I have finally decided to sell my 88 customized V8 Bronco II. The engine is a Fuel 93 Injected 5.0 liter. It had about 30,000 miles when I bought it with the complete harness, computer and all the electronics for the engine management. I began assembling the truck around 1995 and was on the road about a year and half later. I continued modifying it until I ran out of money. The truck now has about 100,000 miles on the conversion. I took turns using it as a daily driver with my 93 SHO until last year. This little Bronco on steroids was a blast to drive on and off road. Since I owned a machine shop at the time, I had all the necessary tools to do the work myself. I started with a 88 Bronco II and stripped it completely. The frame was boxed, and I had a 6 point roll cage built. The body was completely stripped, and painted inside and out with Sikkens white paint. I purchased a fiberglass off road kit composed of fenders, hood, and grill, and had them strengthened with extra fiberglass. The rear fenders were attached permanently to the body. The front and rear bumpers are Smitty Built. I welded a third tube in the front. The side step tubes are Smitty Built also. The front axle is a Twin Torsion Beam Dana 44 from a big Bronco. I sent it to Curry Enterprises and had them cut it down to fit under the chassis. Currie installed a locker up front along with 4.56 gears. I also had Curry build me a 9” rear end with a locker and along with 4.56 gears. The rear end has a brand new set disk brake rotors, calipers, and brake pads. I also replaced the driveshaft pinion seal, the bearing and the universal joints. I had Bob Hanlon build me a custom T-5 manual transmission using an Advance Adapter case to mated it to the original Bronco II transfer case. I modified a Pro-5 Short shifter to fit the transmission, and made a custom shifter handle which allows you to change the length of the shifter throw by raising or lowering the handle. I also made a custom aluminum dash to hold the Autometer speedometer, tachometer, and mechanical oil pres, oil temp and water temp. I installed a double filtering system using a Oberg plate filter along with a regular oil filter. All hoses are braided steel. I installed an engine oil cooler. The oil temperature does not go over 185 degrees, even in the hot Miami summers. I have 2 electric cooling fans, a pusher and a puller. The fans work independently. Either fan alone will keep the water temperature to 185 degrees. The front fan turns on automatically when the A/C is on, and the rear fan turns on when the water temperature reaches 180 degrees. The engine has a short neck water pump with a cast iron impeller. The stamped impellers would shear off. I removed the engine 6 months ago to replace leaking freeze plugs. I replaced them all. I also replaced the clutch with a Level 2 clutch. I replaced the old engine mounts with new solid L&L mounts. The original swap consisted of L&L headers (the headers look like they are brand new). I replaced the header seals along with the FI intake seal. I also made a custom steering driveshaft by modifying one from a Ford SHO. It is a great deal stronger that the original. The front seats are from a Lincoln Continental. These are electric adjustable leather seats, and all the electric controls work. You can fine tune all the adjustments to your liking. The leather, however is now old and faded with some wear rips. These seats are the most comfortable car seats ever. This truck is fast. It has plenty of torque, it brakes great, it is stable since it has a wide stance. I installed a variable rear brake adjustable valve, to keep the rear brakes from locking up. The ABS is disabled. The clutch works with the original hydraulic cylinder, but I had to make a custom piston to actuate the clutch, and it works great. I installed 4 Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks in the front in order to control the steering. One shock per wheel was not enough . The 4 front shocks front shocks work great. The rear axle has one shock per side. I made Delrin bushings for the shocks because the originals bushings did not last. This is the Bronco II that FORD should have built. It is fast, has plenty of torque, it is stable and brakes on a dime. It has a great turning ratio. The tires do not come in contact with the body at any time, whether you are hauling ass or crawling through the woods. This little truck is tight, but it now has some old age problems. Eighteen years after the build, the truck needs some work. There is some rust on the roof above the doors, and the firewall. I swapped in the 93 5.0 engine with the complete fuel injection system and computer, and it worked perfectly for the last 18 years. However, after pulling the engine to replace the freeze plugs, the engine has been running very rich, and I have not been able to fix it. It starts when it is cold, but after it warms up, it just floods. I have replaced the O2 sensors, the BAP, the air sensor, the water sensor, the gas regulator, I checked the vacuum. I replaced the in-tank gas pump and inline gas filter about a year ago. The Bronco has 5 Mickey Thompson aluminum 15X10 wheels. I just damaged one of them by running the truck without tightening the wheel nuts. I believe that the bolt pattern holes could be welded and re-drilled. The tires are 33X12.50 15 BF Goodridge TA Mudders. As you can see from the photographs, there is plenty of life left in them. I have given up. Ive had the truck for 20 years, and I am finally willing to part with it. I closed my shop, so I no longer have a place to work on it any more. It is time to move on. I have receipts totaling over $26,000 in parts and labor. I did most of the work myself, but I did farm out some of the mechanicals that were a bit over my head.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 18:51:23 +0000
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