Here it is! My BII!

[410Fortune]

FYI it took me 5 years to find the BII interior I wanted, complete, in showroom condition

Some grandma had a 90 BII garage kept, the truck I found was prestine!!!

The yard also charged me $450 for everything = SUX, I almost walked after spending two hours in the yard pulling everything, I never went back to that yard

 

[stephan325i]

FYI it took me 5 years to find the BII interior I wanted, complete, in showroom condition

Some grandma had a 90 BII garage kept, the truck I found was prestine!!!

The yard also charged me $450 for everything = SUX, I almost walked after spending two hours in the yard pulling everything, I never went back to that yard

Clean out your inbox.... i cant send any more PM's till you do. haha

 

[stephan325i]

Update: a few little things that have been done and need to be done.

Ok its been a while since i have posted on here. Lots has happened since then.

In no particular order.....

It made another trip out west and back with no MAJOR problems. The trip to Leadville CO was smooth sailing. Even did 60 MPH most of the way up to the tunnel on 70. While there i tried to figure out why i was getting such horrible gas milladge. Found out that the engine is not advancing under load. Tested and replaced the ingnition module on the distributor.

Did nothing. there goes $50. did not have the tool to test the other electrical parts. so if you want to give me some advice on where to start figuring out the problem id appreciate it. On the trip back we had to drive down through Buena Vista and Colorado Springs to avoid the "EPIC Blizzard" of denver. So instead of driving through snow, we drove through a freezing rain from Co springs to kansas. Had no power from limon to kansas. Stopped in kansas to figure it out. Turns out the snow and freezing rain had gotten into my air box and it was packed full of snow and the filter was frozed solid. I was getting no air. $8 more and back on the road. Was clear sailing the rest of the way besides a vibration that started somewhere in nebraska. When i got home and did a post trip inspection i found this...

Diff fluid spread all over the underside of the truck....

That was not there when i bought it.


Ok now onto the other things i have done to it so far.

Installed a temporary power distribution box.....

To run power to my installed power seats.

They are so much more comfortable. the lumbar support needs to be fixed on the drivers side.

Had to do some bracket making and interesting techniques to get them mounted, i knew this was going to happen.

The new door panels are in and soon to get vinal paint to match the darker seats.

Before the trip to try and get a little better MPG and maybe some minute bit of power for the hills i removed the air pump for the emissions stuff and installed a shorter belt.

Had a coolant leak from the water pump gasket a while back, fixed that before the trip too.

Another post in a bit for the list of things that NEED to get done soon.

 

[410Fortune]

Looks like the rear pinion seal is toast, make SURE you have fluid in there

Th eBII and early ranger was NOTORIOUS for getting water in the intake, DITCH the factory tube form under the headlight to the airbox, including the exhaust manifold to intake tube pre heater pipe
Your airbox is better off sucking just under hood air then it is having water routed to it!

I have been running a KKM style CAI in my BII for years, with the 2.9L you can even mount the filter DIRECTLY to the throttle body

Heated factory seats RULE! Nice work so far, I like your creative mounting solutions, better then mine!!

if the computer is NOT advancing the timing perhaps your timing PIL has been removed? It may be a REAL simple fix for you

 

[stephan325i]

Looks like the rear pinion seal is toast, make SURE you have fluid in there

Th eBII and early ranger was NOTORIOUS for getting water in the intake, DITCH the factory tube form under the headlight to the airbox, including the exhaust manifold to intake tube pre heater pipe
Your airbox is better off sucking just under hood air then it is having water routed to it!

I have been running a KKM style CAI in my BII for years, with the 2.9L you can even mount the filter DIRECTLY to the throttle body

Heated factory seats RULE! Nice work so far, I like your creative mounting solutions, better then mine!!

if the computer is NOT advancing the timing perhaps your timing PIL has been removed? It may be a REAL simple fix for you

Maybe i shouldn't put any fluid in it.....that way when it explodes i can finally justify buying a donor explorer and do a powertrain and drivetranin swap. Put the 8.8 in it and get rid of that small front dana......(i would really like to do a SAS in front.... im trying to justify that too.



Intake tube is coming off in thirty min. Thanks for that.


