Howdy bronco owners, lovers, and everyone else...


I juuust joined the site and am still finding my way around...but I figured there's no time like the present to get down to business, so here's my deal:

I have a '96 5.8 XLT
It's in pretty good shape, but could use some updates and definitely interior restoration. My main complaints:

• some rust on the fenders and bumper
• i want to repaint or fix the paint because there are many scratches (from living in the garage for 3 years) and pits in the paint. I have no idea how much it'd cost to repaint, so this might have to sit on the backburner unless I get some suggestions
• tires are a little warped (terminology..?) from sitting in one position for so long, so I want to see what I can do in terms of easing the ride, and lessening the rocky cadence
• I'm pretty sure I need new shocks, but I'll let you experts be the judge…I can send pictures if needed
• leave spare off vs find a man to put it back on?
• INTERIOR: must replace head unit. I really need help in this area because there are WAY too many to choose from and I have no idea what I'm doing.
  • iPod connection with varied controls: I don't want to have to scroll through all my songs for 9 hours
  • aux connection for visitors and alternate music sources
  • PANDORA? capabilities….In the light research that I've done, I found some cool looking units with a pandora integration…that sounds dope.
  • remote? The bronco is huge and it takes all my wingspan to hang out by the head unit pressing buttons. also, my backseat drivers would love to control the stereo via remote
  • bluetooth phone / bluetooth audio. phone is obviously more important, especially since I'll have an iPod connection
  • multi function / displays on the screen. My brother's old head unit used to have a cool video of dolphins swimming and it definitely went along with the music being played
• replace carpeting/ add weather tech or some other version of a rubber or plastic mat instead of carpet. all black carpet is not a friend to the dirty bronco
• replace seatbelts, i hate getting choked when i drive, and the passenger side click is totally broken

I think that's it for now...I hope we can be friends and talk about trucks...yours, mine, whatever.
Thanks for reading! What do you think?

Also, here's a pic for your viewing pleasure: **IMAGE REMOVED

 

So it appears your pictures aren't working again. Are you using something called Gallery.me.com? I keep getting popup telling me i need to login.

Anyways so first off on the stereo, were you planning to try installing the radio yourself? If not i would highly recommend visiting a store called CarToys, they know a lot about everything to do with stereo stuff. They sometimes have deals where you buy the head unit and the installation is free. Otherwise it can be pretty difficult depending on what the previous owner has already done.

You will want a spare tire, just in case you get a flat and from the sounds of it your tires are either old or a bit worn so getting a flat is a higher chance. They should be about 31" tires so they aren't that heavy BUT i'm sure a neighbor or someone wouldn't mind helping.

The carpeting stuff is easy to do work wise but i can't tell you what to get to replace the current stuff cause i would just go with whatever carpet i can get my hands on.

An easy way to test if the shocks are worn is to sort of "bounce" one corner of it if you can. Once you let go of it if it bounces 3 or more times the shocks are worn out. As for the ride, being a bronco these were more geared towards off road conditions so the ride will generally be pretty stiff and uncomfortable unless you buy some high quality Bilstein or other brand shocks. The tires may have gotten flat spots from sitting, as far as i know just driving it should get rid of the effects but i am not too sure.

I do have a question, what do you mean choked by the seatbelt? I don't know if the 90's shoulder straps are adjustable with an up and down slider but that is all i could think of.

The rust and paint is a sort of long project, for rust you can go a few routes, you could clean up the rust and use Bondo to smooth it out or clean up the rust and have someone either weld in some patches or you can purchase a whole new rear quarter panel and replace the whole thing.

For paint, i am not an expert in any of this but what i know is light sanding and re-painting it... It can take a while sometimes though.

Thats about all i got on this stuff, i am ok at installing radios but only have experience in the older wiring from my 78 bronco, not the newer stuff.

 

Ah that is so annoying, it's a pic that I've posted before so it's not too serious. I guess I'll have to stick with photo bucket for hosting.

Also, I live in New York, so unfortunately I'm about a two day drive from any CarToys store, but I will do some research and maybe even visit a BestBuy to browse head units.
The truck already has an old pioneer head unit and was wired for some setup with a subwoofer and I think a dual-channel amp. It's still in the trunk and wired, I think the fuses might need to be replaced and the wires updated but I'm not positive. I'll post pics of the wiring tomorrow morning when I can get good lighting on the inside.
I assumed because of the current setup that I could just kind of take what's already there and plug it in the right spots of a new unit.

As for the spare, the bracket/hinge that holds the spare and swings out of the way is pretty rusty, so I think I'll need to do some work on that before putting it on. It should be good practice for the rest of the rust on the car.

I'm trying to prioritize my projects since I am suuuuch a noob at this and I know that each step will take me a while. My brother (the previous owner) has mentioned that it needs shocks but it's definitely not a job that I'm capable of doing. I have a pretty good relationship with my mechanic, but I know that you can get charged exorbitant amounts for tasks like this which otherwise (if I was proficient in car mechanics) wouldn't be expensive at all.

