Just purchased a 1988 Bronco with the 5.0L that is a little rough. Current projects underway are installing a new gas tank (as the old one was leaking) and replacing the steering column assembly.
Rough to me means: 1) Engine hesitates for a brief second when stepping on the gas, which is seriously annoying.
2) Idle is way off; engine sounds like it's guzzling gas when in park. When in drive it is fine and sounds like it should, but shifting tends to be prone to stalling due to this extremely high idle.
My idea currently is to completely revamp the ignition system, specifically replacing the distributor and ignition coil with a better brand. I thought MSD was good, but after researching for two seconds I'm probably wrong. Could somebody please tell me a good quality ignition system brand? Bear in mind I am trying to build a capable mountain road tackling machine and I don't really care about squeezing out extra HP. I just want capability and RELIABILITY. Any other ideas or suggestions very welcome as this probably won't fix the idle in park situation...