1996 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer

1996 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer Description

VIN: 1FMEU15H4TLB36953
Super late (2/96) build date...so one of the last big Broncos ever built.
Title: In hand and clear, no accidents
Mileage: 181450 – Motor runs strong and smooth and transmission has never even made a funny noise. There were problems with the E40D up through 1994. 1995-96 Bronco transmissions seem to be bulletproof. I did add a bottle of Lucas transmission guard a while ago as preventative maintenance.

A pre-purchase inspection and/or shipping is the responsibility of the buyer. Please have this sorted before purchasing the vehicle. I live in Denver, CO. I can meet within a reasonable radius, but please have your affairs in order before you buy or bid. Also, do not place a bid unless you intend to pay. If you have any questions, please ask before the end of the auction. If your questions are not answered or you’re not certain about something, please do not place a bid. I have done my best to describe the Bronco to the best of my abilities. Please study the description and the photos, as the photos are part of the description.

I’ve had this Bronco for the last 9 years. The previous owner was my father, so it’s been in the same family for about 12 years. He purchased from the original owner in 2004 (there may be a dealer owner in between). We had a ’91 Eddie Bauer and ’86 Bronco II prior.

Black on tan leather. The driver’s seat has a few tears (common), but passenger and rear bench seat are pristine. There is a small tear in the passenger arm rest. The trim inside is essentially crack free (no dash cracks!), with the exception of one star crack on the dash pad (I’ll include the original dash pad that has several star cracks in it if you wish to refinish). I refreshed most of the light bulbs in the cluster as well. The fuel gauge mostly works…tends to read a bit low but I just usually fill up before I hit 400 miles on a tank.

Service/Performance

• Entire cooling system refresh: Radiator, water pump and stud kit (very hard to find), thermostat (used a Stant 195 degree, as OEM runs a bit cold), serpentine belt, fresh radiator hoses, new expansion/washer tank reservoir.

• I got rid of most of the hard brittle plastic vacuum hoses and replaced with silicone. I used new vacuum tees where required.

• New heater core: heat quit last winter so used a brand new Motorcraft core. Blows hot now. A/C nice and cold in the summer.

• Emissions/fuel: Newer fuel pump, charcoal canister, DPFE sensor, EGR valve, TPS, FPR, IAC valve

• 8 new Bosch spark plugs, MSD coil, MSD cap, MSD rotor& plug wires

• Brand new Motorcraft distributor installed 4/10/16.

• New Premier Gear Professional Grade starter

• Steering/Suspension: 6 Rancho 5000 series shocks (quad shocks up front) and steering stabilizer, all newer Moog ball joints, drag link, center links, and tie rod ends. The entire front end is grease-able now. I just run some Mobil 1 synthetic grease through at every oil change. There are at least 10 zerk fittings to grease that didn’t come that way stock (even the ball joints take grease now); this should make the front end last a very long time.

• Top end engine rebuild. This was a mistake on my part. I went to replace the thermostat one day, and snapped a bolt off in the intake. This required removal of intake, head bolts snapped, so I had heads decked and a full valve job done. I was 1000 miles from home so had a shop in Texas do the work at the tune of $1,900 (receipt included).

• Newer battery (6/15)…the largest CCA one I could fit

• 5 Newer tires (Yokohama Geolander 32x11.5) installed at 168k. These are 1” taller and 1” wider than stock (32x11.5 vs 31x10.5). I didn’t want to do a lift as the vehicle has always been in a garage. The tires fill out the wheel wells a lot better in my opinion. I also put a custom 32” tire cover on the spare. I used some semi-truck lug nuts (with proper taper) that are about 3” long. They really compliment the stock aluminum wheels, which are scratch free by the way.

• Brand new ECU (original was throwing false O2 codes). The original was rebuilt once, but I think it’s toast. The truck runs fine with it installed, but MPG’s struggle. The new ECU has updated software from Ford and makes for a cleaner running truck.

• 3 new O2 sensors (misread the ECU O2 codes first time around)

• Newer front brakes/pads: Powerstop slotted rotors with Hawk HD pads. The pads do make some noise, but they’re towing pads and really stop the truck nicely.

• Newer front trailing arm bushings (white urethane) help keep front end planted.

• Fresh oil (I use Pennzoil High Mileage 10W-30 every 3k).

• New fuel filter, and I ran a bottle of BG44k fuel system cleaner.

• Flowmaster exhaust: I worked at a construction site for 2 years, so had the exhaust redone to dump in front of the rear tire. The goal was to eliminate mud build-up on the pipes, but I think it gives the truck some attitude, not to mention a great exhaust note.

• Full window tint (shop did their best to match as factory rear tint is embedded in glass)

• Full K&N intake (OEM intake included)

• Stereo: Kenwood Bluetooth receiver with phone microphone and a USB input in the glove box, MB Quart component speakers front and rear driven by a 4 channel MTX amp (hidden in cargo box). I used to have a subwoofer (since removed), but I left the remote and RCA cables in place. If you wanted to add a sub, you’d just need to run power and ground.

