Lookin For Advice

[dirt]

not sure if this should be here or not. if it's in teh wrong spot, please move as appropriate.

my 87 got totalled by usaa since they said it was not worth the amount to repair the badly dented left rear quarter. it leaks from rear main seal and oil pan gasket, and needs the front end rebuilt. i have been looking for a diff bronco w/ less body damage (i have dents, scratches, and rust everywhere) and i found 2 today in the paper. the first one is an 85, w/ the 300 I6/auto tranny. the guy i talked to said it is in real good shape except for a lil rust on the rear quarters. he didn't seem to know much else, so i'll hafta wait till i go see it to find out more. he is asking $1050 for it. the other one i found is an 84 302/man tranny (np435?) the owner said it has some damage to the left front fender and driver's door. his son hit a pole w/ the fender, and bent it into the door. he then said that the edge of the fender can be moved away from the door and it should open and close fine. he said it doesn't quite close all the way now, but it does seal. he then said that since this 84 has 180,000 miles on it, it does have some blow-by and use a lil oil (about 1 qt/week or less) and the air pump for the smog crap is seized and needs to be replaced, before it will pass an emissions inspection that it needs by the first of dec. the 2-tone (cream w/ burgundy center) paint on this truck is nearly new and it doesn't have any rust. he's asking $1500 obo.

would any of y'all consider either of these vehicles? i know it is difficult w/ no pics. i'm gonna try to look at them tonite or tomorrow. i have wanted a manual tranny for ever now, but until now have never found a good deal. i'm thinking that the 84 would be good, especially if i can repair the 302 from my 87 and put it in there. i would also be transferring my 4" rancho lift, extended arms, and 35x12.50s to one of these. my question though, is do y'all even think it would be worth it? i have to have the inspection done by wednesday to even drive the 84 past then. btw, my 302 only has about 150,000 on it.

please keep in mind that the prices for 4wd drive vehicles here in alaska are generally considerably higher than anywhere else in the lower 48

 

[Seabronc]

Based on the condition you said the 84 is in, [-X FORGET IT!!!. You can fibnd better specimines for that price. Was this truck keept in a Desert? I find it hard to believe it has no rust, maybe well hidden rust under bondo or something. He is showing you the tip of the iceberg. If that pump is frozen, I'll bet other emissions parts need replacement also.

Look it over real good if you think you will be wanting to buy it. It sounds like it needs a bunch of bucks put into it.

The 85 is probably a much better deal of the two.

Good luck,

>-

 

[dirt]

thanks. i've had a few other guys tell me the same locally. i'm gonna take a look at the 85 tonite and see what all it needs. the guy i talked to didn't really seem to know what he was talking about. if i don't like the 300-6, i know i can easily swap in my 87 302 after rebuilding it and adding the v-8 motor mounts.

 

[Justshootme84]

I would forget about the second one (84) if it has considerable body damage, for fear that the frame is out-of-line or possibly cracked. The first one (85) sounds reasonable, and the 300I-6 is no slouch. I would take it for a test drive and check underneath for rust on the frame and floorpan. $700-800 is a decent price, so $1050 is close, if it is not a "rust bucket".

Talking to a HD biker dude tonight at the bar, he told me about an 86 Bronco he has for sale for $3000. It would have to be in like-new condition with no rust and run like a b.o.h. for that price.

 

[DragonDave]

I'd go with the 85. Passing emisssions to change title could be quite a problem when the vehicle burns a quart a week. Thats if ya have that test up there! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />