No New Updates

Haven't had many updates to post as of late due to almost a month of steady rain here in North Texas. I will be doing a lot of work on the Bronco in the coming months to address drivability.  Things like fixing the gauges, AC blower, misc leaks, etc.  Stay tuned.

New Post Links

I'm trying to post more on the JD Offroad site.  Here are some new links to check out.

The Aussie Locker 1,000+ mile update

JDO Fabrication Projects (many involve the Bronco)

Quick Updates:

1. I had a power steering hose leak at Mega Run which started off as the hose coming off.  The problem persisted but was solved by replacing the hose clamp which had worked itself loose again on the return trip from Mega Run.

2. I decided to order a suction cup mirror, typically used on boats to watch the skiers, and it is awesome!  It gives a wider field than a normal rear view mirror so I can see not only out the back window but the side glass windows as well which really improves visibility on/off road!

New Mods

As mentioned previously I put 35" tires on the Bronco and cut the fenders to make sure there was enough space.  It just takes a little time, patience, and a cutting wheel with a lot of spare discs.

I also added some Rock Rails made by my company, JD Offroad.  These help protect the doors and what's lefdt of the body panels.  I hit at big rock 1st day out at Barnwell (Gilmer, TX) with them and no signs of damage!

The almost 30 year old plastic door handle broke while I was opening the door so I'll have to fix that.

I also had an issue on the trail where my power steering hose came loose.  However even after a field repair the fluid leaked out so I think its time for a new hose.

Finally, I removed the old bumper and also had JD Offroad build a new rear bumper.

35" tires, Rock Rails by JD Offroad & view of cut fenders

Rock Rails & cut fenders

JD Offroad custom bumper (this was the test fit; not painted)

Quick Update

As mentioned in the last post a tire blew out.  I had a tube put into another one and swapped that on.  I then proceeded to destroy that tire and another tire the next day on a wheeling outing.

I got almost a year out of those five 33s that I spent $125 on so no complaints.  I went ahead and replaced all the tires with new 35" Goodyear Kevlar MT/Rs.  They fit the '88 for the most part with some rubbing on tight corners.

I went ahead since I haven't done the planned lift and cut all 4 fenders.  I cut quite a bit so it was a bit of a chore but it looks decent for what it is.

Fuel tank was replaced so no leaks there now!

Next step is some custom made rock sliders and maybe a bumper upgrade.

Pics to come.

Down a Tire!

Well, one of my tires gave out today on the highway.   It wasn't a blow out but the tread separated.  I was able to limp along for about 5 miles to get where I was going and then I mounted a spare with a tube in it.

I'll be interested to see how the tube holds up until my 35" tires arrive.

All Terrain vs Mud Tire -- Big Difference?

Upon purchase, my Bronco had the 235/75r15 All Terrain (AT) tires on it.  I drove it and wheeled it with the tires for about 3 months before switching to some used 33x12.5r15 Hancook Mud Tires (MR) a friend offered me at a great price.

With a still stock Bronco my experience was the MT seemed to perform better on the same trails in similar conditions than the AT.  In part the extra width helped to provide more surface area and I think the lugs in some cases helped provide the bite the tire needed.  With open differentials getting traction is important because both wheels get the same force applied.  That means a tire up in the air or that has no traction in the mud is going to render the other tire (regardless of how much traction it has) useless because it won't get

On road, hands down the all terrains rode a little smoother and were less noisy.  On the mud tires the lugs on the side make the car "bounce" and increase the road noise.  Both are radials as well; some mud tires are bias ply and ride rough due because they're difficult to balance.

Unfortunately, there isn't really a best of both worlds scenario here so you have to pick one. I picked the mud tires.

I didn't think about it at the time but I recently got to experience first hand how these two tires act the same conditions.  And yes, my perceptions were reality; mud tires grip better.

