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Wilit: The Man, The Myth, His '88 Bronco
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1988 Ford Bronco
· 351ci V8
· 3 Speed Automatic
· 3.55:1 Dana 44 Open IFS Front Axle
· 3.55:1 8.8 inch Trac-Lok Rear Axle
· Red Exterior
· Chestnut Interior
· Removable Hardtop
Factory Options
· Power Steering
· Air Conditioning
· Power Door Locks
· Power Windows
· Power Driver Seat
· AM/FM Cassette
· Heavy Duty Towing Package
· Eddie Bauer Edition
Modifications
· 351ci bored .060 over (362ci)
· Crank Ground .030/.030 Under
· Speed-Pro Teflon Coated 9.4:1 Pistons
· ARP Rod & Head Bolts
· ARP Main Studs
· Comp-Cams HE254 cam
· FPRR High Volume Oil Pump
· Pacesetter Shorty Headers
· Federal Mogual Main & Rod Bearings
· Rebuilt E7 Heads w/Gasket Matched Exhaust Ports
· Ramsey 5000lbs Winch
· 32x10.5 inch BFG's
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Introduced in August of 1965, the Bronco was Ford's answer to America's need to have a practical everyday vehicle with the ability to explore the outdoors. Originally offered in three models, a 4 passenger wagon, with a removable hard top, a 2 passenger truck with a removable hardtop, or a 2 or 4 passenger roadster version. Originally only offered with the 200ci straight-six found in the Falcon, 1966 saw the introduction of the 289 as an option, with the 302 finding its way into 1969 models. The Bronco remained largely unchanged all the way trough the 1977 model year. 1978 brought the "Big Bronco" which only lasted until 1979. 1980 was one of those transitional years, not quite a '79, but not quite an '81. One has to be careful when trying to buy replacement or aftermarket parts for this model, as you will need to know, not only the build month, but build, day, and hour in some cases. 1987 found the intoduction of fuel injection, and a more friendly looking exterior which slowly evolved, eventually ending production in 1996.
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| My friend Brandon's brother had this Bronco sitting in their driveway for 2 years after buying a new Yukon. I had made arrangements, and bought it from him. Little did I know, the engine which had been replaced no more than 3,000 miles ago, had a severe problem. The person who rebuilt it had overtightened the oilpan bolts, severing a 1-inch piece of the pan gasket. This small piece of rubber proceeded to get jammed into the oil pickup tube, and deprive the engine of oil. Upon disassebly of the engine, I found every upper compression ring was broken, and on the number 6 cylinder, both the upper and lower compression rings were competely shattered, damaging both the piston and the cylinder wall.
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| So, as you can see at the left, this is a picture of the rebuilt engine (the first I've rebuilt myself) bolted to the massive C6 tranny. Bryan and Remy were gracious enough to donate 6 hours of their time to help me make 5 trips to Home Depot for misc. nuts & bolts, and help me "drop" the engine and tranny in. I've already got most of the wiring and vaccuum lines hooked back up. All I've got left to do is install the transfer case, driveshafts, hook the emmissions equipment back up, and she should be ready to fire up. I've got my fingers crossed that I assembled everything correctly.
UPDATE: The Bronco is back together and running perfectly. It even passed California Smog II with no problems.
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