1985 Ford Bronco II
| Owner: |
CapitalJ  (All of this user's registries on SuperMotors) |
| From: |
joplin, MO, U.S.A. (Other registries in MO) |
| Year, Make, & Model: |
1985 Ford Bronco II (Other Ford Bronco IIs) |
| Avatar: |
 |
| Clubs: |
138Modified (Other vehicles in this club)
|
| Nickname: |
#5 |
| Mileage: |
43815 |
| Engine: |
302
Remote oil filter
In-line electric fuel pump
Rear sump oil pan from '92 ford F-150
All aluminum 3 core radiator
Pro-tournament marine battery |
| Drivetrain: |
1985 C-6
Custom tranny mount
NP205 twin-stick T-case
Homemade driveshafts
1978 f-150 ford 9 inch locked rear end
Matching 1978 f-150 high pinion angle Dana 44 front end
Stonecrusher over knuckle steering system
All new brake lines
Long flexible brakelines from frame to axles
33 inch 12.50 TSL Boggers on 10 inch steel rims
19 inch gain in wheelbase width from stock measuring outside of tire width. |
| Notes: |
Full size TSL Bogger spare
4 inch fender flares
Warn tabor 9K winch
2 inch James Duff poly body lift
Homemade bumpers and roll bar
1/4 inch steel rocker panel guards
Set of 4 pro comp ES-3000 long travel shocks
James Duff 3.5 inch lift early bronco progressive rate coils
2 inch extended shackles
Clinometer
Fire extinguisher
Grant steering wheel
Stainless hood pins
Removed rear top and 3 windows permanently
All the rest of the blue XLT interior was from the #4 parts truck, and doors and front driver fender from grey #3 truck.
I cut wrecked front passenger inner body out at door to center behind grill and replaced it with same piece from 1986 Ranger. |
| Last Updated: |
11/13/2017 |
| Hits: |
34190 |
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276 hits | 54.79 KB | Posted: 11/6/17
Broke one of the B2 leafs at Disney
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230 hits | 43.81 KB | Posted: 11/6/17
Leafs from an 04 durango
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277 hits | 69.1 KB | Posted: 11/6/17
Moved the rear axle back 8 inches
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249 hits | 73.52 KB | Posted: 11/6/17
Disney OK. 4/20/17
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241 hits | 64.55 KB | Posted: 11/6/17
Disney OK. 4/20/17
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219 hits | 58.47 KB | Posted: 11/6/17
Disney OK. 4/20/17
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233 hits | 60.48 KB | Posted: 11/6/17
Disney OK. 4/20/17
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222 hits | 74.65 KB | Posted: 11/6/17
Disney OK. 4/20/17
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238 hits | 75.3 KB | Posted: 11/6/17
Disney OK. 4/20/17
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2538 hits | 88.4 KB | Posted: 5/21/09
Grind the shift rail. You'll have to install the shift rail and roll pin a few times cuz you wanna try to grind off as little as possible. It will take a few tries for sure. Grind small amounts and keep the depth level. The middle notch gets a gradua...
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2397 hits | 92.27 KB | Posted: 5/21/09
I tried to thin two identical shifters as much as possible, and added metal bushings and a longer bolt. I also greased the crap out of it all.
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2137 hits | 99.28 KB | Posted: 1/14/08
I trimmed the front fenders after driving it off road. I used a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder with a cutting disk.
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2043 hits | 90.37 KB | Posted: 5/21/09
I made shift linkage from a 3/4 inch union pipe fitting and drilled it to install a keeper, then welded a tab off it at an angle to keep the same shifter throw as the other one.
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1676 hits | 74.44 KB | Posted: 3/18/08
It had no hood release cable so I went this route.
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1657 hits | 128.88 KB | Posted: 3/13/08
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1612 hits | 95.88 KB | Posted: 5/21/09
Drive in freeze plugg and use the same hole to drive in the roll pin that holds the shift fork to the rail. You'll have to move the rail in and out to look in hole and see it. Knock it all the way in till it falls into case and leave the punch in for...
