Redneckfordf250
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- April 9, 2014
- Messages
- 227
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Backwoods of AZ
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 94Explorer 96ranger
Ok so Blue thunder has been with us since 2011.
When my dad went to go look for some tools he saw off to the side a Bronco 2 sitting their so sad he had to ask about it. We had just lot our 84 Bronco 2 4x4 with a perfect body due to a house fire. So when he asked the price of the Bronco 2 just sitting their so sad the lady who owned it said $400.
My dad barely had the money but missed his Bronco 2 so much he didn't care (the 84 we bought before this one was to replace the 87 Eddie baure he bought brand new but had to give to his dad).
So I had no idea about this bronco 2 till he got home with it and I tell you what you knew he got home with it.
Specs on the truck:
84 Bronco 2 4x4 TK5 eddie baure with manual everything. Tan interior and originally had orange exterior. 325K miles on the body which was an Ohio plow truck and 125K on the engine trans and t-case which were replaced.
Problems with this truck:
The rocker shield, bumper, lights were all missing and the grille was off a explorer.
The doors sucked big time
it was rattle canned very poorly a blue that was peeling everywhere and needed to be fixed the orange and primer was showing through.
The hatch glass was made to open but they broke the handle to open the hatch, the hinges for the glass, and glued it shut.
their was rust on the frame like crazy, the body had quite a bit of rust but not as bad as some. This is my first truck that has rust though.
The wheels were rusting and were actually for a trailer not a car.
the tires rubbed at full lock from the spring sag.
No exhaust from the exhaust manifolds back.
the front seats were trashed along with headliner
the wiring is a hack job but works.
the windshield was cracked
it didn't have the common starter problems.
and probably more I couldn't think of.
The good on the truck:
it runs and drives great (when she doesn't have it's 325K mile problems or poor previous owner taking care of it).
it was great to get my dad to stop moping over loosing 2 bronco 2s within his life.
had almost brand new tires on it
the rest of the glass was great shape.
I don't have pics when I first got it as I didn't have a camera at the time and to me it wasn't pic worthy.
so for about 3 days I ran it like it was. Next my buddy called me up and said he has a Bronco 2 that he is parting out. I rush over their and we grab the front clip parts we needed and right away installed everything minus the front bumper as I had to cut the bolts off.
Ignore the truck next to it I buy trucks with problems and fix them up.
Then while driving down the road the shifter came out. Had a guy whom said he was a transmission guy out at my place so let him look at it he said transmission shifter housing broke. I was like damn it so I parked it till I could source one.
It was about 2 months later that I sourced a transmission that was the same at a reasonable price since nobody would sell the shifter housing. It was $75 for the trans, tcase and both drive shafts.
It was about a week after that I had time to address that problem and pulled the shifter housing off the bronco 2 only to find out that the transmission housing wasn't broken
So I took the old one off and put the new one on anyways because I wanted the stock shifter.
Scared the crap out of all of my mom's friends that were here they thought the puny V6 was a monster truck (still was running just the manifolds)
A few days later I got tired of running through town with cops following me so I went to autzone and picked up a thrush glass pack. Went home and grabbed some exhaust pipe I had laying around and ran it like it was. The truck is non catalyst so I left the cat off besides I don't have emissions. It was still a little loud but it stopped cops from following me through town and stopped giving me and my dad a headache. LOL
Then went back to the yard I grabbed the transmission from and grabbed the seats, hitch, and gauge cluster silver one from the bronco 2 their. Also found a 97 ranger with gray interior and grabbed the console.
Came back installed everything and also installed a radio as I was tired of no radio. It was just a el cheapo radio cassete from a old travel trailer but it worked and I didn't care (I was using this as a beater truck)
Got everything for $70
Pics of everything installed after a little light mudding:
Out trailing with one of my trailers:
ended up having a buddy join us and go out to his place:
for a while I did nothing to the truck minus drive the wheels off of it. I drove pretty much everywhere where I am and it did awesome
even cooler part is she pulled things when I needed to all I had to do was put her in granny and 4 low:
finally after several months of doing nothing to it but driving it my dad broke out the old Gloss black rattle can and painted the wheels and hitch they looked better and even helped the truck out:
then the buddy that sold us the parts for the trucks front clip called and said he wants that bronco 2 in his brothers yard out of their. We could pick it up for free if we towed his trailer their and back with a small load their. So I grabbed our 02 F250 and hooked up:
right away after the trip I got sick for a few days but once I was better I grabbed the drivers door which on Blue thunder quit shutting:
also grabbed the front left fender:
by the way that isn't me in any of the pics I show.
