Got my beauty rings powder coated black... Few things...

[Austin26]

First, I'm very happy with the all black look. The silver rings just weren't doing it for me. All black much better.

But... The Torx bolts. THEY SUCK. I stripped 3 and they are $10 EACH. That's for a crappy bolt.

And why Torx bolts? They are so easy to strip (before you jump on me I DO have the correct size Torx plus bit) and not very easy to keep the bit on them. They are not very deep.

When I took them off they had some yellow stuff on the threads... I guess some kind of thread locker? Anyway that stuff dried in the wheel threads and it's preventing the bolts from threading in easily. I have to sit and scrape each hole out and then try to put these in without stripping any more.

Are there any kind of aftermarket replacements that don't cost $600 just for a set of bolts that are garbage?

Not a fan of the Torx.

You could just order your own hardware. I use belmetric.com for my old Honda motorcycle project but I'm sure there are standard sized fastener companies. Buy a $2 plastic caliper from Amazon and measure the dimensions and choose an Allen head or even flanged hex head. On average, belmetric grade 10.9 or 8 run 15-25 cents per and you can get a black oxide finish. I chose black oxide for the motor mounting bolts to make the motorcycle frame and bolt blend together and make the silver engine stand out.

Some antiseize compound would prevent future oxidation and make them easier to remove if you keep the stock ones.

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[SigSauer226]

You could just order your own hardware. I use belmetric.com for my old Honda motorcycle project but I'm sure there are standard sized fastener companies. Buy a $2 plastic caliper from Amazon and measure the dimensions and choose an Allen head or even flanged hex head. On average, belmetric grade 10.9 or 8 run 15-25 cents per and you can get a black oxide finish. I chose black oxide for the motor mounting bolts to make the motorcycle frame and bolt blend together and make the silver engine stand out.

Some antiseize compound would prevent future oxidation and make them easier to remove if you keep the stock ones.

I did some research and it looks like these are unique bolts nobody carries. I'll check out that site though thanks.

 

[gryphon1231]

First, I'm very happy with the all black look. The silver rings just weren't doing it for me. All black much better.

But... The Torx bolts. THEY SUCK. I stripped 3 and they are $10 EACH. That's for a crappy bolt.

And why Torx bolts? They are so easy to strip (before you jump on me I DO have the correct size Torx plus bit) and not very easy to keep the bit on them. They are not very deep.

When I took them off they had some yellow stuff on the threads... I guess some kind of thread locker? Anyway that stuff dried in the wheel threads and it's preventing the bolts from threading in easily. I have to sit and scrape each hole out and then try to put these in without stripping any more.

Are there any kind of aftermarket replacements that don't cost $600 just for a set of bolts that are garbage?

Not a fan of the Torx.

Looks good. I’m not a fan of the silver

 

[Austin26]

I did some research and it looks like these are unique bolts nobody carries. I'll check out that site though thanks.

They have to have a standardized dimension in width, length, and thread pitch. which is all that matters.

 

[MLPAGANO72]

Love that color combo. My first car was a 1966 Mustang I restored and painted it dark green with black interior. Loved it. Where in Jersey are you, there's an Eruption Green Bronco I've seen running around. I'm in Bergen County.

I’m in Medford, NJ. A little more south.

 

[VoltageDrop]

Nicely done!!!. Torx Plus?

Here's a share (trying to get the word out there).... I was doing some crawling through the rocks and scored up one of my rings.

So I'm looking for another set just for crawling. If anyone has a set to sell...

I'm having the same thoughts. I've never had such wide wheels on a crawler and these rings are nearly as wide as the sidewalls! I'm going to look into having some made out of black uhmw or some other composite. Maybe they'd hold up ok because swapping rings seems like a pain.

If the WT didn’t have the darker rings, I could at least ponder the idea—just to be different and unique—but it does…. So it kinda has that “Raptor grille on a Lariat”-feel to me.

But yeah, the silver ring is such a distinct feature on this gen Bronco—it drew me to it, as well. To be honest, without it, along with the headlights, this is a pretty plain-looking vehicle without much character.

Doing a powder coat is the way to do it though. 10 years ago, a lot of guys would’ve gone the Plast-dip route. That never aged well!

Unless you rock crawl. I gouged all 4 rings in one day so I'm glad I didn't have them coated. The rings are a little flashy for me and I like the gray ones people have done but I'd lean toward Plasti dip so I could easily redo them.

