It's totally safe, you just gotta practice your two wheel balancing and learn how to save it when it starts to roll, and you'll be fine. That light steering will surely communicate what's happening in time.
I owned a Bronco II for a decade. The Bronco II was really no more prone to rollover than most any other small 4WD SUV of the era, save for one design/manufacturing flaw that was pretty easy to cure. That flaw was that the front springs and shock absorbers were way too soft. Ford is notorious for equipping their 4WD vehicles with excessively soft front springs and shocks, presumably to make the ride smoother. Even today, most Ford 4WD vehicles have a "front end droop" due to overly soft front springs and shocks. The soft springs were especially problematic on the Twin-Traction Beam front suspension on the Bronco II because the TTB will deflect substantially. So, the straightforward solution was to put heavier, stiffer front springs and shocks on the Bronco II, which I did not long after I bought it. It did stiffen the ride a bit, but it cured its propensity to lean excessively. The Bronco II's main other failing was that it was underpowered and under-geared for 4-wheeling and highway use. It was designed for the 55 mph speed limit of the era.
I've had 2 of them, I did take them lots of places I thought I would never be able to go. I never had a problem with the rolling over. You do have to know your vehicle's limits, and stay within them...
Problems with vehicles are looked at in larger samples. Not everyone rolled their bronco, but it was much more likely than other safer vehicles. Enough so that it was a concern.
I had a 1990 Bronco 2 solid navy blue xlt push button vacuum engaged 4x4 . Got it used for 6k in 1995 , was used as unmarked wildlife law enforcement vehicle before I owned it ! It is most definitely my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned to date!! I could get back in the woods & go just about anywhere a ATV or dirt bike could go! And the power from the V6 was pretty impressive! Unfortunately one night at around 55/60mph I hit some soft dirt from a construction site & got squirrelly & ended up rolling 4 times & once end over end! I will say I was extremely lucky to walk away from that without any injuries except for a few cracked ribs! Next day ride out to the tow yard to see what was salvageable & literally nothing! Not even one rim! The sight of that once beautiful little SUV was a mangled mess! I couldn’t even stomach to take pictures of it for the insurance company! I suffered nightmares about that wreck for years! I’ll never forget when every time rolling upside down seeing the bright red sparks hitting me in the face from the hood & all the sand & glass particles touching me all over suspended in the air like being weightless!
I, unfortunately have rolled my share of vehicles. It has always been strange road conditions, even at very low speeds. I'll be the 1st to admit there are several features that Ford could have done better with the BroncoII's design but driving like a rational human goes a long way.
With a Bronco II you can be going the wrong way through a parking lot and still turn into a spot without backing up. The turning radius of the TTB with that short wheelbase is INSANE!
My father had 2 of them, an 85 and an 89. I went through most of my college years with the 89 and it was an AWESOME truck. Sadly he sold it shortly after. My dad sadly passed away last year but we've always had a plan to restore one together when i got my first house. So i bought one and i'm now doing it on my own, learning as i go, restoring it in his honor. As long as you don't jerk the steering wheel at 60 mph, you'll be just fine. In fact, a lot of people have taken to adding spacer to widen the wheel base and it does make it safer, but you do sacrifice a bit of that insanely good turning radius. The B2 is a great, nimble truck!
I graduated high school in 1989. I look back on all the cars from that period with fondness, especially that year. I love the Bronco 2, but was partial to the S-10 Blazer and GMC Jimmy. Love the fox body Mustangs, T-Bird SCs and Turbo Coupes prior, as well as the IROC and especially the Trans Am GTA. None of these cars can hold a candle to a modern car in any capacity, but the nostalgia factor his still huge for me.
My dad had an 86 Bronco II, though when he bought it had slightly oversize tires and a wheel offset that gave it a wider stance. I remember the power steering was way overboosted and soft, and of course it was not fast. Dad used it to tow his sailboat for a few years.
@@hunterharrell7491 It was pleasant to drive, just remarkably different than our other cars which were all Hondas. My first car, around that time, was a Civic that had no power steering.
I bought a good example in 2021, straight body, 8/10 interior. it is such an incredible pleasure to drive. Think about selling it often because we don't need to have two cars and having a car just for fun feels frivolous, but I know when I sell it I'll never be able to get one that nice again.
I think I’d add a half inch solid steel skid plate on the bottom to drop the center of gravity by a foot or two. Seems Ford didn’t learn their lesson from letting a design problem go, considering the mess with their Powershift transmissions.
I love my 88 Bronco II, been the most reliable and fun vehicle I have owned and I absolutely love it, Itd also very capable considering i do also takr it on some of tge trails here, its toe to toe witg my buddy's 2011 Jeep Wrangler in terms of capability
I had a B2, it was my first vehicle. I did a lot of mods to it (4.0 swap, axle swap, gears, lockers, ect). I only managed to get it on two wheels one time, and I had to do something very stupid to accomplish that. I had two friends with XJs that used to talk shit about the B2, they both ended up rolling their Jeeps.
I've had a 1985 bronco ll my wife loved it, new from the show room , and 30yrs later I have another one a 89 XLT 2.9, standard shift 4x4, and again I love my Bronco ll
I drove one of these a couple days ago, but it was a pre facelift version in similar condition with a sizeable lift (my guess is 5 inches). I believe it had a 3 speed auto, shifter on the floor too. Absolute dog, could barely reach 65, but was so cool at the same time. No tachometer either!
Yeah I was surprised to see anyone say the 2.9 was decent... Gutless. The 2 9 was a total dog imo. I saw a tuber stuck a supercharger on theirs, presumably with bits from the euro 2.9? But it was cool, struck me as odd though - 4.0 is a plug n play, with wa more aftermarket than the US 2.9l. Can't talk shit though, as I had a cam in my 2.9, preswap. Was neat, absolutely made a difference in low end power on tap.