I hadn't aligned the door correctly yet so I had to tie it shut and lean the old door against it:
replaced the other fender and my dad broke out the rattle can to keep some of the rust down in some spots:
the alignment wasn't the best but it worked (I think the truck may have been in a slow speed accident:
my dad painted the spare tire black and threw this baby moon on it (no idea why)
then came time to install the headliner I know it is red but at the time I didn't care that old headliner kept driving me nuts it wouldn't come out perfect so I did the best I could with what I had:
installed the visors too because the old ones were ripped up:
got tired of the tires rubbing so I pulled them off and ran the 16" wheels that came on the bronco 2 in the front:
then installed the roof rack since my dad's old 87 had one:
then came some parts I was missing on blue thunder inside. Again I know they are red but one day I will get paint to paint it:
finally tail lights that weren't broken:
After that I took it offroading and the fuel gauge start working. Hasn't quit since. Unfortunately speedometer still doesn't
After all that work drove her like that for quite a while. Talked about trading her for something bigger and nicer but every deal we set up the person sounded and looked interested said they were then a few days later backed out (except one where my mom backed us out I would have had a 87 diesel 4x4 centoruion but mom hated it) LOL
gave up trying to sell her and went back to driving it requarly around the ranch and to and from town for small errands. I had gone from driving a 86 F150 4x4 302 with leveling kit back to driving this so I kinda kept thinking the Bronco 2 could pull what the F150 could and one day she decided to stop. I was pulling my water trailer back up front from my horses and since I got a new lot I tried a different way and after getting that way it turns out it was uphill while going up it I couldn't back down again so had to go up it towing 250 gallons of water on the truck bed trailer posted above and I smelled the clutch just burning (I knew it was on it's way out anyways) trying to climb that hill I shifted through the gears all the way to 4th while in 4wd and finally got up it and took the trailer off. I moved the truck and parked it then went back to drive it again put it in reverse backed up a couple feet and it stopped. Just reved up but wouldn't drive. I tried every gear including 4wd and nothing so I left it where it was grabbed my youngest brother and hooked a chain to it and pulled it to where I parked it. Had my dad check it out and sure enough I toasted the clutch finally.
My dad slowly taped off the bronco 2 and bought cans of Royal blue rattle can to paint the truck one color. Took about a month to finish painting and wasn't the best but he liked it, it was one color (was white, red, blue, green, orange, and more) LOL
also replaced both front windows with ones that were tinted, then also broke the latch which we after painting fixed, and I got ticked off at it one day and kicked the fender in. LOL No I didn't take care of the rust yet.
halfway through painting it:
painted and re assembled:
After letting it sit for a few months till about February of this year (2014) I finally grabbed the clutch I had laying around with very few miles and gained the courage to get it running again. Installed the clutch and fired her up and she was ready to go again. I had to get it running since I had stopped running it to get my F150 going which blew up the engine.
Here are some more pics of between then and now:
The rust:
Jacked up the rear to get under it (I wish it sat this high all around:
what was left of the clutch I killed
Paint peeled a bit in the corner after getting her running but will touch up soon with my 88 F150 and brother's 91 F250
Then I picked up some door panels same color in a bit better shape cheap at the junkyard I know the handle below is a explorer handle but I replaced it with the correct ones but didn't get a pic
painted the carb air cleaner cover black (still have to do the rest)
Picked up V6 and bucking bronco emblems painted them white and put them on:
also installed the cover that goes over the solenoid.
That brings us today. She was parked a few days to get the explorer running:
helping her little sister get running:
As of today here is what is going on.
She needs rear brakes soon.
She has a problem of the battery draining overnight
only runs on 4 cyls (needs a tune up bad)
needs windshield installed (now have)
and has a few small things needed.
Future plans:
swap front clip to 2nd gen (I now have everything) these sealed beam headlights suck compared to 2nd gen lights
swap doors to small mirror style with better door panels from 2nd gen ranger (have)
fix small problems on it
repair the rust
small lift maybe
4.0L swap one day
fix dash
upgrade stereo
and a few more things I probably am forgetting.
