New '88 Bronco II Hunting Rig Project

[RockyMtnHigh]

This weekend I acquired a 1988 Bronco II Eddie Bauer edition 4x4 with the 2.9 fuel injected engine and automatic tranny. The truck overall is in decent shape. The engine ticks pretty loud, but don't they all :) It has unknown amount of miles on it, leaks a small amount of oil out the valve cover,but sure enough runs and drives down the road but I am not too sure on how reliable it is. I have not had a chance to fully test the 4x4 but it does engage in and out in my driveway

I got this bronco II on trade, And only have about $250 invested so far. Not bad for a running, driving truck!

This seemed like a perfect time to become an active member of the community! I've been lingering for long enough.

This is the second Bronco II I have owned and have been a huge fan of them ever since I purchased my original '84 bronco II about 8 years ago.

I will be converting this one into a hunting/trail riding rig and not putting too many highway miles on it any more. I already have a daily driver and the sole purpose of this vehicle is to have fun building and driving it!

I am on a low budget and will complete most of the work myself over the coarse of this spring and summer.

The first thing I will be going about doing is stripping the interior, seats, carpet, and headliner out of the truck. I will also be sanding and priming the outside and fixing the one rust issues below the passenger door panel. Eventually she will be painted ultra flat OD green and the interior done with brush on bed liner. I am also going to do a few inches up the sides of the truck as well as inside and arouind the fenders for added protection. Not to mention I love the way the rhino liner stuff looks!

The engine will get a tune up over then next few weeks, Im going to pop the valve covers off and take a look at the heads when I get some time as well. I'll probably drive it until it pops, and then rebuild depending on how she decides to run.

I will keep updating as I progress on the project :)

[RockyMtnHigh]

I got a little work done over the weekend including washing it down, taking the seats out, and I began to strip some of the carpet out.

There is a small dent on the drivers side fender, but the previous owner included a new one, so I have also been sanding it and prepping it to be primed and installed.

I got a chance to drive it into town and back today which is about 15 miles round trip. I had no issues other than realizing how bad that the rig needs new shocks, She was all over the place! The ticking seems to quiet down after it warms up some.

[RockyMtnHigh]

I got a little bit done on the Bronco II this afternoon including stripping out most of the interior. I also got the drivers side replacement fender prepped and treated with rust converter so that it can be primer tomorrow.These star bolt or torx head bolts are a pain in the arse! It took me half the afternoon fighting with them to get the remaining seats and seatbelts out of the truck.

I had to wrap some of the wiring harness in wire shielding after removing the carpet, it exposed quite a bit of wires so I decided to protect them the best I could for now.

I started sanding the hood and passenger side fender by hand to knock some of the pealing paint off of it.











The next thing im going to be doing is cleaning the interior up and filling all the gaps with seam sealer. I'll also be working on getting the paint stripped off this beast the rest of the week. I cant wait to get some bed liner layed down inside this thing!

[RockyMtnHigh]

I got some work done last night on the Hunting rig... I finished cleaning and sanding the interior. I also taped off some of the plastic panels to see how well the bed liner stuck to them. I will probably add some extra coats to the fenders to make sure it sticks. I also filled some gaps and a few cracks in the body with automotive seem sealer.

I applied rustolium brand bed liner starting with brush coating the seems and any raised areas in the truck. I applied a thin coat throughout most of the truck with the roller as well. I have about 3/4 of a gallon left in the can so I should be able to get 2-3 more coats out of it. This is what she looks like just after the first coat. I will probably build up 4-5 coats total for a thicker finish, this stuff goes on alot thinner than the herculiner brand, but is almost half the price.











This stuff is REALLY messy, Dont forget to wear gloves and long sleeves. Its hell getting it out of your beard let me tell you


This place is a ghost town or is it just me... ?

[Mud Addict]

Is just you

[RockyMtnHigh]

I got another coat of bed liner slapped on the rig this afternoon. It's really starting to build up some texture now and is starting to look a little better. I have enough left in the can for a really thick final coat as well as some to touch up any missed areas.

I will be doing the door jams and the bottom few inches of the door panels and around the fenders etc when the exterior is addressed.

The next step is to start sanding off all this nasty peeling paint. I picked up a 1/4 sheet sander for 20$ because I was tired of doing it all the old fashion way. I also picked up a universal hood scoop to be installing, I'll be breaking out the saw and making it a functional hood scoop and installing it just above the air filter assembly on the passenger side.

[RockyMtnHigh]

The bed liner interior is wrapped up for now. I put a total of 3 coats ( 4 if you count the rough in around the edges.) It turned out pretty decent but I wont know until it fully dries, its still a little tacky after 12 hours.

I had enough left in the can to slap a coat in the mirrors and the hood scoop I picked up for active intake. I still have some leftover for touch ups and a final coat on the mirrors.

I will be putting the bucket seats back in temporarily so that it can be driven around the farm.











Now the body work starts

[RockyMtnHigh]

I also got to work on the hood and scoop. I decided to make an active intake out of a cheap universal hood scoop after seeing a few bronco II's online that had similar setups. It was a simple cut in the hood and some filler in the gaps after I attached it.
'
I had to cut into the hood insulation because I didnt feel like dealing with removing the entire liner.

I made an air dam type shape cut about 3.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 to funnel the air into the intake and then covered it with the scoop. Im not much of a metal worker, I did most of the work with an angle grinder and cutoff wheel, wire brush to finish it off

It turned out pretty mean looking with the bed liner coating.












Now its time to sand this beast down and get some real work done.



Total cost on the project including all supplies is less then $400.

[RockyMtnHigh]

Banged out the fender swap today. Wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to get off, about a dozen bolts total including the inner screws to attach the plastic molding. It didn't line up 100% on all the bolt holes but I made it work, I suspect the fender was from an earlier model bronco II.


I also got a little sanding done. Two more panels on the drivers side, the roof, and some finish work and she will be ready to prime. I noticed the back hatch was cracked around the spare tire carrier as I removed it. I will be picking up a fiberglass patching kit to try to make it hold.

More pics as always~









Also got a chance to get her on a dirt back road today. Put it in 4 low and just crawled around awhile to see how it ran, everything works good as far as I can see. It engaged smoothly in and out of both 4 lo and 4 hi

[Ranger Dave]

wish i could find um that nice up here

[RockyMtnHigh]

wish i could find um that nice up here

She is a beauty for sure! The '84 I purchased down south was a complete rust bucket compared to the current project.

I've been wheelin' n dealin' on craigslist lately and got a killer deal on a set of wheel today. They were Kumho Road Venture MT KL71 33/12.5R15 mounted on some newer 8 lug 15x8 rims. The guy also tossed in a set of 8 lug spacers with the set. I traded him an old .22 rifle I had collecting dust in the closet for years for the whole lot. If I recall correctly I paid $50 for the .22

Anyone looking for a set of 8 lug wheel spacers or newer 15x8 black steel rims I would let them go for pretty cheap.

All I can say is Im going to need more lift!

The tires were far from new but do have some meat left on 'em and would make great tires for my rig until I get her completely done. I've ordered a 3" body lift and plan on cutting a few inches out of the fenders as soon as I get the lift slapped on until I can afford a suspension lift.

I also got some body work done on the rig including fiber glassing the crack in the rear lift gate. I got it all sanded, cleaned, and taped off for now and began spraying some primer.

Pictures as always~

[RockyMtnHigh]

I primed most of the rig this afternoon. It got crazy windy so I wheeled it back into the garage, plan on finishing it up early in the A.M.

I really want to mount these tires, but I still need to get the body lift installed and fenders cut.


I also need to pick up some 15x8 wheels. I dont feel comfortable running 33x12.5 on the stock rims on my truck. Pretty much limited by my budget right now, will do what I can in the meantime

Pics tell the story better~

[Mud Addict]

I have run 32x11.5 on those stock rims in the past with no problems

[RockyMtnHigh]

I have run 32x11.5 on those stock rims in the past with no problems

You think I could get away with mounting 33 x 12.5 on my stock rims? Ive heard mixed answers on this, Im not worried about road safety too much, this rig will not be driven on the highway for very long distances.

What is the width of the stock rims pictured on my truck? Ive heard both 6.5 and 7.5 inches.

[Mud Addict]

Those rims are 15x7's And should be able to fit them on, won't have to worry about popping a bead off even at super low air pressure Had a buddy running 36 x 13.5's on 15x8 steelies. He never lost a bead