ford bronco II any good?

[350xing]

I'm thinking about trading my t-bird sc for a 87 ford bronco II. I want something to haul the trikes around with. Its got 120,000 miles, and I know its been beat on, the last 5k. Anyone know how many miles they're good for? I'm not a big fan of fords, every one I've owned needed a tranny or motor. Let me know if they're any good. Thanks

[J.D.]

Bronco Jr's suck. If you have either a V-6 or V-8 in your T-Bird, I would reccomend putting a trailer hitch on it for hauling over the Bronco Jr.

[PowerTrike]

i kinda have to agree with SSJ3Goku... Fullsize aren't so bad though Personally i'd much rather take an S-10 Blazer.

[tecatecrazy]

I have owned two bronco IIs and I would not have wanted to pull anything with either one. The engines come off the assemly line with less than 100 hps (Im pretty sure) . They will run for ever though. The only thing that I ever had to replace on them was the coil ...$12 part. Get something with some balls if you want to pull anything.---Joe 8)

[wanting200x250r]

i have a suggestion for you...buy the dodge power ram from iluvmyxandr that thing will haul anything and everything you want it too no problem, it in the classifieds... thats my girlfriends stepdad. :-D :-D

[Jonathan]

ford bronco II any good?
No

[DixiePlowboy]

I am a diehard Ford man to the core( I've owned twenty-something Fords). I've owned 3 Bronco II's. Two '85's and an '86...all 4x4. The motor will last, but beware of the weak 7.5" rear end in the earlier models and stay FAR away from the ones with the A4LD automatic tranny unless you have a money tree, or unless you never intend to drive it. The A4LD is crap!

[350xing]

I guess its a no go. I'll have to look for something else. Really wanted a pickup anyway.
Thanks guys

[DixiePlowboy]

Hey tecatecrazy,
I've pulled a 1-horse trailer with a 1000-pound horse with a Geo tracker 4x4 with a dead miss that only had 80-something hp when in top condition! Don't underestimate the worth of a low set of gears. :)

[tecatecrazy]

yeah that great dixie but I would bet it wasnt something that you would want to regularly...am I right. I wasnt saying that the bronco was incapalbe, more simply that it wasnt designed for towing.---Joe 8) oh yeah and the torque sucked too

[DixiePlowboy]

You're right about me not wanting to tow regularly with that set-up. Both the Bronco II(which is over 100hp.) and the Tracker are fairly weak for towing purposes, but towing 1-2 three wheelers isn't really that big of a load. I swore I would never own another Bronco II after all the problems with the last one.
My F-150 4x4(302 w/5-speed) is another story however. :-D

[theeechozen1]

ok brothaman--here's the scoop, I had a bronco 2, 86 with the 2.9 v6 and 223,000 original miles, It was one of the most capable 4x4's that I have ever wheeled in stock trim. With street tires that little truck would go everywhere, I know alot has to do with the driver but I have outclimbed a few lifted YJ's, I dont know about towing with them but I did tow a ford ranger on the freeway for 22 miles and had no problems. I paid 550.00 for this truck and got thousands of dollars worth of fun from it, for a good reliable beater 4x4 you can't lose--good luck ;)

[DixiePlowboy]

All of my Bronco II's were mountain goats when it came to climbing, I'll give the truck that credit. Just not much of a tow vehicle, though.
I built one '85 up a little. I put a 3" body lift, a 6" Skyjacker suspension lift, and a set of 33x12.50 Kumho(sp?) mud tires on 15x12 wheels. That som-b would go fairly well!

[HemiChallenger71]

We owned our Bronco 2 for 10 years and were the original owners, It used some oil, but ran great, and still ran strong. We sold it because my parents began to become fed up with its poor power. The thing had NO BALLS whatsoever, none, even with 5,000 miles on it. Ours was a stick and 4X4 also. Went through some trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro too, suprisingly with as weak of a motor as it has. I would not suggest pulling anything with it though. If you have a small flat bed trailer with a couple trikes on it you should be fine, but then again a thunderbird SC can do that too. If your SC hasn't blown a head gasket yet, it will very soon, GUARNTEED. The 3.8's are renown for head gasket problems, I've never seen one with out a blown head gasket.

[theeechozen1]

I'm not sure about the SC'S power output, but on my grand prix gtp its got a 3.8 with a m-90 blower on it (similar to the t-birds) and with 280lbs of torque I know that thing would tow a good load with the right suspension --- put some koni's on the back and use it, why the hell not??

[350xing]

the head gaskets havn't gone yet, its my 3rd t-bird, 2nd SC, and the gaskets went on the first 2. its a fast car, will run 13's, has a chip, pulleys, and flowmasters, but I can't even get $1k for it. 210 bhp at 4000, 315 lb-ft at 2600 STOCK!

[HemiChallenger71]

Well if you lived closer I'd probably buy that thunderbird off you, and I know a lot of other people who would too. I'd keep that car and put a trailer hitch on it. I've seen mustangs pulling jet-ski's and so fourth, that car should have no problem. If it's a 13 sec. car I'd definatley keep it. How many miles does it have? and if you drove it out I'd buy it!!! I could possibly meet you half way too, but that's a long drive. Let me know.

[theeechozen1]

Sounds pretty quik, my car will run constant 14.5's @ 94-96 mph--not to shabby for a 4-door, I like spanking mustangs 8) I see that you HEMI have a conquest--I always wanted one of those, ever run it in the 1/4??

[HemiChallenger71]

No I have not had it in the 1/4 mile, I would like to run it. I left a PM in your box 350xing. What car do you have chosen1?

[theeechozen1]

I've got a 99' Pontiac Grand Prix GTP, It's got the 3800 series 2 supercharged motor, I put a SLP intake, 3.4" s/c pulley, and removed the u-bend from the exaust and run stock mufflers--it moves pretty good if you can get the tires to hook-up. Thats the problem with FWD cars with so much torque they just spin and spin when you put the hammer down. I haven't run it in the winter yet but it runs 14.5's in 90-100 degree AZ summer nights and with a blower the colder the weather the faster the car so it should be low 14's with a good launch and track conditions. Is your conquest a auto or 5-speed??

[kfx400]

i wouldn't recomend a b2, i am a ford tech. and my experiences with b2's is that they are a problem waiting to happen. cracked heads, plugged oil picked tubes, a4ld auto trans very weak, manual trans front input shaft bearing goes out. they are a hiway cruiser without any load added to them, is what they are good for. they are fun to drive and good looking but. that sc should pull good, 3.8 without superchargers were very well known for blowing head gaskets, i haven't seen one sc wtih head gaskets out of it yet in my 14 years. i would stay away from the bronco.

[J.D.]

See there, even the Ford man tells you they suck balls! I know a Ford tech in RL and he even told me they suck.....I think most everybody out there thinks they suck. Go for a real Bronco, they rock.