Okay, found an '82 Bronco, 302/auto with factory a/c (all parts there, but doesn't blow cold), tilt wheel, cruise, power locks. Body is straight, has a replaced transfer case to go with the manual Warn hubs. Tires are 25%, body is very straight and no rust that I can find, probably because it's painted in what can best be described as trunk spackle paint, the textured kind of paint you'd finish a trunk in, very hard. Yeah, the whole body (not the top) is finished in this stuff, it's gray. Floors are solid, seats are decent, has a working CD player.

The 302 however has some issues. Mostly, it will start and idle fine...but give it any gas and it stumbles and falls on it's face and will barely move the rig. I'm thinking timing, but not sure, so I could use some advice.

The guy is asking $600 and his wife wants it gone. I'm thinking $500 cash will get the title. So, would it be worth it? If I can't easily fix the motor (timing chain or maybe even the distributor cam gear), I can let the rig sit over the winter while I build up another 302 for a swap. Something reasonably mild, but still an improvement, like a hydraulic cam, Performer intake and 600 cfm carb and maybe dual exhaust.

What say you?

Phil
2001 F250 V10 Supercab 4x4
1989 E250 7.5 Club Wagon

 

Yea ,I would say it's worth at least more than the asking price, as long as it's rust free,you can always rebuild a motor or do the mechanical to make it run good. As far as the stumbling it could be to much fuel at the carb, timing, fuel filter. I'd say good catch if it's rust free.

 

one of the things that concerns me is the 4wd. The current owner explained it like this...that he and and another guy converted the hubs to Warn manual hubs (vs the auto locking hubs). Anyhow, when they went to put it into 4wd, they damaged the first transfer case, by stretching the chain(?). They have since replaced the transfer case, but I have yet to be able to test it. Is there something I'm missing here?

 

"uh - correct me if im wrong sandy, but..."

they didnt come with auto hubs till the late 80's or early 90's...

drj

 

The 82 I owned had them.

 

we're they original...?

i have an '86 that didnt have em...and my buddy also had an 86 that didnt...

go figure.

drj

 

I looked at an 86 that didn't have it. Loaded Eddie Bauer model too.

That said, well, $500 is tempting, but it sounds like it needs a lot of work. Do you like the paint job? How much money will you spend getting it back? What if you want to repaint it and may have to spring in for an engine rebuild? Soon you'll have a 5k truck.

If you really are looking for a Bronco and not so much for a fun project, I recommend you spend some more money, say 3-4k and look into the fuel injected later models. I found that for little more money I could get a lot more truck.

George

 

".that he and and another guy converted the hubs to Warn manual hubs (vs the auto locking hubs). Anyhow, when they went to put it into 4wd, they damaged the first transfer case, by stretching the chain(?). They have since replaced the transfer case, but I have yet to be able to test it. Is there something I'm missing here?"

Hmm. I wonder if their "conversion" was a front axle swap, perhaps with a different gear ratio?

 

i dunno - for $500...hmmmm.

drive it - see how she runs.

good luck!!

drj

 

If anything isn't kosher, try to knock the price down, then fix it with parts from another cheap Bronco or truck. Making one out of two (or more) is educational, and when you are done stripping out an organ donor just call the scrapyard or drag it down.
There is almost no car or truck I won't give a hundred bucks for, because I can crush it for that. Rims, copper radiators, and catalytic converters are more money.
If the Bronco ends up being a hassle, you could resell it for a profit or part it out.

 

Just what I was thinking. Offer him 500 bucks and see if he bites. If it turns out that it's more trouble than it's worth then you could almost break even just parting out the engine, tranny and t-case. Best of luck. Just for reference, I bought a loaded '94 XLT last month for $2500. Affordable later models are out there, but a $600 asking price is dang hard to pass on. I'd probably buy just so I could get such a cheap Bronco. But that's just me.

 

86 302 = Fuel injected. I just went through the same deal with my Bronco, 'cept I paid a grand for it. The symptoms were exactly as you described, and it was a combination of the fuel filter and the dizzy timing WAY off. For $600, it's WELL worth that price.

 

Definitely go for that. These things are beyond rare with a rust-free body. Even the 92-96 Broncos are starting to show considerable rust. Buy it for sure. You can always work on your powerplant and mechanical issues. I just purchased a 82 Bronco XLT for $600 with a much better than average body am tickled to find it for that, running and driving, and am looking forward to getting my rebuilt 351 in there. Also a buddy of mine who is a mechanic just had a 84 Ranger in his shop bought new by his customer and it was packing factory automatic hubs So they were out there in the early 80's. It wasn't even an XLT, but just a regular XL truck, but was special ordered with automatic hubs. Thanks and good luck.

 

Offer $400 and see what he says. Remember: his WIFE wants it gone. She'll nag him to death for weeks if he doesn't take the money.

You're guaranteed that you'll be able to recover $400 worth of parts from it.

 

I dont know if this will help but last week I bought an 89 for $500. It runs good and has a similar paint job. I had to drive it over 2 hours to get it home and it did great. Didn't even use half a tank of gas. I got it for a project truck. Its all up to you and what you want to do with it.