I did not end up getting heated seats, there just powered, adjustable, with lumbar and side cushins inflate. Just having a seat that supports my back and actually works is great. My grandpa is the genius behind the mounting solutions. The passanger side is even more amazing. He welded some sweet brackets.

What is a PIL? I did some research on it, what i found was people saying it could be the TIF(ignition module), bad wiring, bad hull sensor, or ECU. It should be advancing, but it is not, so hopefully you can help me work through it and start getting better than 12 mpg highway.



More pictures in a little bit too. Im heading home where the camera is and i plan on another large post of "whats next" items.

 

[stephan325i]

Okay... The "Whats Next"

So again in no particular order as of right now....Some things i have figured out and plan on doing. With pictures.


Whats wrong with this picture? Ill give you a hint....A buick has 205/70 R15.....

Im not going huge with tires yet. For now i have a set of 235/75 R15 from a explorer. Really good tread. Black steel wheels. Just something to make it look like less of a car on steroids and more like a suv that was the runt of its litter.

As you saw in the pictures on the last post.. Either a diff rebuild or a 8.8 swap is in order. The seals are going out and well, with the bigger engine going in at some point in time (4.0) might as well do the bigger axle now.

On the note of axles i think i want to do a SAS in front. remove a bunch of weight, and find something stronger. The only thing i dont want to give up is the manual lockers. I like them, i know when there engaged or not. Hopefully i can find the 8.8 with discs too. This is going to be a life long vehicle. not a daily driver maybe, but it will always be in my shop (when i build one) so why not have great breaks.

It needs a new radio. BAD. so after i put some 6.5 in the doors, some 5x7 in the rear, i plan on building into my rear lift gate either four 8" subs or two 10". im going to cut out plastic from the rear gates panel and fab some custom fiberglass sub boxes in the holes seen here...

Oh and im sill looking for the rest of my tan interior, carpet, rear seats (maybe reupholster the old ones), trim pieces, headliner, visors from a newer explorer (lights and mirrors). I would say a new dash pad or what ever its called, but apparently 410 owns the last one alive thats not sun cracked. And i dont know if i can justify the price for one from LMC.

Still need an Engine and a 5 spd tranny from a 1st gen exp... im keeping the manual t-case.


And lastly... for all mechanical parts i need.....engine, driveshafts, ecu, wiring harness, aluminum wheels, etc...... i am kicking myself for this every day... when i bought the BII i sold this.....

FOR ONLY $600 with a bad tranny. all the parts i needed were there in working condition. Crap. oh well.


More to come as its built...

 

[410Fortune]

a ranger 8.8 will bolt in, if you can live with drums and 28 spline axles


You can do a cheap and easy dana 30 SAS, loook at the writeup done by James Marcy or username thejeepshop on here, perfect for a Bronco II on the cheap and easy, lightweight...

 

[stephan325i]

Its been a while, with little forward progress, but thats what happens when you get boat and have to work all the time when not boating. ha

So i have rebuilt the healiner, replaced door fabric to match headliner, wrapped rear hatch pannel in fabric to match.

I removed the front lower plastic spoiler thing to give a higher appearance. worked, then i found a sweet deal on some 31 10.50 BFG so i bought them and when i went to test fit on a stock suspension i found out that they fit, with minor triming and rolling. Not for wheeling yet, but for daily driving they look sweet.

Things still on the list to do when time and money magically appear...
Engine swap
paint interior pannels and exterior
small body lift.



One thing i NEED now since i did bigger tires is new tie rod ends. The 31s really brought out the fact that mine are SHOTTTTTTTT. I saw a thread where someone built their own. If any one knows who did this i would love to know so i can find out how to build my own. Local parts store prices for all the pieces i need is over $170.

More pictures to come when more work is done.

 

[stephan325i]

More work done/to get done

This weekend i did some custom work when installing a hitch.

Also i purchased the donor vehicle for the engine and rear axle swap.

I need to find a front axle.

Pictures and Details to come!

 

[stephan325i]

got some stuff done, and more stuff to come!

Here is some quick pictures of the donor vehicle

And then i took some time and money, and more time to put a hitch on the BII. Had to cut the bumper, the frame, the gas tank skid plate. So lots of cutting, but it looks sweet....

And look what i can do now without borrowing my grandpas truck!!!

 

[stephan325i]

Update

So i have had some time to get a little her and a little there done. This is just a quick picture update for anyone who is following.

