BajaNomad - 1988 ford bronco on the sand?

1988 ford bronco on the sand?

CortezBlue - 5-17-2010 at 07:54 PM

I have the option to buy an 88 Bronco (full size) that only has 38000 miles on it
It was used by my friends dad for his private plane hanger

Do you off roaders think it will do ok on the San feline beaches

I mainly use it to drive down the beach no romping

I am concerned it is to heavy
What do you think?

bajalou - 5-17-2010 at 08:03 PM

I have a 93 full size Bronco that I use in the San Felipe area. With the right tires and inflation you should have no problems.

CortezBlue - 5-17-2010 at 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalou
I have a 93 full size Bronco that I use in the San Felipe area. With the right tires and inflation you should have no problems.

More more

Ok I am putting new bf goodrich mud tires on it tomorrow

What air pressure

irenemm - 5-17-2010 at 08:06 PM

Dang
I have a 1988 Ford Eddie Bauer full size. I love that thing. It has over 350,000 miles on it. All baja miles. It was never to heavy to go on the sand in Vicente Guerrero. Is the sand in San Felipe different than ours? I think your is softer and finer. don't really know never been to San Felipe
Good Luck that thing is like new. Is that original miles?

bajalou - 5-17-2010 at 08:12 PM

Tires at least 10.5 wide. I run about 25 lbs most of the time but on the soft sand sometimes drop to 15. You want higher pressure getting here, then adjust for the terrain you are driving on.

I don't do much beach driving but the sand in the washes to the west can be as bad or worse than any beach.

CortezBlue - 5-17-2010 at 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by irenemm
Dang
I have a 1988 Ford Eddie Bauer full size. I love that thing. It has over 350,000 miles on it. All baja miles. It was never to heavy to go on the sand in Vicente Guerrero. Is the sand in San Felipe different than ours? I think your is softer and finer. don't really know never been to San Felipe
Good Luck that thing is like new. Is that original miles?

Yes it was in cedar city ut at my buddies dads hanger
He would fly in and use it to drive around while in cedar city and then out it in his hanger when he flew home

He bought it new in 88 from lake haves az in his Corp name
In 1995 he had 7900 miles on it and transferred the title from his company to his personal name. The state of Utah put 79000 miles on the paperwork, however by the time they figurednit out it was years later. But he gave me all of the receipts for maint that makes the numbers work
He'll I was happy that it was 13200
Sorry for the long answer

dtbushpilot - 5-17-2010 at 08:43 PM

Mud tires don't work well in sand, a less agressive tread pattern would be better.....dt

gnukid - 5-17-2010 at 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CortezBlue

Quote:

Originally posted by bajalou
I have a 93 full size Bronco that I use in the San Felipe area. With the right tires and inflation you should have no problems.

More more

Ok I am putting new bf goodrich mud tires on it tomorrow

What air pressure

I run a full size bronco off road too with rancho lift, 4 barrel edlebrock carb, MSD, 3 inch dual edelbrock exhaust with a few other motor adjustments and it works very well in all conditions.

I have found typical air pressure is about 25-35lbs street and 16-20lb for sand. It will be fine with street pressure in the sand, though you end up wasting a lot power spinning tires for nothing. On the street, 35lbs is nice but its just a long way to go down for the sand and also the BF Goodrich TA will blow up upwards of 35lbs for unexplained reasons off roading. So I leave it at 25lbs on the high side and about 17-18lbs on the low side unless you have problems in the sand or you plan a long street trip.

While I think the BF Goodrich mud is good looking I think you are wasting your money at $240/each or so, the side walls get no use, its all show and money, where you would benefit from a more proven industrial off road tire with less aggressive tread. The Bf Goodrich Baja is better overall though they $400/each. You are going to want 6 tires or so-probably two spares.

Big is nice, 33 inch or so but its a lot of money and spares cost a lot too and take up room. You should put on the smallest tire you can be comfortable with in order to save money, save room and you'll find they work better overall on street and the dirt and sand. also your friends and family will get tired of climbing up to get in with huge tires and sometimes grandma can't climb up. Believe me after you blow two of those brand new big mud tires and need to buy two more you'll realize it was a waste. Plus two huge spares takes up space.

BTW I removed the crappy spare tire holder on the back as it gets in the way and rattles, you'll prefer to have the rear door open easily for a seat and its better for the spares to inside and bolted down or mounted better. Plus you'll need a huge jack and chains or tow ropes and it all has to be bolted down and accessible cause you'll be helping others and yourself.

