Bronco II Door Swap / Upgrade

Introduction

Rusted doors are a common problem on early Ford Bronco II models, especially along the lower seams. Rather than repairing severely rusted original doors, this project documents swapping in doors from a 1989 Ford Ranger and upgrading the Bronco II with factory power windows and power door locks.

This page covers door compatibility between the Ford Bronco II and Ranger, physical door removal and installation, wiring harness routing, and the electrical requirements for adding power windows and locks to a Bronco II that did not originally come equipped with them.

Ford Ranger Door Compatibility with the Bronco II

The 1984-1990 Ford Bronco II share most of its parts with the same year Ford Ranger including the doors. This means that you can take doors off of a Ford Ranger and bolt them right onto a Bronco II. In this case, I’m using the door from a 1989 Ford Ranger on a 1984 Bronco II. Even though it’s a different ‘Generation’, the door and hinges are the same. The only real difference is in the door panels.

Tools and Hardware Required

• 13mm socket and ratchet
• Trim removal tools
• Screwdrivers
• Wire strippers and crimpers
• Aftermarket fuse block
• Electrical connectors and fuses

Door Removal and Installation Overview

The hardest part about removing the doors is that if they have power windows or locks, you’ll have to disconnect and remove the harness first.

The harness for the doors run behind the front fenders along the back side if the inner fender and plugs in to a harness just inside the front corner of engine compartment. You have to press on a release clip and then slide the plugs apart. It’s best to do this first before you try to pull the door off.

The harness is in black plastic tubing and taped to a connector that attaches to the inner fender. You can usually get it free with a few tugs on the plastic tubing. I also got the harness that connects between the doors and runs back to the driver’s firewall.

Honestly, there isn’t much to this harness at all, and if you remove the whole thing, you’ll be weeding out a lot of wires you don’t need. The harness basically connects between the (2) door harnesses and then has (2) wires that run to power. One is for the locks, and one is for the windows.

Summary

• Disconnect wiring first (if power doors)
• Remove the 13mm bolts holding the door hinges to the body

Swapping My Bronco II Doors

The lower section of both doors on the Bronco II project had more rust than I cared to fix, so I went to some salvage yards to search for replacements.

I managed to find a pair of matching doors off of a 1989 Ford Ranger that came with power windows and locks. The doors are held on with 13mm bolts. The hardest part about removing them is the wiring harness. T

he hardest part about removing the doors is that if they have power windows or locks, you’ll have to disconnect and remove the harness first.

The harness for the doors run behind the front fenders along the back side if the inner fender and plugs in to a harness just inside the front corner of engine compartment. You have to press on a release clip and then slide the plugs apart. It’s best to do this first before you try to pull the door off.

The harness is in black plastic tubing and taped to a connector that attaches to the inner fender. You can usually get it free with a few tugs on the plastic tubing. I also got the harness that connects between the doors and runs back to the driver’s firewall.

Honestly, there isn’t much to this harness at all, and if you remove the whole thing, you’ll be weeding out a lot of wires you don’t need. The harness basically connects between the (2) door harnesses and then has (2) wires that run to power. One is for the locks, and one is for the windows.

Here is the 1989 Ford Ranger door.

Here is the Ford Ranger door mounted on the Ford Bronco II.

Using a Separate Fuse Block

I will not be wiring these into the existing fuse block. Instead, I have added a fuse block to the passenger side of the firewall. I will be wiring the doors and windows to that on separate circuits. You can see the fuse block below. The wires on the bottom feed power to each block. The connections on the top are where you attach the new circuit. The block comes with a clear plastic cover that snaps on to protect it.

Rather than tying into the factory fuse panel, I installed a dedicated fuse block on the passenger side firewall. This keeps the power window and lock circuits isolated, simplifies troubleshooting, and avoids overloading the original electrical system.

Below you can see the harness running along the inner fender on the Bronco II.

Here you can see where the harness comes in just behind the headlight and plugs in to another harness.

Power Window and Door Lock Wiring

Here are some diagrams showing how the locks and windows get wired up:

(Power Door Lock Diagram Before 1989)

With the power door locks, all you really need to do is add power to the BLACK/WHITE Wire and ground the white wire.

Note that the door locks prior to 1989 DO NOT have a lock relay.

(Power Door Lock Diagram Prior To 1989)

(Power Window Diagram)

With the power windows, you just need power going to the LT BLUE/BLACK Wire and ground the BLACK Wire.

Common Questions About Bronco II Door Swaps

Do Ranger doors bolt onto a Bronco II? Yes. The 1984-1990 Ford Bronco II and 1983-1992 Ford Ranger share the same doors.

Can you add power windows to a Bronco II? Yes, there are aftermarket kits, but it can be easier and cleaner to swap to doors with power windows.

Do you need a relay for pre-1989 door locks? No. However, if you understand how relays work you can add one, but it’s not required.

Can factory Ranger wiring be reused? Yes. You just have to add a fused power wire to the proper wire using the diagram above.

Last Updated: January 20, 2026