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Restoring For BII


Face

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Once the first thing you should do when restoring your BII?

Yes its running
 


XTC90BII

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Do what you can with what you have where you are
Start out with a good base: Breaks

Dennis
 

Face

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Start out with a good base: Breaks

Dennis
great idea 💡
Should I do what needs to be do be with the brakes by getting regular parts or upgrade them to performance parts?

I’m thinking because of cost regular parts until the I see something I want to really upgrade, for example the radiator fan, when I do it I’m gonna do a big upgrade because I know in the future I’m going to get it lifted. Brakes it is.
 

XTC90BII

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My credo
Do what you can with what you have where you are
That will depend on your long term goals for the BII. I would go with just regular parts. OEM if you can get them. Rockauto.com is a great source. If you have never used Rockauto the thing to watch out for is if you are ordering more than 1 part to make sure if possible they are coming out of the same warehouse or the shipping can get a little expensive. What I did with my 1990 BII when I got it back in Aug of 2015 was start with the brakes and anything that was brake related I replaced. Rotors, pads, shoes, drums, cables, hoses, wheel cylinders. I think the only things I did not replace was the master cylinder and Booster.

I would suggest you go on ebay and look for a copy of Haynes Ford Ranger & Bronco II 1983-1992 2wd and 4wd manual and or Chilton's Ranger/Bronco II 1983-1990 manual. I have both.

Good Luck with the project

Dennis
 

Face

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Ford Bronco II
Suspension Style
2WD
That will depend on your long term goals for the BII. I would go with just regular parts. OEM if you can get them. Rockauto.com is a great source. If you have never used Rockauto the thing to watch out for is if you are ordering more than 1 part to make sure if possible they are coming out of the same warehouse or the shipping can get a little expensive. What I did with my 1990 BII when I got it back in Aug of 2015 was start with the brakes and anything that was brake related I replaced. Rotors, pads, shoes, drums, cables, hoses, wheel cylinders. I think the only things I did not replace was the master cylinder and Booster.

I would suggest you go on ebay and look for a copy of Haynes Ford Ranger & Bronco II 1983-1992 2wd and 4wd manual and or Chilton's Ranger/Bronco II 1983-1990 manual. I have both.

Good Luck with the project

Dennis
Makes sense. Thanks for the help. I’m gonna start with the complete stock brakes if they NEED them and this one electrical issue. Thank you!! Any advice helps
 

ruralmaine

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How is the restoration going? I am starting on an 87 B2. Working on the body rust first. Then removing the body so I can easily reach the brakes, brake lines fuel lines so on and so on.
 

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Face

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How is the restoration going? I am starting on an 87 B2. Working on the body rust first. Then removing the body so I can easily reach the brakes, brake lines fuel lines so on and so on.

pretty good, it’s been at the body shop getting something by a done and I decided I don’t want that 89 look so I’m getting rid of the hood, fenders, and grill to put on older B2 model parts and also decided the color I want it to be. Dark Walnut Metallic
 

Peter Griffin

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I was in the exact same boat back in January when I bought my '88 BII EB from my neighbor. I had casually helped him wrench on it so I had a general idea that it was more or less mechanically sound, just needed a TON of work.

I wouldn't do a single thing cosmetically, interior or exterior or "fun" (stereo, etc.) unless the drivetrain was as close to 100% solid as possible. I replaced every suspension bushing (mostly with Moog polyurethane). All hoses, belts, fluids, etc. FRESH start is key if it's a keeper! I replaced the entire fuel system, from the tank to the fuel pressure regulator because (1) I had NO idea how bad it was and (2) it was SUPER cheap to buy OEM/LKQ parts so it just made sense.

Cap, rotor, plugs, wires and coil. Super cheap and effectively a "tune up" like the good ole days. Speaking of rubber (suspension parts/bushings) check the date on your tires, they may look good but they could be expired and an accident waiting to happen, especially if the vehicle sat for a long time.

I had a massive issue with Rock Auto over literally the smallest part I ordered from them (A/C orifice tube) and would not spend another penny with them if I could help it. I spent several thousand dollars and they refused to accept a return on it...despite the fact that it was out of spec...and I was installing it on brand new A/C lines I bought from, you guessed it, Rock Auto. There is NO phone number and all communication is done through email and I swear the people I was talking to were from another planet and knew nothing about cars. Anecdotal experience, but worth mentioning.

LMC Truck and Bronco Graveyard are solid vendors too, and will have a lot of odds and ends you can't either find anywhere or are cost prohibitive. eBay did have some odds and ends but I've found a lot of gouging there too as some folks think these parts are unobtanium or something.

No question the best resource in my project which I documented extensively HERE over at The Ranger Station are members' build threads and some incredibly helpful folks like @Uncle Gump, @Jim Oaks and many others who are not only extremely knowledgeable, but helpful. When I inadvertently threw out my old A/C compressor before installing my new one and forgot to take off the manifolds, which are (1) near IMPOSSIBLE to find and (2) when I found them, obscenely priced, I had a member out of the blue ask if I wanted him to pull some off another Ranger/BII at a junkyard when he was gonna be there getting some sway bar links. The cost? Shipping. That's it! Likewise when the 35+ year old tach needle on my gauge cluster disintegrated into dust another member offered up a new gauge cluster he had lying around for...you guessed it...shipping. That's it! You can't make up how extremely friendly and helpful some of these Ranger/BII folks are and it's unlike nothing I've seen on the (vehicle) forums going back 20+ years...
 

ruralmaine

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pretty good, it’s been at the body shop getting something by a done and I decided I don’t want that 89 look so I’m getting rid of the hood, fenders, and grill to put on older B2 model parts and also decided the color I want it to be. Dark Walnut Metallic
That should be a nice color. I agree with you on the looks of the 89 BII. For me it's the wrap around type headlights, just not a fan.
 

Face

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Location
West Palm Beach
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1989
Vehicle
Ford Bronco II
Suspension Style
2WD
great idea 💡
Should I do what needs to be do be with the brakes by getting regular parts or upgrade them to performance parts?

I’m thinking because of cost regular parts until the I see something I want to really upgrade, for example the radiator fan, when I do it I’m gonna do a big upgrade because I know in the future I’m going to get it lifted. Brakes it is.
Taking this advice , I’m thinking maybe a complete brake upgrade and that tan will be upgraded for a lift.
 

Face

Member
Firefighter
EMT / Paramedic
U.S. Military - Active
Joined
Apr 14, 2023
Messages
36
Reaction score
5
Points
8
Location
West Palm Beach
Vehicle Year
1989
Vehicle
Ford Bronco II
Suspension Style
2WD
How is the restoration going? I am starting on an 87 B2. Working on the body rust first. Then removing the body so I can easily reach the brakes, brake lines fuel lines so on and so on.
 

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