A lot has been done on the Bronco as of late to make it more off road oriented. Here's the list of everything that has been done the last few weeks.
Winch Replacement
I replaced my old winch with a Rugged Ridge 8,500lb from JD Offroad Outfitters here in Texas. The old winch wasn't responding reliably when trying to use the winch remote so I decided to install the new winch and use the old one for a trailer winch in the future.
As part of the install I cut a hole in the mesh on the grill guard and filed the sharp edges to make an easy access location to plug in the winch.
Locker
An Aussie Locker was installed in the front differential (Dana 44).
Bearings and Seals
During that process I found a seal had leaked and one of the wheel bearings had started to rust and was pretty well shot. So I replaced the bearings and the seal.
Fair warning the bearings and oil seal on the rotor are pretty easy to find at a parts retailer. However, the spindle seal takes 12-24 hours to get delivered to the store. Always be sure when doing bearings to go ahead and remove the spindle hub and replace that spindle seal. I found that a bearing was rusted in less than a year from that failed spindle seal leaking water. As a precaution I replaced and re-greased everything.
So the front-end axle was totally overhauled.
Ball Joints
I installed new ball joints on the driver's side because the passenger side was done previously but the driver's side front wheel was starting to shake. A quick test confirmed the ball joints were shot and needed to be replaced.
Fuel Filter
I also replaced the fuel filter which to me has made a big difference. The Bronco seems to idle better and is more responsive when accelerating. It used to hesitate a little which I attributed to it being old.
CB Antenna
I've had a CB for a while but the antenna was magnetic and didn't work well. I went out and got a fiberglass antenna, spring, and mounting bracket and attached my antenna to the tire carrier by drilling a hole. The cheap CB seems to work much better in terms of clarity and range.
If a CB is a mod you are doing keep in mind that CB radios don't come with most of the things you need and retailers who sell the CB may not sell all the accessories. I got my CB from a big box store and had to order the antenna, mount, and antenna to CB cable online. I've had friend tell me they had the same issue of a store having a radio but no accessories or limited accessories.
Good Practice Maintenance
I make it a habit of periodically checking fluids in my vehicles. This time everything was good except the coolant. Upon inspection I found a hose clamp on the water pump hose had moved a little which was the likely source of a leak and fixed it. I should know after my mini road trip tomorrow if that fixed the issue or not.
New/Emerging Issues
So a developing few issues. When I lifted the front end to install the locker some oil dripped out from the top of the transfer case skid plate suggesting there is a slow leak; possibly the rear main seal.. Some gas also dripped from the tank skid plate suggesting that the tank is rusted or has a small hole somewhere. The steering assembly (tie rod ends, bushings, etc) are in need of some attention as well but will be replaced as part of the lift I have planned soon.
As I've mentioned before I try to track a lot of these little maintenance items for those looking to buy a Bronco. I will try and tally up the 2014 expenses at some point and do a post on the cost of ownership of an old Bronco. It won't include fuel cost because I don't track that and it may be hard to find receipts for all the parts I've purchased but I can look them up online.
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