First vehical...White/red 89 Ford Bronco II, 4x4, great condition, hated it then it grew on me.  Brakes went out, used a tree to stop and totaled the front.  Insurence wouldnt touch it (damn PLPD ) so its sat at my friends along with 2 of my other accidents (deer) waiting to be torn down and sold for scrap and parts.  Few weeks ago I finally started to tear into it and found it really wouldnt take much to fix it back up, and theres plenty of Broncos sitting in junk yards.  So my origional plan to restore it for show went back into action. 

Got the front finished up about 2 weeks ago and moved onto the exhaust since the old one was rusted to nothing.  Full custom...had it converted over to true duals with glass packs and 3 inch chrome tips 8)  May only be a 2.9 V6 but has a nice low rumble/roar I wasnt expecting.  Just had it done Thursday afternoon.  Been driving it since to give my other truck a little break...and I love listening to the pipes since my other truck wont be getting any   Only problem is that true duals aint exactly legal in this state and many others since theres no catalytics...Also living in town I have to watch the noise at night

Well...tonight I found myself stranded at a gas station in Warsaw...apparently city folk dont think it sounds so nice at 11PM   Was leaving town as well, taking it easy since it was so late.  Not quite to the edge of town...red/blue lights.  Officer .............. comes up ever so friendly asking all the dumb questions and finally the "do you know why I pulled you over?" Apparently I was in violation of the noise ordinance, which would usualy just result in a ticket and a "have a safe ride home".   Couldnt just get a ticket...oh no...officer jacka$$ wouldnt believe me when I said it WAS a perfectly legal exhaust...he had to look for himself   noticed the one thing I hoped he wouldnt...no cats   So, it was taken to an impound lot and I found myself at a nearby gas station trying to call for a ride home.  Funny part is that I know the guy who takes in most of the impounds.  So getting it back tomorrow without a problem and only a little ticket.  Have 30 days to get cats put on it...but thats not going to happen.  Origionaly there were going to be cats, but want to keep backpressure to a minimum and left them off.  So illegal or not I wont be having any put on.  Nice thing about knowing people...its not that hard to create some fake ones that will be nothing more then covers around the pipe   Ol oscer wont be able to cut into my pipes so they wont be able to prove it   ...hear me roar  

So one little set back...next job is going to be a completely new suspension and an engine overhall.  Then interior is going to be completely replaced and customized, but keeping a lot of the origional look.  Getting all new windows/windshield since mine are scratched up.  Then once all the major work is done inside and out its fix a few dents and new paint (keeping origional red on white but brighter white and slightly richer red)...then last step will be new bumpers, mirrors, headlights/trims, tail lights, grill, tires, and rims.

Some people think its a little odd of a vehical to restore.  But to me its a good one.  Not overly old but not many are driving around today (at least in this area), and very few are even close to being in this good of condition.  Plus i've never seen one as a show vehical before so even better on the rarity.  Plus it was my first vehical and for some reason I dont want to get rid of it.  So might as well do something worth while.  Knowing people who can help do most of the work and even the paint it wont cost more then $3000-$4000.  Parts are fairly cheap but taking it to shops would rack up the labor costs way to much.  Looking to finish it within the next 2 years

Will add some pics after I get it back.  Hope to eventualy have some before and after shots if things move faster then expected on the restore.

Its illegal and mildly loud...but my neighbors have no problem with it.  Even had a few good comments about it.  Still quieter then a lot of the trucks in this town...and still quieter then before since it was broken off at the manifolds.  Just part of the culture in this little town.  Your truck is your show piece and it had better have a good sounding exhaust   But unlike some people i'm at least considerate at night.  After 10 PM i dont go around reving it up.  Just take it slow and coast when i can.  Its not an isue here its just a problem when out of town and in the cities.  Small towns are used to it and city folk arnt   Even some of the cops in this town have trucks with illegal exhaust