It is going to my brother so I don't have much of a say it is mostly his and my dad's. I just work on it and drive it.
Trav
When my dad went to go look for some tools he saw off to the side a Bronco 2 sitting their so sad he had to ask about it. We had just lot our 84 Bronco 2 4x4 with a perfect body due to a house fire. So when he asked the price of the Bronco 2 just sitting their so sad the lady who owned it said $400.
My dad barely had the money but missed his Bronco 2 so much he didn't care (the 84 we bought before this one was to replace the 87 Eddie baure he bought brand new but had to give to his dad).
So I had no idea about this bronco 2 till he got home with it and I tell you what you knew he got home with it.
Specs on the truck:
84 Bronco 2 4x4 TK5 eddie baure with manual everything. Tan interior and originally had orange exterior. 325K miles on the body which was an Ohio plow truck and 125K on the engine trans and t-case which were replaced.
Problems with this truck:
The rocker shield, bumper, lights were all missing and the grille was off a explorer.
The doors sucked big time
it was rattle canned very poorly a blue that was peeling everywhere and needed to be fixed the orange and primer was showing through.
The hatch glass was made to open but they broke the handle to open the hatch, the hinges for the glass, and glued it shut.
their was rust on the frame like crazy, the body had quite a bit of rust but not as bad as some. This is my first truck that has rust though.
The wheels were rusting and were actually for a trailer not a car.
the tires rubbed at full lock from the spring sag.
No exhaust from the exhaust manifolds back.
the front seats were trashed along with headliner
the wiring is a hack job but works.
the windshield was cracked
it didn't have the common starter problems.
and probably more I couldn't think of.
The good on the truck:
it runs and drives great (when she doesn't have it's 325K mile problems or poor previous owner taking care of it).
it was great to get my dad to stop moping over loosing 2 bronco 2s within his life.
had almost brand new tires on it
the rest of the glass was great shape.
I don't have pics when I first got it as I didn't have a camera at the time and to me it wasn't pic worthy.
so for about 3 days I ran it like it was. Next my buddy called me up and said he has a Bronco 2 that he is parting out. I rush over their and we grab the front clip parts we needed and right away installed everything minus the front bumper as I had to cut the bolts off.
Ignore the truck next to it I buy trucks with problems and fix them up.
Then while driving down the road the shifter came out. Had a guy whom said he was a transmission guy out at my place so let him look at it he said transmission shifter housing broke. I was like damn it so I parked it till I could source one.
It was about 2 months later that I sourced a transmission that was the same at a reasonable price since nobody would sell the shifter housing. It was $75 for the trans, tcase and both drive shafts.
It was about a week after that I had time to address that problem and pulled the shifter housing off the bronco 2 only to find out that the transmission housing wasn't broken
So I took the old one off and put the new one on anyways because I wanted the stock shifter.
Scared the crap out of all of my mom's friends that were here they thought the puny V6 was a monster truck (still was running just the manifolds)
A few days later I got tired of running through town with cops following me so I went to autzone and picked up a thrush glass pack. Went home and grabbed some exhaust pipe I had laying around and ran it like it was. The truck is non catalyst so I left the cat off besides I don't have emissions. It was still a little loud but it stopped cops from following me through town and stopped giving me and my dad a headache. LOL
Then went back to the yard I grabbed the transmission from and grabbed the seats, hitch, and gauge cluster silver one from the bronco 2 their. Also found a 97 ranger with gray interior and grabbed the console.
Came back installed everything and also installed a radio as I was tired of no radio. It was just a el cheapo radio cassete from a old travel trailer but it worked and I didn't care (I was using this as a beater truck)
Got everything for $70
Pics of everything installed after a little light mudding:
Out trailing with one of my trailers:
ended up having a buddy join us and go out to his place:
for a while I did nothing to the truck minus drive the wheels off of it. I drove pretty much everywhere where I am and it did awesome
even cooler part is she pulled things when I needed to all I had to do was put her in granny and 4 low:
finally after several months of doing nothing to it but driving it my dad broke out the old Gloss black rattle can and painted the wheels and hitch they looked better and even helped the truck out:
then the buddy that sold us the parts for the trucks front clip called and said he wants that bronco 2 in his brothers yard out of their. We could pick it up for free if we towed his trailer their and back with a small load their. So I grabbed our 02 F250 and hooked up:
right away after the trip I got sick for a few days but once I was better I grabbed the drivers door which on Blue thunder quit shutting:
also grabbed the front left fender:
by the way that isn't me in any of the pics I show.
