Here it is! My BII!

[stephan325i]

I recently purchased a 1985 BII with only 98,000 original miles. I did not test drive it... when i saw it, i bought it, and the first drive i made with it was from leadville Colorado, to Oshkosh Wisconsin. No problems the whole way. Was a little slow making the passes in Colorado, but once i got down to sea level it drove better than the 93 explorer xlt i just sold. ( i would have never drove that thing across the country.)


I found this when i noticed the roof of it over top of some trees hidden back in a store yard. It was a courtesy vehicle for the leadville airport that hardly got driven. Here is the first time i saw the whole truck.

It has the 2.8L with the Mitsubishi 5spd.

There was no rust on it....until I drove it back to the salt covered roads of Wisconsin. Now there's a little surface rust that will be eliminated this spring with the complete paint job. The only damage to the body was a bent in rocker panel and a dent in the lower front corner of the passenger front quarter panel.

Click here for a bunch more pictures of it.

So far my plans are:

Almost complete interior replacement from a newer EB BII if it fits. I am going to replace the seats that are in it now with explorer seats (~93-99). Want to make it look like the following picture.

From this,

NEED a 4.0, prefer a 4.0 OHV from like a 97 mountaineer. Need the added power. This 2.8 is a dog.

I'm not going big with the tires. i have a set of steeles that will be painted to coordinate with the paint job i put on the body, and im just going to wrap them with 235/75 r 15 that fill the wheel wells a little better. (my cousins buick has bigger tires on it than this thing does now)

Thats just the begining. Maybe once i have some more money ill look into a suspensin lift and some bigger tires, but for now its more about drivability with some style and speed.

Any advice or input is more than welcome, if not encouraged.





Stories so far in the two months i have owned it..........

IT DOESNT GET STUCK ANYWHERE. Thats all i have to say. I have tried, it just keeps moving.

 

[rookieshooter]

Nice find indeed. Sounds like you got some good plans for this.
Any plans for a V8? Reason I mentioned it is that you got the kind of heater box that you don't have to redo for the valve covers LOL No AC right?
V8 or not, do what you want.

 

[stephan325i]

Nice find indeed. Sounds like you got some good plans for this.
Any plans for a V8? Reason I mentioned it is that you got the kind of heater box that you don't have to redo for the valve covers LOL No AC right?
V8 or not, do what you want.

As for right now, there are no plans for the V8 swap. I have been asked that by many people. My cousin included, who can typically get me to do anything to my truck. But for right now i just want somethign that runs better, smoother, and gets decent gas mileage. Once i graduate college and buy my first new or newer vehicle then i think anything is game.

It is set up for the V8 your right, no a/c, plenty of room, it has crossed my mind.... for way down the road future plans. 4.0 OHV is all the bigger im going so far.

 

[410Fortune]

nice find! and thanks for using the pic of my interior as your goal! it has been alot of work and alot of years to keep the BII nice nice

4.0L OHV from a 93-94 Ranger 5 speed would be your best bet IMO! bolt it in, change your fuel system to EFI and GO

Thats a heck of a drive, I bet you have 3.27 gears = ouch in the Rockies!

BIIs rule

 

[stephan325i]

nice find! and thanks for using the pic of my interior as your goal! it has been alot of work and alot of years to keep the BII nice nice

4.0L OHV from a 93-94 Ranger 5 speed would be your best bet IMO! bolt it in, change your fuel system to EFI and GO

Thats a heck of a drive, I bet you have 3.27 gears = ouch in the Rockies!

BIIs rule

I looked for days to try and find where i got that picture from, i wanted to ask the owner questions..... And here you are... I new someone would know who it belonged to. Would you be able to give me a more detailed list of what you did and maybe how you did it to get your interior that way. (will those door panels fit into a '85?)

I was talking with some other people that said that the 97 4.0 ohv would be pretty much a direct fit also, using the wiring harness and ECU from like a 93 explorer. And that for now, my 5spd would mount right to the 4.0 block and hold me over till i can afford to buy like a newer 5spd. from like a mountaineer.

