2.9 L EFI, a spunky powerplant in the little off-roader.
Drivetrain:
3.73 gears, w/ Lock-Right
Dana 28 TTB front
Ford 7.5 rear
A4LD tranny, just completely rebuilt less than 3,000 miles before the time of purchase. That made it worth looking at, because the A4LD tranny is often the weakest link in these used rigs. That was the main thing that sold me on getting it. The tranny fluid still smelled brand new, 'sweet'.
Notes:
Eddie Bauer trim
Brand new set of Liberator 30x9.5x15 ATs (no lift, stock axles, uncut). They REALLY dress it up and give it a much better ride than before. Much less squirrely when you 'punch it'.
Flowmaster 50 series muffler.
Plans are to take it sand blasting and dirt busting, but not rock climbing. That's what Big Broncos are made for.
I spent most of the month of July working on it, straightening out a whole host of problems. All work was done by myself, which was very time consuming, but saved mega $$$. We started with four major rust areas, the two front rain gutters and the two back corners of the roof. Then we found the top edge of the firewall rusted out for a strip about 18" in length. The heater intake cowl had rust in it that was allowing water to come in on the front floor boards with every good rain. Also, a previous replacement of a wiper motor had the wiper arms set all off kilter, so they had to be reset.
Parts replacement included the gas tank & sending unit (The sending unit would read empty on half a tank. Once the skid plate and tank were dropped, the tank was found to be too rusty to put back in. It was replaced with a plastic one.) The valve cover gaskets were leaking like a sieve(That was a REAL joy, about a day and a half job.). The radiator ran hot in FL, so it had to go. It now runs 15 degrees cooler, according to the NEW mechanical temperature gauge. Then there were shocks, a wiper governor. Then we tackled a/c parts: the collector and orifice tube (Getting the a/c to cool properly was a real challenge. There was way too much oil in the system. But we gradually bled enough oil out of the system, and now it really cools, even on the hottest days.). A Pioneer CD player and pair of 5x7 rear speakers round out the fixup job.
The previously open diff is now locked with a Powertrax Lock-Right locker. The limit on the Lock-Right is 3.73 gears, but that's what it came with. Powertrax has not come out with a No-Slip for the 7.5 ring gear. This one is more difficult to install than the No-Slip, but it is doable, and I find it every bit as quiet as the No-Slip that had been in my Big Bronco. Maybe it's because of the light weight of the Bronco II. Also, the Powertrax instructions suggested using heavier 85-140 oil to make the locker 'quieter'. Did that; it works. When it unlocks, you can barely hear the slightest clicking noise, and then only with the window rolled down and your head leaning out of the window trying to listen for any sound coming out of the rearend. My guess is that Powertrax doesn't see enough of a market for a 7.5" No-Slip. But, they've already got a winner with the Lock-Right, at least in the 7.5" size. I can't speak for the larger diffs. Thanks to Bob Kennedy for talking me into getting the Lock-Right. Bob, it works like a dream in that little diff. Bob explained that there are Lock-Rights in 8.8 Big Broncos still doing a great job after years of service. Another thing I did was to replace the carrier pin. The OEM one had a deep flat spot on one end. Because of this, it didn't seem to support one side of the locker enough. I simply picked up another one that would have been used with higher gears. To get it in past the 3.73 gears, I had to grind the pin just slightly. The pin already had some small flat surfaces on it. On the side where I was sliding it in past the tall 3.73 gear, I ground just enough off of the pin to extend the flat surface out to the end of the pin where I was inserting it. The other end I left rounded. Worked like a charm.
The work I didn't do myself were a new exhaust system (The tail pipe was too close for a poly tank, and, besides, a Flowmaster 50 muffler speaks VOLUMES.) and to have the rear brakes COMPLETELY redone. I don't think that they had ever even been TOUCHED.
Doing all this was no joy, but saving $$$ was, and driving it now surely is. It now runs like a top. We've already taken it on 3 short family trips, one including driving it on the beaches of Okracoke Island in the Outer Banks. That was a real sand-blast!
The "winch" consists of an 8,000 lb comealong from J.C. Whitney, LOL. There also are two hooks bolted to the front frame, and a square 2" receiver bolted to the rear bumper for my Warn receiver clevis.
desperado.jpg 640 hits | | Posted: 6/29/03 Make a few mods, and The Little Deuce would look like this, LOL. Actually this model is a 53-55 Ford with either a Nash Rambler or Studebaker pick-up grill. How bout dat?
Pict0012.JPG 587 hits | 21.36 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 How to safely lift the rear end of a Bronco II 6" WITHOUT changing the axle
Pict0011.JPG 601 hits | 24.33 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 How to safely lift the front end of a Bronco II 6" WITHOUT changing the axle
Pict0010.JPG 560 hits | 19.28 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 The 255s make a pretty wide rut in the sand. We had no problems plowing through the loose stuff in 4wd. At one point I tried 2wd and was digging deep, so I switched back to 4wd and drove right out. It was NOT an extreme adventure, probably too muc...
Pict0009.JPG 478 hits | 21.64 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 Smiles from the cockpit.
Pict0008.JPG 414 hits | 21.66 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 I pause to stand next to The Little Deuce.
Pict0007.JPG 409 hits | 19.96 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 Martha acts as my 'spotter'. This is ONE wheelin trip that she goes on, since we're on level ground. But that is, at least, SAND in those tires.
Pict0006.JPG 340 hits | 11.15 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 ANY Bronco driver would clearly know what this sign means: HEEPS AIN'T WELCOME!
Pict0004.JPG 284 hits | 18.39 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 Of course you aren't supposed to drive over the dunes! What do you think we are, dune wreckers or something?
Most Viewed Files
desperado.jpg 640 hits | 18.39 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 Make a few mods, and The Little Deuce would look like this, LOL. Actually this model is a 53-55 Ford with either a Nash Rambler or Studebaker pick-up grill. How bout dat?
Pict0011.JPG 601 hits | 24.33 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 How to safely lift the front end of a Bronco II 6" WITHOUT changing the axle
Pict0012.JPG 587 hits | 21.36 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 How to safely lift the rear end of a Bronco II 6" WITHOUT changing the axle
Pict0010.JPG 560 hits | 19.28 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 The 255s make a pretty wide rut in the sand. We had no problems plowing through the loose stuff in 4wd. At one point I tried 2wd and was digging deep, so I switched back to 4wd and drove right out. It was NOT an extreme adventure, probably too muc...
Pict0001.JPG 517 hits | 22.93 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 Sailing to Okracoke Island. You have to get there by ferry. No roads lead to the island. Driving on the beaches is allowed. YES! Here Martha poses. The tires are two 235x75s (front, came on it) & 2 255x70s (rear, I had on hand). This is before...
Bronco_II_88.jpg 495 hits | 38.77 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 When first bought it was a diamond in the rough. The paint looked good, the tranny had just been rebuilt, and the whole drive train was solid. So the REALLY important stuff was OK. It was just all those countless little things...
Pict0009.JPG 478 hits | 21.64 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 Smiles from the cockpit.
Pict0008.JPG 414 hits | 21.66 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 I pause to stand next to The Little Deuce.
Pict0007.JPG 409 hits | 19.96 KB | Posted: 6/29/03 Martha acts as my 'spotter'. This is ONE wheelin trip that she goes on, since we're on level ground. But that is, at least, SAND in those tires.
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