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Hello again everybody. I promised a follow up to my diesel bronco thread once I finally found a project Bronco to work on. And today was the day. For those who don't know or didn't read, here's a little backstory: my little brother's 16th birthday was a couple days ago and he's wanted a Bronco as a first car for a while now. So I had decided to surprise him with a "project" truck to work on that would be his own once he gets his license. He has an eye for the 8th gen Broncos (two of his friends drive 8th gens), so that's what I was looking for.
Today I went and bought a 1988 Bronco. We had agreed on only two requirements: little or no rust, and it had to be a 351 (both of the other Broncos are 5.0s, I told him to go big or go home ). This Bronco fulfilled all the requirements. Its a fully loaded XLT with all the options. The PO put a lot of work into the motor. New timing cover, timing chain, water pump, alternator (2G, ew), coil, among other things. The tailgate is kind of rusty but its hidden by a diamond plate sheet. The back glass rolls up and down, as do the front windows. Unfortunately, it's got a hole in the fuel line so we weren't able to drive it. I'm excited to have something to work on besides my own truck, and the little bro is still outside sitting in it as I'm writing this.
Future plans include full detail, new tires, tune up, fluid change, and long tube headers/dual exhaust. And without further adue..... pictures! Top hat style hubs??? Both work as they should.
Those aren't top hats, they are standard Ford manual hubs, which were made by Warn for Ford. (Ford's were red and Warn's are black)
I love the wheels. It's like going back in time.
that might be a late 88 early 89 model unless the hubs and knuckles got swapped out for those hubs. Great deal though for sure. should be a great build. I would advise against the duals, just not the right rig to properly run duals and expect any gains. if you like the looks of duals, just get a single/dual out muffler. just be sure and have the exhaust exit out the sides and not strait back to avoid exhaust being pulled into the cab thru back.
Ok guys I'm gonna keep this as a running thread to address all problems and keep you all updated on any progress made. First things first: I think we've figured out why the Bronco won't run. When I hit the key and the fuel pump primes, we get a bunch of bad gas pouring out from somewhere up in the frame by the tank. So good news: that's how we're gonna drain all the bad gas out of the tank. Bad news: no fuel pressure = no running
Does anyone know where they sell replacement fuel lines or if making our own is an option, or even if splicing in another section of line to replace the broken part (when we find it) are options?
Also could someone please send a pic with the location of the EEC self-test plug and also which pins to jump to get the fuel pump to run continuously with the key on? Once we get the nasty gas out of the tank it'll be a lot easier to drop the tank if we have to.
that might be a late 88 early 89 model unless the hubs and knuckles got swapped out for those hubs. Great deal though for sure. should be a great build. I would advise against the duals, just not the right rig to properly run duals and expect any gains. if you like the looks of duals, just get a single/dual out muffler. just be sure and have the exhaust exit out the sides and not strait back to avoid exhaust being pulled into the cab thru back.
have fun and keep up the pics.
Not sure the exact build date - I didn't really look all that extensively at the door sticker (the wind was blowing something awful and it was pretty cold out when we got it home) and plus it was faded pretty badly. Now I'm 2 hours away and can't reference it. Thanks for mentioning the duals though. Really we were looking for a little more aggressive sound - could probably be accomplished with a larger pipe and aftermarket muffler while retaining the stock dumping location. Doesn't matter to me - up to brother.
Moose and Vinny - thanks for the info. I kind of knew where the test port was under the hood, but with the cold (to me) weather, wind, and mess of wiring from the cruise control unit I didn't really bother to look all that hard.
Good news and update: while I am away at school Dad and Andy (lil bro) found the issue with the fuel line - a cut in the rubber hose right by the tank. So dad ordered new fuel lines and he found the EEC test port, got the fuel pump running and pulled all the bad gas out of the tank. He also ordered a new fuel filter. One step closer to getting it running!
Well I'm finally figuring out the struggle of having a project and not being able to work on it. My dear father, the self-proclaimed Chevy lover/Ford hater, secretly loves the new Bronco. He went from "don't buy another Ford" to "oh I figured out where the fuel leak was, bought new fuel lines and a new fuel filter, drained the tank, and fixed the fuel leak". See I think he secretly loves Ford - he told me that in 1988 he went to the Ford dealership and ordered an '89 Eddie Bauer Bronco!!!! Ford hater, yeah right.
New issue is - instead of a cranking engine all he gets is a click. He thinks it's the starter solenoid. I've told him to check and clean battery connections and grounds before condemning a part. Does anyone know if in 1988 the solenoid was mounted on the fender? We replaced the one in my '96 erroneously and still have it - and we know it works.
Ok so I made it home ok this morning so it's time to get this project rolling again. The goal before I leave is to have the Bronco running, tuned up, oil change, and deep clean the interior. Barring no severe issues I think we can get it done. First things first - that pesky starter solenoid. Does anyone know what to jump at the solenoid to get it to crank? Just want to confirm that the solenoid is bad before we go buy a replacement - and that it isn't something worse.
Stay tuned everyone - will update regularly. Thank you all for sticking with me.
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). This Bronco fulfilled all the requirements. Its a fully loaded XLT with all the options. The PO put a lot of work into the motor. New timing cover, timing chain, water pump, alternator (2G, ew), coil, among other things. The tailgate is kind of rusty but its hidden by a diamond plate sheet. The back glass rolls up and down, as do the front windows. Unfortunately, it's got a hole in the fuel line so we weren't able to drive it. I'm excited to have something to work on besides my own truck, and the little bro is still outside sitting in it as I'm writing this.
