Bronco 2 New Shoes

[wildbill23c]

Well I finally saved up enough money to get new tires the other day. No money came out of my paycheck, I saved tip money from work along with money from side jobs in small engine repair.

I went in knowing it needs an alignment and camber bushing kit. So I was up front with them on that, however the front passenger side wheel hub needs replaced so the alignment and camber bushing stuff was not done, which is gonna cost about $300 to have done, so I'm saving money up to do that and as a result the Bronco 2 got new tires and got parked for a while once again.

I was going to get new tires 215/75-R15's, but the day I took it in just so happened they took some tires off one of their company trucks so the salesman asked if I would be interested in them. They are 215/70-R15's and are Dunlop AT20's, which are just a standard all season tire, which for what I do will be just fine. Tires have about 50 miles on them just from the dealership to home, so I was like sure why not, they gave me the standard new tire warranty coverage so that's a nice bonus. Originally I was looking into a different tire same all season type, but different brand and about $400 total. The Dunlops I bought were $373 total. So I saved a bit of money that way and still got some practically new tires, still have the little nubs on the treads.

 

[brokemechanic3000]

Nice score man!

 

[BRONCONUT]

Is that a nail on the ground right beside your new tire

 

[straycat]

You have about a month and then the front tires will start to wear out from not getting the front end work done. Get it fixed as soon as you can or you just wasted money on new tires, Bro!!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You have about a month and then the front tires will start to wear out from not getting the front end work done. Get it fixed as soon as you can or you just wasted money on new tires, Bro!!

Tires don't wear unless the truck is being driven, he is parking it so wear should be minimal.

 

[wildbill23c]

You have about a month and then the front tires will start to wear out from not getting the front end work done. Get it fixed as soon as you can or you just wasted money on new tires, Bro!!

The truck has been parked, re-read my post I mentioned that in the OP. I know all about the front tires wearing out, which is exactly the reason why I got it home and parked it, as much as I would rather be driving it. It may not have all the nice creature comforts a newer vehicle has but for some reason I really enjoy driving it.


And...
No its not a nail its a stick LOL. I try to keep my nails away from my vehicle's as all my tires seem to be nail magnets.

The tires look nice sitting in the driveway LOL. The old tires were worn unevenly due to the alignment issue and camber bushing issue which is why I needed new tires, plus the alignment and camber kit. I also found out about the wheel hub being worn out so that's also part of my problem. You can lift the front passenger side tire and wobble the whole tire/wheel/hub/brake disc assembly all over the place. This most likely would explain why it wanders all over the road at times. Oh well, its 30 years old I expected these issues, just don't make enough money to have everything done all at once like I wish I could do. Getting the mechanical stuff done first, then I'll start saving up to have the body work done. Its gonna take many long years of saving to get it restored but I really want to stick with it and get it back to at least looking descent.

I looked up these tires and they sell new starting at $101 a tire, so at the $75 a tire they sold them to me for I think I did pretty well. Sure beats the bald and weather cracked tires on it before.

 

[straycat]

Tires don't wear unless the truck is being driven, he is parking it so wear should be minimal.

Well, he has been driving it around to get the tires mounted and have the truck looked at...so how long is a while?? If I had a bad hub I would not be driving it at all or putting tires on it until it was fixed!!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

So I was up front with them on that, however the front passenger side wheel hub needs replaced so the alignment and camber bushing stuff was not done, which is gonna cost about $300 to have done, so I'm saving money up to do that and as a result the Bronco 2 got new tires and got parked for a while once again.

Well, he has been driving it around to get the tires mounted and have the truck looked at...so how long is a while?? If I had a bad hub I would not be driving it at all or putting tires on it until it was fixed!!

Sounds to me like it had been parked and had the tires thrown on it while it was there to get aligned. There was more wrong with it than he had planned so he went back home. And then it will be parked again until he has the funds to get it fixed.

A bad lockout hub shouldn't be earthshattering to drive around with (and are usually pretty cheap at a JY) Brake rotors (what the wheel bearings sit in) are fairly cheap new.

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, I had to replace a rotor on my BII back in January after it suffered some... uh.. "damage". It only cost about $50.

 

[wildbill23c]

Sounds to me like it had been parked and had the tires thrown on it while it was there to get aligned. There was more wrong with it than he had planned so he went back home. And then it will be parked again until he has the funds to get it fixed.

A bad lockout hub shouldn't be earthshattering to drive around with (and are usually pretty cheap at a JY) Brake rotors (what the wheel bearings sit in) are fairly cheap new.

85_Ranger4x4 is correct.
I have been driving it around with the tires on it that were on it when I picked it up last November. I knew the tires were not great then, but no point in replacing them until I was able to afford to do so. I had no clue about the wheel hub (has nothing to do with the 4x4 manual lock in hubs so don't go throwing that about). It is the rotor and hub assembly that the wheel mounts to. I can take the manual 4x4 hub off and the whole assembly will still wobble around because the rotor/hub assembly are worn out not the manual lock-in hub. I had money for tires and the alignment/camber bushing kit but when it came up that other things needed done I had to wait on it due to lack of funds, as I'm trying to do all of this work with only money I get in tips from work. So the Bronco 2 has been parked since the new tires were put on earlier this week and will not move until I get the rest of the money to finish the repairs.

