Is this a good deal?

[redneckpunk]

Been looking to buy either a ranger or bronco II and came across this one and not sure if it is a good deal. I dont mind having to park it for a while and work on it, just not too familiar with the bronco II's. What I do know is that this vehicle would be primarily used for camping, fishing, etc., and pulling my small 12ft alum. boat (maybe 750lbs).

"1983 ford bronco II,2.8L V6, auto trans, needs work, needs cv joint for rear drive shaft, has an oil leak, needs carb adjusted, registration is past due, last registered 06, it does run and drive"

The ad does have a pic and the body, side shown, is straight. It appears to be sitting on either 33's or 35's with plenty of clearance of fenders so its also lifted(and 4x4). I guess whats throwing me off is the "needs cv joint for rear drive shaft" and "registration is past due, last registered 06". Living in Kalifornia this could be a major project to get smog cert..

So what do you experts think? Also, any pros and cons you can add about this year BII would be of great help.

Thanks in advance
~RNP

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

well i may be wrong but i dont think that they even made b2's in 83. and if they did it shouldnt be a cv joint drive shaft. also the tranny would be a weak point, they are crap and personaly i wouldnt trust that tranny to hold up with 33's let alone pulling a boat.
im not real clear on cali laws but i dont think the registration should be a problem, just switch the title over to your name and get it registered, the smog cert could probably be a pain depending on how well the engine runs, for instance i can tell you straight up that my 84 b2 wouldnt pass a emisions, or a safty test for that matter.


the pros and cons i see with it would be

pros: It being Ford. Lift, Tires.
cons: auto tranny, getting it to pass emisions,
of course depending on your mechinanal aptitude and possably if the price is right it could work out fine.
thats about all i can come up with for now.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

well i may be wrong but i dont think that they even made b2's in 83. and if they did it shouldnt be a cv joint drive shaft. also the tranny would be a weak point, they are crap and personaly i wouldnt trust that tranny to hold up with 33's let alone pulling a boat.
im not real clear on cali laws but i dont think the registration should be a problem, just switch the title over to your name and get it registered, the smog cert could probably be a pain depending on how well the engine runs, for instance i can tell you straight up that my 84 b2 wouldnt pass a emisions, or a safty test for that matter.


the pros and cons i see with it would be

pros: It being Ford. Lift, Tires.
cons: auto tranny, getting it to pass emisions,
of course depending on your mechinanal aptitude and possably if the price is right it could work out fine.
thats about all i can come up with for now.

He could be saying it's an 83 cuz that's when he bought it (even though the model year would be 84), or it might be a true 83 (doubtful but who knows).

The auto tranny in it would be fine unless it was changed out at some point (doubtful). The auto tranny that should be in it would be like a C4, they're good trannys but no overdrive gear. (Bronco Chuck is thinking of the infamous A4(oh hell)ld which came along later)

To clear 35's, it would need a serious lift (6" or more). It's prolly got 31's or 33's but hard to tell without a pic.

It would likely be a U-joint rear driveshaft unless it was swapped at some point. CV joints can be rebuilt, but most people just opt to swap in a u-joint shaft if they have a CV shaft. (look under the truck, if it's got these funny tulip shaped things instead of u-joints, it's a cv shaft).

Oil leak may be either a minor nuciense or a major issue, depends on how bad and where from.

Carb may take some playing around to get adjusted, or it may need rebuilt/replaced.

It shouldn't have any problems pulling that boat.

I have no idea how bad it would be to try to get it to pass smog for kommiefornia.

 

[sfwjesse]

plan on ditching that CV jointed drive shaft. My 88 had 3" susp. lift in the back and it just couldnt handle the angle. Rebuild it and it will just die again. I spent 170 on ebay for a custom length u-jointed shaft....and thats the best price i could find unless you can fabricate one yourself.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

plan on ditching that CV jointed drive shaft. My 88 had 3" susp. lift in the back and it just couldnt handle the angle. Rebuild it and it will just die again. I spent 170 on ebay for a custom length u-jointed shaft....and thats the best price i could find unless you can fabricate one yourself.

I got a cardigan U-joint shaft out of a BII, wasn't an issue for a small lift. My choptop has what's supposed to be a custom shaft for a BII with a 2" lift but it looks the same as a stock shaft (also a U-joint shaft). Runnin 5" suspension lift and it's been flexed out before with no issue.

 

[88_Eddie]

james duff offers a new rear driveshaft that bolts in like the old CV joint but it has u-joints instead. they offer a short and long. i have one on my 88 B2 and has worked awesome, the cv's are crap

 

[redneckpunk]

Thanks guys. I havent heard back from the seller but if i do i will be sure to inquire more. As far as drive lines, thats not an issue bcuz I have a buddy who owns a driveline shop and can either order or fabricate whatever I may need.