Old Girl Bit the Dust Today

[Rustbucket350]

I don't know if it's repairable, since the frame is bent. I had just gotten the 4.0 I swapped running awesome, put an m5Od in, and done a 5 inch front lift, 4 inch rear lift on brand new 32s so I thought I'd go for a drive. Guy made a left in front of me when I had a green light and that was the end of that. The mustang disc brakes tried but they locked immediately and there was nothing I could do. The guy didn't have a license, insurance, wasn't even his car, and he was on parole so he went to jail while I made for a tow home. Makes me sick.

 

[Rustbucket350]

Sorry the picture is so large, I can't seem to resize it. The steering wheel is actually straight in that picture. I haven't gotten to see how bad the frame is or what actually tweaked, but I know the steering gearbox is totally blown out and the wheels don't point the same direction anymore.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Hard to tell what the frame and suspension damage is from the pic, but it looks like the r/front wheel is turned and the drivers side is straight.

Are you sure the frame is bent? How does the radius arm and axle beam look? I'm sure you could fix it.

 

[Rustbucket350]

Hard to tell what the frame and suspension damage is from the pic, but it looks like the r/front wheel is turned and the drivers side is straight.

Are you sure the frame is bent? How does the radius arm and axle beam look? I'm sure you could fix it.

I can definitely fix the body damage and I can make a new frame at my work but I have to decide if its worth it to me. The frame is for sure bent at the bumper mount and the entire core support was pushed like 6 inches.

I'm not positive what caused the front end to tweak since the front suspension looks fine minus the steering gearbox leaking everywhere and the wheels being weird. Its possible it just hit it hard enough to loosen the balljoints and break the gearbox but I find that unlikely. I hope when I take the front apart I find something salvageable cause I really liked this little Bronco.

 

[D Baker]

If the guy was driving some else’s car, go after them. If it was stolen, you are probably SOL.

Good luck!

 

[bronco2fan]

If it's any consul to you, my BII got hammered by a VW rabbit, same location. The VW ran a red light doing 45mph, hit the passenger side in front of the wheel while I was at a stop. Turned the BII 180 and I wound up facing oncoming traffic. Totaled the VW, The BII needed new fender, radiator, and a bunch of tweeking to the front, but she survived and I drove her another 15 years lol. Steel vehicles are the shit. If you can, fix her. Good luck and I hope nobody was hurt.

 

[speighd]

I'd get a body frame shop look at it and get an estimate.
Go after the owner of the car, and there is uninsured motorist insurance if you have it.

 

[wildbill23c]

That's sad. Looked like a very nice looking Bronco 2. I sure hope you are able to get it fixed. What about a frame swap with a junk Bronco 2?

 

[adsm08]

I hope you hopped out and added a few bruises to the jackass who was driving the other car.

 

[91stranger]

It doesn't look that bad honestly. those steel trucks pound back out with the right motivation and tools.

 

[det107]

Oh WoW.....that's a shame after all those awesome mods done to it. Entertain us with updates/build thread-

 

[91stranger]

you still never said what kind of vehicle hit you. just wondering because these old fords are built like tanks. hard to believe anything other than another truck could do that much damage to all steel.

 

[Shran]

Doesn't really matter what vehicle hit it, 1st gen Rangers and B2's are NOT designed to absorb crash impacts well.

My buddy's Ranger was rear ended at a relatively low speed and the frame was bent all the way up to the cab. We welded in the back half of another frame to fix it. My '86 was also wrecked when I got it - was hit on the passenger side front, frame bent just like this B2. I straightened it enough to be usable.

From what I can see I'd say that your B2 looks fixable, I have seen MUCH worse get straightened out. It is a bummer in any case and I sympathize, the truck I inherited from my grandpa has been hit twice. Just broke my heart both times.

 

[91stranger]

Doesn't really matter what vehicle hit it, 1st gen Rangers and B2's are NOT designed to absorb crash impacts well.

My buddy's Ranger was rear ended at a relatively low speed and the frame was bent all the way up to the cab. We welded in the back half of another frame to fix it. My '86 was also wrecked when I got it - was hit on the passenger side front, frame bent just like this B2. I straightened it enough to be usable.

From what I can see I'd say that your B2 looks fixable, I have seen MUCH worse get straightened out. It is a bummer in any case and I sympathize, the truck I inherited from my grandpa has been hit twice. Just broke my heart both times.[I had a 91 ranger and was in a similar situation as the original poster. I was at a light and had the green arrow to turn left and started turning when I see a minivan haulin-ass going at least 35 mph straight at me. I stopped at an angle since I was halfway turning and they hit the corner of my bumper. the van was damaged from the front, down the entire side and part of the rear. my truck dropped the bumper about 3/4" and dented my fender. drove to the insurance place and got a check for my damages. the van was probably 2-3 grand to repair if not totaled. those old trucks aren't designed for impact but they can take a hit.

 

[Rustbucket350]

It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't gone directly into the passenger door. It might not be so bad to fix but I'll have to wait to tear into it for a little while. Luckily I was smart enough not to jerk the wheel and roll it into oncoming traffic.