A Maroon '89 XL with a 5sp manual transmisision, 2WD and the limited slip option was the first new car that I ever bought. To my taste, it was under-sprung in the rear so I added some helper leaf springs (which cost maybe $50 at the time). These went a long way to preventing the rear end from falling over in sharp turns, and kept the whole car more stable. Even with the 2WD, it never got stuck in the snow thanks to the Limited slip. It had the same interior as this one. (Oh! The happy memories!) To me, with that set-up it had fairly sporty handling (for a front engine, rear wheel drive vehicle with a solid rear axle and leaf springs) as long as you didn't do anything completely stupid with it. Folks! It's a short wheelbased vehicle with a higher center of gravity than your average hot-hatch! Don't try to drive it like an MR2!!! The engine was an improved version of the Cologne V6 which was used in numerous Capris. If my memory is correct, I would get mid- to upper 20's over a tankful. I even towed my FF, or the family's boat with it, although a sway control was needed due to the short wheelbase. Ultimately I wore out the transmission and ended up donating it to charity after ~120K miles. The ride was very comfortable over rough Boston city streets and various dirt roads. Everything except for the transmission was still in fine shape. Also the small footprint made parking it in Boston surprisingly easy. I loved that vehicle! As far as the stability, there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Ultimately the reputation of roll-overs killed it even though I'd be hard pressed to believe that it was any worse than the Samurai, CJ-7 or the Toyota 4-Runner, and other similar products of the time. I suspect that there was a bit of momentum generated, just as had occurred with the Audi sudden acceleration syndrome and other vehicles that caught up in crowd stampedes. Don't be confused. It was a great car!
The 4Runner had at best 116 horsepower with the 22RE. Even with a stick it was hard to get in trouble with one cause it had a longer wheel base and over 30 horsepower less
I absolutely loved mine, had daily drove it 5 years delivering pizzas, in the winter it was amazing, I never felt like it would flip, but I always had oversized wheels and tires
@@Burztur99 I mean our i4's in Europe have quite alot of hp per ton cuz they're light af, so most of them are actually pretty nimble. Yaris GR has a 1.6 and is faster than most big cars on the US roads(of course not a fair comparison, it's light af and it's a GR but still...)
I got an 89’ 5 spd and I daily her every day, I can take pretty hard turns without worrying, put some bigger tires with offset of then and your chillin.
I had a bronco 2 and I really liked it. I don’t remember exactly, but I’ve seen many suvs that have a note that drivers need to pay attention due to higher center of gravity. It didn’t have a ton of power but was comparable to pretty much any other small suv of that time.
that tach is definitely off cause 3k rpm on the tach sounds more like 1700-1800. but other than that it reminds me so much of my 1990 eddie bauer bronco 2. those seats are so unbelievably comfortable. may have been slow but that 2.9 was indestructible and got decent mileage too. Push button 4x4 was more problematic than the manual 4x4 that the xl and xlt had.
The Bronco II is the first truck that was "luxury." Before that, trucks were work vehicles for the farm or ranch. Utilitarian and no flash as tall. Like Australian Utes, "Church on Sunday, sell on Monday." When I was a small boy, a "foreign truck" was not a thing. It was a Chevy C-10 or Ford F-150 with a bed and, maybe, a cap on the bed. That truck was "just more" sophisticated than a tractor.
I have an 84 in similar condition to this - was my first car. Had it since 09. Parked it in 2013 and it sat until 23. Needed a lot to get back on the road but it's a registered antique and is a blast to drive stock! Couldn't get rid of it!
I used to see a ton of these where i am in the PNW. Small 4x4s are super popular over here. I wonder if everyone who had these moved on to Wranglers in the mid 00s and 2010s
The Bronco II 's popularity gave us the explorer as a Replacement by Ford Motor Co. That spawned the SUV craze for Affordable and Inexpensive all wheel drive for winter Driving and it was a great design which incorporated lessons learned about safer wider track and longer wheelbase that was the Achilles heel on the Bronco II. my Explorer is a 98 model and still looks new and drives like new.
My grandfather used to have a 1994 Ford Explorer back in 2014-2015 and we both loved riding it, I loved how the steering wheel looked, and it was very nice truck. Now it's hard to find that same vehicle. Even if I did find some, it would be very expensive. I do miss that truck
I bought an 89 B2 in 1991. Ran it like an idiot, but the sway bars front and rear did their job. Then I lifted it, bigger, wider tires/rims. Offroaded placed everyone never thought it would make. It did, quite easily. Ultimately started a 5.o swap, straight front axel, and rear 9". Stalled out on the conversion and it sat for years. Sold it in 2017 and I am still sad that it is gone. My offroaders have been FZJ80s, and now a 21 Bronco. I still miss the B2... P.S. Never once felt it was going to roll, even when performing emergency maneuvers. This was driven city and HWY at speeds up to 85+mph. No issues at all.
I have the 88 Bronco II. I had a situation where I had to perform a maneuver testing the stability, I say rear stabilizer bars would make a difference. I love my 88 and all of the quirks.
I think it does plus it sometimes makes me cringe when redlining this engine cuz it's happiest at 3k and below under load especially since this is just a C6 with a 4th gear so a torquey little transmission
12:32 I think it is good to know the limitations of your vehicle. As long as you know it's prone to flip over if you drive it around a corner to fast, you respect that and drive appropriately.
It’s not about taking corners fast. It’s about emergency situations. A dog runs out. You hit a patch of ice. It’s like riding a motorcycle without a helmet. You can be a great rider but if something unexpected happens it gets ugly fast.
