Bronco … II

[BigBrother-84]

I’m not a car guy.
I came to this world by accident.

So I don’t know everything that has to be known about Ford trucks.
I am learning from the very beginning.

I was wondering about what happened between Pluto Bob’s ‘71 Bronco and our Bullnose ones.

For the Dummies like me, here is an interesting paper that explains what happened and why a «Bronco II» (kind of missing link) appeared in 83-84.

[Gary Lewis]

Jeff - I don't believe you are a dummy.  Not at all.

As for the Bronco II, back in the late 90's when we were looking for a car for our teenaged daughter and son to drive I talked with our next door neighbor who had a Bronco II.  He strongly recommended that I not buy one, and that was not only due to the rollover problem, which could easily have been an issue with the twisty roads where we lived and a new driver, but also because it was very unreliable.  He'd had no end of trouble with his with things like the engine, transmission, and body leaks.  In fact, he said he couldn't leave his out because Ford had never been able to fix all of the leaks.

So while I don't have any experience owning nor driving one, I have heard from someone who did have that experience and it wasn't good.  I'll stick with our Bullnose trucks, thank you very much.

[salans7]

I have always hated the looks of the Bronco II. Those large rear windows are just downright ugly and, in my opinion, unsafe.

For added info, the Bronco II was replaced by the Explorer for 1991. The Explorer remained pretty similar to the Ranger from 1991-1994, but by 1995, the Explorer started to depart from the Ranger. The dash, 4.0 V6, and the lug pattern/certain wheels are the only visible items that were shared with the Ranger from 1995-1997 as the Explorer's suspension was re-designed in favor of an SLA setup.

In 1998, Ford ditched the TTB/TIB IFS on the Ranger and moved to a coil-sprung SLA front suspension for 4x2 trucks, and a torsion bar SLA setup on the 4x4 Rangers. This torsion bar setup was borrowed from the Explorer as the 1995-2001 Explorer (4x2 and 4x4) and 1998-2011 4x4 (and some special trim 4x2) Rangers share the same front frame and suspension.

2002 saw the Explorer receive a ton of updates, and it further departed from the Ranger. Barely anything was shared with the Ranger at this point, and while Ford was updating the Explorer regularly, the Ranger remained essentially the same until 2011 with only minor updates to maintain Ford's "corporate" look of their vehicles. 2001 essentially marked the end of the Ranger since no new suspension or drivetrain options were offered after 2001. They essentially left the Ranger for dead, and once the buyers grew tired of the same old Ranger year after year, they killed it in 2011.

For anybody watching, the current Ranger is headed down the same road. They sadly saturated the marked for smaller pickups with the Maverick, and I personally don't foresee a future for the new Ranger either. Meanwhile, the Explorer lives on, and seems to still be very successful although it has departed from what it used to be, much like most of Ford's pickups (tough and rugged).

[ArdWrknTrk]

Ford always had a reputation for actual work trucks, while Chevy/GMC were used by landscrapers to tow trailers and by excavators to carry a transfer tank to fuel their (insert equipment)

I saw a retro version of the new Bronco yesterday (Greenwich Concours is this weekend, Haggerty is KILLING IT!)

I really like the windows -its like a Landi Disco II-
I think the little S-10 version of the Blazer just stole the market from the Bronco 2, but I can't confirm the sales figures.

[BigBrother-84]

Jim, any picts of this Bronco?

[Rembrant]

salans7 wrote

I have always hated the looks of the Bronco II. Those large rear windows are just downright ugly and, in my opinion, unsafe.

Back in about 1989, I rear ended a parked Bronco II while driving a 1984 Ranger (regular cab long bed 2wd with 4cyl 4spd.) It was after midnight on a pitch black road, and I was probably going 40mph-ish. I reached down to get a cassette off the floor and as soon as I lifted my head up it went through the windshield lol. I won't bore you with the gruesome details, but both vehicles were completely destroyed. The back of that Bronco was opened up like a soup can.

As I was standing there in the dark, dazed and confused, listening to my antifreeze pouring out on the ground, I could hear somebody groaning. Turned out there was a guy sleeping in the back seat of this parked Bronco II. He was drunk and had pulled over to take a nap...unfortunately for me, about 3/4 of this little Bronco was still on the road (very small shoulder). I knew this road very well, and of course never expected a vehicle to be parked on it as nobody had ever parked on it lol.

Anyway, lesson learned...

I only bring it up since you mentioned safety. The back half of that Bronco was opened up like a soup can...it was quite amazing. The sleeping drunk didn't have a scratch on him, luckily lol.

[ArdWrknTrk]

That is amazing!

I wouldn't expect much strength, given how open the "bed" is.

These are the sort of tests the NHSTA do hundreds of times every new model year.

[Gary Lewis]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

These are the sort of tests the NHSTA do hundreds of times every new model year.

They hire drunks and have them sleep in vehicle on the side of the road?  

[ArdWrknTrk]

No, I was driving at the time.  
Sorry..  🤷‍♂️

[Nothing Special]

salans7 wrote

....  For added info, the Bronco II was replaced by the Explorer for 1991....  Meanwhile, the Explorer lives on, and seems to still be very successful although it has departed from what it used to be, much like most of Ford's pickups (tough and rugged).

I call the new Bronco Sport "the new Bronco II."  As Salans noted, the Bronco II was essentially renamed "Explorer", but then the Explorer morphed into a different vehicle.  The Bronco Sport is what the Bronco II / Explorer would have evolved into if it hadn't been bitten by a radioactive spider (or whatever happened to it to make it change into a different vehicle with an old name).

[ArdWrknTrk]

About the only vehicle I can think of that remains true to form is the Dodge Challenger

[mat in tn]

unless you consider the interim version made in cooperation with Mitsubishi I believe

[ArdWrknTrk]

I know the Daytona and the Eagle Talon were Mitsubishi vehicles.

I don't recall a Challenger, but I've had too many concussions.

[mat in tn]

early 80s. looked more like a squared celica than anything.