My 89 Bronco II Choptop project...

[lil_Blue_Ford]

subscribing to this, cool build...

Glad you like it! I still have a ton of stuff I want to do to it, but it takes time and money... most of which I've been spending elsewhere this year, lol.

For those wondering... yes, I have been driving it sans doors. After pinning the doors... well, it's summertime.... and I didn't feel like lifting the doors up again to pin them back on. I just throw a tarp over the cab when it's going to rain. I did rig up a custom anti-theft device though, it's good enough that I've forgotten about it a couple times now.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So yea... I haven't updated in awhile... but mostly I've just been driving it. Or it's been sitting with a tarp thrown over it. But the bottom line is that I haven't really done anything to it since the last update....

Although...

Coming soon to a build thread near you...

Ahem...

So I have this 4.0L that's sitting on my engine stand... New 4.0L clutch and flywheel in my shed and a new starter in my parent's garage... One could say I'm collecting parts...

About all I need now that I'm aware of (other than time and money) is a set of headers...

And rest easy all those 2.9L fans, I'm not junking the motor, it's going in my 88 Eddie Bauer.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Thanks to Adsm08, I now have headers....

Pictures of work to the engine and of the headers to come. Ended up stripping the top of the motor off to put in new gaskets in the top end, ground the valves, gasket matched the heads (intakes are next to gasket match) and the rocker arm assembly is at the machine shop being re-worked. So yea, stay tuned... by the end of the week I should have some pictures and maybe a few videos up. Hopefully by next week I'll get the engine set in, got a few things to do while the engine is out though.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

2.9L is officially out of the truck!

Oddly enough, the clutch looks like it's got a ton of life left. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, guess it'll go in my shed for now.

With luck I'll have the 4.0L set in tomorrow. If not, I may get it in by the end of the week. Going to try hard to get done what I need to in the engine bay tomorrow so I can drop the engine in.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

4.0 is in. Headers are on. Working on bolting up all the accessories, cleaning up odds and ends, and doing the wiring. Ran into a few issues, mostly wiring related or that I can't find the parts I was sure I had. Got one plug that I believe is for climate control in the engine compartment, plug matches one in the engine bay in size and shape that has similar colored wires, but the wires are in different spots so the plug doesn't fit in (there's one pin missing that's in a different location between the plugs). Also can't find the plug for the purge valve on the EVAP and noticed there only seems to be one o2 sensor plug in the 4.0 harness I have, somehow I thought 4.0 motors used 3-4 o2 sensors....

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ok, pretty sure I got the wiring harness issues sorted out. One o2 sensor is normal for the harness I have. Found the plug for the evap purge valve. Made up some adapters for the wiring harness on the drivers side where the engine harness meets the headlight harness. There's still a few wires that are not connected to anything in the harness there, not sure what all they do. I'll have to post up what connections I made and what's left if someone can tell me what's what. My manuals that I have are pretty useless at this point, all I really need is a description of what each wire does for those four plugs (two on the headlight harness and two on the engine harness, grey and black 8-pin).

Sorted out my fuel issue too and got it to fire up. Good news there, it starts easy. The not so good news is that it sounds like a radical cam V-8. Had a nasty miss that was shaking the truck. Swapped out the coil pack and IAC for one off another 4.0 I had here that needs rebuilt and the miss went away, but I still have an issue. Now sometimes it runs smooth and idles fine like it should, and sometimes it idles really rough. When it's idling smooth, I get a CEL. When it starts running rough, the CEL goes out. Go figure. Going to try changing the MAP sensor and TPS, I have suspicions that both of them are not helping matters because I suspected the MAP was bad with the 2.9 and I didn't change it. And the TPS because when I hit the go pedal, it's a bit flaky on response.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Swapped the MAP and TPS and it was better but still had serious issues... unplugged the MAF and the issues went away. New MAF and we're in business. Check engine light is randomly coming on and going off now though. Have to pull the codes again. I know the computer is putting out codes complaining that it can't see the automatic transmission (since the choptop is a manual). Threw a couple codes that last time that weren't in my books (kinda strange). Seems to be running pretty good aside from some horrible exhaust leaks. Those should be fixed when I get the new stainless exhaust done though. Just need money for that.

Didn't gain quite as much performance as I had hoped for, but enough that I'm happy. Of course, I still have to do the new exhaust and I still plan to do a ported intake along with free-floating rockers which should give me a tad more go. But at least it runs good in 4th gear without falling on it's face and OD is now usable, which is definitely nice.

 

[bobbywalter]

interesting critter you have here.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

interesting critter you have here.

Thanks! I need to get the old pictures working again on here and get more new pictures up, just haven't really had the time to mess with it between work, trying to find work, fixing the trucks, and the little bit of so-called life I try to have, lol.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Forgot to post this up awhile ago, I made a spare tire mount spacer out of a couple pieces of solid aluminum stock so the 35 would mount up. I'll make a better mount that attaches to a custom bumper later, but for now it works. Seems to put a lot of stress on the body though with that monster tire.

2.9L out for good!

Headers! Thanks Adsm08!

 

[bobbywalter]

i just cover the seats when my doors are off.... i do little curtain deals that fold in....or pull up when mud is eminent.


tarps are a pia.

 

[bobbywalter]

pretty simple, they are not out all the way and they cover plenty to keep the seats dry...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yea, you can't really tell from the pic, but that silver tarp was getting pretty shredded. It was one of those temporary things that lasted two years and the tarp I used was given to me. I'm not buying another tarp for it. I had a method of securing it that was pretty quick and easy, but getting the tarp thrown over the top was a pain. My one buddy is trying to get into sewing boat covers and the like, he's supposed to be making me a couple fabric curtain sorta things for when the doors are off and a windjammer for behind the front seats. Once I get the roll cage finished, he's supposed to make me a full top too.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So I've been running this a lot since putting it together with the 4.0 and I can honestly say that the swap was well worth the effort. Still needs some odds and ends like a new exhaust and new O2 sensor, but it has a respectable amount of go now, running 4.10 gears and 35's. Not a rocket like a 5.0 would have made it, but I wasn't after that sort of power anyway. Not in something lifted that high with that short of a wheelbase anyway (IE, it probably would have been on it's lid by now if I had).

I'll try to get a list up of what wires I had to hook to what to make it run and get a pic of the adapter I made. I stole some spare plugs off some junk harnesses to make it, had to pull some pins and whatnot, but it's easy enough to do. Might make a video on it.

 

[Harley]

Thinking about doing the 4.0 too...i have 80,000 on my 2.9 though and am wondering if it would be worth all the work? What do you think?

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