Fords of that design need to be aligned very precisely. The twin beam front suspension relied on camber adjusters. Those were shaped pieces of metal that you had to hammer onto the designated area on the beams. Once aligned they tended to stay aligned but they almost always went out after suspension or hub work. They also tended to tuck in prior to alignment which made the bronco 2 a bit more tipsy. Once properly aligned and driven reasonably they are actually fairly solid SUVs. The same XLT gauge cluster and dash remained in the ranger until 1997. The difference was in 1990 ford removed the 4wd shifter and added automatic hubs and a push button 4x4 4x4LO button. The most important things on a bronco 2 are proper alignment and drive it conservatively and your most likely not going to tip also wider tires do help in that regard
I had a 90 as a 16 year old. Had all the engine problems that came with the bronco 2. It was a 5 speed and what taught me how to drive manual. Would love to find another one, fix it up and keep it. Loved my bronco 2 little death waggon.
I am thinking about buying an 87 Bronco II this week. I haven't seen the truck yet, but hopefully I'll get to in the next few days. It is a 5 speed manual, and that's what has me really interested. Hopefully it is in decent shape and runs well.
I had a 93 Explorer, with a Paxton and 3:08 rear gears, that the speedo could hit the bottom of the cluster about where the D is. I was surprised that it was not governed lower, it would do 120mph before shutting down.
I just don't see these any more in canada b.c i guess they don't do well in harsh winter climates, the last one i was was 4 or 5 years ago and the wheel wells and rocker panels were virtually gone from all the rust
My great uncle had one of these he bought brand new. I remember the wiring in the floorboard catching on fire while we were on a trip to the mountains. Also remember the brakes locking up for no reason at all at a stop sign. He got rid of it not long after. Great little vehicle haha
That's the cleanest one I've seen since I had mine as a teenager. Mine was a grandma owned '88 rwd with only 44k miles when I got it. I think the rollover risk isn't any worse than other suvs of the time. I did once do a 360 spin going over ice lol
My friend when he was 17 or 18 rolled his lifted 4.0 swapped Bronco II and killed another kid. He drove a stock one for a year or two and had gotten used to its characteristics but add a lift with stiffer spings, heavier engine, more power and it was a deadly combination
Had an automatic 92 Explorer Sport. Super comfy truck, great for driving around town. Definitely would prefer a manual in the future for reliability’s sake
With the gearing on most 80s-90s cars, your mom was probably correct to use D around town and OD only on the highway. A lot of them were very unhappy lugging around 35-40mph in 4th gear and then having to kick down as soon as you hit a slight hill. That's what most owner's manuals of the time suggested, too.
When I had a paper route back in the 1980's, my boss had an Eddie Bauer edition Bronco II with the 5 sped manual. I rode with him once or twice on my route. It screwed up my technique for throwing papers 😂 Guessing that the aerodynamics were just a lot different from the family's '83 Chevy Celebrity...I could get both sides of the street from the passenger seat of the Celebrity 💪
@@Beldar4214I'm willing to bet that it isn't off, it was idling at around 1200 rpm which makes sense for an old engine, and he mentioned that he was having to press in the pedal quite a amount to keep the speed up...Who knows to be frank, since we can only observe through a youtube video.
@@-aid4084 Idling at 1200 RPM doesn't make sense for a fuel injected passenger car V6 from 1989 and the engine certainly doesn't sound like it's revving as high as the tachometer says. Something is wrong with the instrument.
If it were really revving at those speeds the engine would be screaming. You would definitely know if it was revving at 5k. It had tall gearing, an overdrive top gear and modern fuel management.
I had an 85 B2 with a 3 inch body lift and 31 inch tires and an 88 B2 with a V8 conversion, 4 inch suspension lift and 33 inch tires. Neither one of them ever felt like they were going to roll over.
Heh ... this cockpit looks so much like my first vehicle, the 1988 Ford Ranger XLT. Even the side mirrors are the same. It was like taking a trip in the past.
There is a 1986 ford bronco II at a stealership near me called Harboro and it is way too much money for what it is. You can visibly see rot and rust coming through along the bottom around the front fenders and the rockers. Eddie Bauer edition so it has the tan interior with the little tree looking stitching but it's just a package for looks. Eight grand for a 3500 dollar roll over vehicle with a rusted body. They probably spray painted the frame black to hide the rust under there also, love seeing that trick on the jeeps too.
I had a 1986 Bronco 2 with 4X4 and the 5 speed manual transmission and the 2.9 fuel injected V6. Excellent little SUV!! The people who rolled them were driving them too aggressively. I took mine to Central Mexico. It was excellent for Mexico. It could go anywhere a Jeep could go. I sold it to a doctor who made house calls in little villages where he often had to drive it on unpaved roads in 4X4. I wish I still had it.
Fully disagree. Most roll overs happened in emergency situations that required brakes and turning. These people did not die because they were fully sending it onto an onramp. They died because someone ran a red light or an animal jumped out and caused avoidance reaction.
@@TedwardDriveswith mine, I did once think I was going to roll over. I was driving at about 45 - 50 MPH and some jerk in a BMW cut me off. I swerved to avoid him. It did feel like it went on two wheels, but it didn't roll. I followed the BMW driver to his destination and confronted him. He actually kept saying he was sorry over and over again. His coworkers had to come out to save him. This was way back in 1999.
Like my Jeep, it came with a sticker that said it handled differently than a regular passenger car and to drive with care to avoid injury or death. I had a Bronco II and it never rolled over.
A lot of folks also ride motorcycles without helmets successfully. It’s not that it will happen to everyone. It’s that the odds are disproportionately high that it might.
@@TedwardDrives I agree with you Bronco's had a high center of gravity, just like my CJ7. Instead of fixing, Ford followed Jeep's lead and put a warning sticker on the sun visor. Most of the stickers are gone after 30 years. My Jeep came with a soft top and soft doors. Imagine the liability of using soft doors today. Doors that won't protect or stay closed in a crash. Yes, Jeep had it's share of lawsuits (AMC owned Jeep back then) That might make a good video! If you were closer, you could use my Jeep. I still have it and it's still like new.
