Project $3k BII Official Prebuild Thread

[superds]

sounds cool, grab that eddie bauer

I like that one too. Sounds like it's in the best running condition and reasonably priced. I just wish the guy would call me back!

 

[superds]

Here's another one that I might look at:
http://stcloud.craigslist.org/cto/2602558565.html

I'm gonna have my brother-in-law take a look at it, he lives out in that area. I'm really hoping that thing on the hood isn't a homemade snorkel.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Some quick thoughts, some of which I've done, and others are thinking out loud;
Incorporate a 2" hitch into your front bumper and when you can afford a winch you have the option of front or back mounting if you run heavy cable to the back.
I'd go body lift and fender trimming as needed to save money and keep the cog low. IMO the axles are so close to each other that a suspension lift isn't needed.
Do the axle swap before buying gears and tires. I'm running 31" and 4.10 gears with a 4.0l and am really happy. Eventually I'll get d-35 and 8.8 and I'll get 5.13's to turn my C$150.00 5-35"x10x15" CL find. Though a doubler might be built for slightly more or less than the cost of a re-gear, depends on how handy you are.
Make sure your spare is the same size, especially if you start welding in your rears.
You can easily turn regular non factory locker into a limited slip with a $5.00 washer...search. I've done this to my d-28 and a 9".
More flex, I would extend the radius arms and run longer coils with less ppi. I bought but haven't tried yet '79 full size Bronco coils.
The rear, maybe a shackle flip and blocks, I don't really know if that would work as I haven't looked at mine to see.
My costs and upgrades so far;
'85 b-II with 4.0l and 5-speed = C$300.00 [but very rusty]
stock factory 4.10 front d-28 and limited slip rear 7.5 = C$200.00
front homemade limited slip; washer and oil = C$35.00
5-31"x8"x15" Baja Claws with~ 75% tread left= $450.00
mounting and balancing = C$100.00
front and back receivers = C$70.00 plus some welding and scrounged metal
rust repair; new drivers floorboard = C$65.00 plus some welding and scrounged metal
rear air shocks, a quick fix for sagging rear springs = C$135.00
There must be a few things I'm forgetting as the total cost so far is ~ C1700.00 for a capable on/off road rig. If I'd spent a little more off the bat for a rust free rig I'd be way ahead as far as my time and stress levels go, though having the 4.0 already installed was why I bought it. With what I've learned in the last couple of years I would attempt that swap with very little hesitation.
Good luck,

Richard

 

[4.0B2]

I have some 4.5" deaver EB coils I'll sale! But then you'll need drop brackets to... Lol

 

[superds]

I have some 4.5" deaver EB coils I'll sale! But then you'll need drop brackets to... Lol

Hmmm...How much lift would one get out of those? Drop brackets aren't the end of the world if I can do it economically.

 

[superds]

Thanks for the information, Richard. That's a lot of good stuff there.

Maybe I could put my 32" tires on this thing and instead get the 35"ers I've always wanted! Probably not, as mentioned I still have about a $0 budget for my own vehicles.

The doubler is a possibility, I have an extra 1354e sitting on my garage floor I could buy a Shiftster for $55 and put on there (and keep it in low range most of the time). I think I need to research this option a bit more. I looked at gears and they ring in at about $700 including the master install kits for D35/8.8 for 4.88 gears. Yikes!

I just wish I could get my hands on the BII I'm going to be building so I can get started! I feel like a kid standing outside a candy store, looking in the window. I want to go in!

 

[4.0B2]

Hmmm...How much lift would one get out of those? Drop brackets aren't the end of the world if I can do it economically.

idk for sure, i know escort_gts had them on his first ranger he sas'ed.. and since i was gonna do the d30 sas, i bought them. then decided to do xj coils.

they are 22" uncompressed tho. and A LOT softer than my RC coils lol. idk, i'm still debating on which coils to use.. the xj's are softer, but may be to soft for my dd'ed b2 lol. nah, i'm using the xj coils lol.

$100 shipped
pm me if you're interested. i have a pic somewhere

 

[superds]

4.0B2, I'll keep that in mind that you have them available but don't hold them for me. I'd like to get the vehicle before I start purchasing parts. It's been really tempting. A guy had a set of 33" Firestone MTs that looked like they had lots of tread left for $250 on CL, I really was hoping no one would buy them before I got the BII, but alas, they were gone in just a couple days.

 

[superds]

Well, small update on the vehicle search, my dad came across this today and apparently it's for sale, according to the shop owner that it was parked near. We're waiting to hear back from the owner but my dad was able to talk to the owner's brother. It's not running, looks like it needs a fuel pump and a battery (and probably some fresh gas) and obviously, a paint job. Other than that, the body is fairly rust free, only some small patches of surface rust, none of the body panels have been permeated by rust like the few others we've seen.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, it's either an '84 or '85, the guy didn't know for sure.

 

[superds]

On second thought, it also needs running boards removed, a lift, some new wheels and tires, Explorer axles...

 

[superds]

Well, my dad bought this one today:

I never got a chance to look at it in person, just the pictures my parents sent me. I have to pick it up this weekend and drag it home. It's got good and bad:

The Good:
$200
They were able to demonstrate that it runs by pouring gas in the carb.
Only surface rust, nothing too serious. I almost feel bad about cutting up the fenders to fit big tires, but I'll get over it.

The Bad:
Apparently needs a fuel pump.
Also it looks like it needs a slave cylinder at the least. You press the clutch pedal down and nothing. Doesn't even spring back into place.

The Ugly:
The 80s paint job burns my eyes.

The clutch doesn't bother me too much, I told my dad I would upgrade to a 4.0 clutch for him anyway.

 

[Sunk]

Looks like a good place to start!

 

[superds]

Thanks, I think it'll do the trick.

I have a good idea what parts I want to buy for the clutch and it's a pretty simple job (I just did this last winter on my Ranger).

I think the first thing after I get it running is to do the body lift and replace the body bushings at the same time. I'll probably pick up both from James Duff, seems like they're reasonably priced. Next, I'll move on to the body trimming and cheap suspension lift. Then tires/wheels. I've decided to leave the stock axles in place until they blow up. This will get him on the trail quicker and figure out what he does and doesn't like so I know what to upgrade next. I'm going to start looking at what other people have done for bumpers to get some ideas.

 

[jhammel85]

I like the bug deflector that matches the back end.

Looks like a great start if you ask me. You're saving an old BII..Awesome.

Looking forward to your build! If you have any questions about the BL, let me know. I just did mine. It's fairly simple, even on an old truck. I had to make my own sleeves because the stockers had to be cut in half. I used some conduit piping and that was that....Just keep an eye out for a brake line junction that's welded to the frame on the driver side. I didn't see it and broke a brake line when I pulled up my body.........

 

[superds]

I like saving old vehicles. I think they still have a place in this world.

Thanks for the heads up on the brake line, I'll watch out for it.