rdbjr
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2007
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Vehicle Year
- 1988
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Transmission
- Manual
I have owned an '88 Bronco II (2.9L, unknown transmission -- 3rd one since I've owned it, 4wd) for about 12 years now, but it has seen better days. Now that my life has settled down a bit I am in the planning stages of a resurrection of this beast.
Since the engine is on its last legs (presumably cracked somewhere important as coolant is leaking into the cylinders), the clutch is dead, and this particular vehicle has needed a new transmission every 35,000 miles (heavy commuting up and down mountains when I was in college did not treat it well) it makes sense to start from the ground up and try to get some help from those who came before me.
I have figured out the following objectives for this vehicle:
1) street legal in NJ
2) more power than as delivered from the factory
3) heavier duty clutch/ transmission/ transfer case (and if necessary other components)
4) needs to continue to have a manual transmission
5) keep the A/C if possible (it has never worked for as long as I have owned it, but it's worth a shot)
At this point, as long as I am not going to spend $20k on the vehicle I think the project should be able to go to completion (I am married and spousal justification for that kind of expenditure would be a bit rough given that I could buy a new Escape with a manual transmission for a little bit more -- even if it has a smaller engine).
If anyone has a street-tested combination for the powertrain with more zip and endurance than the factory configuration, I would love to hear suggestions. Unfortunately, I have no experience welding, swapping engines, or generally removing parts heavier than myself from vehicles.
Thanks for your time!
Rudy
Since the engine is on its last legs (presumably cracked somewhere important as coolant is leaking into the cylinders), the clutch is dead, and this particular vehicle has needed a new transmission every 35,000 miles (heavy commuting up and down mountains when I was in college did not treat it well) it makes sense to start from the ground up and try to get some help from those who came before me.
I have figured out the following objectives for this vehicle:
1) street legal in NJ
2) more power than as delivered from the factory
3) heavier duty clutch/ transmission/ transfer case (and if necessary other components)
4) needs to continue to have a manual transmission
5) keep the A/C if possible (it has never worked for as long as I have owned it, but it's worth a shot)
At this point, as long as I am not going to spend $20k on the vehicle I think the project should be able to go to completion (I am married and spousal justification for that kind of expenditure would be a bit rough given that I could buy a new Escape with a manual transmission for a little bit more -- even if it has a smaller engine).
If anyone has a street-tested combination for the powertrain with more zip and endurance than the factory configuration, I would love to hear suggestions. Unfortunately, I have no experience welding, swapping engines, or generally removing parts heavier than myself from vehicles.
Thanks for your time!
Rudy