I own 2 of these both Eddie Bauer editions. I put wider wheels and tires with a 4" lift and it felt way more stable on these mountain roads. The biggest weakness to these cars imo is the brakes. They definitely need upgraded if you want to daily one in wet weather.
First vehicle I ever drove was a bronco 2. Learned how to back up a boat trailer with one. I was 10 years old. That being said. I remember the Isuzu trooper being notorious for being the ultimate rollover machine. I could be wrong.
Thing is, as an older guy, it was common when this was new, the Jeep CJ was really the kick off of the high center of gravity offroad type vehicle that would roll over.. then the Cherokee, and S10, the first gen 4runner, and the bronco2 were all narrow wheel base high roll over vehicles.. I actually think they were safer at that time over now, when the people roll the CUV's and don't understand it.. at least at that time we all knew these things rolled over, we just didn't drive them the same as an rx7..
Ive had my bronco2 for 5 years, i Bought it in Virginia. And left it with my family in Petoskey mi, while i was in the middle east, For the Most part, the car is bulletproof. My dad would tell me about how sometimes the only way they could get my brother. To school or go to work is because they had my Bronco with the 4 wheel drive. I have the automatic locking hubs. Not the manual locking hubs, you see in the video. And for the best part, they're adequate if you know where you're going. The one major problem I have with them is if you go in the opposite direction of which you've been going for the majority of time The one major problem I have with them is if you go in the opposite direction of what you've been going for the majority of time. The differential will unlock and you won't have power going to all 4 wheels. It's fine if you're on dirt or Rocky terrain. But the real problem with that happens if you're stuck in the mud or you're in the dunes. I almost got my car stuck in little Creek. Virginia the navy base there. And another issue I would have is sometimes my differential would not unlock. When I'm done 4 wheeling It usually helps if you go 10 feet forward and 10 feet backwards a couple times to unlock the diff , Other than that, it's a very capable car. I've won up totally steep inclines of about 30 or so. Degrees. And recently I took it out to Brown Mountain, North Carolina. And it made the trail no problem. I haven't done any modifications to it and it's still an it's stock configuration.
Yeah, more designed to compete against the Chevy S10 Blazer. In some ways to this day I still miss my Jeep XJ. That thing was a proper beast, recognized worldwide for its off-road prowess of on the fly 4wd and bulletproof AMC inline-6. It was a tough little bucket.
I used to ride around in one of these with my friend and his heavy smoker of a mom. So between the immense second hand smoke and the possibility of rolling over at any moment I feel like I cheated an early death 🤷🏻♂️
I just saw a 3k 1989 ford bronco with 98k miles that a local neighbor is selling and it’s in really good condition and also a stick…is there any potential problems I should know and do you think it’s a good deal?? I’m thinking it would be really good for winter
It's totally safe, you just gotta practice your two wheel balancing and learn how to save it when it starts to roll, and you'll be fine. That light steering will surely communicate what's happening in time.
😂
Gotta watch some videos from the middle east.
You’ve definitely owned one!!!!!
Hahahaha agreed
Very safe, just don't crash
I owned a Bronco II for a decade. The Bronco II was really no more prone to rollover than most any other small 4WD SUV of the era, save for one design/manufacturing flaw that was pretty easy to cure. That flaw was that the front springs and shock absorbers were way too soft. Ford is notorious for equipping their 4WD vehicles with excessively soft front springs and shocks, presumably to make the ride smoother. Even today, most Ford 4WD vehicles have a "front end droop" due to overly soft front springs and shocks. The soft springs were especially problematic on the Twin-Traction Beam front suspension on the Bronco II because the TTB will deflect substantially. So, the straightforward solution was to put heavier, stiffer front springs and shocks on the Bronco II, which I did not long after I bought it. It did stiffen the ride a bit, but it cured its propensity to lean excessively. The Bronco II's main other failing was that it was underpowered and under-geared for 4-wheeling and highway use. It was designed for the 55 mph speed limit of the era.
Not to mention if you widened the wheel base, maybe some super wide rims.. and some spacers? How could it possibly roll then?
I had an 85 Mitsubishi Montero and it was very top heavy
I've had 2 of them, I did take them lots of places I thought I would never be able to go. I never had a problem with the rolling over. You do have to know your vehicle's limits, and stay within them...
Problems with vehicles are looked at in larger samples. Not everyone rolled their bronco, but it was much more likely than other safer vehicles. Enough so that it was a concern.
I had a 1990 Bronco 2 solid navy blue xlt push button vacuum engaged 4x4 . Got it used for 6k in 1995 , was used as unmarked wildlife law enforcement vehicle before I owned it ! It is most definitely my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned to date!! I could get back in the woods & go just about anywhere a ATV or dirt bike could go! And the power from the V6 was pretty impressive! Unfortunately one night at around 55/60mph I hit some soft dirt from a construction site & got squirrelly & ended up rolling 4 times & once end over end! I will say I was extremely lucky to walk away from that without any injuries except for a few cracked ribs! Next day ride out to the tow yard to see what was salvageable & literally nothing! Not even one rim! The sight of that once beautiful little SUV was a mangled mess! I couldn’t even stomach to take pictures of it for the insurance company!
I suffered nightmares about that wreck for years! I’ll never forget when every time rolling upside down seeing the bright red sparks hitting me in the face from the hood & all the sand & glass particles touching me all over suspended in the air like being weightless!
I, unfortunately have rolled my share of vehicles. It has always been strange road conditions, even at very low speeds.
I'll be the 1st to admit there are several features that Ford could have done better with the BroncoII's design but driving like a rational human goes a long way.
With a Bronco II you can be going the wrong way through a parking lot and still turn into a spot without backing up. The turning radius of the TTB with that short wheelbase is INSANE!
