Tony Raine's 84 Bronco II | Page 2 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Tony Raine's 84 Bronco II

yeah, i've heard the 85's are more involved.

heres about where i'm at now.
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its so much cleaner under the hood. that one loom is the only one going across the motor. i just re-used old stuff so i'll know about how much/what size to get new.

heres what used to connect engine to computer
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think i'm going to combine all this wire i've been cutting out with some other copper i have laying around and see if i can get enough $$$ for some hi-temp paint for the headers or something.
 



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haven't updated in awhile, so if this post seems a little choppy its because i cut/pasted a lot of it from other posts on another forum

both sets of rims and mud tires are currently at a local offroad shop awaiting a buyer.

9/29/08
decided to sandblast and paint the headers (vht ceramic header paint) since i've been having some snags. oh well, got the passenger side on....

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b2 taking up carport space (my wife is not pleased)

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new (to me) duff bumper (thanks makeos)

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10/01/08
the broken bolt.....
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it actually looks really small in the carport, as apposed to when one of the other rigs in in there
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10/19/08
got the Skyjacker pivot brackets installed. well, mostly. theres a few extra holes to drill for some extra bracing the RC brackets didn't have.

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Didn't like the red color, so i shot it with some satin black. went ahead and threw a little on the front axle too, just for kicks


10/22/08
made some measurements today, and was pleasantly surprised. basically, i need to take the bronco 2 2 places (ok that looks odd, but you know what i mean). a buddy with a welder about 3 miles down the road (to weld a nut on the offending head bolt), and to an offroad shop on the other side of town (welding for 8.8). i have an old towbar my uncle used on his jeep, for about 5 years now. sat in various places, but never on the b2. started doing some measurements to see what kind of bracket i was going to have to fab up. but i found out, outside edge to outside edge of frame is 2' 6". inside to inside of towbar is 2' 6.75". there's already holes in the frame (may have to make a little bigger). so i'm just going to take off the front bumper and bolt on the towbar, with a couple washers to fill the gap. damn, sounds almost too easy.... yes, i will also have a safety chain, and i have enough scrap wire to wire the b2's taillights to a trailer wire plug.


Today
ok, had to drill out all 4 bumper bolts. they kept spinning, that was a PITA.

but the towbar mounting was a success! still need a couple more washers, and some safety chains.

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now i'm going to pull it into the carport and repack the wheel bearings.


*edit 8:05 pm--> got the pass side wheel bearings repacked. they still don't spin very "freely", though. i cleaned all the old grease out with brake cleaner, repacked with one of those bearing packing things, and put the inner spindle nut on looser than last time. i'm putting the inner spindle nut on barely hand tight (very lightly grip the hub tool and turn until hand starts to slip). oh well. after i get all the other stuff ready to take on the road, i'll drive around for awhile and see if one hub gets hotter than the other.

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you can also see the new jackstands i got from harbor freight. much taller than my old ones. and that aluminum jack is still impressing me. easy one-handed carry, its very light.


btw, backing a vehicle up hooked to a tow bar is harder than it looks. steering kept turning and dragging. didn't want to lock the column and jam it up. having another person in the b2 to hold the wheel when backing up would be a lot easier.
 












haha, glad you were enjoying it so far :cool:

once the weather got cold, and the gas price fiasco build up and then dropped off, the b2 got put back in the backyard to sit for awhile. i just don't want it running bad enough to crawl under it in the mud and cold.

what i have been doing is slowly gathering up parts/money. by the time temps go back up, i'll have plenty of parts to keep me busy.

short list:
-perches, brake tools, shock mounts, u-bolts/plates, driveshaft, for 8.8 swap
-repair body mounts and get new bolts
-weld some patches on core support
-rebuild front end, brakes, bearings, fluids, etc....
-get carb tuned right



heres your update :D

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Hello

Here is an idea for you. How about 2.9FI ecm with 3.8ltb hydrid. Your toy looks like its coming along nicely.

igiveup
 






Hello

Here is an idea for you. How about 2.9FI ecm with 3.8ltb hydrid. Your toy looks like its coming along nicely.

igiveup


thought has crossed my mind.

first i'm gonna see how the combo of bored out 2.8 w/ holley carb, comp cam, edelbrock headers, and flowmaster muffler turn out.

i think i may just run that setup until the motor blows, then see what i can find after that. FI 4.0, 5.0, small turbo-diesel, heck with all the future advances in battery technology, i may go electric or elec/hybrid.

this motor only has about 20,000 on a rebuild, so i figure its got a pretty long life. by the time it goes, i'm sure technology will make a great leap forward from what is available today.
 