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1603 hits | 117.33 KB | Posted: 3/13/08
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1560 hits | 100.36 KB | Posted: 5/21/09
Lastly I had to make a 3/16 thick spacer because the adapter doesn't seat all the way. I used the NP205 gasket as a template. I siliconed both sides upon install.
Maintenance & Modification Logs
| Date | Type | Mileage | Title / Description | $ Amount | | 04/15/09 | Modification | | V-8 swap
My father-in-law donated his great running 351W from his '79 T-bird to my project, He had modified the car and used it like a truck and had gotten alot of use from it, I brought it home and pulled the motor, tore it down, cleaned and painted it Cummins beige. I purchased a rear sump oil pan and pick up tube from a '92 ford f-150. It requires the feul pump to be removed and a cover made for the hole and bolted on, and an in-line electric pump installed. It also requires a remote oil filter kit, both of these clearance problems are caused by the steering box. Raising the motor higher isn't an option because the tranny bell housing doesnt have the room to come up. I used the motor mounts from the T-bird and bent the tab on the front side of each one flat. They worked by shimming a 1/4" plate steel piece under them and welding it to the crossmember, and drilling the crossmember. The alternator bolted right onand the old belt fit fine but the power steering pump sat right down on the steering box. so I cut the adjustment slot open at the end so it would tilt up higher and bought a longer belt. That seems to work but I havent driven it yet so I don't know for sure the pump will perform well tilted that much, we'll see. The exhaust is a problem for sure, headers wont fit without modification and the stock manifolds will not work at all. My friend and neighbor, Brian, has a Ford galaxy that has manifolds on it I think will fit perfectly, I'm currently trying to get a set or possibly trade him some headers for them. He says the same manifolds come of the galaxy, comet, and maverick vehicles, and also fit 289,302,and 351W.
http://mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy01.asp?CatKey=EMUSTANG&Category=Engine&T1=M6881C100+01&subCategory=Oil+Related | 165.00 | | 03/18/08 | Modification | 43815 | Hood pins
My hood latch release cable was cut when it was wrecked before I bought it. When I fixed the front end I set the hood latch to just latch loosely and not fully. Now that its tagged and I get up to speed the hood was wiggling and freaked me out a little, so I bought hood pins.
http://www.supermotors.net/clubs/138modified/vehicles/registry/media/617903 | 17.00 | | 03/01/08 | Modification | | Fender flares
The mud was being thrown all over the windshield and in the bed, this is to be expected but it was while just rolling down the trail. I just used some vinyl I found at the local hardware store and rivited them on and shaped them the best I could. I really like the front ones and the rear will do for now. It totally fixed the problem I'm happy to say. | 12.00 | | 02/21/08 | Maintenance | | Hardware checkup
I went through all the bolts I added when mounting the radius arms, coils, shocks, track bar, ect. 27 total. Also tightened U-bolts on rear axle. The U-bolts were tight but I found 2 bolts at the track bar had loosened. All the rest were tight still. Nice piece of mind though. | 0.00 | | 02/12/08 | Modification | | Rocker guards
I used a 5 foot section of 2 1/4 inch o.d. tubing left over from the rollbar. I ripped it in half with a grinder, shaped the front ends, then drilled it and the rocker panels. I bought carriage bolts,slid them thrugh the holes drilled in the tubing, bolted them to the rockers and welded the heads to the tubing. I used 1/4 inch steel plate at an upward angle to mount it to a large body seam. I tack welded it and unbolted it. I finished welding it up and painted it. They seem really solid, but I'll find out soon enough. | 28.00 | | 02/08/08 | Modification | | Few luxuries
Changed out stock baby blue steering wheel with a silver Grant GT wheel and adapter kit. Added separate horn button cuz it was wired weird to begin with. Also replaced tranny T-shifter with an aluminum straight one with a button on top, its way easier to shift without looking. | 79.00 | | 12/10/07 | Modification | | Shocks
I bought buy 3 get one free long travel Pro comp ES-3000 explorer shocks. I welded new perches on rear axle tubes, and modified front mounts after tearing them both off on the first trip out . | 137.00 | | 12/02/07 | Modification | | Stone crusher steering upgrade
Drilled out knuckles and drop pitman arm 3/4 inch,20$ drill bit, assembled all the components and the install was easy. It feels completely solid and secure, and I just count on it now. It was a great upgrade.
