The Summer of Dreams Continues...With a Bronco!

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 07/18/2020 at 20:01 • Filed to: Bronco

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Sheryl is one of the newest Gambler 500 initiates. O nly two weeks after being my navigator at the Oregon OG she’s come home with her own rig, a 1992 Ford Bronco!

It has the 302 V8, 4x4 with lockers, lift kit, custom bumpers, new mud tires, a limited slip diff, new brake lines, and the cap on the back has had the special screws removed for standard bolts. On the clock is 149,000 miles.

It’s definitely not perfect. While the frame has been spared from the rust goblins (looks like someone had coated the frame in something long ago and it seemed to mostly do its job) the body is rotting in areas. There are small rust holes in the rear wheel wells and the floor under the driver seat lost its support beam and thus is...uh...kinda flexible. The worst rust to me is the panel at the very bottom of the B-Pillar. It’s a bit floppy, like a truck bed that no longer has a side support.

Apparently this truck has a subtle Zombieland “Tallahassee” theme . Aside from the obvious hand painted Dale Earnhardt 3, there was an empty box of Twinkies attached to the dash as a prop.

Speaking of the interior, it’s practically mint!

She paid $800 for it. Considering Bronco prices in this area, could be worse!

Unfortunately, the 2 hour 30 minute drive home didn’t go as smoothly as we hoped. I elected to drive it home just in case something went wrong. From the get go the speedometer was tweaking like it had consumed a Monster BFC. Didn’t think anything of it then proceeded to try to find the truck’s top speed. At 85 the speedometer dropped to a solid 0 and the truck’s transmission turned into a random number generator. What gear do you get? Who knows!!

Apparently this is a common issue with the Vehicle Speed Sensor attached to the differential deciding to fail, leading to wacky speed readings, inoperable cruise control, an odometer that works in slo-mo, and a drunk for a transmission. It could also be caused by bad tone rings or a bad computer, but the diff is very recent so I’m going to bet it’s that sensor. Either way, we limped it home on country roads.

Oh and the muffler kinda just...fell off. xD

The Bronco has long been a dream car of hers and she was grinning from ear to ear behind the wheel! It may be far far far from a great example of her dream car but she doesn’t care, it’s still a dream come true.

It’ll start off as a Gambler and a daily, then she plans to actually restore it, should it be as reliable as she hopes. It'll be her ultimate project.

In other news, today I also drove a modern car built in 2018 that has made me hate CVTs all over again, but that’ll be for a different day.

lone_liberal > Mercedes Streeter 07/18/2020 at 20:19

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She looks mighty happy in the driver’s seat but she’s going to need a snakeskin jacket and cool hat to really look right in that Bronco.

arl > Mercedes Streeter 07/18/2020 at 20:32

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Except for some wheel well rust, that looks amazingly clean.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Mercedes Streeter 07/18/2020 at 20:36

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You forgot to add a 0 on that price, right?

Fabulous ride, and it looks to be in serviceable shape. Best of luck to you both!

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > Mercedes Streeter 07/18/2020 at 20:44

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Which one of you knows how to weld, or is going to learn soon? Seems like that’s gonna come in real handy.

But also: $800?! Excellent.

Mercedes Streeter > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 07/18/2020 at 21:19

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Nope, it was definitely $800! xD

Personally, I don’t like how it drives. It’s the third most sloppy (in terms of steering) vehicle I’ve ever driven. The first two were 80s moving trucks that I cannot be convinced had less than a million miles on them.

But I guess sloppy and vague is just how OBS Ford trucks are, so... *Shrug* lol. She loves it, that’s all that matters.

The transmission/speedometer issue will be the biggest issue, and I bet this sensor will fix it. She’ll want to fix the rust and she’s already found new repro panels and a floorboard . Just need to find someone to cut out the old stuff and weld in the new stuff.

Mercedes Streeter > arl 07/18/2020 at 21:22

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The most of the rust is hidden from view. The only rust I think truly needs a fix “soon” is the floorboard under the driver seat. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily unsafe, but it’s something that should be fixed sooner rather than later.

But yeah, otherwise it feels pretty darned solid! Doesn't even death wobble. lol

Mercedes Streeter > Dead_Elvis, Inc. 07/18/2020 at 21:25

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I’m going to learn how to weld just for fun. I already have a Sawzall and grinder so it makes sense to add a welder to my tool belt.

She’ll definitely buy repro panels, floorboard, and   such soon, then we’ll figure out how to get them installed a little down the road.

atfsgeoff > Mercedes Streeter 07/18/2020 at 23:01

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For $800, you stole that truck. Even with rust.

dogisbadob > Mercedes Streeter 07/18/2020 at 23:43

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killer deal

How does it drive at 3 mph? Will you paint it white? :p

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 07/19/2020 at 02:06

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That's a really good price for a running driving Bronco that isn't more rust on hand truck.

Mercedes Streeter > atfsgeoff 07/19/2020 at 11:33

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Apparently so! Last night I decided to try to find another cheap Bronco and the only one I found of similar price doesn't have wheels, a front end, or transmission. Wow!