Also, remove the box between the front seats, takes up space you need for gear and coolers and dogs.

[Edited on 5-18-2010 by gnukid]

CortezBlue - 5-17-2010 at 09:21 PM

WOw good info

I have a friend who is getting me the BF tires for 145 each. I am going with 31 inch, the same as what is standard on there now.

I was trying to find a cooler for the center box between the seats. I even thought about trying ti glue up some styro foam panels and line the box and use the plastic cooler packs

Thanks for the update and info

gnukid - 5-17-2010 at 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CortezBlue
WOw good info

I have a friend who is getting me the BF tires for 145 each. I am going with 31 inch, the same as what is standard on there now.

I was trying to find a cooler for the center box between the seats. I even thought about trying ti glue up some styro foam panels and line the box and use the plastic cooler packs

Thanks for the update and info

Yeah I still run 31s but it's pretty high for grandma with a six inch lift. Without the center box its huge and you can put things behind the seats easily. A cooler fits right in the center. I took out the seats and put down a rubber mat through the whole interior so I can hose the sand out easy once a year. What's also surprising is without the back seat the bed is more than 7 feet and perfect for a full size bed if you need to camp inside. A well built rack and a trailer hitch rack expands the space very nice. When you're ready let's race.

Skipjack Joe - 5-17-2010 at 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by irenemm

I think your (sand) is softer and finer.

The finer the sand the harder it packs down and provides support. It's the coarse sand that will give you the most trouble.

irenemm - 5-17-2010 at 11:54 PM

Thank you Skipjack joe I did not know that.
Irene

Russ - 5-18-2010 at 05:51 AM

Send pics of your new baby. I sounds like a terrific car for Baja. If it's gonna be on the beach a lot you may want an under coating. I like the BFG KO's too. I've had them on all my rigs down here. They air down really well. Get a Good compressor too. Oh :light:

It will be a car the Mexicans would really love. Be ready for a lot of offers and theft protection :wow:

wessongroup - 5-18-2010 at 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CortezBlue
I have the option to buy an 88 Bronco (full size) that only has 38000 miles on it
It was used by my friends dad for his private plane hanger

Do you off roaders think it will do ok on the San feline beaches

I mainly use it to drive down the beach no romping

I am concerned it is to heavy
What do you think?

Such a deal... have fun... just got one with 213,000 and it is running like champ... great little unit... gave a jump start to a brand new Tacoma yesterday outside the bar my wife and I were giving money to...... :lol:

Think its ready for another 213,000 with no problems... just love old beat up cars... can't lose with them in my book, unless one gets really lucky.... like you just did...

How about some pictures... would love to see one in such good shape...

[Edited on 5-18-2010 by wessongroup]

David K - 5-18-2010 at 08:51 AM

I have been four wheeling the beaches below San Felipe since I could drive, and before with my parents...

Mud terrain and 3 ply sidewall tires act like 'grave diggers' in sand and will require extra deflating compared to all terrain or highway tires with smoother tread patterns.

The goal is to float on top, and not to dig in. 10-15 psi is what should be your target pressure... with closer to 10 with a mud tire. Use High Range 4WD (low range will dig into the sand)... keep momentum up, avoid sudden turns or sudden braking to stop... do all that gradually and avoid digging in.

The beaches around San Felipe are steep, so when you want to park on the sand, choose a downhill position... or level if it is high tide... Avoid uphill starts.

IF you do bog down (get stuck), do not spin the tires... once forward movement stops, then downward movement begins! Get out, clear away built up sand from the tires, LET MORE AIR OUT! You need a good gauge, a dial type that reads 0-60 psi to accurately see presure at or below 10 psi. I have gone down to 8 psi in my 16" truck tires to get out. Have a tire pump to re-inflate once you are off the beach... Tienda Baja Nomad, Harbor Freight, Costco are some places to get the fast pumps that clip directly onto the battery for power. The cigarette lighter pumps are very slow.

Have fun! :biggrin:

Cyanide41 - 5-18-2010 at 10:18 AM

I have used BFG Mud terrains on Baja beaches (Pacific side) on a full size and well loaded truck with no problem. I have stauns deflators which take the pressure to 15psi. Once I get back to the street, I have one of the pumps David K mentioned.

