im telling you, i LOVE my truck, even though i only paid $500, its a great truck. Super comfy seats, my 5.0 gets pretty good gas miledge (not great, but ok), and its damn good off road, even completely stock. However if your into serious weeling, you need the 351, as it has the balls that the 5.0 dosent. But for gas miledge the 5.0 is better, and is pretty damn good off road. Also, there great in the snow, especially if yours has a trac loc rear. Basically i got the truck a year ago for $500, and havent done a thing to it, it just keeps going.
This is an 89' but the later models are really basically the same. This is what i daily drive(since my stang wont run)
5.0
AOD
Also this is my other Black one that i did a 351 swap into it, but it has a blown AOD.
Dont know if youve seen the interior of one, but here it is
I just bought a 94 in November. The thing is so badass. It will wheel really well just stock with 31x10.5" tires and it makes a u-turn in a lane and a half It gets about 14mpg on the highway and 13mpg in town, but the 33 gallon tank will last almost 500 miles on the highway . If you ask me, it's bar far the best all-around usefull truck you can buy.
With the back seat folded forward all the way, the bed is only slightly shorter than a regular bed pickup. I can still drive home with a 4'x8' sheet of plywood in the back!
Mine is an XL with the commercial package which just means it's the most stripped down model you can buy. All white paint, rubber floor mat instead of carpet, vinyl seats, no body trim, no tach or even a center console, but it does have door panels at least. I like not thinking about getting the inside dirty or dinged up since there is nothing to ding. A big bonus to the commercial package is that it uses the MAF system. All the rest up to 95 I think are SD. Hit up www.Fullsizebronco.com for a really good Bronco forum.
Hey Kyle. . . ever consider selling the center console out of your dead AOD truck?
I have a 90 eddie B. bronco. 302 AOD, BW1356 elec. shift t-case, and auto hubs when I bought it.
Nice off roader...needed a lift to get over some goofy stuff though (not tough but like some of the littlest crap would hang me up) without a pull from a buddy. Got a 4in susp. lift and without even putting on my 33's yet the 31's and the lift is night and day.
the elec. t-case motor is a hunk of crap on all those models (not just 90) if its not used often or just used to keep it working they break and are very $$$. I swapped to a np208 man. transfer case.
Stock for stock the 302 v 351...honestly get a 302 the stock for stock diff. is like 5hp and 10ft. lbs or something small like that and the rated mpg is Worse for the power power gained over the 302 its not worth it IMHO, now plan to mod the motor then get a 351 when they do wake up its a great motor, but the gas will not get any better either.
The 90 has 5 trans optoins...
1. M5r2- light truck manual 5spd. nice 5spd and worth it if you can find it, fairly rare.
2. np435/t18 4spd. non-over drive but a 6.25 or 6.75 (something like that) granny low. IF you dont want an OD then this is the manual to get its a TANK of a tranny...even rare-er than the M5r2...read VERY hard to find in a bronco newer than 87...it was avail though until 92 (92 the first year it was not avail.)
3. c6 non-OD auto...nuff said...tank, best non-OD ford has made.
4 AOD- realy common, based on a c4 OD auto...ok tranny...get a cooler, and an inline filter to help it live.
5.E4OD- this truck has a on/off switch on the dash to turn on or off the OD...stronger than the AOD...but very expensive to fix if it does go south.
All that said my AOD died on me (truck had 180k), the wifes uncle took it to work after I got it out (Sr. master tech at an svt dealership) and said the only thing good was the case....and that it had been rebuilt before at some point due to the type of snap-rings and such that were not stock. I got a new AOD and it runs great. However, I am now going to pull the AOD and swap in either a np435, or a M5r2 manual. The 302 is also tired' mostly due to the org. owners never doing crap to it...they blew a 302 up at 90k miles and then this one is not going to last much longer from the 180k, going to do a budget rebuild on my stock mustangs 302 and replace it.
sorry for the long post...also CHECK OUT that fullsizebronco website by far the best site for the fullsize bronco.
here is a pic of mine (still dont have the 33's on it) dont pay atten. to the funky spare in front I popped a tire on a trail and just waiting to put the 33's on instead of pluggn' it.
Yeah, mine is the E40D with the t-case shifter on the floor. I thought those push button ones were wierd when I was shopping around. I like to feel it engage. I'd recommend looking for that. But I only saw it once (my truck).
Kyle: PM me. Is the thing broken anywhere? The latch still work etc? If so, let me know what you'd want for it.
I know down the road I'm looking to get a 6" skyjacker kit and 33's for it. It'll be a beast!
id get the 351 . two of my friends had them and we raced them one with the 5.0 and the other with the 5.8. the 351 pulled big time on the 5.0. maybe they wernt rated with much diff but you can def tell. go drive a few
gearing could also make a diff. not all have 3.55's some have 3.08's could you admagine that...3.08's in a big turd bronco hell its bad enough in a mustang...
I say it depends on what you want to use if for....I would like to swap in a 351 someday nice trq cam, gt40 intake, nice heads...gt40 or P's or something just alittle to give it some kick. But a 302 will not be the end of the world with you just banking your head you didnt get a 351...hell they put I6's in these things too.
Ok, well I was going to get one. but insted of selling all of my engine and parts I got a loan through e-loan.com and I found a nice limited 99 explorer for cheap.