Just bought my first Ford!

[fricknbronco]

I bought a 1985 Bronco II 4x4 the other day from a buddy of mine. I'm hoping to rebuild the motor (has 179k miles) soon and put a lift kit on it with some bigger tires and nicer wheels. Any recommendations for body lift kits? I'm on a budget and can't spend a whole lot of cash right now.

All help is appreciated!
Thanks!

Here's the new ride.. I removed the ugly running boards today lol

 

[paxlineman]

looks like a nice lil project you got there keep us posted on what you do to it.

 

[igiveup]

Hello

Welcome to the fourms and have fun with it. If it has an auto in it put a bigger tranny cooler on it. A4LDs don't like heat at all.


igiveup

 

[exbass94]

Before rebuilding the engine, look into a 4.0 swap.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Welcome to TRS! Nice truck

Well first off I would agree with Exbass... as much as I love my 2.8L if your going ot be doing that kind of work you would be better off with swapping in a 4.0L motor. It will give you alot more power and its really easy. seeing as you can just leave everythign behind the engine alone. The Trans bolts right up to the new engine.

For a body Lift you can get a Performance Accessory 3" BL. Thats what I got. I picked it up off ebay for like 50 bucks. I would also recommend new body bushings if you are going to keep this truck for awhile. You should be able to fit aobut 31's after you do it.

 

[Kingoverace]

First Ford? Where have you been all these years? Just kidding dude....
Ima Budget biulder too, These guys have all your answers,
Looks like a great project!!

 

[fricknbronco]

Thanks for all the input. Would I be able to install the BL myself? Or do I need a pro to do it? I don't have a garage to work in just yet. Here's a little bit about the B2...

Transmission shifts hard going from park into drive/reverse
Engine quits when shifting from park to drive/reverse
Oil leaks
Gas gauge broken (tells me I'm on empty after driving 100 miles after fillup)
Ticking sound coming from the head

I'll be honest with you, I've only done cosmetic mods to my cars and haven't dealt with swapping or rebuilding motors. Is swapping a 4.0 a difficult process? And how much time/money should I expect to spend to make this happen? My employer is building a shop in the next few months but I don't want to wait that long to get started.

One last Q, where can I find a decent 4.0? I'll check the nearest junkyards.

I've owned imports my whole life and never thought I would buy a Ford but I just couldn't pass up the deal. I've already had people beg me to sell it, too bad!

Thanks!

 

[master hec0]

the best 4.0 for the swap comes from the 1st gen ford explorer 1991-1994. it is best to buy a whole parts truck it should be cheaper that way too.

 

[madwilly]

well bud its a nice rig and if your gonna turn it into a wheeler i wouldnt go with a body lift for it trust me those things are crap compared to suspention i just got a 94 ford ranger with a body lift and im already saving for a 6 inch suspention for mine there not a whole lot more for a rig like yours. so it would ride smoother and just over all be better if ya save alittle more and go for suspention and doing a engine swap is kinda tricky if ya aint got the rite tools but if ya do it should take too long or even cost a whole lot if ya look around i know becouse i did a 4.0 swap and i looked for a while and finally got a good deal on a nice used engine

 

[country0001]

If u Go w a 4.0 swap. At least a 1" BL is recommended. I'm going w a 2" when I do my swap this spring. I'm runnin 30's on mine w/out any lift. Def get the whole truck when doing the swap, thataway u have everything u need.

 

[fricknbronco]

Awesome. I think I'll just go with a body lift. I'm not going to be doing any major off roading, I just want to make the truck look good and tall in an inexpensive way (it's that cosmetic part of me). I don't have much cash like I said, and still need to fix the minor problems (i.e. replace window regulator, replace tail gate struts). I'm still into the idea of the 4.0 swap though.

 

[adsm08]

4.0>2.8

 

[Frank The Tank]

B2 Addict has one of the cleanest and most functional B2's I've ever seen....... he has 31's and a 2.8liter 5spd with duraspark conversion. That sucker will scream some rpm's, People dog the 2.8..... but I know for a fact it will do some insane things and sound like it's wrapping out 8grand and still drive home.

4.0's are fun, but not neccessary.

Frank

 

[TheOne]

i personally like my 2.9L...goes everywhere my buddies superchargered SOHC 4L can go LOL

it will also scream and is tough as nails!

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, the 2.8 and 2.9 are great engines. My statement was meant to be more mathematical.

The 2.8 and 2.9 can get some crazy torque if you work the clutch right. I've seen mine do stuff no one thought it could.

The only reason that I prefer the 4.0 is that it gives you the option to go to OBDII if you want. Better diag capabilities, and better spark control.

The only real drawbacks to the 2.9 are the TFI module and the head problems.

THe only draw back to the 2.8 is the carb.