This is why I took it to a shop to have the alignment and everything checked because I knew it needed something due to the angle at which the front wheels sit. It needs the camber bushing kit and that rotor and wheel hub assembly, not messing with replacing bearings on a 30 year old rotor/hub assembly. The part I need is about $45 new. The 4x4 manual lock-in hubs are about $110 each. The 4x4 hubs work just fine, its the rotor and hub assembly that apparently 30 years took its tole on LOL.

The truck has been parked since I got new tires put on it on the 7th. I won't drive it except back to the shop to have the alignment and hub assembly done here in a couple weeks.

I may have been born early in the morning but it wasn't yesterday morning, I know not to drive something around with new tires on it with a bad alignment.

 

[wildbill23c]

Yeah, I had to replace a rotor on my BII back in January after it suffered some... uh.. "damage". It only cost about $50.

The rotor isn't too expensive but I'm gonna have both sides replaced since they gotta take stuff apart to do the bushings and everything anyhow, may as well do it all at the same time rather than say a week later the other side decides to fail as well.

I kind of think most of the stuff I'm replacing is original or pretty old, or the previous owner thought this B2 was a dune buggy.

 

[doorgunner]

"Well I finally saved up enough money to get new tires the other day. No money came out of my paycheck, I saved tip money from work along with money from side jobs in small engine repair."

Let me get this straight: You accomplished all that on a budget/didn't have to steal/didn't have to sell drugs/etc.

You trying to tell me that honesty and working toward a goal is still a character trait to be proud of?

Well......................................................................


Repped and High-Five!

 

[wildbill23c]

Thanks. Yes, I work my a** off 6 days a week at a local cafe at $8 an hour, plus tips. I work 30-40 hours a week. Its hard due to having to work 6 days a week but at least I'm starting to get out of the hole I was in for 3 years of not having a good job.

In reality I learned a very huge lesson, don't be greedy, take what you can get, don't wait it out for a "dream" job. Save money, don't spend it as fast as you get it. I was stupid, I admit it. I worked at my local national guard armory for 5 years as a supply NCO, I thought I had to have cool toys because well everyone else had cool stuff to show off. All that did was get me into serious debt. When my full time duty ended I went back to McDonalds where I was working before, I went from a $40k income to a $9k a year income, and now at the cafe I'm making around $10-11k a year. Not much better but even an additional 1-2k a year does make a difference.

My plan for the bronco 2 is for it to be a project, not something to nickel and dime me to death, I have another vehicle, so its not like when the bronco is down I have to really get it going as quickly as possible. I can let it set, take my time, save up the money and work on it here and there. I can say this from last November when I picked it up until now it has come a long way, from barely running, even not running at all for a while, to new head gaskets, and running awesome from about March up until the alignment stuff came up on it, which is by looking at it really no big deal, just a slight step backwards. I'm looking at about a $300 total bill to have this last batch of problems with the alignment, wheel hub assemblies (brake caliper/hub or whatever its called....someone mentioned a spindle), and the camber bushing kit. Anyhow, I save all of my tips, and I have to admit when I got over $550 saved in tips I really wanted to go spend it on something, but I kept saying nope, you are so close at getting the tires just save a little bit more. Well After the tires I'm about $150 away from having enough to get the rest of the repairs done. I'm not in any rush as like I said I have another vehicle. I usually get anywhere from $3-7 a day in tips which is because tips are split between 3-4 people depending on who all is working that day. People throw away pennies, and change all the time, I pick it up and throw it in my change jar at home. It adds up, and when you are saving money for something it really starts to add up. I keep track of it all on my computer down to each penny. Its really cool to sit back and watch your savings grow without the help of a bank.

Well anyhow sorry for the long winded reply. I just want to show people that just because your finances suck, you can still save money in the long run.

Thanks everyone for the replies, and as this B2 gets back to better condition I'll be sure to update everyone. Its just so amazing looking back to last November and seeing all the mess I had. Luckily I have a great auto shop at the local high school that's been doing most of the major mechanical work, they did the head gaskets for me, and will soon be doing the rear main seals.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Nice score on the tires man. Keep at it and you will have it roadworthy and running good in no time, and kudos for getting it done on a budget.

AJ

 

[wildbill23c]

Nice score on the tires man. Keep at it and you will have it roadworthy and running good in no time, and kudos for getting it done on a budget.

AJ

As of today I've got about $60 left before I can take it down to finish the alignment and wheel hub repairs. Then it will be back on the road as a daily driver again. Then I'll start saving up money for the next thing, to take care of the body rust. Its kind of fun saving up the money to get this thing fixed up. Little by little its becoming a better rig.

Yes, I wish I was rich so I could just take it to a shop and say here restore this, but that would be a lot more money than I make in a year. I'll do this restore a little bit at a time and one piece at a time if I have to. I've spent too much time on this thing to just toss it away now, plus its fun to drive so it will be around for quite a while.