I got this ride from a friend that I used to work with. I had been bugging him to go wheeling ever since I rolled my "92 Explorer. Finally three years later, he sold me his little 1988 Bronco II for $150.00 in November of 2004. I was happy to get it and he was happy to sell it.
I am not a mechanic, and really don't have much automotive experience. When my friends start talking about their trucks, or tell something I can do with mine, my eyes glass over and I go blank. All repairs and modifications I have done either myself or with my buddy Jake.
The first repair I made was to add a new blower motor for heat, cause I like to be warm. The next addition was a Warn 8724 Winch and big ass chrome winch bumper from a 97 F-250.
Later with the help of a few rocks and a trail in the Tillamook State Forest, the bumper received a more contoured shape. Had a great time on my first organized run with BroncoII.org and 2BigBroncos.com in February 2005.
A few months later I was able to install a 6" Skyjacker suspension lift. The lift included new drop down brackets for the TTB front suspension and 6" lift leafs in the rear. The first thing my wife said was, "Your tires look too small."
June of 2005, I was able to add a set of 35 12.5 - 15 BFG Mud Terrains and 15x10 Black daytona wheels. With some minor fender trimming, they fit nicely.
Nov '06 update
Good news..
I was able to pick up a 5.0 EFI and an AOD tranny to drop into the B2. THe cool part was that I only paid $200 for the engine and tranmission.
Bad News...
The first run after getting the 35s, I blew the sidewalls out of the two rear tires. Now I know what you're going to say..
"Thats what you get for buying retreads, you cheap bastard."
Well, that what I said to myself as well. After examination, the the sidewalls were scarred, scuffed and gouged. I took pictures and sent them back to Hi-Tech Retreads to no avail. So screw them.
I went back to Les Schwab as I should have done before and got 35x13.5 Toyos. Boy do they look mean!!! Now the new tires were a litte wider and rubbed a bit. So we fixed that by cutting out the tub and added new wheel wells. To do this, we went a little redneck and used basement window wells. Man they are tough.
More bad news....
"What's that smell?" That was 4th gear.
A Dana 35 4:10 front end and a ford 9" rear.
Ok, I finally found the Dana 35 and have the Ford 9inch. Just looking for gears now.