They have to have a standardized dimension in width, length, and thread pitch. which is all that matters.

@flip was doing research on this and it turns out they are not standard size heads. Phil, did you ever find suitable replacements?

 

[Wildfire1]

If the WT didn’t have the darker rings, I could at least ponder the idea—just to be different and unique—but it does…. So it kinda has that “Raptor grille on a Lariat”-feel to me.

But yeah, the silver ring is such a distinct feature on this gen Bronco—it drew me to it, as well. To be honest, without it, along with the headlights, this is a pretty plain-looking vehicle without much character.

Doing a powder coat is the way to do it though. 10 years ago, a lot of guys would’ve gone the Plast-dip route. That never aged well!

I Agee totally. I originally was going to order the Wildtrax but two things about it I didn't like. The black beauty rings and the interior colours. If I had gone with the Wildtrax I was going to powder coat the beauty rings as soon as I got it lol But hey, one needs to do what they like and that’s all that’s to it. As for the looks of a Bronco. It reminds me of an international Scout more than a vintage Bronco but we all want one lol.

 

[DSRTR8D]

I Agee totally. I originally was going to order the Wildtrax but two things about it I didn't like. The black beauty rings and the interior colours. If I had gone with the Wildtrax I was going to powder coat the beauty rings as soon as I got it lol But hey, one needs to do what they like and that’s all that’s to it. As for the looks of a Bronco. It reminds me of an international Scout more than a vintage Bronco but we all want one lol.

To each his own for sure. Again, I think both looks are cool, just prefer the silver because it’s original to the trim level... Plus, I couldn’t implement a mod that’s only on a higher trim level. Maybe I could implement one from a lower trim, but never higher.

 

[Wildfire1]

To each his own for sure. Again, I think both looks are cool, just prefer the silver because it’s original to the trim level... Plus, I couldn’t implement a mod that’s only on a higher trim level. Maybe I could implement one from a lower trim, but never higher.

True but I never seen the Wildtrax as a higher trim. In my case I decided to go with the OBX four door, 2.7, Sasquatch,MIC top, Lux, Roof rails, roast leather. Mod bumper and bar. About the only thing that’s missing is one goat mode?
Im about as far from a desert as one can get so it will do if they ever get it built which is supposed to happen on the 31st of this month.

 

[DSRTR8D]

True but I never seen the Wildtrax as a higher trim. In my case I decided to go with the OBX four door, 2.7, Sasquatch,MIC top, Lux, Roof rails, roast leather. Mod bumper and bar. About the only thing that’s missing is one goat mode?
Im about as far from a desert as one can get so it will do if they ever get it built which is supposed to happen on the 31st of this month.

I don’t think you get what you pay for with a WT either, but it is a higher trim according to pricing and amenities.

 

[coadr]

Just chiming in, it’s standard Torx 45 for the wheel bolts, Torx Plus 40 for the “Bronco bolts” on the HD bumper and interior

 

[RescueCheckPT2]

Just chiming in, it’s standard Torx 45 for the wheel bolts, Torx Plus 40 for the “Bronco bolts” on the HD bumper and interior

This seems to be a source of A LOT of confusion here. I have a set of Torx already, and Torx plus on the way. Seems like it’s gonna be some trial and error, and caution, with every bolt on this thing.

Oh, and black beauty rings all day. (Figures they got rid of the powder coated at work last year)

 

[FlyingBronco]

Like somebody else mentioned, impact wrench is the way to go.

 

[DSRTR8D]

This seems to be a source of A LOT of confusion here. I have a set of Torx already, and Torx plus on the way. Seems like it’s gonna be some trial and error, and caution, with every bolt on this thing.

Oh, and black beauty rings all day. (Figures they got rid of the powder coated at work last year)

I used a torque wrench on the modular bumper’s torx bolts to install my Safari Bar. No issues at all. I didn’t know people were having problems.

In general, I can’t stand torx bolts. They seem so Tonka Truck to me.

 

[Wildfire1]

I don’t think you get what you pay for with a WT either, but it is a higher trim according to pricing and amenities.

I think Ford needs to remove a few models to simplify things especially now that they have the Everglades and Raptor. I seen a Base the other day with the Sasquatch package and I was very impressed with it. I think maybe if they just sold the Base then sell you what ever option you wanted they might do well that way. It would be like buying a pizza. Order what you want. Who knows lol.

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