Hello

With mine it has about 40-50 km on a rebuilt. Thats my reason for the wife. For me it means getting my wiring skills up and better m.p.g. Learning more on fuel setups. I'm also looking at when this motor goes **** up then i will have all the parts for 4.0 conversion.

igiveup
 






[quote author=Tony Raine link=topic=217.msg75327#msg75327 date=1238710235]
Ordered the "8.8 simple swap kit" from Ruff Stuff Specialties on March 31, and its here today!(april 2nd) great product, fast shipping

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[/quote]

alright, finally something to update, haha.

old and busted:
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the new hotness:
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(the cable lock is looped through the jack and axle, since i am leaving the jack under there for a day or 2. i'll get to the crooked u-bolt plate in a minute)

replaced leaf spring center bolts with grade 8 fine thread bolts with the bolt head ground to fit the perch
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removed gigantic 3/4" thick overload leaf set (came with the springs) that weighs a ton
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and used the holes in the perches that scoot the axle back about an inch
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my work area
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alright. first off, axles are a pain in the butt to line up by yourself. and a 8.8 with no brakes or oil weighs a ton compared to a fully dressed 7.5. everything i did today is just a mock-up. i'm going to tack weld the perches in place, then pull the axle back out. the old 7.5 will be thrown back in temporarily since the next part will take a little while. while its out, i'll make sure all the measurements are even. i already know i need to scoot both perches to one side about 1/4" to get everything even. that will be a lot easier out of the truck. then i'll tack them back down, and take them to a local off road shop to get fully welded. shock mounts will also be added, later. btw, i had to hammer those stock explorer traction bar mounts over a little, as they interfere with the u-bolt plates. i would grind them off, but i would have to take everything off the ends of the axle to get a grinder in there.

i will be using a shortened explorer driveshaft (single u-joint each end). right now my t-case points down 5 degrees, and the axle is pointed up 5 degrees.

ok, now to explain the u-bolt plates. unfortunately, the nut of the centering bolt (the new ones and the originals) will not fit through the holes in the u-bolt plates. that may be just a fluke on my part, as my leafs are not original, but 4" lifted leafs from Rough country. oh-well i'm not worried. the local offroad shop has a drill press and can enlarge one of the holes for me. i'll probably take the axle and plates up there at the same time.

bad new is (actually its really good news in the long run), the shop is moving all its stuff to a new facility. so i'm not sure when they will be able to do it. but thats ok, the b2 has developed a new issue that needs attention. oil is squirting out around the dipstick when the engine is running.

oh yeah, one more thing, here is a pic of old and new u-bolts together. beefy
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how long have those RC lift leaf springs been on the truck? just curious as to how theyve held up and/or how much theyve sagged

nice build btw.. secretly id rather have an 84-88 broncoII than my explorer sport but dont tell anyone.
 






how long have those RC lift leaf springs been on the truck? just curious as to how theyve held up and/or how much theyve sagged

nice build btw.. secretly id rather have an 84-88 broncoII than my explorer sport but dont tell anyone.


well, they've been holding up the rig for about 6 or 7 years, but probably have less than 1000 miles on them...... but they don't seem to have sagged at all. even with the full interior and spare on the back, its always rode a little ass-high.


and thanks for the comments! i have both a sport and a b2 :thumbsup: someday the sport will be gone, but the b2 is here to stay.
 






and thanks for the comments! i have both a sport and a b2 :thumbsup: someday the sport will be gone, but the b2 is here to stay.

