ab_slack
New member
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2011
- Messages
- 526
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 0
- Location
- New Joisey
- Vehicle Year
- 1987
- Vehicle
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 2.9L
I debated making a thread for her as she isn’t a build and I am not planning any customization but to me she is a restoration project of sorts and the list of things I have done thus far chasing my goal adds up to quite a bit already. Yet there is a long list of things still I want to do to her.
I’ve had her for 2 years now. She is a pretty much a stock 87 Bronco II with 2.9L, manual trans, manual transfer case, manual locking hubs. She has a solid body, some small dents, some surface rust but no significant structural rust or any rust-thru. She had been re-painted at some point by the previous owner. The clear coat is starting to peal in a few spots on the hood. I am her second owner.
When I got her she was in running condition good enough to be a serviceable daily driver if one isn’t too picky and one doesn’t take long trips. 4WD worked after a fashion, but vibration and some metallic sounding pings when front hubs were locked suggested issues. She showed 4K miles on the odometer when I got her. Claims were made that she only had 104K miles on her and I have some reason to believe that. Some other things suggest more like 204K miles. I doubt I will ever know.
As for me, well I am picky and want her to run as smooth as she can. My original 88 BII was purchased brand new and drover her 192K miles. I know what a BII is capable of when running well.
As for the Little Red Broncette my objective is to get her mechanically running, handling, driving on the road and snow like I know she can. I want to preserve the body as well as I can, get the few body issues fixed. Deal with some interior issues and make her more like a 4 year old with 50K miles than the old lady that she is.
I suppose I didn’t start out this ambitious. Some of the earlier done I had a shop do the work as I wasn’t so confident doing too much myself. As the shop has fallen short, failed to do good work, or showed they really didn’t know what was going on I had to educate myself (largely with the help of users in the forum here) and started getting more ambitious and doing more myself.
The Good:
The bad:
Work done on her to date: (in no particular order, I indicate items I had a shop do in blue. I got shop involved because either too big, I didn't have the knowledge/tools, the weather, or just the hassle.
I’ve had her for 2 years now. She is a pretty much a stock 87 Bronco II with 2.9L, manual trans, manual transfer case, manual locking hubs. She has a solid body, some small dents, some surface rust but no significant structural rust or any rust-thru. She had been re-painted at some point by the previous owner. The clear coat is starting to peal in a few spots on the hood. I am her second owner.
When I got her she was in running condition good enough to be a serviceable daily driver if one isn’t too picky and one doesn’t take long trips. 4WD worked after a fashion, but vibration and some metallic sounding pings when front hubs were locked suggested issues. She showed 4K miles on the odometer when I got her. Claims were made that she only had 104K miles on her and I have some reason to believe that. Some other things suggest more like 204K miles. I doubt I will ever know.
As for me, well I am picky and want her to run as smooth as she can. My original 88 BII was purchased brand new and drover her 192K miles. I know what a BII is capable of when running well.
As for the Little Red Broncette my objective is to get her mechanically running, handling, driving on the road and snow like I know she can. I want to preserve the body as well as I can, get the few body issues fixed. Deal with some interior issues and make her more like a 4 year old with 50K miles than the old lady that she is.
I suppose I didn’t start out this ambitious. Some of the earlier done I had a shop do the work as I wasn’t so confident doing too much myself. As the shop has fallen short, failed to do good work, or showed they really didn’t know what was going on I had to educate myself (largely with the help of users in the forum here) and started getting more ambitious and doing more myself.
The Good:
- Body was in good shape with a few dents.
- She had been repainted at some point and paint was generally in good shape.
- She didn’t live in the salt belt. Most of undercarriage had surface rust but no significant structural damage from rust nor anything approaching rust-through on the body. She has much less rust than my 2002 Explorer.
- Transmission and transfer case shifts and operates fine.
- Engine ran and drove okay, low power
- No issues that kept her from being driven.
The bad:
- With hubs locked there was vibration and front driveline made occasional pinging sound.
- Wandering in steering when going over uneven pavement
- Although she didn’t seem to have oil leaks, engine was dirty and freeze plugs were leaking.
- Significant exhaust leaks after the muffler.
- Liftgate latch wasn’t working properly.
- Air conditioning not functioning
- Clicking from rear drive shaft when accelerating in first
- Tires not matched although they had some tread left.
Work done on her to date: (in no particular order, I indicate items I had a shop do in blue. I got shop involved because either too big, I didn't have the knowledge/tools, the weather, or just the hassle.
- Remanufactured Heads
- Cap, Rotor, Wires, Plug
- High/Low beam switch (headlights had become intermittent)
- Tighten Steering Wheel
- Transmission Oil
- Front Differential Fluid
- Rear Drive Shaft replaced with a u-joint shaft (address clicking issue)
- Clutch and throw out bearing
- Liftgate Latch Repair then broke it again and then replaced it completely
- O2 Sensor (to address low fuel economy and running oddities)
- Front Wheel Bearings (left bearing got severely overheated due to collapsed brake line)
- Front Spindle Bearings (front driveline work to address front driveline vibration when hubs lockded/4WD engaged)
- Left wheel shaft u-joint
- Right wheel shaft outer u-joint
- Corrected right wheel shaft phasing (cause shop didn't pay any attention so while bearings and u-joints shop did helped wrong phasing caused vibration)
- Front Drive Shaft U-joints (part of the front end vibration problems, only became major issue after other front driveline work had made big improvements)
- Front Brake calipers and rubber brake lines (a collapsed brake line caused vibration and drag on one wheel, caliper on other side was sticking)
- Front pads and rotors
- Transfer Case shift lockout plate adjustment (to resolve issue where it would not stay in 4H)
- New Radio to replace the non-working aftermarket radio
- Dash light bulb replacement (nice to be able to see how fast I am going when dark out again)
- Muffler and tail pipe (got a year out of it before it got loud)
- Passenger seatbelt latch
- Alternator (bearing was growling and its belt was squealing)
- Belts (while alternator was off since they were in marginal condition)
- Hood latch adjustment
- Tires (get a balanced set for smooth 4WD operation)
- Tie-rod ends (one failed completely while driving, this was the big culprit causing the wandering)
- Fan clutch (fan was always engaged)
- Battery
- Shocks all around
- Coolant flush
- EGR Valve, EGR Position Sensor and EGR Control Solenoid (was getting a code for the sensor, resolved that code, EGR valve was just very dirty inside)
- PCV Valve and Grommet (what a mess, I can't believe the shop put old PCV valve back in after changing heads)
- Vent Hose Grommet
- Liftgate pneumatic cylinders
- Rear window pneumatic cylinders
- Thermostat (had started to run cold)
- Warn Manual Locking Hubs (the collapsed brake line caused that whole wheel assembly to severely overheat and melted the plastic knob in the original locking hub)
- Air Charge Temperature Sensor (original was caked with crap, part of an overall emissions review)
- Ignition Coil (due to some intermittent operation in wet weather)
- MAP sensor (my error here, I did diagnostic wrong, new part acted the same, upon review found using correct diagnostic procedure the original part was good, left the new one in, kept old as spare)
- Catalytic Converter (after running thru everything else, replaced this and resolved the emissions issue, I had shop do the actual installation)
- Liftgate striker rubber replaced (to reduce rattle)
Attachments
Last edited:
