Modding my "Daily Driver"/Hunting Buggy

[motocyco]

Since my wife's Jeep Liberty Diesel threw a rod, I have found myself now driving a 1987 Ford Bronco II 4x4. This alone is an upgrade in the FE game as my last 4x4 was a SuperCrew F150 with the 5.4L V8 that averaged 15 mpg.

Anyway, I figured that I'd start a log of what I've done and how far I am progressing. I've only gone through one tank (well, half; story below) since I became the new owner. That tank averaged over 21 mpg during my mixed city/highway driving. However, I am having trouble getting a starting point. First of all, I removed the luggage rack cross bars as soon as I got it home. Next, I want to get rid of those mud flaps and maybe do some other modifications now, and not after establishing a starting point. I'm seriously considering using the EPA average as a comparison standard. This won't measure the effectiveness of any changes I make, but it will start me saving fuel sooner.

Oh, the tank story. By 200 miles I was down to only 1/4 tank of fuel remaining. While filling up, I put 9.4 US gal. of gas into the tank. Ford says it has a 23 gal. tank. Looking on a Bronco II site, lots of folks have trouble with the sending units in these trucks. So, I plan to run 350 miles and see how much fuel it takes. This will make it hard to see how far I can stretch a tank, but, for me, it's more about reducing fuel consumption than stretching out a single tank.

One catch. This vehicle will be used not only as my "daily driver" (the Sportster is really my daily driver, but the Bronco II is my only cage) but also as my hunting buggy. I won't be going extreme with the modifications because the off-road capability must remain intact. My wife and I also like to take a ride in the woods at least once a month. These are usually short trips of about 10 miles or so. My first tank even included one such trip.

So, let's see what I can get from this truck. Can I match, or beat, her 2008 Ford Edge? She is getting an average of 22.5 mpg. Time will tell.