http://www.stonecrushersteering.com/ | 366.00 | | 11/24/07 | Modification | 43702 | Bronco 2 Dana 44 SAS
The most difficult part of the solid axle swap for me was the coil placement. The full size coil buckets were the key up top rather than trying to modify the stock Bronco 2 ones, mounting these adjusted the ride height easily. But the lower spring perches were at a terrible angle, leaning open towards the front end with that much lift. Even though I had the lowest drop brackets for the radius arms I could get without totally making new ones, they caused the coils to bow outwards under the vehicle weight. So I had to cut the perches 3/4 around, taking note as to where the coil first touches them as the lowest point, and shaping it in a sort of coil and welding sides to it. It fixed it after a few tries but in the end it lifted the front end 2.5 more inches so I had to move the coil buckets up accordingly.
The radius arm brackets mount securely to the frame by drilling new holes, but in my application one of the driver side transmision mount holes was 1/8" forwards of where the bracket needed to be to put the tires at the stock wheelbase. So I went with that and pulled my measurement off of the rear axle tube-to-bracket and transferring that # to the passenger side. The radius arms didn't want to mate to the much narrower frame so after the driver side was fairly secure with at least 2 bolts in place, I used a ratchet strap to pull them together, and a jack under the passenger side to put it right where I wanted it for drilling and finally bolting it on.
The trac bar used to center the vehicle is also a bit tricky because it mounts right under the steering box and theres really no room for a bracket. I used 6"x4" angle and braced it with a steel rod to the frame under the motors oil pan. It was only approx 10 " away from the bracket and theres no other way to get that much stability elsewhere. the trac bar is under extreme pressure, almost contantly while off-road, so skimping here is not an option, the bracket would eventually bend and weaken till it fails. And your vehicle will dangerously unload itself to the ground.
On a lighter note, the 9" rear end was a dream, I just cut the spring perches and shock mounts off the axle tube and used the ones fron the old Bronco 2 rear axle. I raised the pinion angle for a better u-joint position, was only 3 degrees difference for my truck, and welded them back on careful not to get the axle tube to hot. After its mounted to the leaf springs I then welded on the shock brackets to the axle housing.It was easy compared to the front.
With all that installed I began the brakelines and fittings. I thought it would be a nightmare but i was lucky enough to find a knowlegable Oreilly's guy with a brakeline book and we hashed it out. On the proportioning valve under the driver floor pan I used the driver side outlet hardline because it was the shorter one,and plugged the passenger one and removed it. Then I mounted a Bronco 2 rear rubber line with 2 outlets to that hardline up front to the pumpkin, its plenty long for the front. I bought the stock hardlines mated to short rubber lines for the Dana 44, and all new calipers, that was pretty much it. The rear 9" lines fit the Bronco 2 line and splitter already, so i bolted it up.
Here are a few sites i refered to for encouragement.
http://ford.off-road.com/ford/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=198396
http://www.broncoii4x4.com/dana44/dana_44_solid_axle_swap.php
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Dana44_leafspring_conversion.htm | 1,187.00 | | 08/11/07 | Modification | | 15X10 rims
I bought a Dana 44 off ebay for the axles inside. I won the bid so me and Mental made the trip. The guys name was Roger,he was cool and has a full size Bronco that was upgraded to 3/4 ton axles and had a set of tires and rims that would no longer fit. So a week later , me and my son went back up there and bought them. | 160.00 | | 05/25/07 | Modification | | New shoes
I got a set of 5, 33x12.50 super swamper boggers from craigs list. Mental saw them online and let me know, It was exactly what I was looking for. My friend Germ used to live in the area and knew the address, so we drove up that weekend to pick them up and stopped for lunch and beers, it was a blast. 4 were on chrome chevy wheels I sold to mental and one had never been mounted. | 750.00 | | 04/20/07 | Maintenance | | Engine work
The lower plentum of the throttle body had a gasket with a vaccuum leak, so I had Nixon's garage fix it for me. They did a great job and kept it inside for me at night cuz it's topless. They also charged me about 75$ less than they quoted me, what a great garage!
