Squirrelly McNuts
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2014
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Camillus, NY
- Vehicle Year
- 1989
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 2.9
- Transmission
- Manual
The Story
So a buddy of mine has been telling me about this Ford Bronco he has had for over 5 years. It started with general questions about maintenance. After a while he started asking stranger questions about fixing stuff without spending money. I didn’t think too much about it, a lot of us are poor or cheep. After about a year I started to get concerned about the stuff he was asking and if he was driving this thing on the road. So I started asking questions. What I found out sadden me. He was not driving it on the road (thank god for all our safeties) but using it on his property to hall wood and pull stumps. Now this in and of itself did not bother me but the fact that it no longer had brakes and was using reverse to stop! It has an oil leak and would fill it with whatever used oil he had around or run it low. This is just some of the things he told me about. Once he know I had a fondness for Ford trucks he started taking joy in telling me about the abuse he would do to the Bronco. What he always said was “I don’t know how it is still running but it is running strong.”
After years of pleading I got him to agree to sell it to me for $500 (what he paid for it 5 years ago). I did not have it at the time but he said he would wait. I work hard but fell short for over a year. During that time he used and abused it. Finally something broke on it he would have to buy parts for and he parked it. Now he told me it was a tie rod. No big deal. It sat for another 6 months and one day he calls me and said “$200 and help me get my quad going and it is yours”. Due to life events I could not schedule a time for several months and one day I get a call and he said “just come get it.” Finely after 6 ½ years, maybe 7, I finely went to look at the Bronco and see if I can get it moving and safe to tow to my shop. What I found was not a Bronco but a 1989 Bronco II and not a broken tie rod but a broken radius arm or arm mount (it is hard to tell with 2 foot tall weeds surrounding it). So I did some favors for him and he is cleaning it out and cutting the grass around it so I can get it out. Looks like I have my work cut out for me.
So what is my goal? The body is shot. It will need new fenders Front and back, new doors, brakes, engine and transmission rebuild. Most would scrap it or part it out. But not me, I love Ford Trucks, especially the Ranger line. So I will do my best to save any I can with a good frame. So the plan, the plan is to make it my daily driver for about $2k or part it out if the frame is bad. There is not much I can do with a broken frame and shit body.
My priorities in order
Safety
-Brakes
-Seat belts
-Seat mounting
-Floor
-Tires
-Gages
Running/Driving
-Fix readies arm
-Fined/fix oil leak
-Replace all shocks and stabilizer
-A general going over
Road legal
-Lights
-Glass
-Exhaust
Usability
-Upholstery
-Rear hatch
-Doors
After all that is done I will worry about the exterior and performance. Though I will probably put a high flow exhaust on it sins I have to replace the whole thing any way. So if any of you have warnings, things I should look for that are commonly over looked or if you have any parts let me know. Also I will post pictures as soon as I have them.
Note: I am not looking to make this an off road rig. I may do some light off roading with it but nothing that will require a lift or way over-sized tires.