I recently purchased my first bronco. Its a 1984 XLT with a 351. I sold my 1990 mustang to purchase this vehicle and now I need help. I do not know **** about Bronco's and 4wd for that matter. A few of my questions:

What is the proper way to shift in and out of 4wd? Put it in park, neutral, etc....

Do I have manual locking hubs? The front wheels have a little piece in the middle that says free and lock with arrows.

Does the top come off my bronco? Is it a pain in the *** to get it off?

Anyone know any sites where I can get all kinds of info on my year bronco?

Assuming my bronco continues to run problem free, did I get a good deal on this truck paying $3450?

Thanks for any help, I've been searching the net for message boards and this one appears to be the most active.

chad

 

Looks like a nice truck...

1. 4WD - 4HI - shift while moving 4LO - Stopped, in neutral.
2. Yes, those are manual hubs.
3. Yes, the top comes off, and no it's not hard. It IS heavy though, so plan on having a buddy help out.
4. You've already found the best source. Look around.
5. Price, yeah, not bad.

All in all, I'd say you did pretty good.

Enjoy it, and welcome to FTE!!

{edit}
BTW, if you want to keep the top off throughout the summer, invest in a soft top. I just picked up a NICE one, and it looks WAY tough on my 91.

 

Chad, you have landed on a super planet, dude!!!

I've had my 84 Bronco about 3 years. I drive without the hardtop about 90% of the time, and it's easy to take off and put on (only wieghs 120 lbs.) If your front hubs have a bar across the center and say "free" and "Lock", you have manual locking hubs. When you want to put the Bronco in 4WD, come t oa complete stop. Shift the tranny to park, and shift to 4HI, then get out and shift the hubs to 'Lock". If you want to shift to 4LO for pulling power or climbing hills, shift the tranny to Neutral, then the transfer case to 4LO. Most Broncos/trucks have this shift info printed on the driver's sun visor. Remember these few pointers. It may take a bit of rocking motion to get the t-case into 4Hi, and do this before getting stuck if possible! You may have to drive forward/back a few feet if it won't go into 4HI. You can drive on pavement briefly with the hubs locked in, but do not drive in 4Hi/4Lo on pavement. The t-case uses auto-transmission fluid and not gear oil! If you check the level and it needs filling, use the right stuff. Our older Broncos often leaks fluid from the rear t-case seal. ood LUck!!!

 

Exactly how do i go about taking the top off. I'll most likely leave it on for the most part, but want to take it off at least once. I looked inside and have no clue on how to go about it.

thanks,
chad

 

Sliding windows in the back? Wow! You'll probably get a lot of people offering to buy them from you. They are a much sought after item.

To get the top off you just need to remove the trim pieces around the bottom of the top (should just be a few screws), then remove the bolts holding the top down.

Here's my input on 4X4. You can drive around all you want in 2-Hi with your hubs turned to "lock", but it does add extra drag by spinning all of the front drivetrain, so it will drop your mileage and wear things a bit faster. It is recommended to drive with them locked for a few miles every month or so to keep things lubed up. With the hubs locked you can shift into and out of 4-Hi at "reasonable" speeds. Shifting into and out of 4-Lo does require you to be stopped, or the horrible grinding noise will remind you of that. Don't drive on dry pavement, or any "high traction" surface in 4X4 or you can and probably will damage your transfer case. The reason is, Ford gears the front differential ever so slightly higher than the back to help pull the truck in off-road conditions. If the wheels aren't allowed to slip a little, it will put severe strain on the chain in the t-case.

 

Very clean-looking Bronco! $3500-$4000 for it if it has no major or obvious mechanical problems. You basically have a Mustang engine in yours, except that you're pulling about 2000 more pounds, so don't expect to race anyone (stock, that is!)

To remove the top, remove the screws holding the trim on the edges of the hard top. Then, remove the 13 bolts holding the top, they are 8mm and fine thread. Takes 30 minutes the first time. Get a friend to help you. After removing all bolts, you have to roll down the rear window, open the tailgate and climb inside the rear. It's easier to fold the rear bench seat down, too. Use your back to push UP on the hardtop to break the seal with the cab rubber, then walk the top rearward with your friend's help. Get the top to the rear edge of the body, and while your friend holds it, jump down. Then you and him can lift it off of the body and set it down. You need to set it on some old tires or 2x4's, otherwise it will warp if you set it flat. When you go to put it back on, you'll have a fit trying to get the bolt holes aligned. Finally, put some tape over the top-bolt clips or take them out, because they will fall out while driving, and they are impossible to find to replace'em. If you are like me and keep the top off for a long time, put some vaseline on the rubber seals to keep them from drying out, and put some screws back in the headliner rear or fab a cover plate; otherwise, your headliner will sag from the air getting under it from the back. I have a Skyler softtop as well, but used a regular tarp for a long time to cover the Bronco at night. While the Skyler top is the best, they went out of business last year, so you can only find them on ebay ($400)