I guess updating the shocks and working on some of the screws could ease the ride and make it a little more tolerable for the spoiled bitches that I tote around. Perhaps I should get my own set of shocks and just ask him to install it? That might lower the cost, and I'll probably end up learning something in the research.

The seatbelt hits me at a really uncomfortable spot and unfortunately my truck doesn't have an adjustment slider. I think I might have to hack it a little or just get one of those weird fluffy belt covers.


Thanks for being such an awesome resource! I love this site

 

this may not be what you want to hear but, i suggest buying your self a repair manual like chilton or haynes and some basic hand tools(sockets, wrenches). sorry to say you own an "older" truck now so you will need some mechanical knowledge. most of the basic stuff really isn't hard and will save you loads of money plus the pride in a job you do yourself. i would also stick with this site there is alot of knowledge here for someone willing to look and ask. also you are right to prioritize work on mechanics first, if the truck doesn't run down the road straight and safe then everything else is pointless. those tires should probably be the first thing to inspect, if it is just flat spots than they should round out on there own with some road time but you should also look them over very close. check for cracking or checking in the sidewall.

 

Ok so to start this is the head unit I have...
Alpine - 50W x 4 Apple® iPod®-Ready In-Dash CD Deck

Model: CDE-121


Look right on best buy thats where I got mine from. Comes with the aux port right in the front. Just have to buy the cable. Also has a usb port. I do use it, I have a flash drive with music on it as well as my iPod. This unite will slide into the existing stereo slot. I didnt use the brackets that it came with, I didnt have the patience for it lol.

If you know your wiring "stuff" its pretty basic. You got you battery cable, ground, accessory cable. All the speaker cables.
Alpine is a good brand. It also has the ports in the back for a sub woofer. I'm all about having good sound so the first thing I did was wire up a new head unit and my subwoofer.



As for the carpet do you wish to completely put new carpet in? I myself have removed the carpet in the back and herculined it (truck bed liner). I have seen people do the whole interior of the truck but it does eliminate the sound reduction. If you'd like I can post a picture of the result of herculining the bed of mine.



Professional paint job can be expensive. I think it depends on the clear coats and type of paint. Maaco will do a paint job for about 300$ but this is only acrylic enamel, no clear coat. If you have a buffer you could buff out alot of the scratches if they arent to deep and will really shine the truck up. Wax can go a long way. Its all about prepping.



If you have the tools, and jacks you and your brother should be able to shocks. Like udsuth78 said get yourself a manual, I think they run between 20-30$, theres alot of useful information in there.

 

Actually the shocks should be pretty easy. I don't know if the front on that years is the strut style where it bolts up in the engine bay or if it is similar to the rear ones where it is a post with a nut and bushings and a bolt and nut on the bottom. If you buy the shocks and pay to have it done And the technician cuts you a break you may only have to pay a little over $100 in labor (over here labor can go from $90-120) But if you do it it should only take a few hours and some swear words to get it done. If you jack up the frame instead of the axle you might not even have to take the wheels off. Depends on how much room you have.

 

here are the promised pictures of the exterior...when I leave I'll take some pics of the inside so you can all peep the status of the wiring and such.

As I said before, there isn't a whole lot of rust, but the fender is starting and I know those can be a big issue if not taken care of.






Previous owner hit a pay phone or a tree or something. I have a new bumper, but I kinda like to think that this big ol dent gives the lady some character.


some of the scratches in the paint that I plan to take care of








not sure what I could do about the handle pitting and that step below the license plate, but the little bit of white vinegar rust scrubbing has definitely improved it:


and lastly, the aforementioned roof spots..

 

You can either sand the top or try some black trim freshener from an auto store. The truck looks great all around in my opinion. The rust on the wheel well does need addressed tho.

I have bed-lined my whole interior so can't help on carpet choice but its nice not having to worry.

Shocks are literally 2 bolts each. Tho they may be stuck. I went with Rancho shocks because I wanted something a bit more rugged since my truck is being built for the Sahara lol

 

Built for the Sahara haha.

The bronco looks great, the scratches aren't too big of a worry, though on black paint it is a bit odd looking.

I figure about 50% of the body on ol' TGM is bondo, there is a lot of under paint defects.

If i were you i would go ahead and replace the bumper, dents can look good but something like that just makes it look like the driver (you) hit something or don't know what their doing I have a bunch of crinkle types of dents. From what looks like some one hitting it or the PO hitting something... He said it was a tree... I don't know how true it is though.

 

I got this for the roof:



This for her complexion:


And this for the little scratches along the sides, I'm kind of nervous to try it though. Im worried it'll turn out looking worse than before.

 

<a href="https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1166371-96-xlt-project-help-thread-2-0-a.html"> my project/question thread</a>


sorry for the gallery.me.com inconvenience

 

Yeah the gallery popup is a bit annoying I already have your project thread subbed so it notify's me of new posts. looks like your ready for some work.