Bronco II

[Elephant_Berls]

I need a car with decent gas milage. Im 17 and i will have to travel about 10 -20 miles a day to school. Well A few days ago i saw a Ford Bronco II for sale. I stoped and got the number but so far the guy hasnt answerd just a ansering machine. Im assuming hes away since its the thanksgiving holidays and all. Well Heres the deal

It apears to have been lifted. Not much but it just looks a little taller. Its in i would say mild shape. I saw a little rust on the tail gate. I looked it over a little it has decent tires. They are a Narrow mud grip style. Also i noticed the inspection sticker expired 12/01. Now from that what would you say its worth. I was hoping he wouldnt want more than 1500.00 us $$.

My dad knows someone selling a late 80's dodge pickup with a edel brock carb for 500.00 but i really need something with good gas milage. Besides im almost 80% sure this bronco is 4wd but i didnt get a chance to look under it to see if it has a front end. Since im sure alot of you are familiar with bronco II's are they good vehicls. What are the most common problems. Also is there any certain thing i should look for and where. I need something dirt cheap that will last me 2 years until i can get through school. Since im going to be focusing on my education i wont have a job if something goes wrong. So would this be a good choice to get something like a bronco II if not what else should i look for. I need something rugged,depandable and most of all good on gas.

 

[88vert]

I had a 89 b2 and it was a real good vehicle the only downside is the tranny mine went out three months after I bought it.But the 2.9 liter motor was great on gas and really moved the little truck along.What year is the b2?

 

[Doug]

I had a 90 bronco II with 150k miles and it never let me down. it was ugly and it made alot of noises and shook going down the road but it ran like a charm.

 

[Elephant_Berls]

thats one of the problems i cant tell what year it is. I will know when i get ahold of the guy. it isnt the pretiest thing ive ever seen but hopefully he wont want too much for it.

 

[Elephant_Berls]

Originally posted by 88vert
I had a 89 b2 and it was a real good vehicle the only downside is the tranny mine went out three months after I bought it.But the 2.9 liter motor was great on gas and really moved the little truck along.What year is the b2?

How are they in the mud. Im hoping i can have a little fun with it also.

 

[88vert]

The short wheelbase makes them great in the mud.I think the 89 and 90 had the front end like the 91 to 94 explorers.All around they are good trucks.But my 92 sport is real good off road too

 

[Doug]

I believe all bronco IIs have a dana 28 front TTB. I know of a few people who have swapped the dana 28 ttb for a dana 35 ttb from an explorer. 410fortune here on the board did.

 

[TFinger2]

I have an 89 B2. Pretty decent truck. My mileage is only 15MPG or so with a 2.9L V6. I don't know if I should be appalled or feel lucky. It was about 19 when I first got it, then I put on some serious tires, a K&N air filter, and a low-restriction muffler and the mielage dropped. I suspect the tires.

I paid 600 for mine, but it had a known blown headgasket. The guy had been running it that way for two years, just changing oil frequently and topping off coolant. I didn't want to put it on the road with main bearings that had been abused by contaminated oil for that long, so I bought another engine at a junkyard for $350 and swapped them. Replacement engine was from CA, old engine was not, so I swapped upper manifold and exhaust manifold. Pretty much works, but engine has one more sensor than old engine had and wiring harness has no connector for it. Idunno what I'm missing.

I hear that the engine is reliable but somewhat prone to cracking heads if it overheats. If that is true, keep an eye on your temp gauge and coolant levels.

Mine refused to start suddenly recently. Turned out one of the screws holding down the Hall effect vanes in the distributor had come adrift inside the distributor. Had to pull distributor. May the fleas of ten thousand camels infest the crotch of the twisted ****** at FOMOCO who decided to put the distributor where you have to remove the upper intake manifold to get to it!! Also, helper managed to lose engine timing while distributor was out, so had a treasure hunt getting TDC on compression found again.

Note: Engine will run with upper intake manifold off and 180 degrees out of time. You get some dandy foot-long flames shooting upwards toward face of helper who lost engine timing. Very impressive light show. Also note that engine runs with upper intake manifold off and distributor in more or less correct time, but absent computer connections and throttle connections, it runs wide open. Generally not a good idea to run it like that for long.

Now back together with old upper intake manifold gasket. Didn't want to put on new gasket till I knew we had it correctly timed. Now I don't want to fool with replacing gasket till Spring. Smokes a mite, probably because of old gasket leaking a little. Weirdest thing is tachometer quit working--sort of runs backward now, starts at redline and drops to about 3500RPM and stays there. No Clue Why.

Second note: I like the little B2. Very small turning radius. Don't like the 2.9 compared to the 4.0 in the wife's Exploder. Would love to have a B2 with the 4.0. Maybe Someday.

Short version--I'm a technical writer, not a mechanic. The B2 is a good little unit with certain quirks. Short wheelbase, high center of gravity means you _can_ roll the little monster if you don't keep your wits. Haven't been in much mud yet, but I have considerable confidence in the truck when the time comes.

Good luck!

 

[RangerX]

For more info on BII's, check out the RRORC board, seems like they have more BII owners than Ranger owners. Also, check the main page at the Ranger Station, lots of tech info.

 

[Elephant_Berls]

i found out it was a 1983 bronco 2 with over 100k on original motor. Its never been overhauld or had any transmision work.

he wants 1900.00 for it. what would be a reasonable offer. Considering i know i will need to replace the motor and trans being its never been overhauld or anything. How much would that cost? for a motor? I need something that will make a 60 mile round trip every day plus be able to have a little fun on weekends.

Is there a chance it wouldnt need to be replaced. Ive heard the guy who owned it was pretty rough on it tho.

think i can do all that for 2500.00 or should i look for something newer?

 

[jimbo74]

i would look for something newer.. i am not dissing bIIs in any way, but that vehicle is my age!

 

[Elephant_Berls]

sugestions ?

 

[jimbo74]

a 91-94 explorers are the best for off road/trail vehicle 95+ are best suited for dd and maybe light duty 4x4ing

 

[MrShorty]

$1900 is too high, IMO. I know individual markets are different, but I bought my stock '87 with a branded title (salesman lied to me), and 87K miles for $2400 plus tax license etc four or five years or so ago.

 

[Doug]

Originally posted by jimabena74
a 91-94 explorers are the best for off road/trail vehicle 95+ are best suited for dd and maybe light duty 4x4ing

BAH! I hit all sorts of crazy trails with my 97