Pulled the engine out so first things first, radiator, trans cooler and AC radiators removed.

Then motor mounts and exhaust bolts, along with all wiring going from engine to body is removed from the body side and pulled with the motor.

After removing the tcase and trans mounts the engine and trans were pulled together.

Which created the problem of the cherry picker not lifting high enough go clear the trans from the engine bay.

Enter HEMAN. LOL (me)

once i got it set on the body, i had to lift yet again to clear everyting else when we rolled the picker back.

Once we got it pulled out i seperated the trans from the engine, since the trans is bad. Which by the way i need help identifying which trans this is. A4LD, 4R44, or 4R55.

Thats all the pics i have from the engine pull. Next post is the firewall removal.

 

[stephan325i]

Firewall removal from EX for BII

Since im using basically EVERYtHIng from the explorer for the BII i took the firewall out too. im using it because i am also using the HVAC system, Break booster, steering colum. Anything that needs to go through the firewall i am using. So i took this one to put in the BII

Started by drilling out all the top welds so i had the extra flange on the top to weld.

Then went around with a cut off wheel and cut as close to the edges i could on the sides and bottom, when i cut the fire wall out of the BII i will leave an inch on these sides to weld to and seal.

The top lip will have to be straightened, and reinforced, but you get the idea.

almost out....

Removed and now waiting to be put in the BII

Hope the BII end goes as well as this did.

 

[stephan325i]

Center council install.

I was sick of not having a center council, with a arm rest and REAL cup holders so i took the one from the EX and modified it to fit in the BII.

The arm rest support had to be shortened since the floor is a little different than that in the EX.

The chunk between the marks had to be removed to shorten it. then the front was just cut on one line with out removing any material.

Individual pieces, with the reinforcement pieces not drilled yet.

How it will fit together...

All bolted together, multiple views.

Installing.

First had to mock up the plastic with the support to make sure it was all lined up. then used some 1/4 self tapping sheet mettal screws to fasten to the floor.

And after install. It looks like the arm rest is pointing twords the driver side a little. And it is supposed to be. It is my arm rest after all so i wanted it closer to me and less towords the passanger.

And thats all the updates i have for now. The next ones will probably be the cleaning up of the wiring eliminating the wires i do not need. Or possibly getting into the actuall swap including the dash, firewall, and engine. Or maybe the removal of the 8.8 from the Ex.

Thanks for following any one who is.

Let me know what you think.

 

[fischerry]

narley job man, i love the hard work and nothing crazy. keepin in clean and simple!!!

 

[GRNMACHINE]

Just saw this thread for the first time, nice work. Subscribing. Those new tires make the BII look much better, like a truck. Only thing I didnt like about the BII when it came out, skinny car tires.... Sad. Looks like alot of work and looking forward to seeing the progress. Nice beverage choice as well.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

looking goood so far keep up good work

 

[stephan325i]

Thanks guys, its nice when people appreciate the simple work that im doing. Its kind of been on hold for a while since im finishing up school in the next month.

Im not going crazy at all with this, its going to be a life time daily driver, with some off road but nothing serious, so id like to go up with it a little, i still get a tiny bit of fender rub going in some steep driveways.

Yummmmy Bud Light

If anyone knows a lead on a 95' explorer transmission (4R55E) i could use it, thats the only part holding me back from doing the next step.

 

[gmanpaint]

Great thread!

Next time take the front tires off and lower the rig on a log to get the clearance needed for the cherry picker. It helps big time.

I will have a 4R55E when I do my M5OD swap.

 

[stephan325i]

Great thread!

Next time take the front tires off and lower the rig on a log to get the clearance needed for the cherry picker. It helps big time.

I will have a 4R55E when I do my M5OD swap.

Yeah, i think we even actually had the truck on jack stands, to make it easier to work under while removing items, and we needed the clearance since we pulled the trans with the motor. Otherwise we would have just dropped the truck on the ground before pulling the motor.


You want to do me a favor...... DO YOUR SWAP... i need that trans bad. haha

Let me know when you do it, then maybe we can make a deal on your trans.

 

[gmanpaint]

Will keep you posted. I am not sure when the swap will take place. I have a bumper snafu to figure out first. I think OshKosh is like 10 hour drive from here...ouch.