New Rig: 1991 Ford F-150 4x4

[Chili]

The next problem i need to fix, probably will tackle it tomorow afternoon is the steering. There is about 3 inches of play before the wheels start turning, i believe it is in the shaft where it colapses in case of an accident, seems to be the most common problem on these rigs. Im going to jack it up tomorow anyways and check the front end components anyways. The other problem, which just started today is that the steering wheel moves back/forth if you pull or push on it which is kinda annoying and slightly scary on the highway. hopefully its something simple but i wont be sure until i look into it tomorrow.

Steering gears going bad are pretty common as well. You can buy a rebuild kit for much less than a new or rebuilt box if you are adventurous.

You probably already know, but LMC Truck and Jeff's Bronco Graveyard are two good places for new parts, should you need them. Just make sure you check both sites and calc shipping before buying. Some things are cheaper on one over the other but you never know which it will be. Both also have free catalogs they will send you. I used those two sources a lot when I had my 90 Bronco.

 

[Chili]

I'm not sure why, but I have been catching myself checking out this bodystyle of trucks more and more. As cheap as they are these days I may just have to pick one up. Nice Score.

They're definitely worth a look. Cheap to buy, relatively cheap and easy to fix, and parts availability is excellent. You can build a virtually new truck just from the two sources I listed above, inside and out.. Plus, you can recoup most of your money on upgrades when selling.

I paid $2k for my '90 Bronco, put about $2k into it (including a lift, tires and wheels, cooling system, AC, Ignition system and a bunch of small misc things), drove it for 2 and a half years, and sold it for over $4k. Had I spent a bit more and did an engine rebuild (had the original and well work 5.0 with 200k), did a little more work on the interior and did body work / paint I could have gotten a couple thousand more.

I may get another to play with. The thing only "broke down" twice, both times it was just the TFS module, and both times after it cooled off it was back to normal. Had I replaced it the first time it wouldn't have happened the second.

I did all of the work myself with a little advice / help from friends and a Haynes manual.

Another great thing is that many of the parts for 1980 - 1996 were interchangeable between the Bronco, F150 and F250, and some parts would accept replacements up through 2000 models. Lots of junkyard parts for next to nothing! I pulled front seats out of a junkyard F150 for my Bronco. Paid less than $50 for both including rails, in good condition and then sold my old ones on Craigslist for something like $80!

 

[Chili]

My 90 Bronco when I sold it:



4" Rough Country lift with 33's. The kid I sold it to was actually willing to pay $4,500 (my asking price) but was going to have to wait a couple weeks for $500 of it. He clearly loved it as much as I did, and I knew it was going to be in good hands, so I let him take it for $4k rather than wait.

Plus I hate dealing with shoppers. Had about 5 people look at it, several making offers, but I liked the kid who bought it best. I even threw in a bunch of spare parts and stuff I could have sold separately. When I was pulling out a bunch of parts (good and or new in box) that I hadn't put on yet he was like "cool, I do want that stuff, can I come back and buy it when I get paid?" When I explained that I was just giving it to him the look on his face was priceless! lol

 

[Chili]

BTW, just to add although I am sure you likely know this.. The inline 6, manual transmission, and manual transfer case are by far the best drive trains on these things. I wanted all 3 when I was shopping for that Bronco, just could not find any. The manual trans and transfer were hard enough to find in a Bronco, the 6 almost impossible.

 

[Nathaniel0712]

Yes i did some reading on the six and it seems to be one of the best motros ford ever made if not the best. the mazda 5 spd doesnt have the greatest track record but its better than an auto, and i really do like the manual 4x4 as i had a gm vaccum **** and it broke and was too expensive to fix. I work as a mechanic so if the gear turns out to be bad i will most likely rebuild it myself unless i can find a good cheap used one.

that bronco looks very good by the way, great lift and tire size, very proportional.

 

[BBslider001]

My 90 Bronco when I sold it:

View attachment 144706

4" Rough Country lift with 33's. The kid I sold it to was actually willing to pay $4,500 (my asking price) but was going to have to wait a couple weeks for $500 of it. He clearly loved it as much as I did, and I knew it was going to be in good hands, so I let him take it for $4k rather than wait.

Plus I hate dealing with shoppers. Had about 5 people look at it, several making offers, but I liked the kid who bought it best. I even threw in a bunch of spare parts and stuff I could have sold separately. When I was pulling out a bunch of parts (good and or new in box) that I hadn't put on yet he was like "cool, I do want that stuff, can I come back and buy it when I get paid?" When I explained that I was just giving it to him the look on his face was priceless! lol

Love this story man...thanks for sharing it! I love being inspired...

 

[Nathaniel0712]

its great when someone really appreciate sensible mods and the time and effort you have put into the rig enough that they would be willing to pay asking price. i never pay asking price for anything, but then again i like to buy cheap **** and fix it rather than buying a prebuilt rig unless i know its worth the money or the price is too good to pass up. whenever i sell something, especially in chicago i always overprice it by 2-700 dollars just so i can actually get what i want out if it, and what is a fair price for the vehicle. glad to hear it went to someone who will use it for what its meant for, couldnt of been to easy to let that bronco go.

 

[HotrodSmurf]

Toughest truck around. The ttb front can be a pig at times but is strong. Now the 300 I6 is the best engine around. My 76 f100 sat in a field for ~20 years. New fuel pump and she runs like a song!

