This will be the third tailgate installed because they rust out at a rather fast rate.
Ammeter doesn't work.
Fuel gauge is halfway off accuracy.
Air conditioner evaporator went south back in 92.
Rear axle making loud vibrations.
Heat riser on exhaust system replaced numerous times before finally bypassing it with a straight pipe.
The original water pump is starting to malfunction.
The brake proportioning valve needs replacement.
Paint has not held up well.
The truck has had only one owner...me!
This proves one thing... if you don't beat on the truck, it gives decades of reliable service.
Each statement is the truth, and nothing falls short of the truth.
The original radial air condition compressor still works great!
All pollution control equipment has been taken off the vehicle. (All that back pressure is no good for the engine)
Runs like a bear and the original C6 transmission was never taken apart. It shifts with no hesitation after 550,000+ miles.
New carburetor helped fuel economy and mixture.
Transfer case was never taken apart. Only major work done to 4 wheel drive was installing new Warn locking hubs.
Compound low gear pulls through everything.
Power everything! (windows, locks, etc.)
Original radio is still in place.
Upholstery is in mint condition because it was always covered with sheepskin on the seats and good mats on the floor.
Spare tire is mounted inside the truck, not on the tailgate, which makes for an ugly appearance.
On a quarter mile, it beat a newer Bronco and a whole lot of 302 mustangs!
I also own a 1985 Bronco, and like you said, be nice to her and she will be great forever. My Family drove it off the showroom floor, and even through a couple hurricanes, numerous snow-storms and almost 18 years of salty roads, the paint is not too bad. Of course the tailgate and the fenders are now bondo instead of metal. All items listed on yours sound exactly the same as ours, and it is very true about beating up on the newer Broncos!
The 85 broncos have weak rear ends!!!1.
I have a 1985 full size bronco for sale. I bought it a year and a half ago. it was kept in a garage and never taken off road. It is a cherry. I have bought a suburban for the growing family and this makes 4 cars and only 2 drivers. If not for the gas mileage (About 9 or 10 mpg) I would keep it. I like the Bronco better than any car I have ever owned. I will miss her.
I have an '85 Bronco, and while it might not beat a V-8 Mustang, it does "Get-Up-And-Go". Of course I can watch the fuel guage drop when I get on the gas, but the power is there when I need it and it has never left me stranded on the sometimes soft-sanded beach I like to fish on. Low-end pulling power and high-performance quickness on the highway... My '85 Bronco XLT is the best vehicle I have ever owned (At least it's the funnest!). That's my 2 cents!
I have a 1985 bronco and I have had it for almost 20years and I just put in a new engine and it still runs great. I take it out in the mud and snow and hurricanes. whatever the world can throw at that bronco it takes it and throws it back ten times harder.
My friend had just recently bought an '85 Bronco. He bought for $500, the thing is at least 90% rust because we live in CT. I am helping to restore it, but we've only managed to replace one fender, both bumpers, the tailgate, and the 2 front seats. The engine is a 302, with the FI from an '87 Bronco... I gotta say, with 260,000 + miles, this thing still runs like a bull!!!
I had an 85 XLT about 12 years ago, I loved the thing. Currently own a 94 Eddie B. (that has the same mileage the 85 had then)
Both have 5.8L (351W). I don't think my 85 would out-perform my 94, if anything the 94 is a little smoother & more responsive due to the fuel injection.
But, it was 12 years ago... It's not like I drove one right after another.
I just bought a Ford Bronco 1985 with 3 inch lift, 5.8L edelbrock carburetor and manifold, bfgoodrich mud-terrains radials, 4x4 the engine was rebuilt @ 100k (now its on 146k) dual exhuast 3 inch, just wanted to ask if its going to be a reliable SUV and fun to drive? And if I made the right choice here
I have an 1985 full size XLT Bronco that I got for graduation, and it's the best thing since Novocaine LOL. The only problem I've had with it is the GAS LOL. It's bad, but it has a built 302 in it with headers with true dual 1 chamberflow masters and 33-12.50 tires, and it has taken me everywhere I needed to go including swamps, through the Chattahoochee river, mud holes and big mud holes, but the only down part to them is that the tranny doesn't have overdrive.
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