My father had 2 of them, an 85 and an 89.
I went through most of my college years with the 89 and it was an AWESOME truck. Sadly he sold it shortly after.
My dad sadly passed away last year but we've always had a plan to restore one together when i got my first house. So i bought one and i'm now doing it on my own, learning as i go, restoring it in his honor.
As long as you don't jerk the steering wheel at 60 mph, you'll be just fine. In fact, a lot of people have taken to adding spacer to widen the wheel base and it does make it safer, but you do sacrifice a bit of that insanely good turning radius. The B2 is a great, nimble truck!
Also, The B2 had stock gear ratios of 3.45, 3.73, and 4.10, 3.73 being the most common They weren't really great for highway driving.
I graduated high school in 1989. I look back on all the cars from that period with fondness, especially that year. I love the Bronco 2, but was partial to the S-10 Blazer and GMC Jimmy. Love the fox body Mustangs, T-Bird SCs and Turbo Coupes prior, as well as the IROC and especially the Trans Am GTA. None of these cars can hold a candle to a modern car in any capacity, but the nostalgia factor his still huge for me.
Back in '89 I owned a Bronco II and a Suzuki Samurai at the same time. :) Never rolled them and liked them both for what they were.
My dad had an 86 Bronco II, though when he bought it had slightly oversize tires and a wheel offset that gave it a wider stance. I remember the power steering was way overboosted and soft, and of course it was not fast. Dad used it to tow his sailboat for a few years.
That over boosted powersteering is nice when your off road and having to make a bunch of tight turns!
Bring back over boosted steering
@@hunterharrell7491 It was pleasant to drive, just remarkably different than our other cars which were all Hondas. My first car, around that time, was a Civic that had no power steering.
I bought a good example in 2021, straight body, 8/10 interior. it is such an incredible pleasure to drive. Think about selling it often because we don't need to have two cars and having a car just for fun feels frivolous, but I know when I sell it I'll never be able to get one that nice again.
Im in the same situation with my "88"
I think I’d add a half inch solid steel skid plate on the bottom to drop the center of gravity by a foot or two. Seems Ford didn’t learn their lesson from letting a design problem go, considering the mess with their Powershift transmissions.
Don’t forget the Pinto!
I don't think that'll do much. It would need to be on the order of hundreds of pounds.
My 1991 Ford Ranger 2.3 was to date the best and most favorite vehicle i have owned
Nice the preservation of this vehicle, all details the Paint, body, interior all thinks a time capsule.
Had an 86 and would take exits tire howling. Drove for 3 years,was great vehicle. Can't fix stupid, some people would wreck a magic carpet.
Toto - Africa pops right then he switch the radio 4:47)))))
I love my 88 Bronco II, been the most reliable and fun vehicle I have owned and I absolutely love it, Itd also very capable considering i do also takr it on some of tge trails here, its toe to toe witg my buddy's 2011 Jeep Wrangler in terms of capability
I had a B2, it was my first vehicle. I did a lot of mods to it (4.0 swap, axle swap, gears, lockers, ect). I only managed to get it on two wheels one time, and I had to do something very stupid to accomplish that. I had two friends with XJs that used to talk shit about the B2, they both ended up rolling their Jeeps.
One of the best suv ever . Can absolutely go anywhere without getting stuck…
I've had a 1985 bronco ll my wife loved it, new from the show room , and 30yrs later I have another one a 89 XLT 2.9, standard shift 4x4, and again I love my Bronco ll
Good for you.
The interior looks so nice with that cloth pattern in it.
I drove one of these a couple days ago, but it was a pre facelift version in similar condition with a sizeable lift (my guess is 5 inches). I believe it had a 3 speed auto, shifter on the floor too. Absolute dog, could barely reach 65, but was so cool at the same time. No tachometer either!
Sounds like my 57 f100 lol 3 speed really kills any chance of highway speeds
Yeah I was surprised to see anyone say the 2.9 was decent... Gutless. The 2 9 was a total dog imo. I saw a tuber stuck a supercharger on theirs, presumably with bits from the euro 2.9? But it was cool, struck me as odd though - 4.0 is a plug n play, with wa more aftermarket than the US 2.9l. Can't talk shit though, as I had a cam in my 2.9, preswap. Was neat, absolutely made a difference in low end power on tap.
A Maroon '89 XL with a 5sp manual transmisision, 2WD and the limited slip option was the first new car that I ever bought. To my taste, it was under-sprung in the rear so I added some helper leaf springs (which cost maybe $50 at the time). These went a long way to preventing the rear end from falling over in sharp turns, and kept the whole car more stable. Even with the 2WD, it never got stuck in the snow thanks to the Limited slip. It had the same interior as this one. (Oh! The happy memories!) To me, with that set-up it had fairly sporty handling (for a front engine, rear wheel drive vehicle with a solid rear axle and leaf springs) as long as you didn't do anything completely stupid with it. Folks! It's a short wheelbased vehicle with a higher center of gravity than your average hot-hatch! Don't try to drive it like an MR2!!! The engine was an improved version of the Cologne V6 which was used in numerous Capris. If my memory is correct, I would get mid- to upper 20's over a tankful. I even towed my FF, or the family's boat with it, although a sway control was needed due to the short wheelbase. Ultimately I wore out the transmission and ended up donating it to charity after ~120K miles. The ride was very comfortable over rough Boston city streets and various dirt roads. Everything except for the transmission was still in fine shape. Also the small footprint made parking it in Boston surprisingly easy. I loved that vehicle!
As far as the stability, there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Ultimately the reputation of roll-overs killed it even though I'd be hard pressed to believe that it was any worse than the Samurai, CJ-7 or the Toyota 4-Runner, and other similar products of the time. I suspect that there was a bit of momentum generated, just as had occurred with the Audi sudden acceleration syndrome and other vehicles that caught up in crowd stampedes. Don't be confused. It was a great car!