I hadn't aligned the door correctly yet so I had to tie it shut and lean the old door against it:
replaced the other fender and my dad broke out the rattle can to keep some of the rust down in some spots:
the alignment wasn't the best but it worked (I think the truck may have been in a slow speed accident:
my dad painted the spare tire black and threw this baby moon on it (no idea why)
then came time to install the headliner I know it is red but at the time I didn't care that old headliner kept driving me nuts it wouldn't come out perfect so I did the best I could with what I had:
installed the visors too because the old ones were ripped up:
got tired of the tires rubbing so I pulled them off and ran the 16" wheels that came on the bronco 2 in the front:
then installed the roof rack since my dad's old 87 had one:
then came some parts I was missing on blue thunder inside. Again I know they are red but one day I will get paint to paint it:
finally tail lights that weren't broken:
After that I took it offroading and the fuel gauge start working. Hasn't quit since. Unfortunately speedometer still doesn't
After all that work drove her like that for quite a while. Talked about trading her for something bigger and nicer but every deal we set up the person sounded and looked interested said they were then a few days later backed out (except one where my mom backed us out
I would have had a 87 diesel 4x4 centoruion but mom hated it) LOLgave up trying to sell her and went back to driving it requarly around the ranch and to and from town for small errands. I had gone from driving a 86 F150 4x4 302 with leveling kit back to driving this so I kinda kept thinking the Bronco 2 could pull what the F150 could and one day she decided to stop. I was pulling my water trailer back up front from my horses and since I got a new lot I tried a different way and after getting that way it turns out it was uphill while going up it I couldn't back down again so had to go up it towing 250 gallons of water on the truck bed trailer posted above and I smelled the clutch just burning (I knew it was on it's way out anyways) trying to climb that hill I shifted through the gears all the way to 4th while in 4wd and finally got up it and took the trailer off. I moved the truck and parked it then went back to drive it again put it in reverse backed up a couple feet and it stopped. Just reved up but wouldn't drive. I tried every gear including 4wd and nothing so I left it where it was grabbed my youngest brother and hooked a chain to it and pulled it to where I parked it. Had my dad check it out and sure enough I toasted the clutch finally.
My dad slowly taped off the bronco 2 and bought cans of Royal blue rattle can to paint the truck one color. Took about a month to finish painting and wasn't the best but he liked it, it was one color (was white, red, blue, green, orange, and more) LOL
also replaced both front windows with ones that were tinted, then also broke the latch which we after painting fixed, and I got ticked off at it one day and kicked the fender in. LOL No I didn't take care of the rust yet.
halfway through painting it:
painted and re assembled:
After letting it sit for a few months till about February of this year (2014) I finally grabbed the clutch I had laying around with very few miles and gained the courage to get it running again. Installed the clutch and fired her up and she was ready to go again. I had to get it running since I had stopped running it to get my F150 going which blew up the engine.
Here are some more pics of between then and now:
The rust:
Jacked up the rear to get under it (I wish it sat this high all around:
what was left of the clutch I killed
Paint peeled a bit in the corner after getting her running but will touch up soon with my 88 F150 and brother's 91 F250
Then I picked up some door panels same color in a bit better shape cheap at the junkyard I know the handle below is a explorer handle but I replaced it with the correct ones but didn't get a pic
painted the carb air cleaner cover black (still have to do the rest)
Picked up V6 and bucking bronco emblems painted them white and put them on:
also installed the cover that goes over the solenoid.
That brings us today. She was parked a few days to get the explorer running:
helping her little sister get running:
As of today here is what is going on.
She needs rear brakes soon.
She has a problem of the battery draining overnight
only runs on 4 cyls (needs a tune up bad)
needs windshield installed (now have)
and has a few small things needed.
Future plans:
swap front clip to 2nd gen (I now have everything) these sealed beam headlights suck compared to 2nd gen lights
swap doors to small mirror style with better door panels from 2nd gen ranger (have)
fix small problems on it
repair the rust
small lift maybe
4.0L swap one day
fix dash
upgrade stereo
and a few more things I probably am forgetting.
It is going to my brother so I don't have much of a say it is mostly his and my dad's. I just work on it and drive it.
Trav