One of my 33s had some separated tread and wouldn't hold air anymore and I was going wheeling the next day.  I found a quick KM2 spare 33 but it was 10.5 and had very little tread left.  The all terrain also ended up on the front with a mud.  Keep in mind the AT has more tread depth and the mud tire i

As I've mentioned on other posts I have front and rear Aussie Lockers so when the front drive shaft is engaged the front tires will both get torque regardless of one wheel losing traction.

The results of this were quite interesting.  Throughout the day I encountered many situations where the vehicle would pull to the side where the MT was.  On some slippery/muddy rocks I was pulled to that side despite trying to steer towards the AT.  Ultimately, I had to ride it out until the AT got traction again and then I was able to turn.  However this effect went away on gravel and other conditions where both tires had good traction.

Once I realized what was happening I knew that the MT really does grip better in low traction conditions compared to the AT. Then I got a wild idea to see what happens when I hammered it through a thick patch of mud.  Each run I found once the AT lost traction despite steering straight the Bronco would turn to the AT side and slide sideways through the mud.

As a control I observed a CJ5 with 33s and dual lockers.  While sometimes the vehicle would turn one way or another it still tracked mostly straight.

So there you have it; for what its worth.  My observation was in low traction instances the 33x12.5 MT gripped better than the 235/75 AT.

Bronco 1 Year Ownership Cost

Overview & Considerations

I've had the Bronco almost a year now so I tallied up all the expenses on it to date.  I wanted to do this to provide some insight to potential Bronco owners or even those looking into the costs of buying/owning an older vehicle.

Some things to keep in mind that were factors in the numbers being lower or higher:

1. Completeness - I tried to include all parts associated with a repair/upgrade.  So gaskets, seals, and fluids required.  Even things like wiper blades and wiper fluid.

2. Tools Excluded - I excluded the cost of any tools you would need to complete these jobs. However, this could be a huge cost consideration depending on your individual situation.  I do provide an estimate for this at the end of this post.

3. "Around the Garage" Materials Excluded - I've excluded previously purchased materials that I already had in the garage.  Typically items you have on hand because they are general purpose or from previous projects.  This would include things like grease, towels/rags, and liquid thread locker.

4.  Part Prices - Prices are pre-tax price or the current retail price at a big box auto parts store if I didn't have a receipt.  Obviously if you bargain shop or have access to lower prices this could alter your numbers compared to mine.

5. No Labor Cost - I did all the work myself or with friends so there was no labor cost for a repair shop.  Like tools, this would be a huge cost increase.

6. Variable Costs Excluded - I've excluded variable costs such as tax, insurance, fuel costs, and any inspection/registration fees.  I do provide an estimate for these costs at the end of the post.

7. Representative - While not all old vehicles will have some of these issues I think its representative of what you can expect in terms of the types of issues you might run across.

8. Categories - I broke out the off road related expenses.  Some repairs were explicitly due to damage from 4 wheeling the vehicle.  I split the pinion yoke cost because the casting was rusted.  It happened on the trail but it could have just as easily happened on the road.

A questionable decision was putting the transfer case costs as maintenance since as an on road daily driver you don't technically need it.  However, it was original equipment and the repair was to make it functional.  Off Road expenses are mostly due to damage to a component that was working or to enhance the off road capabilities of the vehicle.

9. Maintenance Practices - I employed good maintenance practices when doing the work on the Bronco.  For example, one wheel cylinder was leaking but I also replaced the other one because it would likely fail soon as well.  Likewise, I replaced all bearings and seals because they were due even though technically only a one had actually failed.

10. Elective Expenses Excluded - Expenditures that were strictly optional were excluded.  For example, spray paint to paint the top and rocker panels.  The paint was fine but I didn't like the color.