Like i said, any and all opinions are encouraged.

Not sure what gears are in it, but.... i did 35 all the way up to the Eisenhower tunnel from silverthorn. left it in second, flashers on, kept going, didnt over heat, no problems, besides taking ten years to get to the top. ha.

 

[stephan325i]

Im keeping basically the same paint job i think, just want to get it shiny and a little brighter colors. So Photoshop helped me come up with these rough ideas.

Original:

Idea 1:

Idea 2:

 

[410Fortune]

I remember those days! 35 up to eisenhouer!

the door panels, trim, headliner are from a 1990 BII eddie Bauer, 89-90 Rangers and BII's will have these panels.
I re-painted the arm rest pads with vinyl paint
I had to custom wire up the window/lock switches, using my 1988 wiring, but it was a bit different so some custom wiring was needed
the dash is all 1988, painted with vinyl "mocha" paint
the seats are powered 1998 eddie bauer explorer, heated, I wired up the heat

I am one of the people who has been helping you with your 4.0L conversion questions, you can use that 97 engine, heck you can use a 4.0L OHV from 1990 - 2001, I recommend a 93-94 5 speed donor for ease of wiring , but a 93-94 used engine with low miles may be hard to locate, so 93 wiring with any year OHV 4.0L (say 97-01 Ranger) would work great in your truck! You will need fuel lines and pumps from a 89-90 BII also

 

[stephan325i]

I remember those days! 35 up to eisenhouer!

the door panels, trim, headliner are from a 1990 BII eddie Bauer, 89-90 Rangers and BII's will have these panels.
I re-painted the arm rest pads with vinyl paint
I had to custom wire up the window/lock switches, using my 1988 wiring, but it was a bit different so some custom wiring was needed
the dash is all 1988, painted with vinyl "mocha" paint
the seats are powered 1998 eddie bauer explorer, heated, I wired up the heat

I just found a salvage yard that has four 88 BII, two 87, and a 86. Im sure there will be some parts that i can use from these. I will be painting the vinal, but need to replace the dash first, its cracked from drying in the sun. Im going to call them back and see if they have any eddie bauer rangers right now.

 

[410Fortune]

hmmmm not sure the Ranger ever came in eddie bauer
any 89-90 BII or Ranger will have that style door panels, the "mocha" color I needed (to match my 98 seats) just happened to be in a 90 BII Eddie Bauer

When looking for parts for your BII dont forget MANY parts from 91-94 explorers will work

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

nice bronco ii

 

[stephan325i]

nice bronco ii

Thanks, always appreciate the compliments!

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

no problem

stephan did u used to have a beemer or do u like the bmw 325i

 

[donlightbody]

no rust with co plates? wow. My 88 BII never had rust untill I brought her here. Nice find!

 

[stephan325i]

no problem

stephan did u used to have a beemer or do u like the bmw 325i

My very first car was a 1986 BMW325i. it was the vehicle i learned to work on engines with. I got it for free with a serp belt that was shreaded and because of that.... Bend valves, broken rockers, and one broke head bolt. Along with a little body work and paint.... it was the beginning of this beautiful thing called being my own auto mechanic.

I have owned my fair share of cool vehicles, i think the only one that beats the BII though was a 1976 toyota land cruiser. Smerf blue with white top, 31 10.50, 4 spd, straight 6.

 

[stephan325i]

no rust with co plates? wow. My 88 BII never had rust untill I brought her here. Nice find!

This vehicle did not get driven much, and up until the last year (07-08) it was inside in a airplane hanger. I cant wait to paint it and get rid of all the rust. Plus the idea of a nice shiny clear coat just drives me to get it done sooner than later. Either spring break, or after my semester is out.

What part of CO are you in? i used to live in Breckenridge, now i have a house out in Leadville. And my house in Wisconsin that i rent where i go to school.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

i love beemers as well.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Cool find- I love older rides. Have fun with 'er!

