79 4x4 question

[Saggydog]

Hi all,

I am a newb to the site and pretty much a newb to 4x4's. I am looking at a 79 Bronco that I found on Craigslist for $2800(too much money imo). All in all this is a truck with potential. Has just over 100k on a 400ci with auto trans. The truck drives good and the motor is strong. My concern is with the 4 wheel drive... I couldn't tell with a brief test drive if the 4 wheel is actually working. My only limited knowledge is a test drive of an 85 Power Ram truck and when we put it in 4 wheel low it felt like it would pull a house down. This Bronco didn't have that torque feel when I put it in 4 wheel low. Is there an easy test or way to verify that the 4 wheel drive is working properly aside from jacking up the rear end to see if the front wheels will turn when you give it gas? Mind you, it's not my truck so I can't get too crazy with tearing apart somebody else's ride.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Bully Bob]

Hi saggy.., welcome..

No answer...? Hmmmm...

What I do is put'm in low range 4x4 while on dirt with those marble-like pebbles all over. Then, gas enough to spin tires & watch to see if front/fronts are kick'n dirt. OR get out & look to see if there's a burn-out in the dirt where front tires were. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

-OR-

Put it on four jack-stands & watch to see what moves in 4x4.

Does it have manual locking hubs.?