a member on CB had a 4 speed trans from about a 96 F150 300 six that he was selling. I think, could be wrong, that trans had a fairly low first and a slight od fourth. The yards have to have those for pretty cheap I would think but would need some research. The other trans I would research is the m50d I think it is called, a five speed used on the F150, should be available in wrecking yards. I am absolutely satisfied with the nv3550 but it was very expensive when all done partly cause the AA adapter kit was $730 plus shipping. I remember thinking I wish there was a cheaper option.
Maybe Broncitis would provide a picture of his setup and parts list, he has a fantastic build on his engine.
 
m50d
I heard may B a lill weak for 4 WD (mutsubishi?). Also - is it not a 2WD trans? I'll hafta look it up in my archive. That trani U have is good to 500 hp...


Gotta support the 250 choice for tq (a 'stroked' 200). Not sure on the hp tho. Sure it's moren a 200. I'm seekin the (low rev) tq not hp.
(y)

Keep talkin @ us.
 
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