maybe getting a BII, what do i need to look for?

[petruccifan88]

I am going Friday to look at a 1986 Bronco II V6 4wd. the guy wants $500 for it because its got some troubles and he don't want to go through those troubles.
Here's the link to the CL ad.

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/4847472988.html

what things should i be wary of?
Mileage is around 64,600 or so
so im guessing 164k at the least.

 

[RonD]

Not much you can really check except what you can see.
You could check the tranny fluid, smell it.
Oil is probably drained but check it anyway
Remove gas cap and smell, see how old gas might be, i.e. varnish smell.

Look close at the wiring, 29 years for DIYers adding tape decks and CD players can take there toll, lol.
So pay attention to non-stock wires


Odd about front drive line, BII should have auto hubs so removing drive line to save gas doesn't make any sense at all, even for a novice mechanic.
Transfer case locked in 4hi, then it might make sense, lol.

Make sure all the parts are around, '86 BII is getting pretty old so some parts can be hard to find.

Whats your plan?

As it sits now you are just buying a frame and body for $500

In any case it looks like a big project

 

[petruccifan88]

Not sure yet on what i'm doing with it. My thinking was why tear up the daily driver Ranger when i could get a cheap RBV and tear that up? For now I would use it for around the property. Maybe later on i could turn it into something crazy. I know the limitations of the D28 and the electronic shift 4wd, but as long as its working for now, cool. Truthfully, I wanted a project, something that i could fix up and put all that stuff i learned in school to the test. Working at O'Reilly Auto Parts is probably a plus as well.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

If that body is rust free then I would pay $500.00 for it. The motor and trans are a wash, if they run great, if not throw in a 4.0 and plan on rebuilding or swapping the trans. Crawl around under the truck looking for rust. Check all the body mounts as well as floor pans. Take a close look at the firewall for signs of water leaking, leaves can fall in thru the cowl and promote rust. Behind the kick panels by the front doors. The body mounts by the rad support. The rad support itself.
I really like my b-2.
Good luck,

Richard

 

[NEALD]

Also check rear body mount area just ahead of where the rear bumper mounts on the frame.

 

[petruccifan88]

This is awesome. I am the new owner of a 1986 Bronco II!! This thing is rust free. We almost had an issue getting it home but it is here! I couldn't be happier maybe if it ran, but it turned over a bunch, the distributor is loose, so if that is fixed it might run. Beyond excited!

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Start a build thread with lots of pics. Its a great tool for down the road when you can't remember what you've done to the sucker.

sent while sitting on the throne

 

[petruccifan88]

Thanks guys for all your help. I will start a build thread tomorrow when I can get some pictures.

 

[NEALD]

Very cool get some pics vs up! Have you got her started yet?

 

[Aerkusa]

Not much you can really check except what you can see.
You could check the tranny fluid, smell it.
Oil is probably drained but check it anyway
Remove gas cap and smell, see how old gas might be, i.e. varnish smell.

Look close at the wiring, 29 years for DIYers adding tape decks and CD players can take there toll, lol.
So pay attention to non-stock wires


Odd about front drive line, BII should have auto hubs so removing drive line to save gas doesn't make any sense at all, even for a novice mechanic.
Transfer case locked in 4hi, then it might make sense, lol.

Make sure all the parts are around, '86 BII is getting pretty old so some parts can be hard to find.

Whats your plan?

As it sits now you are just buying a frame and body for $500

In any case it looks like a big project

My old BII had manual hubs.

 

[broncobuckinaround]

find one that already has the 4.0 and a manual trans. no more said