What 1st Gen Explorer parts will fit my Bronco II ?

[TrackAire]

Love square bodied SUV's and none better than a Bronco II. I bought a very clean and rust free 1989 Bronco II...100% stock with less than 100k on the clock. Looks to be a garage queen. I am going to do a pretty comprehensive build on the truck so this week I purchased a complete running 1994 4WD Explorer to do the Dana 35 and Ford 8.8 swap. The Explorer only has about 142k and just passed California's stringent smog test with flying colors which is impressive since it doesn't look like its had a lot of love in its life. I did a search but didn't get the answers to my tech questions so hopefully other here have some input.

Here are my questions regarding what other parts I can use from the donor truck.

The radio's look similar (slightly different button layout) and look to be the same size...My Bronco II's radio does not turn on but the Explorer unit works perfect. Is this a direct swap?

The HVAC control sliding temperature lever is very stiff on my Bronco II....the Explorers works very smoothly. They look pretty much identical....can they be swapped?

My BII's parking brake mechanism under the dash seems like something is broke where the cable attaches....is the Explorers parking brake assembly the same so I can use it to fix my BII?

I know the 4.0 motor is a popular swap...but I'm not sure I want to go that route since I'd have to rebuild the current 4.0 in the Explorer as I do not know its history other than mileage. But what about the transmissions???.....will the 4 speed auto out of the 1st Gen Explorer bolt in behind the 2.9 and will it function correctly?....will the computer freak out? IIRC, my research show's that the Explorers auto is a little stronger than the BII's auto, correct?

Once the axles get pulled out of the Explorer they'll get rebuilt, regeared and some sort of traction differential will be installed. Thinking select-able like an ARB but may go Tru Trac front and rear......not sure yet. Looking for a tall skinny 33" tires so I'll probably go 4.88's since this is strictly a functional build to serve a specific purpose and not a daily driver.

Appreciate any input you guys might have.

 

[duffy]

I recently purchased an 89 BII that required some parts....the PO installed an A4ld out of a 93 Explorer, I installed a set of rear springs out of a 91 Explorer (after installing poly bushings). Used a 60/40 seat out of a 90 Ranger to replace the torn one in the Bronco (an exact upholstery match), I did have to swap the seat back mechanism and mounting rails to make the sliding/tilting stuff work.

I don't know for sure about the other stuff. Radio probably will fit.

 

[TrackAire]

Thanks for the info Duffy.
Now that I have my donor Explorer, I have access to the A4LD out of it...seems they may even more internal and computer updates for 1994 (according to the internet) so I'm really wondering if this trans and its theoretically stronger internals will actually talk to the 89 Bronco II software.

 

[duffy]

I read somewhere that the first gen Explorer was 90 thru 94 but some stuff will work all the way up to 97......