There is a line some people do cross though, like your neighbor.  Its one thing to have an exhaust that rumbles and roars when you rev it up.  But theres a few cars out there that people use coffee/bean cans and do it themselves and its nothing more then an earshattering, high pitched noise that leaves your ears ringing for an hour.  Those are the people who need to loose it.  Only reason mines in violation is because the cats.  Otherwise its perfectly legal.  Its not like its a deafining roar.  Run strait out the back most of the noise is thrown down the street anyways.  Not anything thats going to wake people up unless i really give her hell through town which I wont do because I cant stand people who do

Quote:

Surely that can't be proper English Mark? You have somehow managed to shoe-horn 'Lada' & 'zooms' into one sentence, which doesn't make sense.



TSC.

Warsaw, Indiana.. ahhh.

Spent three wonderful hours there last July..  

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=photos;action=display;num=...

Here's a funny question:
If it's illegal in Indiana to not have catalytic converters, how do you expect to pass the emissions part of the inspection with fake cats or no cats? 

As for the noise... I am in that camp that would rather hear a Harley or a big-block with duals than just about any badly-tuned  compact "rice-burner"... between them and the VERY badly-tuned motorcycles I hear going by my window, I go half-crazy sometimes.

But there's a limit: sometimes the downshifting semis on the highway next door cause stuff to fall off the shelves...

A Bronco is a lovely thing (although I'd rather restore a '74); enjoy it but please don't be an ass about it. Nobody with even half a brain is impressed by pointless throttling... and the reason city folk aren't too keen on loud exhaust is because they hear a lot more of it, at close quarters, every day.

If the cops pull you over because of loud engines, how come they don't pull over Harleys and Choppers?     

Well...nothing more then a fake casing has been put around the pipes.  Anyone who takes a quick look wouldnt know the difference.  There are no emissions tests here in Indiana

As for compact rice-burner...its compact...but sounds nothing like it.  Took some work but that little 2.9 V6 has quite a low pitch.

Still needs a lot of work and now its becoming more tempting to finally sell it.  Other truck isnt the greatest but lately with work the Broncos been sitting since I need the truck to haul.  Its begining to look more and more like a work that will never end then a show peice.  Still fixing little things but I dont have the time or the money to do what I want with it.  And its not a winter vehical by any means.  Its a very short wheel base and even with just a little snow or ice I find myself sliding all over the place.  Its amazing it survived 2 other winters without getting wrecked  

But the one good thing about it...it can take a deer better then anything else I've seen...past 2 weeks I've had 2 of the 4 legged bastards decide to stand in the road.  Both times it was hit them or go in the ditch.  Caught the rear end of the first one and the head of the second, both got the passenger side corner.  At 45-50 miles an hour the only damage was pushed in headlight and a slight bend in the little bar right above the bumper.  Didnt even feel eather impact...just heard the loud bang.  Cant even tell theres anything wrong unless you get up close   Now, hoping that "third times a charm" doesnt play true though...caught the rear...then the head...that only leaves one thing...hit one full broadside...the trim around the headlights is all metal...however...the grill is nothing more then hard plastic   PLPD doesnt cover deer    And my driving isnt bad...I think in total in the past 2 years i've hit around 10 deer...the roads i take are full of them...and most of the time no matter how fast your going you wont avoid all of them.  After seeing many people go to the hospital this year from swerving, going into a ditch or trees, and flipping vehicals...I think I'de rather take my chances with the deer

Now thinking of finding a mid to late 90s Silverado and sticking with it.  I dont like the look of the new trucks and wont be getting another Ford.  Figure a decent Silverado would be something a little more practical and easier to fix up.  So shall see what happens...if I do sell the Bronco it will be sometime in the spring

expat wrote on Dec 27^th, 2006 at 3:30am:


* Warning-Poltical Content!*  * Warning-Poltical Content!* 

Did you know a gas engine with a catalytic convertor emits more carbon dioxide than one without?