 

[410Fortune]

the yards I buy my used engines from test them before they pull them

You will need alot more then just the engine!

those tan door panels are SWEET!!! manual windows = cool! never seen that

FYI my dash pad was red from the factory
my carpet, headliner, trim, interior panels, door panels, and cargo bedside panels all came from the same 1990 EB BII, only my dash is still 1988 style

My 1998 seats also required fabricated brackets to bolt them in, but if you can find 2 door explorer seat tracks they will bolt in

before you go buying any engines you need to research what is involved
I spent 6 months and about $6000 converting my 1988 to a 5.0L V8 drivetrain
The 4.0L conversion can be done MUCH MUCH cheaper BUT there are still many decisions to be made, like what t case, transmission, computer, and then finally year engine

What are you going to use this truck for?
You want a stick or manual transmission?

wood grain dash is easy enough to find, or you can paint your silver piece
My interior has parts from 1986 to 2001 in it, not all shades of "mocha" match, but with some custom mixed vinyl paint I am able to get parts close enough!
the hard part of your interior to find these days, is a non burnt, non cracked dash pad... in CO they are like Gold.
I have seen 2 in the last 5 years with no cracks, one is painted and in my truck (has now cracked), the other is waiting to go in

 

[stephan325i]

the yards I buy my used engines from test them before they pull them

You will need alot more then just the engine!

those tan door panels are SWEET!!! manual windows = cool! never seen that

FYI my dash pad was red from the factory
my carpet, headliner, trim, interior panels, door panels, and cargo bedside panels all came from the same 1990 EB BII, only my dash is still 1988 style

My 1998 seats also required fabricated brackets to bolt them in, but if you can find 2 door explorer seat tracks they will bolt in

before you go buying any engines you need to research what is involved
I spent 6 months and about $6000 converting my 1988 to a 5.0L V8 drivetrain
The 4.0L conversion can be done MUCH MUCH cheaper BUT there are still many decisions to be made, like what t case, transmission, computer, and then finally year engine

What are you going to use this truck for?
You want a stick or manual transmission?

wood grain dash is easy enough to find, or you can paint your silver piece
My interior has parts from 1986 to 2001 in it, not all shades of "mocha" match, but with some custom mixed vinyl paint I am able to get parts close enough!
the hard part of your interior to find these days, is a non burnt, non cracked dash pad... in CO they are like Gold.
I have seen 2 in the last 5 years with no cracks, one is painted and in my truck (has now cracked), the other is waiting to go in

I was excited when i found those door panels with the manual windows, i did not want to switch to electric windows yet.

I wish i could find a complete interior for this, i would change it all for sure then, but the only BII i found were red or Grey or blue. no tans or mocha. If i can find a complete interior i will do that for sure. As for the dash pad. i think ill just drop the money on one of these http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fr/full.aspx?Page=95

There were plenty of explorer sports in the yard, im would have no problem finding the seat rails from one.

I have decided just sitting here and thinking that im going to just stick with the 4.0. I dont need any more than that. For now i want to just use the trans and t case that i have now. I think im going to try and find a whole package out of a mid 90's explorer. Engine, wiring, ECU. I Think i want to stick with the manual transmission, but sometimes it gets irritatin shifting all the time as i live in the City of oshkosh.

The vehicle is now and probably will only be my daily driver. If i get this done in a year and a half it will be a present to my little brother who turns 16. If he doesn't want it i will just keep it and maintain it for life. its such a cool vehicle i would not mind having it for permanent second vehicle.

Thanks again for all the input. helps me decide what i want to do .

 

[stephan325i]

Going to buy parts monday.

I am going to pick up the parts for the interior swap. Im going with the tan door pannels, and the mocha/tan seats.

I just want to make sure before i do purchase anything that....:

The door panels from a 91' Ford ranger, standard cab. will fit in a 85 ford bronco II which has the same doors as far as i can tell.

And....

That the seats out of like a 97 explorer EB with the seat rails from a early 90's explorer sport will match up with the bolt holes that are existing in the 85 bronco II. (a little fab is ok if i have to here.)

Thanks for the help.