BII Eddie Bauer question

[MeanMark87]

This might be a dumb question so bear with me....

So tomorrow I'm going to go and look at (and more than likely buy) an 88 BII Eddie Bauer edition. Thing is, there weren't a lot of interior photos of the truck, and the guy has been slow getting them to me via email.

I can't tell from the one interior photo I've seen whether the rig is actually a 4x4 or not. I'm assuming all the EB edition bronco ii's were 4 wheel drive and had the push button transfer case, but I wanted to be sure, because this guy lives a fair distance away and I don't want to get there and find out the thing is a 2 wheel drive rig.

 

[superds]

There's a pretty good chance if it's in the upper Midwest it's four wheel drive. I've never seen a two wheel drive b2 in ND.

 

[wildbill23c]

What year is it? I'm guessing since its an Eddie Bauer Model its newer than an 85. I believe in 86 they started offering a 2WD model. It may be the push button 4x4 system which if you are looking on the floor for the manual shift t-case lever it won't have one in that case, the push button 4x4 was on the roof panel.

 

[MeanMark87]

What year is it? I'm guessing since its an Eddie Bauer Model its newer than an 85. I believe in 86 they started offering a 2WD model. It may be the push button 4x4 system which if you are looking on the floor for the manual shift t-case lever it won't have one in that case, the push button 4x4 was on the roof panel.

It's an 88. I know that it won't have the manual t-case but I was just wondering if there was such a thing as an EB 2wd. I mean you wouldn't think so, considering the Eddie Bauer ones are supposed to be for outdoorsy types like me who WANT 4x4....

 

[wildbill23c]

They were available in 2WD or 4WD after 1986 regardless of what badging they had. Yeah I know, its like buying a 2WD Jeep Wrangler. People want the name is all for the most part, they have no intentions of driving off of a paved road, nevermind the lack of resale value on a 2WD later on down the road.

They could have manual or electric shift T-cases through the whole production line up, however if you aren't seeing anything pointing to it being a 4WD, its most likely 2WD, especially if they didn't advertise it as a 4WD then generally it will not be.

 

[superds]

I'm still saying it's four wheel drive. Two wheel drive B2s are virtually nonexistent in the upper midwest. Most people up here don't even realize there ever was a 2wd option for B2s. It's like people that advertise a vehicle with an automatic transmission but don't mention it because they assume there was only an option for automatic and there was no manual transmission version, eg. on late model F150s.

MeanMark87, do you have a link to this vehicle for sale? Maybe another set of eyes looking at it could tell if it's 4wd.

 

[superds]

For example, from this photo I can tell it is 4 wheel drive based on looking at the front wheel hubs. Also, not a dead giveaway since it could be modified but for a stock vehicle, a 2wd probably wouldn't sit so high in the front.

 

[wildbill23c]

Everyone used to think my 84 Ranger was 4WD, never understood why because it was completely stock, didn't have a lift or offroad tires on it.



Like I say it could be either one, just because its from the mid-west doesn't mean it came from there originally. I live in Idaho, not everyone owns a 4wd. Location doesn't necessarily mean a vehicle is 4WD LOL.

 

[kunar]

even if it's 2wd, the swap to 4wd is fairly simple on b2's.

 

[wildbill23c]

even if it's 2wd, the swap to 4wd is fairly simple on b2's.

Its just the front axle, differential drive shaft, and T-Case assembly to do a swap correct?

 

[kunar]

Its just the front axle, differential drive shaft, and T-Case assembly to do a swap correct?

if i remember right, yeah. pull the whole front axle and the dummy case and replace both with the 4wd parts. seems like the bracket for the passengers side beam needs to be taken off the frame and flipped to the other side or something like that. ive never even seen under the front end of a 2wd b2 so i cant say for sure.

of course the swap doesnt end there, you have to add the shifter linkage (or electronics) and the proper shifter boot etc. as well as the front drive shaft. there very well may be something im missing.

 

[wildbill23c]

if i remember right, yeah. pull the whole front axle and the dummy case and replace both with the 4wd parts. seems like the bracket for the passengers side beam needs to be taken off the frame and flipped to the other side or something like that. ive never even seen under the front end of a 2wd b2 so i cant say for sure.

of course the swap doesnt end there, you have to add the shifter linkage (or electronics) and the proper shifter boot etc. as well as the front drive shaft. there very well may be something im missing.

You missed one important thing....JUST BUY A 4x4 to begin with

 

[kunar]

You missed one important thing....JUST BUY A 4x4 to begin with

hey, if its in otherwise good shape, and for a decent price, being 2wd wouldnt be a 'make it or break it' IMO. i mean, think about it, a d35 swap is inevitable anyways, so its really not any more work!

 

[MeanMark87]

Thanks for the help fellas...I wound up buying it and driving it home. It IS a 4x4 and it has a manual transfer case. I'm gonna make a thread on it probably later.

This baby needs a TON of work....

@Superds....how in the world did you find the CL ad!? Lol

 

[superds]

Elementary, my dear Watson.

Using the facts that you list your home as Minnesota and that you are looking at an 88 B2 that is a good drive from you, I surmised that you used craiglist to find the vechicle in question since most people post on there since it's free and that would give you access to the knowledge that it is for sale. Knowing a majority of the population of MN lives near the Cities, I hedged my bets and I used this a basis to search craigslist using my favorite craigslist search engine, searchtempest.com, which allows you to quickly search many different cities around a starting point. Searching for Bronco only yields a few dozen results and looking through for an 88 Eddie Bauer narrows it down to a couple within a couple hundred miles of the Cities, and knowing that he didn't have very good interior photos or mention whether it was 4x4 narrowed the search to one B2, the one I posted.

Glad you got the B2 you were looking for, did you get a good deal on it?