The 4Runner had at best 116 horsepower with the 22RE. Even with a stick it was hard to get in trouble with one cause it had a longer wheel base and over 30 horsepower less
I absolutely loved mine, had daily drove it 5 years delivering pizzas, in the winter it was amazing, I never felt like it would flip, but I always had oversized wheels and tires
4:47 Dude are you serious?! That song felt perfect for this ride :D
Insane Luck huh?
"We got cute little engine here.."
*Shows 2,9 l V6* 😂😂😂😂
Is a small engine in the USA, even my 4.0 V6 Explorer consider a small engine but in my country is a monster 😂
@@matiasvarela460 same here. Geneally in Europe it's a monster.
@@Burztur99American market I4 engines have got close to 2.9L lol so a V6 of that displacement is small
@@Addison0526 lol such big I4 only saw here in tractors :D
@@Burztur99 I mean our i4's in Europe have quite alot of hp per ton cuz they're light af, so most of them are actually pretty nimble. Yaris GR has a 1.6 and is faster than most big cars on the US roads(of course not a fair comparison, it's light af and it's a GR but still...)
I haven't seen one of these in 20 years! If you had one of these at my high school, you were cool.
I got an 89’ 5 spd and I daily her every day, I can take pretty hard turns without worrying, put some bigger tires with offset of then and your chillin.
I bought a used one(I think 86) with a welder rear diff. I added some 31's and that thing was a great bit of fun off road. I miss the old girl..
I drove my 1991 Ranger for 20 years at 75mph never had a problem
Did you have the 4.0?
Good for you. That's not a Bronco.
I had a bronco 2 and I really liked it. I don’t remember exactly, but I’ve seen many suvs that have a note that drivers need to pay attention due to higher center of gravity. It didn’t have a ton of power but was comparable to pretty much any other small suv of that time.
that tach is definitely off cause 3k rpm on the tach sounds more like 1700-1800. but other than that it reminds me so much of my 1990 eddie bauer bronco 2. those seats are so unbelievably comfortable. may have been slow but that 2.9 was indestructible and got decent mileage too. Push button 4x4 was more problematic than the manual 4x4 that the xl and xlt had.
I had a 92 explorer sport. The tach wouldn’t go below 3k, must be a common failure on these then
I had a 1990 Eddie Bauer...I loved it. Did go up on two wheels once. Nothing crazy... Like an inch off the ground.
Perhaps the ONLY old Ford I'd be excited to own
The Bronco II is the first truck that was "luxury." Before that, trucks were work vehicles for the farm or ranch. Utilitarian and no flash as tall. Like Australian Utes, "Church on Sunday, sell on Monday."
When I was a small boy, a "foreign truck" was not a thing. It was a Chevy C-10 or Ford F-150 with a bed and, maybe, a cap on the bed. That truck was "just more" sophisticated than a tractor.
Wagoneer and Suburban were plenty luxurious for their time in the early 80s.
I have an 84 in similar condition to this - was my first car. Had it since 09. Parked it in 2013 and it sat until 23. Needed a lot to get back on the road but it's a registered antique and is a blast to drive stock! Couldn't get rid of it!
Had an 87 Bronco II, I recognize that spare tire carrier rattle anywhere.
These things still look so cool today
Big fan of two spoke steering wheels, especially when the spokes are low like this, common in the 80s and 90s.
I used to see a ton of these where i am in the PNW. Small 4x4s are super popular over here. I wonder if everyone who had these moved on to Wranglers in the mid 00s and 2010s
"We gotta be careful with this old plastic, don't wanna be breaking stuff... look at that!" *tap tap tap*
The Bronco II 's popularity gave us the explorer as a Replacement by Ford Motor Co. That spawned the SUV craze for Affordable and Inexpensive all wheel drive for winter Driving and it was a great design which incorporated lessons learned about safer wider track and longer wheelbase that was the Achilles heel on the Bronco II. my Explorer is a 98 model and still looks new and drives like new.
SUV's came from wagons but the first couple were the original Bronco and Scout.
I miss column automatic shifter. Cool to have 4 low on the floor too.
You've got the best job a man could ask for, good shit
My grandfather used to have a 1994 Ford Explorer back in 2014-2015 and we both loved riding it, I loved how the steering wheel looked, and it was very nice truck. Now it's hard to find that same vehicle. Even if I did find some, it would be very expensive. I do miss that truck
The Best vehicle I ever owned! 10 years and 242,000 miles with no problems. I wish I had mine back!
I bought an 89 B2 in 1991. Ran it like an idiot, but the sway bars front and rear did their job. Then I lifted it, bigger, wider tires/rims. Offroaded placed everyone never thought it would make. It did, quite easily. Ultimately started a 5.o swap, straight front axel, and rear 9". Stalled out on the conversion and it sat for years. Sold it in 2017 and I am still sad that it is gone. My offroaders have been FZJ80s, and now a 21 Bronco. I still miss the B2...
P.S. Never once felt it was going to roll, even when performing emergency maneuvers. This was driven city and HWY at speeds up to 85+mph. No issues at all.
I have the 88 Bronco II. I had a situation where I had to perform a maneuver testing the stability, I say rear stabilizer bars would make a difference. I love my 88 and all of the quirks.
I wonder if that tach is somehow showing 2x what it's supposed to. It doesn't sound like it's running at 3k revs.
I think it does plus it sometimes makes me cringe when redlining this engine cuz it's happiest at 3k and below under load especially since this is just a C6 with a 4th gear so a torquey little transmission
12:32 I think it is good to know the limitations of your vehicle. As long as you know it's prone to flip over if you drive it around a corner to fast, you respect that and drive appropriately.