I like your way of thinking :thumbsup:
 






So I haven't updated in quite awhile......

picked up some new motorvation for the BII:

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302, np435, AA adapter, and dana 20. also got y-pipe, dist, and stock 2 barrel intake.


so i'm currently saving money, selling stuff, and buying stuff so I can get this thing swapped in. selling off my 2.8 hop-up parts, wont be needing them anymore. I'll post that up in the for sale forums, so that discussion will stay there.
 






oh, how could i forget "the donor"

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its getting a 351/c6/atlas combo.
 












oh damn!!!! what a step up in the world for the BII!!

Np435 + Dana 20 = you :)
 






oh damn!!!! what a step up in the world for the BII!!

Np435 + Dana 20 = you :)

much appreciated, especially with the caliber of your rig :thumbsup:

yeah, i was getting tired of only having one (or no) choice in replacement/ aftermarket running gear parts. the 2.8 and tk-4 are not exactly popular. plus the motor had sat for awhile. i was going to rebuild the motor (a second time), when i found the above combo.

all you see above (and what i listed) i got for $650. :cool:

i need to cruise the sale forums here, theres lots more little parts to get....
 






***I've started a new build thread that I am backing up in MS Word. Makes it a lot easier when posting on several forums. I was going to start a new thread here, but I'll just tag it onto this one.***


After years of doing just enough to get it to run, taking the easy way out, and lots of sitting in my backyard, it’s time to get my BII back on the road/trails. This truck has been in my life since I was 2 years old, when my mom bought it (1 year used) to replace her rusted out Early Bronco. It has traveled with me from upstate New York, to south Texas, to NW and NE Arkansas. I dug it out of a field when I was 12, drove it through high school, and it sat while I went to college. It was then resurrected as a cheap play toy for a couple years, but cheap fixes only last so long.

Here is a little time line:

That’s me on my first day of kindergarten
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High school
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Short but sweet “play toy” stage
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Now I have a strong desire to visit some dedicated Off Road Parks. Since there are none very close, breaking down 100+ miles from home would be very bad. Yeah, I have access to a truck and trailer, but I would still need to be able to get the BII back to it. Plus the embarrassment of having a “hack” rig when around more than just a couple close friends.

According to the state of Arkansas, my BII is now an “antique.” Classics are fun to drive on the road as well, so the BII needs to be street friendly.

Ok, enough rambling. I’m taking everything apart and starting over, so I’m making a new build thread. Plus I am writing this out ahead of time in MS Word, so I’ll always have a backup. Here’s what I’ve collected:

One sad, slightly running, 1984 Bronco II
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4” RC full suspension system, replaced drop plates with Skyjacker 4-6” brackets
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Yeah, I know, still need to drill some holes and put in the rest of the bolts

99-00 disk brake Explorer rear axle, 3.73 LS, Ruff Stuff Specialties “Simple Swap” kit
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302/np 435/dana 20
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Also have some VDO gauges and other little stuff.

First step is the biggest, swapping motors…

August 8, 2009

Removed front clip and a whole bunch of wires.
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Notice my custom carb cover, haha.
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Some of the rust on the underside of the core support. Not as bad as I thought
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Stock radiator in great condition. Going to the for sale forum
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A lot of spot welds to drill out
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Little rust spot to patch
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a complete re-start, wish i had the time and money for that. there are so many things i wish i could of done differently with my explorer. and so many things i wish i could do to my b2. but for now they are both stuck in the 'budget rig' category.
 






oh its still a budget rig. careful planning is key. my b2 hasn't been driven more than 100 miles in the past 5 years. spent my time researching, saving, waiting for good deals, saving some more.....

I'm also selling off the stuff i took off to help re-coup some cost. just sold off some lift parts and a set of edelbrock headers from the 2.8. got some other stuff too, just need to get it all together and attack the sale forums.
 



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August 11, 2009

Borrowed an engine hoist from a friend. He also gave me a big chunk of steel to use for swap plates. And a door handle for my explorer. Nice guy, has some cool 60’s stangs. No pics because by the time I got home and got it unloaded, mosquitoes had taken over (only bad thing about this area)


August 16, 2009

Today I removed the alternator and power steering pump. Also removed the carb and bolted on the lift plate. Still need to get a few washers before I tighten it down. Removed the rest of the wiring and hoses from the motor as well.

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Still need to figure out how to disconnect the clutch line, I think it separates here
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Motor mounts unbolted easily
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