Item	Initial	Maintenance	Off Road
88 Bronco	2,000.00
8,500lb Winch			299.99
ATF Fluid		19.99
Axle Seals		45.12
Ball Joints		119.96
Battery		137.99
Brake Fluid		3.99
Brake Shoes		18.99
CB Antenna 4'			9.99
CB Antenna Cable			7.97
CB Antenna Mount			12.29
CB Antenna Spring			11.99
CB Radio			35.00
Coolant		65.94
Diff Fluid			29.98
Diff Gaskets			14.98
Differential Cover			17.99
Driveshaft Rebuild 1		300.00
Driveshaft Rebuild 2			250.00
Engine Oil		44.00
Fan Clutch		59.99
Front / Rear Aussie Lockers			550.00
Fuel Filter		10.99
Grill Guard			-
Low Pressure Fuel Pump Kit		99.99
Oil  Filter		6.99
Pinion Bearing		13.99
Pinion Yoke		60.00	60.00
Power Steering Fluid		13.98
Power Steering Pump		41.99
Serpentine Belt		27.99
Transfer Case		250.00
Transfer Case Seal x 2		13.58
U-Joint Back		19.99
U-Joint Front		18.99
U-Joint Retainer x2			4.78
Used 33" Spare		25.00
Used 33" Tires x 4 (some tread left)		125.00
Water Pump		32.99
Wheel Bearings		85.94
Wheel Cylinders		19.38
Winch Hardware / Misc			20.00
Winch Plate			49.99
Winsdhield wiper fluid		3.99
Wiper Blades		18.58
Total	2,000.00	1,705.33	1,374.95
Grand Total	5,080.28

Closing Comments

As you can see my $2,000 cash Bronco cost me $1,705.33 in parts.  I may have missed a few things so I'd say that number could be as high as $1,800.00.  Had I purchased new tires instead of cheap used 33s this number would have exceeded the initial cost of the Bronco.  However, I did include the transfer case swap and driveshaft rebuild as maintenance which would have been about the same cost as new tires.  Lastly, any major engine or transmission issue would have raised the number substantially as well.

For tool costs, I have a pretty complete tool collection.  I would estimate I spent about $300 in specialty tools such as race drivers, spindle pullers, a joint press, etc.  Many big box part stores will let you rent them for "free" but I opted for the convenience of having them on hand as needed.

Labor cost if you were paying a shop would vary greatly depending on their rate.  It would be more than the $3,000 in parts which to me doesn't make sense on a vehicle that isn't worth that.

Variable costs as I mentioned earlier (taxes, insurance, fuel, etc) were about $1,600.  Fuel was almost half the cost there assuming about 11mpg, ~3500 miles, and an average of $2.75/gal.  Fuel numbers are estimates.  The fuel/insurance/tax numbers are more accurate.  With fuel prices now under $2/gal the fuel number gets a lot smaller very quickly.

For the off road crowd you'll notice the bulk of the expenses are mechanical not off road performance specific.  This is probably the norm on many older rigs.  Of course had I installed ARB lockers or did a solid axle swap that number could have easily exceeded the routine maintenance numbers.

Keep in mind that with all those costs, the vehicle is still far from perfect.  Things that could be addressed include things like one door lock doesn't work, the driver seat back is locked in position, holes in the seat fabric, rear window switch doesn't work, ac blower motor doesn't work, body dents and dings, gauges that don't work accurate, cracked windshield, sagging headliner, starter isn't as strong as it could be, etc.

That all being said the vehicle has been rock solid reliable.  I've never needed a tow but I've been suck a few times for no more than 30 minutes.

Times/Reason stuck temporarily:

1. Low pressure pump failing and would die if the vehicle didn't have over half a tank of fuel.  Had to walk to get a gallon of gas.

2. Fan clutch failure caused an overheat and had to wait for engine to cool down at gas station.

3. Dead battery.  Jumper box was also dead but replaced it a new battery.

4. Water pump failed and had to wait for engine to cool down on side of the road.

All of these were merely symptoms of old worn out components.  And I've seen dead batteries and water pump failure happen on newer vehicles as well.

For a nearly 30 year old vehicle with over 178,300 miles that's really good.  As a comparison I've had newer vehicles strand me overnight multiple times and have many worse problems.  I'll be interested to see after all the work done in 2014 what the 2015 repair numbers look like.  I suspect they will go down substantially because a lot of the maintenance items piled up because previous owners did not address them.