[Edited on 5-18-2010 by Cyanide41]

wessongroup - 5-18-2010 at 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Russ
Send pics of your new baby. I sounds like a terrific car for Baja. If it's gonna be on the beach a lot you may want an under coating. I like the BFG KO's too. I've had them on all my rigs down here. They air down really well. Get a Good compressor too. Oh :light:

It will be a car the Mexicans would really love. Be ready for a lot of offers and theft protection :wow:

Russ, great point.. have had four offers on mine.. in two weeks.. this one guy said, "its got real bumpers... not plastic... made me laugh..

Going to keep mine mostly on roads... but, have tried out the 4 x 4, pretty cool.. never had one before and I'm having a ball...

Thanks for all the good info ... on beach driving.. one never can tell where it might come in handy...

David K - 5-18-2010 at 06:40 PM

Cortez, here is Mexray's Ford Bronco on Shell Island when we had the 2004 Matomi Gang Reunion...

BajaWarrior - 5-18-2010 at 06:59 PM

Air down and you can go anywhere, even tow. The pickup has 33" BFG KO's with about 6 pounds all the time and the 4Runner has 32" BFG KO's with 8 pounds of air.

CortezBlue - 5-18-2010 at 07:49 PM

Lots of good stuff
I am feeling better about it.

I bought the Bronco and it is going to my buddies shop tomorrow to get new tires and the brake rotors turned and all of the standard fluid checks for oil, fuel filter, tran fluid and cooling system as well as belts etc.

viabaja - 5-18-2010 at 08:07 PM

CortezBlue - As everyone has said, it's all about the pressure and don't lead foot it. let the gears work it and not the HP. No matter what brand you use you will be fine!

dtbushpilot - 5-18-2010 at 08:09 PM

Change all the belts and hoses and keep the old ones in your parts box. I did that with my Baja Jeep. It too had sat around a lot and had low miles for it's age, some things age whether you're using them or not. In the box was also: fuel pump, alternator, water pump, fuel filters, ignition module, thermostat, fuel line hose, mechanix gloves, wire (electric and bailing), brake cleaner, WD40, fuel conditioner, power steering fluid, tape (electrical and duct), etc. etc. I assume that you will have a basic tool box as well.

Actually got to use a good ammount of the stuff over the years and felt confident driving off in the boonies. Don't forget the power steering hoses.

Have fun, post pictures....dt

[Edited on 5-19-2010 by dtbushpilot]

wessongroup - 5-18-2010 at 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gnukid

Quote:

to funny, ,my wife wants a stair and I took the seats out too.. haven't done what you did.. rubber mat, not sure I'm going to being doing what you guys to... but really like the one on the center consul... going to have to really check that one out... saw a pretty cool one for a tool box in the front under the hood.. check this out.. have already ordered the tool box..

http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/115337

the guys is from Canada and has done all kinds of work on his Bronco and he puts up pic's and tells what he is doing...

Thanks for all the good information... really like dt's list ... my dad used to go with spark plugs, fuel pump and a water pump also ... brought back memories ... thanks

[Edited on 5-19-2010 by wessongroup]

CortezBlue - 5-18-2010 at 08:32 PM

I mainly drive between Playa De Oro and Petes Camp via the beach

So if I get into trouble I pretty close to all of my friends in low places

David K - 5-18-2010 at 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaWarrior
Air down and you can go anywhere, even tow. The pickup has 33" BFG KO's with about 6 pounds all the time and the 4Runner has 32" BFG KO's with 8 pounds of air.

Chuck, this is where I first drove my 2010 Tacoma on the beach... in front of Rob's and your places... It was a thrill to do it at 32 psi, for the first time (with the new Tacoma TRAC limited slip differentials)...

Photos taken by Baja Rob, New Years.

gnukid - 5-19-2010 at 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by wessongroup

Quote:

Originally posted by gnukid

Quote:

to funny, ,my wife wants a stair and I took the seats out too.. haven't done what you did.. rubber mat, not sure I'm going to being doing what you guys to... ...

The bronco has a thick wool or felt floor system to insulate for temperature and sound. If you use the bronco in baja at the beach it will become sort of full of sand and likely smell of wet wool, so I suggest you remove the seats and lay down a rubber floor mat throughout then put the seats back so you can really seal it and help protect the floor and also reduce and mold. Also, if you have cloth seats when you take them out you can take them to a local upholstery shop and replace the cloth seat cushion with pleather to make them more durable and and avoid them retaining water.

No matter what you do if you use a car at the beach it will rust and rot, it shows no matter how hard you try to fight it. I get mine repainted for about $400 inside and out every few years.

bajaguy - 5-19-2010 at 06:30 AM

Use bedliner paint on the interior floor and also on the undersides of the fenders.