What are you talking about??? I wasn't being defensive. I'm no offended. I was JUST SAYING, I was hoping more people would reply to this thread, but it doesn't matter now anyway. I'm not reading too many good things about BII's at all.
__________________ GodBlessAmerica!! GodBlessFTEUsers! '94 F-150 FlareSide 4.9L 4.11 w/ Locker 3'' lift and custom exhaust. 217,000 miles and counting! "She might be slow but she gets the job done.."
I haven't had any REAL issues with my b2 yet 242,000 miles and going strong. It got jumped backwards and has electrical problems now but I just carry a deep cycle battery from my boat in the trunk for the occasional jump and it is good to go. Best part is it eats batteries every 6 months or so now so I never have to buy a battery again thanks to full coverage battery warranties!!! It is a blessing and a curse.
I beat the snot out of my b2 and it just keeps on trucking, 2.8L v6 model. It is truly a ****-it-bucket! The best part is when I launch my boat the clutch slips backwards slightly every few minutes. Really keeps me on my toes! Can't wait until it ends up in the bottom of the lake some day!!! It sure as hell isn't getting a new clutch lol!
So anyway, when you're looking at b2's just check for a cracked head and functional 4 wheel drive. If it checks out ok and the price is right, go for it. Any high mileage vehicle is going to be a piece of ****. What have you got to lose? $500? meh if it runs for a few months you got your money's worth.
If you want a dependable vehicle then look at the full size bronco. It isn't a light truck but it IS dependable as hell. Can't go wrong with the big bronco for the $$$. Gas prices are low in the winter anyway and anyone trying to roll a vehicle in some mud shouldn't complain about gas being $5 a gallon anyway! If you want a light dependable vehicle then save up for the jeep. Can't beat a jeep, really can't. But damn are they ever expensive!
I haven't had any REAL issues with my b2 yet 242,000 miles and going strong. It got jumped backwards and has electrical problems now but I just carry a deep cycle battery from my boat in the trunk for the occasional jump and it is good to go. Best part is it eats batteries every 6 months or so now so I never have to buy a battery again thanks to full coverage battery warranties!!! It is a blessing and a curse.
I beat the snot out of my b2 and it just keeps on trucking, 2.8L v6 model. It is truly a ****-it-bucket! The best part is when I launch my boat the clutch slips backwards slightly every few minutes. Really keeps me on my toes! Can't wait until it ends up in the bottom of the lake some day!!! It sure as hell isn't getting a new clutch lol!
So anyway, when you're looking at b2's just check for a cracked head and functional 4 wheel drive. If it checks out ok and the price is right, go for it. Any high mileage vehicle is going to be a piece of ****. What have you got to lose? $500? meh if it runs for a few months you got your money's worth.
If you want a dependable vehicle then look at the full size bronco. It isn't a light truck but it IS dependable as hell. Can't go wrong with the big bronco for the $$$. Gas prices are low in the winter anyway and anyone trying to roll a vehicle in some mud shouldn't complain about gas being $5 a gallon anyway! If you want a light dependable vehicle then save up for the jeep. Can't beat a jeep, really can't. But damn are they ever expensive!
Thanks for your reply!
You make a lot of good points. And you're right; Those dadgum Jeeps are way over priced. I would love to own one though. I'll just be keeping my eyes open for whatever I find that is in good mechanical condition. As it turns out, vehicles are much less expensive up here. Reading through the sales paper I can buy a 4x4 truck for dirt cheap.
If I could actually pick and choose, I would want another F150 with the I6 and manual with granny just for the realiability. But whatever I find, like I said.
Thanks again!
__________________ GodBlessAmerica!! GodBlessFTEUsers! '94 F-150 FlareSide 4.9L 4.11 w/ Locker 3'' lift and custom exhaust. 217,000 miles and counting! "She might be slow but she gets the job done.."
Jeeps can be had cheap. I have seen several YJ's (87-95 Wrangler), some Grand Cherokees and a ton of Cherokees for sale for $2000 or less. Some of them had issues, but they were fairly easily solved. A wrangler or cherokee with the 4.0 is super reliable and both rigs are easy to work on.
If a jeep is what you really want, then you can find them.
I bought a BII several years ago to begin a build on. It blew up less than 100 miles after I bought it. The guy gave me my money back after I towed it to his place and left it in the front yard. I love them, I just dont want to deal with them.