Oh and that 5 speed is a decent unit, I beat the piss outta mine. There are 3 rubber plugs up by the shifter that have a tendancy to dry out and disappear, causing a loss of lube and tranny death. watch those, don't tow more than the truck is meant for and go dominate the trails!

 

[Nathaniel0712]

So a little update. Drove this rig about 410 miles this weekend to chicago and back plus some driving around the area there. Did great on the highway, was doing a steady 75-80 mph to chicago but kept it to 65-70 on the way back to save gas. No problems, other than the fuel economy and the steerings pretty loose. I determined it as the gearbox thats back but there was some slack in the linkage so i cut up an old walmart gift card stuck it in there and zip tied the pieces so they wouldnt fall out and that definitely made a noticeable improvement, ill do the gears when i have the time/money.
Other than that she's running good and i just replaced the serpentine belt, and air filter. Not sure if i mentioned it before but this truck had brand new plugs, wires and a distributor when i got it. Ive also run my cb antenna, but looks like i burned up the radio, no big deal ill grab one on ebay and installed a crossover toolbox i got from work. No keys, but i got some 7/8" long cam locks and they look like they should fit perfect, $4.92 each @ home depot.



We've got snow in peoria tonight, and i've gotta say it sure is nice to have a 4x4 again.

 

[Nathaniel0712]

well a few updates
First of all, i've decided that i am 100% sure i will keep this rig for a while, at least until i finish the blazer or find a decent m1008 in my price range. Gotta these old 300 6's are great motors, and these overal are great trucks. I've put about 3k miles on her so far since i changed the oil, checked it today and havent burned a drop. Im thinking this is partly because of the thick oil, 15w-40, but its still impressive with at least 233k on the clock, maybe more.

Of all the vehicles i have owned, this is by far the best, i dont think i have ************** at it once yet, although for 400 bucks there shouldnt be much bitching at all.

Currently i am looking for a new cb as i burned out my old one and a set of 32-33 inch tires all terrain or muds, dont really care. the tires on the truck are good but the are not good in the snow, and wont be to great this summer with the trips i have planned. I'm hope to clear them with no lift at all as i dont really want to mess with the whole ttb set up, ill be cutting for clearance if necessary, but i think i will be ok. wheels/tires on craigslist have really dried up. Im also looking to pick up a winch of some kind and a heavier duty bumper.

I also spend 10 bucks at walmart for some stencils, metal paint and brushes to get some cheap advertising for my mobile auto repair business. not the best turn out but for a couple hours of time and 10 bucks it has already paid for itself numerous times. It isnt very expo, but the trucks gotta work a bit to get some playtime.





Anyone have any suggestions on improving the lighting in these bricknoses? the headlights are horrible, and the brights are no better. The light output is so bad i can drive with the brights on and never get flashed.

 

[4x4junkie]

Are the headlight lenses yellowed and hazed over? If so, hitting them with some plastic polish would do wonders for them. You might have to put a little effort into them initially if they're real bad (maybe wet-sand them with some 1000 or 1500-grit paper), but the haze is usually all on the outside (there are lens restoration kits sold for this purpose too, though I think they are ridiculously overpriced).
After that, maybe a set of auxiliary fog lights and/or driving lights can help.

Also, no need to fear the TTB... You can very easily lift that thing about 2-2.5" or so with inexpensive lower spring perch spacers if you need a bit more clearance for your tires (maybe also adding a slightly-dropped pitman arm if needed, such as a stock one from a 4x4 Ranger or Explorer).

Rig looks nice.

 

[JumpinFord]

Get a bottle of blue magic headlight restore from auto zone. Only about 8 or 9 bucks IIRC but it actually works. My buddies 95 Chevy had the same problem (drove everywhere with his brights on) but that stuff and about 10 minutes of elbow grease and they were almost like new.

 

[swamp_beast]

another thing that is fairly simple and cheap is an upgrade to a set of brighter sylvania silverstar bulbs i paid 45 bucks for the pair for my 89 f150. they were advertised to be 75% brighter not sure id say that but it did make a huge improvement also i have found on alot of these bricknose fords the lamps are aimed high adjusting the beam lower will also help but i will warn if you live where there is rust i would lube the crap out of the knobs for several days before you try or you will break the rod trying. on a side note i love these trucks i have had 5 of them and even tho im called crazy its all i will drive for a daily work truck. shame that where i live the bodies rot away long before the truck breaks down. the north east coast isnt kind to sheet metal lol. but after i tried once to swap to a newer truck ie a 2001 chevy and the frame rusted away long before the body. i went back to my beloved brick nosed fords:victory:

 

[Nathaniel0712]

yeah the lights are yellow and hazed over, i bought the turtle wax kit for 9 bucks, gonna try that out tomorow, put in a set of the silvania mid grade bulbs which really helped.

Its not that i fear the ttb as much as just not wanting to mess with the suspension much. would like to keep it low buck and functional, also, using it for work daily i'd like to keep it low yet still have the ground clearance and better tires.

 

[swamp_beast]

running a 33x12.50 is gonna be tricky stock. you will have to run less backspacing to keep the tires from rubbing the radius arms but when doing this the tire wants to rub the edge of the bumper and fender and theres not much room to trim without cutting into the inner fender well. now running a 33x10.50 is easy as i have found all you need to do is trim the very lower edge of the fender and you can retain the stock rims