Well, I finally got one. It is a jet black 1989 XLT 302 5spd for $1600 argued down from $1850. It has 151,000 miles, but runs very strong from the test drives. It has it's usual underbody rust for minnesota and one of the rear quarter panels is rusted, but other than that the paint sparkles. All the power accessories work...even the AC and back window, although that kind of clunks from side to side when it goes up or down. Oh well, I'll wait till it actually breaks. Any advice or reassurement on that would be appreciated. The interior is mint, except for a few seat tears. It also has a push button start. Never seen one, but I guess the last guy didn't want to replace the starter solenoid and rigged a push button. Works great...I like it better actually. The only thing it should need is 2 new tires by winter and 2 more soon after. It is currently at my grandpa's barn(it's gonna be a LONG 2 months till I get my license). I'm waiting for him to email me pix so I can show you guys. Any thing I should check on it or be wary of? I think the steering might be getting bad, but right now it's fine-a little loose and the wheel is crooked, but that is common from the research I've done. Other than that, no noises or anyhting. I'm glad I came to this site to answer my questions, I belive it was here where you reassured me that a 150000 mile bronco would last awhile. Anyway, I'll get pix as soon as I can.

 

yo E,


Great news!

For the tailgate glass, a few folks here have written articles on the test and repair/replacement of glass and other tailgate stuff incl steve83, RFR, Dustin, Chris, MRM, and o-r. I have their sites' Links in my new web page in Technical section under "Tailgate".

be well and congrats!

 

if you save hard you can afford to replace all four tires at the same time .i feel this is a much better option the two at a time.235's are fairly cheap but 31's look better. my BFG's have 35,000 miles on them and look to be good at least another 15 to 20,000 miles. dont beat it and it will keep you happy for years.fix the front end and the tires should last a long time. watch out for auto hubs dont know if you have theses but can be changed out to manuels for about less than 100 dollars.

 

Is the steering really that big of a problem. If it won't cost more the longer I wait, I don't want to mess with it. I don't even know if there is a problem yet, I'll have to see. About auto or manual hubs, I don't know. It has a shift lever T-case, but on the wheels there isn't a clear switch...but I don't think I looked at both sides. There is a metal plate that has 4x4 in big letters, that's all I really know. My hunch is it's auto hubs. My dad thinks he saw a red switch on the wheel, but I think he's talking about those decorative deals(I think they're decorative ) on the back wheels. Anywho hope you can help, I'll get pix soon and I'll be drivin it this weekend so it isn't a big deal.

 

Yes the hubs are auto, and the red switch like things on the rear wheels are decorative. What do you mean the wheels crooked? like the front end sags and the wheels look like this /---\ from the front?

 

No, the wheels are fine. The steering wheel is slightly angled when going straight. That's all.

 

oh i get it. mines the same way

 

Old Ell, congrats on your first Bronco!!! If the motor doesn't smoke when you start or drive it, and you don't hear any knocking, you might get another 50-100 thousand miles out of it or more. Check the oil EVERY time you want to drive it, and you can see if it's burning any oil. One quart every 2-3 thousand miles is O.K., one quart every 100 miles is not! (my 84 was that way when I got it, and it had a freshly-rebuilt motor)

A little "wandering" in the steering is normal, just keep an eye on the tie rod ends and drag link (steering stuff). These parts wear out faster than on a car. Get a front-end alignment when you get new tires, and rotate them every 5-6 thousand miles. They should last you alot longer this way. Have the alignment checked regularly(20,000 mi) or if you ever see the tires wearing unevenly.

THe tailgate window will give you lots of problems sometimes. Try not to use it a whole lot, and keep the regulator and tracks lubed. I use half a can of WD-40 on mine now and then.

Enjoy your Bronco and enjoy the forums!!!

 

I have pics, I just need to know how to get them in my gallery. How do I go about that?

 

You can see my tailgate & brake/hub photo albums in my signature link. Don't ever wait for something to break before you fix it - maintenance is MUCH cheaper than repair, especially when you're talking about a $300 piece of glass.

I also recommend getting a set of 4 tires instead of 2 2's. You can sometimes get a buy-3-get-1-free deal, but you'll get MUCH better warranty service if you buy 4 at a time. I also highly recommend getting them at a Firestone dealer and buying the ~$100 Lifetime alignment at the same time. Then you won't have to worry about tires for ~50Kmi.

 

yes keep the tracks and oyher moving parts of the back window lubed but not wd 40 it is a penatrant not really a lubricant. try some high quality white litium spray grease instead. and yes maintanance is much cheaper than repair. great luck with your new toy treat it good and it will treat you good.oh and since you have the white grease keep all the door hinges and lck latches greased also to much is better than not enough

bob

 

Ford recommends Silicone spray lube for all rubber weatherstrips and glass runs.

 

Tires are always priority, I mean that is what you are riding on, don't skimp on the $$$ for those if at all possible, From my experience Ford motors usualy go out between 150,000-200,000 miles so I would start saving for a new motor. I have been rebuilding my truck now for 4 years and the first things I put into it was the motor and tranny, keep the truck running sound, then pay out for lift tires etc.etc.

 

Thanks for all your advice..dear god I hope I don't need a new engine for years. Does this rear windo lubing you are talking about involve taking off the tailgate panels? Exactly what parts are you talking about? Thanks. Oh and I finally got my gallery to work, I'll post the pics here anyhow.






There

 

Looks good.