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2005 F-250 XLT CC SB, 5.4, TQShift, Man. 4x4, 3.73
2008 Expedition EL Eddie Bauer 4x4
2005 Keystone Springdale 27' Bunkhouse 5th Wheel
2000 Jeep Wrangler, built for trails
Gone: 1976 F-250 4x4 HighBoy, 390, 4sp
(2) 1990 F-150's, 300/6, 5 sp, (1 4x4 and 1 4x2)
if it was be i would find a jeep cherokee with a 4.0L. both the auto and manual trannys are strong. i had a 98 4x4 cherokee 4 door and i bought it 3 years ago for 2600. very well build and can handle some crap. never broke down ever. it was very fast as well. i had a 97 mountaineer with the 5.0L before the jeep and hands down the jeep would just walk the merc anyday. i hope that helps
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2002 Ford F150 Sport 4.2 5spd,
1988 Ford F150 4x4 4.9 4spd, 39.5" boggers
I just picked up, or rather made payment in full for an '89 to go along with my '87. I am hoping to make the trip to go pick it up and store it where my '87 is. There are some quirks to these things, but once you figure them out, they aren't bad trucks. Reading through the posts, I don't recall any BII with 3.27 gears listed as an option. My '87 has 3.45 gears, which don't work well with the tires I have now and were only marginally better with 235/75R-15s. The A4LD automatic has problems, of course - mainly due to overheating, wiring for the solenoids, solenoids going bad, etc. The C5 non-overdrive transmission is fairly bulletproof, especially if you add an external cooler for trail riding. The manual transmissions aren't too bad, although the M5ODs have things you have to watch for (shift rail plugs leaking) - but I think those were only put in the '90 models. The Mitsubishi (FM) transmissions seem to have their own problems, but as long as they are maintained well, they are fairly trouble-free. I only have one problem with my TK (Mazda) 5-speed, but it isn't to the point where it requires overhaul yet. I think it's due to previous owners' lack of maintaining it more than anything else. The 2.9 is a very underrated engine. It's no speed demon, but when you know all the quirks and address them properly, it is fairly bulletproof and will surprise you. Personally, I love my '87 even with all it's 'problems' and will invest in correcting them as necessary. I've taken mine where I didn't think I could a few times. Only things I wished were different is I wished I had lower gearing and limited slip or locked differentials. Of course, as far as the 2.9 goes, you have two options: 5.0/302 V8 swap or a 4.0 V6 swap, the latter of which I refuse to do because I don't want to inherit more problems for the sake of 20-30 extra horsepower and however much more torque - and the first option just doesn't make sense to me since I'd have to feed that much more engine for no gain in economy Ah well, whatever you decide to do, Bill, that's your perogative
I just picked up, or rather made payment in full for an '89 to go along with my '87. I am hoping to make the trip to go pick it up and store it where my '87 is. There are some quirks to these things, but once you figure them out, they aren't bad trucks. Reading through the posts, I don't recall any BII with 3.27 gears listed as an option. My '87 has 3.45 gears, which don't work well with the tires I have now and were only marginally better with 235/75R-15s. The A4LD automatic has problems, of course - mainly due to overheating, wiring for the solenoids, solenoids going bad, etc. The C5 non-overdrive transmission is fairly bulletproof, especially if you add an external cooler for trail riding. The manual transmissions aren't too bad, although the M5ODs have things you have to watch for (shift rail plugs leaking) - but I think those were only put in the '90 models. The Mitsubishi (FM) transmissions seem to have their own problems, but as long as they are maintained well, they are fairly trouble-free. I only have one problem with my TK (Mazda) 5-speed, but it isn't to the point where it requires overhaul yet. I think it's due to previous owners' lack of maintaining it more than anything else. The 2.9 is a very underrated engine. It's no speed demon, but when you know all the quirks and address them properly, it is fairly bulletproof and will surprise you. Personally, I love my '87 even with all it's 'problems' and will invest in correcting them as necessary. I've taken mine where I didn't think I could a few times. Only things I wished were different is I wished I had lower gearing and limited slip or locked differentials. Of course, as far as the 2.9 goes, you have two options: 5.0/302 V8 swap or a 4.0 V6 swap, the latter of which I refuse to do because I don't want to inherit more problems for the sake of 20-30 extra horsepower and however much more torque - and the first option just doesn't make sense to me since I'd have to feed that much more engine for no gain in economy Ah well, whatever you decide to do, Bill, that's your perogative
Hey there!
Thanks for taking the time and writing all of that. I'm going to rep you just for being a nice guy and replying.
I'm not sure I know what I want right now. I think I'll just keep sitting on my money until a good buy comes along. The main things to me are realiability and the ability to play with it.
__________________ GodBlessAmerica!! GodBlessFTEUsers! '94 F-150 FlareSide 4.9L 4.11 w/ Locker 3'' lift and custom exhaust. 217,000 miles and counting! "She might be slow but she gets the job done.."
Thanks, Bill! If you have any questions about BIIs, just let me know, or just post up on here. Most of the fairly knowledgeable people here will give you the scoop straight up. They aren't perfect, but most of the quirks can be worked with. I forget where you're at, geographically. I'm sure you could peruse through eBay and craigslist and find a good running truck for a decent price. I happened upon the '89 on another forum and it was too good to pass up for what's been done to it already. I only have one issue to address on it, and am hopeful that it's not going to be very costly. I have an '84 that I am also planning to get my hands on for a complete ground-up build for a (mostly) trail-only rig and it probably won't be very stock when all said and done. It's already had the top chopped off, but needs 'finishing up' and will probably need quite a bit of work overall. I just know I'll have my fair share of projects to keep me busy during my free time when I get back to the States Again, thanks for the rep, I appreciate it
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I'm no offended. I was JUST SAYING, I was hoping more people would reply to this thread, but it doesn't matter now anyway. I'm not reading too many good things about BII's at all.
Ah well, whatever you decide to do, Bill, that's your perogative 
Again, thanks for the rep, I appreciate it 