http://www.shopthefourstates.com/page118.html | 320.00 | | 06/11/06 | Modification | | Rollbar
I built a rollbar and rear tubes. It was fun and is designed to have a canvas top streached across it. I haven't made the top yet though. It is 2 1/4 o.d. by 1/4 thick tubing. I installed a cargo light on it, mounted my highlift jack to the base of the X-brace, and a fire extinguisher behind the driver. | 240.00 | | 05/10/06 | Modification | 43694 | Body lift
I ordered a James Duff 2 inch blue poly body lift kit. It came with almost all the hardware, poly body bushings, 2 inch puck spacers, all the large washers, nuts and bolts. But the original bolts had a steel sleeve attached to them cause the body has a 1 inch hole. I sleeved the bolts I was using with schedule 80 PVC. The most difficult part was removal, as they were stuck and rusty. My sawzall just vibrated the whole body mount and took forever, the fastest way I found was to try to loosen them till they snapped. Only one of them actually loosened all the way off. The shift linkage needed minor adjusment.
http://www.jamesduff.com/broncoII/bodylifts.html | 130.00 | | 03/28/06 | Repair | 43692 | sensors
I burned up the starter solenoid when I put all the electronics and air intake back on the new fenderwell. The first wire I connected was wrong and, zap.... 84$. At this time I also replaced the Mass air-flow sensor and an air-idle control valve. Both looked damaged. | 184.00 | | 03/14/06 | Repair | 43692 | Fixed wrecked front end
I removed passenger fender and grill, moved the breather and electronics out of the way, along with radiator, hood latch, horn, and headlight, then cut the inner fender well out on passenger side in front and below of the antennae, and also 2'' off center towards the driver side of the hood latch. I had the salvage yard cut a larger piece than I needed out of an '86 Ford Ranger. I rivited it into place and then welded it fully on after making sure it was square on top where the hood sets and the same height from the ground to the corners. I also checked the grill and bumper with a level first. | 45.00 | | 09/20/05 | Repair | 43686 | Glass
for our anniversary my Wife had the smashed windsheild replaced when I got home from work, it was totally unexpected. | 130.00 | | 09/15/05 | Miscellaneous | 43681 | Initial purchase
My dads pest control guy saw my #4 Bronco and said his son had just rear ended someone with his Bronco like mine and they have already sunk alot of money in it with an engine, tranny and t-case. He thought I might need a parts truck.... he was right. My parents loaned me the money and mental dragged me home in it behind the mutant blazer via 14 foot tow rope and eccessive speed hehe. | 500.00 | | 04/14/05 | Miscellaneous | | Winch
Warn Tabor 9-K w/100 foot 5/8 cable, in receiver hitch cradle. Several clevises, tow strap, tree saver strap and 6 foot logging chain with grab hooks. Not usually needed but irreplaceable when it is.
http://www.supermotors.net/vehicles/registry/media/608284 | 640.00 | | 06/21/04 | Miscellaneous | | CB
I quit smoking cigarettes a few months before installation, and had always wondered if this small Radioshack CB-radio I had would fit in the ashtray hole but always used it before. Now I had no reason not to find out, I also had an extra ashtray faceplate if I screwed it up. It fit so tight it didnt need to be bolted in. So I cut the center out of the ashtray faceplate with a dremel and stuck it on with 2 sided tape.I can unbolt the ashtray housing and the CB comes with it.
http://www.supermotors.net/vehicles/registry/media/608283 | 89.00 | | Total | 5,179.00 |
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