It’s not about taking corners fast. It’s about emergency situations. A dog runs out. You hit a patch of ice. It’s like riding a motorcycle without a helmet. You can be a great rider but if something unexpected happens it gets ugly fast.
Fords of that design need to be aligned very precisely. The twin beam front suspension relied on camber adjusters. Those were shaped pieces of metal that you had to hammer onto the designated area on the beams. Once aligned they tended to stay aligned but they almost always went out after suspension or hub work. They also tended to tuck in prior to alignment which made the bronco 2 a bit more tipsy. Once properly aligned and driven reasonably they are actually fairly solid SUVs. The same XLT gauge cluster and dash remained in the ranger until 1997. The difference was in 1990 ford removed the 4wd shifter and added automatic hubs and a push button 4x4 4x4LO button. The most important things on a bronco 2 are proper alignment and drive it conservatively and your most likely not going to tip also wider tires do help in that regard
That would be a great car show/cruise night SUV.
I had a 90 as a 16 year old. Had all the engine problems that came with the bronco 2. It was a 5 speed and what taught me how to drive manual. Would love to find another one, fix it up and keep it. Loved my bronco 2 little death waggon.
They are wildly charming. I had a lot of fun driving this even though it’s heavily flawed lol
I had this truck... I used to shit in my pants going around a sharp curve.... scary shit !
I have a bronco ii. It is my first vehicle and i daily drive it. I'm never gonna get rid of mine.
I am thinking about buying an 87 Bronco II this week. I haven't seen the truck yet, but hopefully I'll get to in the next few days. It is a 5 speed manual, and that's what has me really interested. Hopefully it is in decent shape and runs well.
I had a 93 Explorer, with a Paxton and 3:08 rear gears, that the speedo could hit the bottom of the cluster about where the D is. I was surprised that it was not governed lower, it would do 120mph before shutting down.
I just don't see these any more in canada b.c i guess they don't do well in harsh winter climates, the last one i was was 4 or 5 years ago and the wheel wells and rocker panels were virtually gone from all the rust
My great uncle had one of these he bought brand new. I remember the wiring in the floorboard catching on fire while we were on a trip to the mountains. Also remember the brakes locking up for no reason at all at a stop sign. He got rid of it not long after. Great little vehicle haha
could you review a gen 1 tahoe short body with the 6,5 TD? also really cool smaller offroader
That's the cleanest one I've seen since I had mine as a teenager. Mine was a grandma owned '88 rwd with only 44k miles when I got it. I think the rollover risk isn't any worse than other suvs of the time. I did once do a 360 spin going over ice lol
Ice is safer for rollover. Grip is where things get scary haha
My friend when he was 17 or 18 rolled his lifted 4.0 swapped Bronco II and killed another kid. He drove a stock one for a year or two and had gotten used to its characteristics but add a lift with stiffer spings, heavier engine, more power and it was a deadly combination
Had an automatic 92 Explorer Sport. Super comfy truck, great for driving around town. Definitely would prefer a manual in the future for reliability’s sake
With the gearing on most 80s-90s cars, your mom was probably correct to use D around town and OD only on the highway. A lot of them were very unhappy lugging around 35-40mph in 4th gear and then having to kick down as soon as you hit a slight hill. That's what most owner's manuals of the time suggested, too.
When I had a paper route back in the 1980's, my boss had an Eddie Bauer edition Bronco II with the 5 sped manual. I rode with him once or twice on my route. It screwed up my technique for throwing papers 😂 Guessing that the aerodynamics were just a lot different from the family's '83 Chevy Celebrity...I could get both sides of the street from the passenger seat of the Celebrity 💪
The best thing about having a car like this is you will always have the coolws truck in town, wherever you are
I'm suprised how high the engine idle'd and ran, despite not revving high. It's probably got close to 100 hp left 😅
Tach is definitely off lol
Tach is off
@@Beldar4214I'm willing to bet that it isn't off, it was idling at around 1200 rpm which makes sense for an old engine, and he mentioned that he was having to press in the pedal quite a amount to keep the speed up...Who knows to be frank, since we can only observe through a youtube video.
@@-aid4084 Idling at 1200 RPM doesn't make sense for a fuel injected passenger car V6 from 1989 and the engine certainly doesn't sound like it's revving as high as the tachometer says. Something is wrong with the instrument.
If it were really revving at those speeds the engine would be screaming. You would definitely know if it was revving at 5k. It had tall gearing, an overdrive top gear and modern fuel management.
I had an 85 B2 with a 3 inch body lift and 31 inch tires and an 88 B2 with a V8 conversion, 4 inch suspension lift and 33 inch tires. Neither one of them ever felt like they were going to roll over.
Heh ... this cockpit looks so much like my first vehicle, the 1988 Ford Ranger XLT. Even the side mirrors are the same. It was like taking a trip in the past.
Reminds me of reading news articles from the 70s about the Pintos catching fire when they were rear ended 😂
I have no problem with mine 85 bronco 2 I put 302 6” lift 41 inch tires full size axles works fine been doing this for 45 years
There is a 1986 ford bronco II at a stealership near me called Harboro and it is way too much money for what it is. You can visibly see rot and rust coming through along the bottom around the front fenders and the rockers. Eddie Bauer edition so it has the tan interior with the little tree looking stitching but it's just a package for looks. Eight grand for a 3500 dollar roll over vehicle with a rusted body. They probably spray painted the frame black to hide the rust under there also, love seeing that trick on the jeeps too.
This was good video. Nicely done.
I'd think adding some wheel spacers to widen the track of the wheels would be enough to make the car safer.
I had a 1986 Bronco 2 with 4X4 and the 5 speed manual transmission and the 2.9 fuel injected V6. Excellent little SUV!! The people who rolled them were driving them too aggressively. I took mine to Central Mexico. It was excellent for Mexico. It could go anywhere a Jeep could go. I sold it to a doctor who made house calls in little villages where he often had to drive it on unpaved roads in 4X4. I wish I still had it.
