96 bronco XLT 351w as a project/SHTF truck

[Steamforger]

The tops are heavy. That about sums up my experience.

[Lokidude]

The 351W is a tank. I have one in my 94 F150. I can get 16 out of it on the highway, if I'm doing 65 or so. The E4OD is great in the lighter trucks, but they tend to fail under heavier loads.

Bridgestone Dueller Revo 2s are an absolutely awesome tire, especially if you're planning on this truck spending a large portion of its life off the good pavement (which you've indicated and shown you do).

Honestly, not much changed between the 80s and 90s models on these trucks, at least not major shifts. My manual covers everything from the old square noses with "slash" windows on the Supercab, up through the 96s, when they made their huge revision, and everything has lined up great with my 94 (pretty much identical to a 96.)

Insider tip: If you have to replace the fuel filter, pay somebody to have it done. Trust me on this one.

[Netpackrat]

Fords... Meh. Absolutely bulletproof running gear, topped with mediocre bodies, powered by generally decent engines, on iffy suspension, with shitty interiors, and little to no engineering effort expended towards ease of maintenance.

[Combat Controller]

That describes most American cars....

[Netpackrat]

That describes most American cars....

Yes and no. My experience is that GM at least makes an effort to make routine tasks easier on the mechanic (where practical), with Chrysler being somewhere in between GM and Ford. Were I to build an ideal pickup truck, I'd rather have a Chevy engine, Ford drivetrain, Chrysler suspension (with GM's recirculating ball steering), GM or Chrysler body, with a GM interior. For brakes, anything but Ford (or Jeep), and make them discs all around, because the new lining materials that everybody has to use these days suck for drum brakes.

[Aglifter]

We had a stretched '96 bronco w. a 351W - good vehicle, it developed a leak on the... something or other seal between the transmission and the engine, and the rear glass only went up and down w. the key (All this toward the end), but it was a much loved car.

Its a good deal for $2500, IMO. I don't remember it being any worse to work on than any other American car - really, the only cars which I've ever found easy to work on are hand-built ones, or commercial ones.
EDIT: Couldn't have been a '96, I remember riding in it prior to '96. Must have been a '92 or '93

[TheIrishman]

My best friend has a 1996 Bronco XLT, dark green with the maroon leather interior, airbags, abs, power driver seat and mirrors, console, factory running boards, 150k miles on the roller block high output 351w with E4OD, dual LSD with optional low gears (I believe 4.10) and the heavy duty 3/4 ton suspension and towing package with factory 3" lift.

I believe your friend is mistaken on the suspension in the truck. The bronco, unlike the 6.2 diesel or .mil blazers never came with a 3/4 ton suspension. Those equipped with the 351 usually came with a tow package, 31x10.5's and a factory installed front set of leveling springs(about 2"). All ford 4x4 3/4's came with a sterling or Dana rear and a Dana 50 front axle.

(notably a rebuilt transmission and a transcooler, the AC, the entire cooling system, the power seats, the steering rack, the front bushings, the power mirrors, and the power windows).

Here he is definitely confused. The Bronco(or any ford tuck of that era) never had a power steering rack. They used a conventional steering box.

I've told my friend if he gets the truck up here, I'll take it off him for $2500; which he is amenable to (book tradein is $2900 at his condition and mileage). I also told him I'd give him part of the gas money to make the trip as a birthday present. All 100 gallons of it.

Not a bad price for an un-molested FSB considering it lived most of its life in AZ, correct? The body should be pretty solid.

I do LIKE the Broncos though. I especially like that it has a removable top, even for the '96 model (a feature the Blazer dropped in '92)

Remember that the rear shoulder restraints on that year are mounted to the roof, along with the 3rd brake light. Differences that made Ford note NOT to remove the top in the owners manual.

The E4OD is great in the lighter trucks, but they tend to fail under heavier loads.

Definitely don't plan to tow a large trailer with a stock E4OD. A light utility or ATV trailer sure, but forget pulling a 30ft boat with it. The plus side is that they can be beefed up easily as there are plenty of improved parts for them.

We had a stretched '96 bronco w. a 351W -

The Centurion 4 door? An F350 crew cab with a Bronco roof grafted on. Cool trucks, wish they made them in diesel(at least I haven't seen one yet).

[blackeagle603]

I say go for it Chris if your cash situation is cool. You've got a pretty nearly ideal vehicle there for your mix of weather, roads, dogs, etc. What you gonna get for even 2X that price?

I wouldn't even blink seeing as how you know the previous owner and have knowledge of his driving and maintenance tendencies.

Tow limitations ? You already have a serious tow rig.

Wind up with tranny or running gear issues later on? Meh. It's a Ford. You've got a bunch of R&R or upgrade options.
Need a parts shopper? I'll connect you with my buddy who owns a wrecking yard specializing in F150's. If he hasn't got the part sitting, he'll shop it for you and drop ship it -- has contacts all up and down the coast.

And I don't care what any Jeep owner says Those are cool rigs.

[Aglifter]

It was built by Centurion, but on a Bronco chassis instead of the pick up one. It was a great truck.

[NVGdude]

Most things on a 96 Bronco/F-150 are pretty straightforward.

That 351 is OLD tech, other than the fuel injection there is not much different between it and any pushrod V-8 ford built in the 60's. The one thing to watch out for is the timing gears, for a while ford played with these stupid nylon teethed gears. They tend to get brittle over time and can skip a tooth. I don't know if they were used in 96 or not.

Other thing to watch out for is Ford likes to use soft steel in their bolts. Any time I take off a starter or something like that I normally swap out the bolts for some decent grade V or higher bolts.

A 96 will be ODBII complient, so that's a plus if you have to deal w/ smog shit up there.