'85 Bronco II Frame Off Restore

2000RangerXLT · Nov 28, 2010

I finally got this truck a few days ago after trying to buy it for three years. It's been sitting a mile down the road and hasn't moved in ten years. It’s a 1985 2.8 v6, A4LD w/overdrive, and manual transfer case. It came with an extra 2.8 motor that I am going to pick up later today. I hooked it up to my truck with jumper cables to test the electronics and found them to be in working order, it didn't turn over but it’s also been sitting for ten years. I paid $400 for it; I think that's a pretty good price.

Ranger Sport Honduras · Nov 28, 2010

nice find man!
i know one thats been sitting for like 10 years too, but the guy is asking way too much, and the engine or trans are shot.

ragajungle · Nov 28, 2010

That's pretty darn clean for an Ohio truck - you scored good! Only a little bit of rust under the doors...

jhammel85 · Nov 28, 2010

Yeah, definitely a good buy. I'll be looking forward to your build!

What's 1st? Do you know why it has been sitting so long?

2000RangerXLT · Nov 28, 2010

It has been sitting so Long because it has a blown head gasket. It has a clear title form 2000, with 184,428 miles, it now has 184,429 miles only because I flat towed it home. Uppon further inspection the spare motor is a TBI 2.9l. I'm hoping that the heads are the same as the ones on the 2.8l. I tried to turn the motor over by hand this afternoon, and it appers to the siezed. Hopefully some pennetrating oil will free it up so that I can do a compression test. Fortunatly all of the electronics seem to be functioning well.

2000RangerXLT · Dec 8, 2010

Well I finally got some time to work on her again, and the news isn't good. Upon the removal of the valve cover I found a large amount of rust that i probably going to prevent me from even using them . Due to the condition of the heads I don't have much hope for the block being rebuild-able either. And since the extra motor that came with it is a TBI 2.9 I wont be able to use it at all. So now I have to find a running or at least a rebuild-able 2.8, that I'll Duraspark so that I can ditch all of the sensors and computer stuff since the wiring for that is junk.

Robert_1967 · Dec 8, 2010

Dang, that looked bad.... shame you couldn't use the 2.9.

Robert

cammeddrz · Dec 8, 2010

2000RangerXLT said:
TBI 2.9

i have never heard of a tbi 2.9 :icon_confused:

2000RangerXLT · Dec 8, 2010

I thought all of the 2.9's were throttlebody Injected.

cammeddrz · Dec 8, 2010

2000RangerXLT said:
I thought all of the 2.9's were throttlebody Injected.

i have never seen a throttle body injected 2.9, in fact as far as i know a tbi ford engine is fairly rare, apart from mid-80s 3.8's

not to ask a stupid question but, are you sure its just not a 2.8 with a carb? the 2.8's came with as many wires, sensors, and solenoids on their carbs as many efi systems did.

2000RangerXLT · Dec 8, 2010

It's a 2.9, I guess I was mistaken. I took the rocker assy. Off and the heads look much better. Allthough I can't get the exhust manifold off of the head, and I can't get the exhuast manifold off of the exhuast without torching the last bolt.

cammeddrz · Dec 8, 2010

2000RangerXLT said:
It's a 2.9, I guess I was mistaken

just curious, what led you to believe that it was a tbi 2.9?

other than that swapping a 2.9 in place of a 2.8 has been discussed and repeatedly proven to be a pointless idea.

2000RangerXLT · Dec 8, 2010

What led me to belive that it was a tbi 2.9 is the throttlebody is labled 2.9l v6, and I thought that they were tbi. I figuerd that there wouldn't be much point in swaping the 2.9 in, other than it would be a lot more work than just replacing the 2.8. I'm not holding out much hope for the motor in it, but I'll see when I get the heads off.

Robert_1967 · Dec 8, 2010

can you get a good picture of the 2.9 ????

Robert

2000RangerXLT · Dec 8, 2010

Yeah, no problem. I'll get some tomorow morning.

'85 Bronco II Frame Off Restore

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