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Just checking in for the curious folks. The Bronco is now being driven about 40 miles a day to get my brother to and from work. Here's a couple things we've noticed since its now very active as a daily driver:
It leaks oil
It leaks a little ATF
It leaks a little PS fluid (also ATF )
It DOES NOT leak coolant
It's the perfect ride for a high schooler's first car, he's gotten used to checking the vitals weekly. And of course, with his first paycheck my brother bought a new exhaust system (instead of fixing the leaks). Stock headers and y-pipe, but a high-flow cat and 3 inch pipe with a Super 44 flowmaster makes it rumble for sure!
This was a pretty good read and glad to see the truck restored. I'm restoring an 88 F-150 right now and it's almost fully operational! Then again, I have 4 vehicles and my wife has one... so she wants me to get rid of either the 88 or 94 F-150....
As for the alternator. I know it's been quite a while since you mentioned it needing to be replaced, but if you brother ever wants to replace it, i HIGHLY recommend getting a 3G alternator (third gen from a 90s truck) and wiring harness from a local junk yard. The 2G alternators (they have two electrical plugs on them) are somewhat prone to overheating and causing a fire. The 3G harness has two electrical plugs to the alternator, and one wire nut connection on the back of the alternator. It bolts to the fender relay just like the old harness you have. The only modification you need to do is splice in a different plug for the green/red wire that's attached to that harness.
I could be wrong, but I believe the alternator can bolt right up to the stock bracket, but if not, I think only small modification is needed. The 3G alternators put out about 95 amps I think, while the 2G ones are like 60-70, so it's a nice upgrade there as well.
The 88 F-150 I bought didn't have a motor or front end attached when I got it. I pulled a 95 motor from a yard so I've been mixing and matching 80s and 90s stuff to work with this (also put the 90s fenders/hood/grill on).
That's a nice Bronco though, glad to see someone excited in working on it! My Bronco got me started with everything I know with working on vehicles and I've come a long ways!
Yes sir. She's being driven regularly and enjoyed. Andy gets compliments everywhere he goes. He's also learned that with a 351 and C6 combination, she has quite the drinking problem
Originally Posted by Bubba Jones
This was a pretty good read and glad to see the truck restored.
That's a nice Bronco though, glad to see someone excited in working on it! My Bronco got me started with everything I know with working on vehicles and I've come a long ways!
Thank you for the kind words and good advice! Yeah we still need to take care of the alternator problem. I'm no stranger to the 3G swap though I've yet to do one myself. I have suggested the swap multiple times but so far, they haven't decided whether to do that or replace with OEM standard. I hear there are companies out there who've rewired these 2G alternators to eliminate the fire-starting plug. Either way, I'll keep everyone updated on what we decide to do.
So this past weekend we decided to take a trip to the Outer Banks. In addition to the RV my brother decided to bring the Bronco for a little off roading adventure. We topped off all the fluids and carried along both my brother's and I's toolboxes, in addition to 5 qts of oil, 2 qts of ATF, a jug of coolant, and 2 qts of 75W90 for the axles. We wanted to be prepared in case of any breakdown. And it was a good thing too! If we hadn't have brought all those supplies we'd have broken down for sure!
As it was, the Bronco performed flawlessly. We made the 5 hour trip at a cool 60-65 MPH and the rig just cruised down the highway. Didn't get hot, didn't make any funny noises, didn't lose power, nothing. Mind you, the motor was spinning at around 2500-2800 RPM depending on how fast we were going. Definitely got a workout.
I think the most surprising thing to me was, we managed to squeeze 14 MPG out of a 190K, bone stock, worn 351 and a C6 I didn't believe it either but the numbers sure didn't lie.
Here's a beach photo so y'all know I'm telling the truth!
Not too much to report as of late, but have made two important modifications:
First, Andy bought a set of the OEM Alcoas which we threw on. I'm kinda liking the look, and they match his spare rim now too!
Second, a 3G alternator swap to replace the failing reman 2G. For a $40 junkyard motorcraft it's working great. Grabbed bracket and charging harness from a 1996 Bronco.
Not much to report lately. The Bronco is going along like an old shoe, and there haven't been any real complaints from the peanut gallery. We have done some work to the old girl though, just for improvement sake.
The rear axle yoke was pretty loose in the pumpkin. Not sure what was causing that because when we took it apart, nothing seemed egg shaped or out of spec. The nut that holds the yoke on the pinion was good and tight too.... Oh well, the truck got a brand-used JY 8.8 with a limited slip this time! So, slight improvement!
One neat score we picked up from a junkyard was the interior trim pieces for the roof. When we got the truck we didn't have any of those pieces, another 8th gen Bronco found its way to the local pick a part and it was very complete. So - we got the top trim pieces off, and got them painted black to match Andy's top. It does look a sight better with the trim in place along the seams.
We were also able to score another Bronco top, for free from a neighbor. It's one of the tan, cream colored ones. It's in decent shape, especially now that we cleaned it up. It needs a new seal kit, but otherwise it's alright.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
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