• HID headlight conversion (Zenex ballasts and 4300k bulbs).

• 200A alternator (puts out 100A at idle, and 200A at load) to cope with stereo demands (I didn’t want capacitors). No headlight dimming, and plenty of juice. I think I got it from DB Electrical. It required an additional 250A Fuse. There’s also a voltmeter built into the positive battery terminal cap.

• Smoked headlights, turn signals, corner lights, tail lights and 3rd brake lights. I used LED bulbs in most places. There are LEDs in the interior and license plate lights as well. The interior LEDs are a bit dim; I’d probably go back stock if I kept it. I kept any serviceable lights (have 2 additional sets of tail lights, and also the original 3rd brake light). I tossed the headlights as they were yellow and pitted and replacements are cheap if you ever want to go back stock.

• Billet aluminum grill with trick hood latch release. The original grill was very broken, so I didn’t keep it.

• Warn hubs (all stainless). The hubs are manual, but they’re far beyond the cheap plastic crap that came from Ford. Turn clockwise until you feel them engage, counterclockwise to disengage. 4x4 switch is on the dash. I did the hubs when I refreshed the brakes (2011 with around 165k miles).

• Factory keyless entry with alarm. I'll include a spare key fob.

Notes: I would say 90% of the parts were done with Ford (Motorcraft) parts. I used Moog on the steering components as I think they’re better than OEM. I never use cheap aftermarket parts. They break and then you just replace them again. The grill, headlights and tail lights are of course aftermarket, as Ford doesn’t make Bronco billet grills or black/smoked lights.

Known Issues
I have nothing to hide and try to be very thorough. The truck is pushing 20 years old, so there will always be issues. I’ve purchased another vehicle, and I’m just out of time and space.

• There is an oil leak. It looks worse than it is; I add less than half a quart between changes. I think it’s just the oil pan leaking, but haven’t had the time or space to swap the gasket. I’ll include a brand new Fel-pro grey rubber one piece gasket. I just changed the oil, and snugged up all (20 or so) oil pan bolts. So far the leak seems to be much less than it was.

• The rear passenger fender is rusting (very common), and I’ve attached a photo of the issue. I cut out the rust and put in a fiberglass patch with some bondo, but it could use some TLC. A weekend in the garage as a DIY project would probably do the trick, or a set of fender flares could be an option. Somehow the tailgate has zero rust, which is pretty unheard of. The right side of the tailgate tore years ago. I welded it, smoothed it out and hit it with some black primer.

• The driver’s door lock doesn’t work with the key (I always use the factory keyless entry anyways). I’ll include a brand new set of Ford locks & keys.

• The tailgate window doesn’t work with the key, but works perfectly with dash switch. This leads me to believe it just needs a new keyed switch in the tailgate or a look at the wiring harness, or the switch just needs some TLC.

• The hood latch failed on me at about 40mph (scary!). The hood flew up and tweaked the driver’s side hinge. It slightly tweaked the hood as well (see photo). There was no paint damage on the hood surface, so I think the hood could be straightened and a new hinge installed. I repaired the latch and the hood is fully functional now, but…full disclosure. I would probably scour the local junkyard for a replacement hood if I kept the truck.

• Some of the door panel attachment points have broken off (common), with the driver’s side being the worst of the two. I’ll include a new box of push pins, but some creativity may be needed to make it perfect again.

• Occasionally I have a hot restart issue. It’ll fire up on first crank every morning, but wants some gas after sitting for a few hours. If I try to restart right after shutting it off, it’s absolutely fine. It could just need to be retimed (just put in a new distributor and starter).

Overall the paint is nice and presentable. There is some clear coat checking on the hood (engine heat), but I think a good polish could take care of most imperfections. The pin striping is just a sticker and is peeling in places. The fiberglass top is excellent. There are a few nicks and small dings here and there, but hey, it’s a truck. I’m not an off-roader, so you won’t find any frame damage or beat up undercarriage here. The worst the vehicle has seen is CO snow, and it’s a tank in the snow. I’ve never been close to getting stuck in any conditions.

This is a great truck for the money (I have over $8k in parts and labor into her not including purchase price). I’ll include a spreadsheet of every part I installed or had installed, andany receipts and records I have. However, as I do most of the work myself, you won’t get a big stack of oil change receipts and dealer services. I have receipts for all the big ticket stuff (cooling system, suspension overhaul, rebuild, tires, etc.)

Any questions, just ask.

On Apr-13-16 at 09:21:24 PDT, seller added the following information:

Edits:

1. The Bronco is equipped with the factory tow package, which I believe consisted of a transmission cooler, prewiring for a trailer, and the quad shocks up front.

2. There is an accident listed in the Autocheck report, and I forgot to address. The Bronco was struck on the driver's door, and the door was repaired and repainted. There was no structural damage.