MY build thread...'88 Bronco II Desert Rat Patrol Edition: MAJOR update 2/23/2025

[Uncle Gump]

Thanks for responding with pictures @UncleGump! That's a radiator for a later model Exploder, correct?

I think @RobbieD has it right honestly.

First Gen expo with a 4.0L upper jose... lol. See what I did there?

This one was in it when I bought the rig. I did put an expo radiator in my first Gen v8 swap... I can't remember how I did that one.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So, it does seem that the Explorer rads have more of an angle than the 2.9 ones, the 2.9 ones still had a slight angle. I have the 4.0 rad and engine in my choptop. My 88 I don’t have together with the 2.9 and 4.0 rad and I don’t rightfully remember what I did when my choptop was a 2.9 with a 4.0 Explorer rad.

 

[Peter Griffin]

The interior is completely stripped out and ready for finishing! Got the last of factory soundproofing off the wheel arches. Fortunately it came off in pretty large sections with a razor blade scraper initially that wasn't up to the task/torque I was putting on it, but my wife suggested a paint scraper that worked very well. Acetone took care of the residual glue...

The door panels will come off easily enough, I have their Coverlay replacements ready (color matched to their dash cover). The doors are likewise going to be Raptor lined (black) otherwise they'd be the only visible red paint in the interior and that definitely wouldn't look right. I have new liners for the doors to (that fit between the sheet metal and door panels) because the ones in there are trashed.

The headliner core (for lack of a better term), which is similar in composition to a Styrofoam egg carton, came out in very good condition and will require minor repair before refinishing. I've watched several YouTube videos on how to put the new headliner on and they're all basically the same with minor variations in technique, but suffice it to say with adequate working space (it's pretty big) I should be able to get solid results for the just the price of the headliner material and spray adhesive.

The headliner is going to be the lightest color in the interior, very light tan/camel, while the carpet is black (and will be covered by tan mats), the door panels and dash cover are a little darker while all the interior trim is being repainted in Rust-Oleum's Satin Nutmeg as @Jim Oaks discovered is a near match for the factory trim.

The Kryptec Highlander seat covers will pull all of those colors together and compliment the desert-theme I'm going for...

 

[Peter Griffin]

...I'm gonna have some electrical work/wiring to do too.

The interior lights don't work. I understand they're fused to the radio, which is operational, so it's not that. The overhead dome light had a massive bubbling defect from a too high output bulb or something and while I have a replacement lens cover from LMC to address that particular issue, it's still not working so likely it's a switch issue.

The reservoir for the rear wiper was being held in place by a piece of duct tape...so that's unacceptable. The mounting tabs are broken so if I can't fit a replacement I'll need to strap it in place with something a little more...creative? What I think is the top vent fitting broke off and is stuck in the hose, I should be able to just pull it out and re-glue it to the top of the reservoir.

I'm not exactly sure where the powered sub is going to end up installed just yet. I was thinking behind the passenger rear seat, flat on the floor. It does NOT fit under the seats, which is fine, it just needs to be relatively out of the way. I want to mount it so it's both rugged and easily removable so I'm thinking it's going to reside on a OSB platform (Raptor lined of course!) with massive Velcro mounting strips to stick to the carpet and Posi-Taps or similar wiring connectors so it can be easily/safely removed if necessary for cargo, etc.

I also need to install the rear view camera (same one that @Jim Oaks used in his project BII) and wire the spare tire license plate mounting bracket with built in plate illumination along with the USB cigarette lighter replacement outlets he used. Not sure if I'm going to install additional ports in the rear of the center console or back panel but it's under consideration...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So, with regards to the interior lights… there is two ways to turn them on from the factory. Open any door, or turn the headlight know (also the dimmer for the dash lights) all the way up past the click. If the headlight switch will turn the interior light on, you have a bad door switch or a damaged wire (most likely a door switch). They are easy to change, they just screw into the body and when you pull them out, there’s an electrical plug on the back.

 

[RobbieD]

Just be careful when removing / installing the door switches. Old Fords' door switches switched positive 12v, so if there's any exposed terminals that contacts the body metal you'll have a short, and pop a fuse. Off the top of my head wire colors are usually yellow/green supply +12v, switched to the lights is usually black/lt blue (if failing memory serves).

 

[Peter Griffin]

So, with regards to the interior lights… there is two ways to turn them on from the factory. Open any door, or turn the headlight know (also the dimmer for the dash lights) all the way up past the click. If the headlight switch will turn the interior light on, you have a bad door switch or a damaged wire (most likely a door switch). They are easy to change, they just screw into the body and when you pull them out, there’s an electrical plug on the back.

Just be careful when removing / installing the door switches. Old Fords' door switches switched positive 12v, so if there's any exposed terminals that contacts the body metal you'll have a short, and pop a fuse. Off the top of my head wire colors are usually yellow/green supply +12v, switched to the lights is usually black/lt blue (if failing memory serves).

Thanks for that info/tips Gentlemen!

IIRC I tried to replace the rear cargo light with an LED bulb which didn't work and I did flip it in case there was a reverse polarity issue and it still didn't. Since I'm gonna be digging into the doors anyway I'll get it figured out.

Good news is the AOR rear bumper should be here today, and the camber bolts in the next couple of days and the Skyjacker radius arm and axle pivot drop brackets on Thursday. Skyjacker was also kind enough to send me a new mounting bracket (at NO charge!) for my steering stabilizer which got slightly tweaked, along with installation tips for making sure it doesn't happen again. That'll give me everything I need to get the suspension done and alignment within specs, the only other potential issue to come up is the brackets changing the rake to the point where it's no longer level with the front coil spacers installed and slightly nose up. The spacers in there now are 1.5-inch so if that happens I'll get some 1-inch ones in there...

Really excited about getting that put behind me and grinding on the interior. It's well into the 100s here now but it's no sweat working in an air conditioned garage!

 

[Peter Griffin]

Swing and a miss with the new AOR rear bumper...ugh...

...as I had told them previously, the mounting brackets on the bumper are way too close together to mount to the frame rails, by a minimum of a 1/4-inch each side. I smashed the snot out of the frame rails and used ratchet straps to try to walk it into place and you can see where the bracket is actually gouging the frame rail.

The front bumper I bought from AOR slide right on, no issues and installed perfectly. From what I've been able to tell this vehicle as not been in any accidents and the frame/body are square within 1/8-1/4-inch; front to back, side to side so it's not that.

I'm trying to get a local welder to help me out and get this fixed. I did send AOR an email with pictures but at this point I might be better off dealing with this locally on my end, but it's not going to be without an out of pocket cost...

All that being said I think AOR's products are outstanding, there's just a learning curve with a new product application and I'm SO close to the finish line I haven't lost my enthusiasm for AOR and their products; they're stepping up where others haven't and for that I appreciate and respect them.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Well... you know I have a particular interest in this bumper.

Just looking at the pics it sure looks like when they welded the bracket brace on... it's shrinking the distance between the frame rails. My bumper does not have those braces. It slides right on.

Take a pic of the overall bumper please. I would also measure the distance between the brackets where welded to the bumper face. Then measure the distance out between the ends of the brackets.

Honestly... this is what I EXPECTED fir mine when I ordered it.

 

[Peter Griffin]

I measured my bumper and the distance between the inner edges of the mounting brackets is 33.25-inches...while the width of the bumper is JUST ever so slight over that, approximately 33 5/16ths; resulting in the obvious fitment issue and there's no getting around it without cutting and rewelding the mounting brackets back on, which is a hassle not without cost. With that being said, If the brackets were to measure 33 3/8ths that should give enough for a snug NOT tight fitting, which is how their front bumper fit.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Damn...

Well I know if it were me in this position... I would cut just one side free and shift just that bracket. I think it would be hard to see the difference overall when installed.

I'm going to try and get the tape measure on mine today. I want to be helpful if they have any questions.

 

[Peter Griffin]

MUCH to AOR's credit and in the interest of getting it right for me, they've offered to fab up another bumper with an increased distance between the mounting brackets (33 3/8ths) which should allow for a proper fit given my frame rails are JUST under 33 5/16ths...

 

[Uncle Gump]

Yeah... my spec was 33 5/16.

I'm still gonna measure mine again... and talk to Brady. I'd hate to see them pull this offering.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Yeah... my spec was 33 5/16.

I'm still gonna measure mine again... and talk to Brady. I'd hate to see them pull this offering.

He got back to me yesterday and said they're going to open it up to 33.5-inches just to be on the safe side. They've been extremely responsive and helpful and I doubt they would pull it, just some growing pains with a new product offering. Being slightly oversized is easy enough to deal with; undersized is a whole different story. It looks like both our frame rails was pretty close at 33-5/16ths; so while 3/8ths would work they're going a full 1/2-inch which should be plenty of room to get it mounted, worse case scenario is someone may need to washer in between the frame rail and bumper mounting bracket to take up the slop but that'd be likely handled with a proper torquing!

I give AOR HUGE credit for offering such high quality custom bumpers at the prices they do. The fact that they're doing so for the BII, which is hardly rare but nowhere near as prolific as Rangers, XJs, etc. is that much more awesome! With all the work I've done on mine so far the bumpers and the round LED headlight conversion are what's tickled my backside the most!

 

[Uncle Gump]

Well... this really tells anyone that wants to know about AOR's customer service. I know they've always done me right each of the 4 times I've bought from them.

Just keep on plugging away... you'll have a really sweet little rig when the dust settles.