Fully disagree. Most roll overs happened in emergency situations that required brakes and turning. These people did not die because they were fully sending it onto an onramp. They died because someone ran a red light or an animal jumped out and caused avoidance reaction.
@@TedwardDriveswith mine, I did once think I was going to roll over. I was driving at about 45 - 50 MPH and some jerk in a BMW cut me off. I swerved to avoid him. It did feel like it went on two wheels, but it didn't roll. I followed the BMW driver to his destination and confronted him. He actually kept saying he was sorry over and over again. His coworkers had to come out to save him. This was way back in 1999.
Like my Jeep, it came with a sticker that said it handled differently than a regular passenger car and to drive with care to avoid injury or death.
I had a Bronco II and it never rolled over.
A lot of folks also ride motorcycles without helmets successfully. It’s not that it will happen to everyone. It’s that the odds are disproportionately high that it might.
@@TedwardDrives I agree with you Bronco's had a high center of gravity, just like my CJ7.
Instead of fixing, Ford followed Jeep's lead and put a warning sticker on the sun visor. Most of the stickers are gone after 30 years.
My Jeep came with a soft top and soft doors. Imagine the liability of using soft doors today. Doors that won't protect or stay closed in a crash.
Yes, Jeep had it's share of lawsuits (AMC owned Jeep back then)
That might make a good video! If you were closer, you could use my Jeep.
I still have it and it's still like new.
I own 2 of these both Eddie Bauer editions. I put wider wheels and tires with a 4" lift and it felt way more stable on these mountain roads. The biggest weakness to these cars imo is the brakes. They definitely need upgraded if you want to daily one in wet weather.
I agree😅 I'm putting the later dana 35 in my 88 because of the upgraded dual piston caliper. And an 8.8 rear with disks
Thanks for the history lesson!
First vehicle I ever drove was a bronco 2. Learned how to back up a boat trailer with one. I was 10 years old. That being said. I remember the Isuzu trooper being notorious for being the ultimate rollover machine. I could be wrong.
seems like the tach is reading about double what the rpms actually are
Thing is, as an older guy, it was common when this was new, the Jeep CJ was really the kick off of the high center of gravity offroad type vehicle that would roll over.. then the Cherokee, and S10, the first gen 4runner, and the bronco2 were all narrow wheel base high roll over vehicles.. I actually think they were safer at that time over now, when the people roll the CUV's and don't understand it.. at least at that time we all knew these things rolled over, we just didn't drive them the same as an rx7..
I had a 1984 and a 1988 bronco 2 it was like everything else from that Era just don't go around corners and 85 and it was fine
Period-correct colors!
I regularly see these and XJ's in Brooklyn. Must make good city cars
They weren't the only ones that were easy to roll::Suzuki Samurai, Isuzu Trooper II, Jeep before they widened the track come to mind.
No joke I somehow survived driving one of those when I got my drivers license at 14. They are about as safe as a Honda big red 3 wheeler.
I had a 88 with a v6 and 5 speed. I took a ranger cab and cut down bed and made my bronco a bronco truck.
55 is slow, but a lot of countries still have limits of 100 km/h or similar, enforced by Speed cameras and soon built in speed limiters in the UK
Ive had my bronco2 for 5 years, i Bought it in Virginia. And left it with my family in Petoskey mi, while i was in the middle east, For the Most part, the car is bulletproof. My dad would tell me about how sometimes the only way they could get my brother. To school or go to work is because they had my Bronco with the 4 wheel drive. I have the automatic locking hubs. Not the manual locking hubs, you see in the video. And for the best part, they're adequate if you know where you're going. The one major problem I have with them is if you go in the opposite direction of which you've been going for the majority of time The one major problem I have with them is if you go in the opposite direction of what you've been going for the majority of time. The differential will unlock and you won't have power going to all 4 wheels. It's fine if you're on dirt or Rocky terrain. But the real problem with that happens if you're stuck in the mud or you're in the dunes. I almost got my car stuck in little Creek. Virginia the navy base there. And another issue I would have is sometimes my differential would not unlock. When I'm done 4 wheeling It usually helps if you go 10 feet forward and 10 feet backwards a couple times to unlock the diff , Other than that, it's a very capable car. I've won up totally steep inclines of about 30 or so. Degrees. And recently I took it out to Brown Mountain, North Carolina. And it made the trail no problem. I haven't done any modifications to it and it's still an it's stock configuration.
As long as no diff-locks are engaged driving in 4H doesn't bring any harm to the drive train on tarmac.
Yeah, more designed to compete against the Chevy S10 Blazer. In some ways to this day I still miss my Jeep XJ. That thing was a proper beast, recognized worldwide for its off-road prowess of on the fly 4wd and bulletproof AMC inline-6. It was a tough little bucket.
I used to ride around in one of these with my friend and his heavy smoker of a mom. So between the immense second hand smoke and the possibility of rolling over at any moment I feel like I cheated an early death 🤷🏻♂️
0:23 I call XLTS (xtra Large Trucks
What a beautiful example.
That back side window looks quite expensive to replace 😅
6:15 wonder what people think when they see him driving in circles like that
I miss the rains down in Aaaafricaaaa 🌧🦒
I just saw a 3k 1989 ford bronco with 98k miles that a local neighbor is selling and it’s in really good condition and also a stick…is there any potential problems I should know and do you think it’s a good deal?? I’m thinking it would be really good for winter
Great American Masterpiece !
I put a half frame from 79 full size bronco in front so the motor would mount up just like stock
A kid I knew way back in high school put a lift on his with some big ol tires. rolled it like 2 days later.
11:24 could it be because it's in overdrive?
nah