trying to fix up my truck

[mightymo826]

ok so here is the deal

i have a 1990 full size bronco

5.8 V8 4x4

all that kind of stuff

i am trying to in short make it better

my parents keep trying to nudge me into buying a newer vehicle

but ive been driving this bad boy around for over 2 years and have become sorta attached to it

so i am wanting to somehow switch most of the parts besides the body for newer parts

i am not sure if they sell everything under that thing as new parts

i know of a few places to find new stuff but my luck with used parts isnt all that good

one thing that im thinking about doing is just basically completely rebuilding it

i am open for any ideas

can anyone help?

 

[Yardape]

If there is nothing wrong that needs immediate attention then you can start at one end and work you way through. Just getting the suspension, steering and brakes rebuilt will help make it feel like a brand new truck.

 

[mightymo826]

well there are a few things that i would like to fix but i dont exactly know what the problem is

like if i stop too quickly the truck dies, then it takes some effort to get it started again

when it starts and while im trying to start it i can see a small black cloud coming out of the exhaust

and when it starts there is like oil that came out of the exhaust

it seems to die due to an idle problem which again i dont know what the cause is

when i drive away from being parked for a while i can see that there is a puddle of transmission fluid

but not a big puddle, and i cant seem to find where its leaking

and when im on the highway and i just let my foot off the accelerator i both hear and feel it basically ****

then when i step on the accelerator again it does the same thing and sounds like it slams into gear or something

it also seems like i lose oil alot, i dont see a place where it is leaking or anything but i find some parts on the truck where it seems like oil has gotten on to them

if i go above 75mph it makes the whole truck shake

people keep trying to tell me that i should get rid of it for something newer that i dont have to fix

but i cant get rid of mt bronco

lol

 

[Yardape]

Well if you look at it this way, you cabn buy a new truck for about 40 grand, in 5 or 6 years you will be where you are now with your Bronco. Or you can put 15 to 20 into your bronc and have it totally redone. Thats the way I try to look at things

 

[crazyhorse85]

Yardape is right...that's the way you have to look at it....When i first brought my 85 home my wife thought it was the biggest piece of junk...She looked at it and asked me what are you going to do with that..I said fix it...The engine had to rebuilt plus other things that needed fixin...But i noticed as i fixed these little problems the better the bronco started to look and the better it ran...Now i still get is that the same bronco and it makes me proud to say **** yeah...What ever you do only makes it better if done properly...there are a million up-grades that can be done to these bronco's....You can swap frontends around on 80-96 to update the look...I up-graded my lights to high output...All i have to do now is change the bulb...So simply pick an end that needs the most errgent work first and that's the starting point....That bronco is a blank canvas make it into what you want...... B)

 

[Krafty]

well for the black smoke thats oil getting burned off. could be valve seals, worn piston rings, or leaky head gasket.

clunk when letting off the gas then back on, try grabbing your rear drive shaft and try to turn it back and forth by hand. if there is a considerable amount of play,( one part moves but the other does not) then you'll have to swap out some u joints.

for the high speed shake check the yoke on your rear differential that is connected to your drive shaft, if you turn it by hand does the nut in front of it turn to? ( could also be bad u joints. )

for the transmission leak try to follow the drips from the bronco up to the transmission and just look for areas that look wet or slick. usually comes from transmission lines or fittings, Transmission pan gasket leak or the seal where it connects to the transfer case.

if you go to a shop they can put in a dye to see where it is coming out of if its not obvious.

hopfully this gets you a little further along.

 

[opy]

Are you trying to stay stock, or are you planning on modifying?

 

[AdamDude04]

Well if you look at it this way, you cabn buy a new truck for about 40 grand, in 5 or 6 years you will be where you are now with your Bronco. Or you can put 15 to 20 into your bronc and have it totally redone. Thats the way I try to look at things

:lol: One of my trucks is 6yrs old now, bought for 37k fully loaded..havn't really had any issues with it and side by side to an 09 model it looks just as new..except it reads 76k miles.

You can get a really nice new truck (not pre-owned) for 25-30k.. **** the 09 Ram 1500 fully loaded with navigation, sun roof, 20" chromes, heated/cooled leather seats was out the door with tax/title for just under 37k...

If you spent 5 grand for a new turn-key motor, 3k for new aftermarket body pannels (bronco-graveyard), 1k for a decent basic paint job, and 1k for random items..10 grand you got a brand new truck for the most part.

Thing to do is make a list.

Make a prority list of what's most important at the top..to least important at the bottom.

For example, fix the issues to make it road safe. Motor and brakes.. as long as it stops and goes, doesn't matter what it LOOKS like..right?

After you fix it to make it safe to drive.. then focus on the rust or body work issues..

Then after all that, go for the fine details of stereo system, leather seats, and remote start.

It will take money..but if you go in steps, it really flattens everything out for the better

..or you can be like a lot of other guys, buy a newer car/truck and keep the bronco as a project. I own 3 newer trucks, and am slowly replacing motor/brake/rust parts out but it still drives (I'm actually taking it on a 2500 mile road trip in a couple weeks!). Plus if your new truck breaks down..at least you'll have a backup - rental cars/bus is expensive and sucks lol

 

[Greggk]

i agree with above replies. i brought it home as a father/son project. my son looked at it, rolled his eyes and went back in the hhouse. he didnt like it. then i met up with some guys from fsb for a trailride. that was the day things changed for my son. now he is getting more and more involved with it. **** he helped paint the thing flat black (it was already multicolored and had cancer)

so all in all keep what you got, fix her up and you will be happy horse owner