I have a 1988 Bronco... (5.8 efi) I just got the title fixed and a new paint job and just started driving the Bronco to school everyday. My friend has a 97 F-150 2wd reg. cab(4.6) he tends to say that my truck is ugly just b/c its old. What can I do to show him up?? Performance tips for this truck and what I can buy to blow most cars off the road? Oh and looks too! please help me

 

Tell him to take a hike!
You're driving a classic American icon and he's driving the same thing as 20 million other people all over the world. You can knock down a tree without having to buy a new airbag and he has to avoid cats. You can carry 5 seat-belted adults in air-conditioned comfort (7 with a little mod) with their luggage towing a 5,000lb trailer and he can't carry enough people to make a card game interesting. Ask him if he wants to chain the trucks together back-to-back and see which one can drag the other into the next state. His gas mileage probably isn't much better than yours if any, and he certainly will never actually get more power or torque than you, so don't worry about it.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-16-03 AT 06:59 PM (EST)]Hey man,

Ok....Tips for looks. One thing that always catches my eye is a lifted truck. Since its an 88, you could go the way of a 4 inch lift, and run 35 inch tires without much of a clearance problem. You would be best to regear the truck as well...Most likely 4.10's with 35's. You can either run rear blocks if you dont want to do much Off-road, or rear springs, which will cost more, but will be better performing offroad. a 4inch kit will run you between 700-800 depending on the brand.

If you want some easy performance mods, You can get the K&N drop in filter, which made a nice difference on my truck. Get a decent set of summit truck headers, and a nice free-flow exhaust. Off the top of my head, Flowmaster would be most easily available i would think. It will also sound much nicer. This pretty much covers all the air-flow aspects, which are easiest to get gains from.

Im in a rush, So i probably left out alot....Sorry

Good Luck man, and tell your bud hes crazy, I would take a bronco over a 97 f-150 anyday.

 

As said, you don't have anything to worry about. The Bronco is the vehicle to have..... Upgrades to the engine (assuming a 302 or 351) are numerous, and the extent depends on how legal (smog) you want to keep it. Personally, I wouldn't sweat it too bad on the powertrain side. Consider a good quality set of headers and run dual tailpipes from a performance muffler if you want a small increase in performance along with a little bit of sound. If you lift it, do it right (gear it appropriately). Otherwise, you'll only hurt your performance and you'll have the same thing I see everyday: A big, loud jacked-up truck with big tires and a straining engine and tranny that is barely turning them. Personally, I'm partial to 31"s on a Bronco, with a decent set of wheels, 1.5" leveling coils in the front, and an Add-a-Leaf in the rear. KEEP IT CLEAN (when you're not playing off road)..... this can even make a Pinto look halfway respectable, and reflects on your level of hygiene . Last, I know you mentioned that you'd just repainted it. If more paint work isn't out of the question, and the age thing does concern you, then consider swapping your front clip for a '92 - '96. This way, especially with the fresh paint, you could sell your truck off to the unknowing eye as a '96, just one year older than your friend's, and the very last year of the Bronco. Best of luck with whatever you decide!.

 

Damn straight Steve83 !!!! I agree 100% with what you said. The Bronco is it. We may complain and cry about our vehicles but all in all, they are at least the best that I have ever owned, and that includes 26 years of "licensed" driving many different makes.

Keep it up guys !!

Best regards,

 

Thanks guys, I can't wait till I get this BRONCO all done!! I already put some pioneers in it and a nice nice system (not subs yet) just an amp for the 4 main speakers, then I will add a seperate amp for subs when I get more $$$. This is originally a california vehicle back in the day... so it has all that smog stuff on if and I live in pa now... so I want to get rid of that cause I was told it robs a little power. I considered lifting the truck 3-4" I already have 31" Goodyear Wrangler RTS on the truck... I have quad rancho RS9000s in the front and two in the rear and dual steering stabalizers. I need rims next... when i'm done I will get a supercharger! HAHAHA


You know... I've wanted this truck ever since I was like 6 years old... my dad always told me hed give it to me when I get to drive. and now the day has finally come, I am so excited to have my baby! she looks bran spankin new, nice tires (need rims), the only thing wrong with it is the roof lining was cut by some neighborhood kids now it needs replaced! this truck means so much to me and believe me it will stay CLEAN!

SO MUCH TO DO AND SO LITTLE $$$ TO DO IT!!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-17-03 AT 08:51 AM (EST)]Any upholstery shop should be able to put a new headliner in for less than $70, or you can try to find a junk one for even less.

If the emissions stuff is working, it won't affect the power the engine makes, so it's the same as saying "the carburetor robs power". Only if it's not working right. You're always better off having everything stock so you can find information on it. If you rip it all out, then no one but you will know exactly what you did and it'll be hard to diagnose future problems. Plus, EFI is SOOOOOOOO easy to get right that it probably takes more time to remove stuff than it does to fix it. Just get a Haynes manual and it'll explain everything.