I’ve got a young friend (okay – he’s 47) that bought a pretty decent ’71 Bronco 302, 3 speed manual in overall good shape. The previous owner put on headers and “a high lift cam” (no specs available whatsoever except it’s a Crower) but left the carburetion stock. This engine apparently came stock with a four barrel cast iron intake and a 4-to-2 barrel adaptor upon which sat a well-worn Motorcraft unit. He was having some issues with idle and poor performance and someone suggested a new ignition. He purchased a PerTronix module to replace the points and a new coil which did help but pulling out the manual throttle was still necessary for any idle. When I looked at what he had and heard it run it I suggested we time it correctly and then look to replace the intake and carb. For simplicity sake, I suggested a Weiand Stealth and the tried and true 1406 Edelbrock knowing that we didn’t have any extra clearance under the hood.
We had a great afternoon removing the old and installing the new. He knows little to nothing and was very eager to learn as we worked together – cleaning things up as we went and just enjoying turning wrenches. Also put in a set of Bosch gages and a tach as a part of the process that look right at home in the Bronco – tach on the steering column with a hose clamp of course! Started right up and I got things dialed in about dark (which was at the end of my physical endurance cycle!) and I suggested he take it for a spin in the morning and let me know. I got this text this morning:
“Hey there friend! Took it out today to get gas… It ran flawlessly and had TONS of power. I cannot thank you enough! Truly grateful for your help and friendship!!”
He couldn’t believe I really wanted to help him until my wife assured him, “He lives for this stuff…. Really, he does.” Yup, I do – it’s a great way to spend time with and invest in the lives of other people and I’m sure there will be more Bronco time – I can’t wait.
Regards All,
Glenn
