Hey Gary. Welcome #2 from over here. Hope it's a smooth transition to daily driver status!
So what kind of mileage for driving? You say no wheeling, so street only in this case. But in heavy traffic, or off-hours? Rural extremes of the city, or more in town?
And to the real meat of things, what "look" are you going for? Stock-ish or modified? Do you have a tire size and/or ride height in mind yet?
Very important things to determine right from the get-go.
I am buying a new tub with all fenders, doors, etc. from Bronco Connection.
Sounds like a good start.
Stick with the Dana 30 unless you find a killer deal on a Bronco 44.
Nothing wrong with them from an "STSTSTST" (strictly street strength standpoint);D
Maybe the only thing is the occasional part availability, but that's not common yet that I know of.
Any decision that includes "must have a 44" might depend on tire size.
I love manual transmissions, but for your use I would go with an automatic. Unless you just love to row gears like I do, if the answer to one of those questions above was "city" and "traffic" then you'll appreciate the auto.
Which one may depend on tire size.
No question you should always have disc brakes up front. Not the case for every vehicle, but for Broncos the disc swap is usually quoted as one of the best mods the owners have done.
Rear drums are fine as long as you keep them in good shape and adjustment.
Other size or type upgrade choices may depend on your tire size choice.
Power all the way. You don't need exotic though. Just a standard "new" box like us vendors sell, or a rebuilt factory box. Preferrably the '76/'77 quicker steering style, or one rebuilt to those standards.
Whether you need a different upgrade or not depends on the tire size (sense a theme here yet?)
Steering linkage should be beefier than stock, but does not have to be if your old stuff is in good shape.
But bigger tires again mean beefier components are more desirable.
Not "might be" but definitely "will be" category.
I want the vehicle as a daily driver and valuable if I ever need to resale it.
Doesn't seem to matter yet. Very few of the current collector crowd likely pay more for a 44 swapped in, vs an original axle. Most probably don't even know the difference when they're looking yet. And anyone looking for "original" isn't going to like all the changes (including new paint and a non-stock entire body!) that you're making to it this go-round.
That may change of course, and anyone looking to wheel their rig (does that even happen with most new owners anymore?) would prefer the 44 if they weren't already planning on a 60 or Hi-9 or something.
What is the best transmission to by for the 1969 Bronco?
No such thing. It's whatever is best for you. Not the truck.
Resale might just be leaving it stock. Or not... Again, depends on who's buying but it doesn't seem to matter unless you have a low-mileage survivor.
Which, with a whole new body, it doesn't sound like yours is anymore.
I like a 3 speed, but I feel an automatic transmission will be better for resale.
No, it's not. And if it was you could change it back when you're done just as easily as you did the first time.
Well, it all depends on who's doing the buying again;D. Maybe the big money buyer wants original? Maybe they want custom? Not as much rhyme or reason yet. So build it for you if you really expect to drive it.
I can't say "Forget resale" just yet, because that's always on the table these days. But unless resale is the only concern here, and you are still going to drive it, I still say build it like you want to drive it.
If you expect to enjoy it and keep driving it while you have it, you might not like the choices you make for resale alone.
As mentioned, discs at least up front. Which way you go depends on how much you want to spend and how much stock you put into resale vs use. I don't know if anyone is paying more for a Bronco based on which brand of brakes it has or not. I think not, so build it to your tastes. Right now everyone that wants a Bronco is like you. They just want one.
You do know though, don't you, that you can often buy one for a lot less than building one. Correct?
Not sure what your budget is, or if it's just because you already have the '69 (and sounds like you're looking forward to doing the work), but you can get some pretty nice ones running and done right now for $20k to $30k. They're not all $70,000 customs that have two hungry bidders falling all over themselves to own it. Deals are still out there.
Is this a Bronco you've had for awhile now? Or did you just pick it up?
Also, should I save the old parts to resale or keep?
Good question. Since there really isn't anything in the way of smog stuff you're taking off, nothing there to worry about. Original engine? Transmission? Front axle if you change it? Yes, for certain buyers those items might be desirable. But your Bronco is already going to have a non-original body. The biggest "part" of the vehicle. So I'm not sure how much stock the remaining original parts will have with folks.
I say if you have the place to put them where they're not in the way (an issue with many) then keep them all and sell on to the next owner. But if you have to trip over the stuff or take away valuable space in the shed, sell, give or toss the stuff.
Others might disagree, but that's how I look at it in this case.
Is your original '69 anything special that you're aware of? Special options? First '69 with electric wipers for instance? Just kidding, but that subject came up recently.
In fact, since you're here, look up ToddZ's thread about '69's and the transition. Post up your info if it falls in that late October/November '69 build time.
Good luck. And have fun.
Sorry if the resale answers were a bit vague. But for now the whole Bronco market is still very vague as to what prospective buyers are willing to shell out for.
Paul