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95 ford bronco

buffblazer

buffblazer

1/2 ton status
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Fort Collins Colorado
buddy of mine is needing a 4x4 to get up to the mountains to paintball and just see mountains

he just needs something cheap and im helping him but finding an 80's chevy to fix and just have as a beater.

he found a 95 ford bronco that he likes at a dealer that is in very good shape, and they would finance him which thats the only way he can go.

i told him to stick with chevy but he likes the bronco, so what was the good and the bad on the 95 bronco? i noticed this one had push button 4x4 any problems with that?
 
The bronco are great vehicles. I own 3 and would put any of them up against any K5 anyday. (yeah I'm a Ford Guy)

Now things to look for:

How many miles?

The E4od Tranny is a very good transmission but very expensive to rebuild. (3k) They can easily last 200K but if they overheat expect to have to rebuild.

The BW1356 t-case has a 2.76:1 low range. Almost a 3 to 1. No problems with the push button engagement. The motor can fail but its a cheap part and a 10 minute fix max and doesn't happen that often.

The 5.0l or 302 is a good runner engine but a little underpowered for the bronco . The 351 or 5.8l is the better engine choice.

The body has a weak point at the drip rail at the b-pillar. If he takes it off road and flexes the body out it will end up with a stress crack. Its not a big deal but just looks bad. 80% of broncos have this problem.

I drive my 93 bronco that is on 38 in TSLs 50+ miles a day. I average 15mpg with the 351. As far as whats better....this is a Chevy Forum so that opinion will be lop sided. All I can say is I love my broncos!!! Yes I've owned Chevy's too and I'll stick with my Fords
 
Definately make sure the trans and t-case are sound.

My buddy had a '91 Eddie Bauer Bronco with the 351, E4OD, push button t-case, and all the bells and whistles short of leather. Ran great, drove great, rode great, he met his wife in it...they put 3 transmissions in it and one transfer case. He got it with 100k on it and it was in decent shape, not abused offroad.
It's sorta like a 700R4 with less support in the market. If it needs a rebuild...consider that as stated above a GOOD rebuild won't be cheap. My buddy went with AAMCO rebuilds and got the history I mentioned above.

Also, make sure everything's sitting level and square up front. That TTB starts to sag and you'll be replacing bushings, bearings, seals, coil springs, etc etc to get everything l l again instead of / \.
 
While I wouldn't go as far as saying " I'd put them up angainst a K5 anyday" :rolleyes: , having worked at a Ford dealer for 6 years 96-02 ( started there when Bronc's were still on the lot) I will say they are good solid rigs.
The 302 and 351 are both great engines , I would take a 302 over a GM 305 anytime, the front TTB can have issues and like already stated the tranny's can get expensive. Like K5's they share so many parts with the f series trucks, it's easy to find salvage yard stuff and overall if I couldn't have a K5 a Bronc would be the next best thing .
 
Oh, also check the 8.8" rear axle. Make sure it's not smiling. They have a reputation for bending under the half tons if abused.
This isn't helped by the fact that TTB makes you want to go fast.:D
 
And if I remember right, swapping out a TTB front axle for a solid axle from a 70's F-150 isn't all that hard to do, so if your buddy buys it and doesn't like the TTB, he can just swap it out.
 
Eh, it's not bolt on. Nothing truly lines up square. Also the TTB engine crossmember needs to be cut off and replaced with a low profile one.
 
Nah, just cut it off and use some square tube. Heaps of clearance.

Guy did that on another site I used to read. Everybody kept bitching about that crossmember so he just took it off and put some tube in place. Worked great and no more trouble.
 
My dad has had broncos since I was born almost, an 86 and a 94 eddie bauer, the 351 in the 94 has always seemed like a turd compared to my 350's and even the 302 in my 89 f150 is alot peppier. good engines either way, havent had any trans issues, just spring hangers and shackles rotting off and the TTB garbage in the front.

I would not be afraid of one in the slightest bit, is there an aftermarket like the GM K trucks have? not as much, but theres still quite a bit.

fullsizebronco.com has lots of good info, not as good of a forum as here though.
 
Just think of it as a K5 with the steering mod done from the factory......
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Nah, just cut it off and use some square tube. Heaps of clearance.

Guy did that on another site I used to read. Everybody kept bitching about that crossmember so he just took it off and put some tube in place. Worked great and no more trouble.
Click to expand...


Well, the stock crossmember is the excuse you need to buy a 4" lift when you do the S/A swap.
 
They fit 33's stock and have oodles of suspension travel.
 
Very true. I had an 83 F-150 4x4 with 31x10.50's and that truck went all over the high desert in Nevada and I never felt I needed a lift to go anywhere I wanted to. The only time I felt that bigger tires would've been nice was when I was in some deep mud and I was afraid I'd high center in some deep ruts another truck had made.
 
Hack and cut to fit 33's or 35's. All good.
 
Well the bronco was 4500 and out of his budget, found an 86 k5 that is rough on the body but the drive train is solid for 800 bucks so hopefully he will be buying a chevy and maybe I can get him on here.
 
snuffy74 said:
Well, the stock crossmember is the excuse you need to buy a 4" lift when you do the S/A swap.
Click to expand...

You can't put a solid axle under them without at least 4 inchs of lift. Even with chopping off the cross member.

There is no where near the aftermarket for them as for the Chevy's however I am doing what I can to change that. Our new SAS kit will be out in about a month. Everything you need to run a solid axle in one kit! There are soft tops available. Obviously bumpers, sliders, skids ect. All sorts of lift kits and stuff. Lockers and gears are easy to find. Its got a decent Aftermarket support

Oh and I really would put my bronco up against a k5! My bronco and 2 others will be at Blazer Bash next week!!
 
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