I started building this Ford Bronco II in 2015 and finished it in 2016. It started out as a 1984 Ford Bronco II 4×4 with a 3-inch body lift. The Bronco II had a 302 V8 conversion, but the engine had developed a knock, and the owner was tired of messing with it. A few hundred dollars later, and a trailer ride from Virginia to Ohio, and the Bronco II found a new home.
If you read about my TRS-1 1983 Ford Ranger 4×4, then you know I salvaged all of the good parts from that and scrapped the truck. This Bronco II seemed like the perfect recipient to receive those parts.
The Bronco II needed a paint job and closer examination revealed rust in the bottom of the doors and the rear quarter panels. I went to my local salvage yard and got a solid pair of doors with power windows and lock from a 1989 Ford Ranger. The 1989-1992 doors will fit the 1984-1988 Ford Bronco II, but the interior door panels are different.
The bodywork was done at home in my garage with a lot of time spent replacing rust spots with good metal, filling minor imperfections with body filler, and a lot of sanding. The hood received a hood scoop to help draw air into the engine compartment. Once the body was done it was primed and painted Ford Flame Blue and silver.
The new engine has an Edelbrock Performer intake, Summit Racing cam, and Holley Offroad Avenger carb. The engine is lit with the help of an MSD ignition but still has a Duraspark ignition for backup. The Bronco II already had a good radiator designed for a V8 swap, but an engine oil cooler, complete with an electric fan, was added to help keep it cool. The engine exhales through a single custom exhaust, and Flowmaster muffler.
The interior was upgraded with seats from a Honda minivan (the drivers is power). The seats use the brackets from the original Bronco II seats, but a bracket is mounted between the Honda seat, and the Ford seat bracket, so it all bolts together. The donor van was sitting wrecked in a salvage yard. Since it had low miles on it, the seats were nice and firm and felt like brand new seats.
The carpet was replaced with a new black carpet kit, and the headliner was recovered. The dash and door panels were used from a 1989 Ford Ranger. The old dash was cracked, and I had a good 1989 dash laying in the garage not being used, so I used it. The dash and door panels were gray and were painted to match with the new seats. The door panels and some of the trim was also painted so that the front seats and factory rear seats all blended together.
The steering wheel was replaced with a new aftermarket one. The stereo was replaced with a full Kenwood system complete with receiver, speakers, and subwoofer. The rear seats were retained, but the factory colors blend well with the colors used on the dash and door panels.
As far as the suspension, the front of the Bronco II was lifted with the 4-inch Trailmaster lift kit that had been on the TRS-1 Ford Ranger. The rear of the Bronco II was lifted from a used set of factory Ford Explorer leaf springs. The 4-inch suspension lift, and 3-inch body lift allowed enough room for the 33x14x15 Boggers (rear) and 33×12.5×15 Swampers (front) mounted on Mickey Thompson Baja wheels that were salvaged off of the TRS-1 Ford Ranger. The wheels had become dull and gray, but I was able to wet sand and polish them back to a shine. A traction bar helps prevent axle twist and wheel hop under acceleration.
The Bronco II was treated to new taillights and marker lights, as well as a new chrome grill and front bumper. The front end is protected by a chrome grill guard found on craigslist. Chrome bumper and grill guard are designed to fit a 1989-1992 Ford Ranger / Bronco II, but I was able to mount them by making my own frame brackets.
Finally, new struts were used on the rear hatch, and the rear hatch window.
Be sure to check out the photos below. There are more detailed photos of the interior.
Unfortunately, I got a divorce as I was finishing the Bronco II and decided to move to Texas, so I sold it before I ever had a chance to drive it and enjoy it.