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Newbie needing help with what to look for before purchase

GoGriz

New Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2017
Messages
3
Hi,

New guy here. Been lurking for a bit as I have tried to get myself up to speed on what to be aware of when purchasing a classic Bronco. This is my first time spending this kind of money on a classic car.

With the prices all over the place and with little mechanical knowledge of what to be aware of, I am not sure if the Bronco I am seriously contemplating is worth the asking price. It would seem to be an amazing opportunity to own an uncut and barely used '66 Bronco. I am also not aware of what I should be concerned with aside from the usual rust here and there etc. I have tried to find a mechanic that I would trust to evaluate it but not even sure where to start there.

I live in the Boston MA area and the truck is in Michigan so I can't reasonably get in it in person. Anyway, any help would be appreciated and the link to the Bronco is below.

https://www.4-wheelclassics.com/vehicles/38/1966-ford-bronco

Thanks for any guidance!
 

Wyflyer

Bronco Guru
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
2,920
I'm looking at the link on an iPhone & cant see a lot of detail. I've seen worse but I do see overspray everywhere. It's not a high quality restoration.
In this market there are a lot of quickie flips where they give it a quick scuff & spray, slap new stickers and tires & trust the lipstick to hide the pig underneath.
Be careful with this one
 

73AnneBoleyn

Bronco Guru
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
1,045
Loc.
Charlotte, NC
Welcome to the forum! You will undoubtedly receive some replies from people more knowledgeable than I am. I do agree with Wyflyer, that there is a lot of overspray. If they were sloppy with that, were they sloppy with anything else?

For $30k, I expect functional windshield wipers.

Your best bet may be to search the classified section on this forum for a rig that fits your budget. I would have more confidence in a member selling their vehicle, than finding something from a restoration shop or eBay or Craigslist.

Good luck!
 

KeithKinPhx

Sr. Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
444
Be afraid, be very afraid.

On this one unless you can inspect in person, I would pass. Too many red flags for 30k.
 

roundhouse

Bronco Guru
Joined
Sep 5, 2003
Messages
2,886
Welcome to the forum! You will undoubtedly receive some replies from people more knowledgeable than I am. I do agree with Wyflyer, that there is a lot of overspray. If they were sloppy with that, were they sloppy with anything else?

For $30k, I expect functional windshield wipers.

Your best bet may be to search the classified section on this forum for a rig that fits your budget. I would have more confidence in a member selling their vehicle, than finding something from a restoration shop or eBay or Craigslist.

Good luck!



Yep

Skip that one
And keep an eye on the for sale section here
Get one from a long time CB member so you know the history of the truck

And DO NOT buy an old car with new paint unless they have lots of before and during pictures
Just assume the new paint is hiding tons of rust and bondo , because unless they have lots of detailed pictures of the progress , that's going to be the case 99% of the time
 

okie4570

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
9,229
Loc.
NW OK
Welcome GoGriz! The bronco you're asking about was featured in the article below. Read the article, then read my comment at the bottom of the article...................it's not what it's being advertised as.

https://journal.classiccars.com/201...er_template&utm_medium=email&utm_source=zaius


My comment about the article claiming it was done to 66' specs.
Very nicely done, but there many, many items that are not done to original 66′ specs as stated in the article.
-tail gate handle shouldn’t be painted
.-hood latch shouldn’t be painted
-gas cap should be painted body color
-locking hubs 66′ style, but were alloy, and not black
-door panels and dash should be painted bronco gray poly
-there should be a straight dash pad
-wrong dash knobs except for head light knob, all the knobs should look like the top one, long with a white insert
-no 66′ came with carpet
-glove box obviously not original
-missing windshield dash knobs
-where the steering column goes into the dash was a u-shaped rubber grommet, not plastic like the later models
-wrong door mirror, 66′ were round
-wrong style rear view mirror, there were some glass mounted 66′ but not that style
-head light rings were not chrome, but painted Wimbledon white like the grill should be
-FORD on the grill was black
-FORD on the tail gate should be white
-Should have clear turn signals, as all 66′-68′ models
-Since it has no chrome horn button ring and just a horn button, not chrome bumpers or hub caps, no cigar lighter and no arm rests, it wouldn’t have had chrome tail light trim either.
-Not 66′ seat belts in rear
-Not 66′ seat belts in front
-Not 66′ style rear seat, missing arm rests as well
-Body/Interior code is 798. 7 indicated it only came with driver and passenger buckets, and no rear seat
-sun visors should be gray/silver like seat uphostery
-missing Jack and jack instruction sticker, tire tool and jack tool
-missing passenger fender to fire wall brace
-master cylinder had low profile metal cap, not raised plastic
-not 66′ 1100 carb that came on the bronco
-not 10 screw top fuel pump
-valve cover should be blue not chrome
There’s a few other trivial wear and tear items that are not replaced to original like shock style valve stems painted white, etc. Like I stated, nicely done, just not restored to stock original.
 
Last edited:

AZ73

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Messages
3,542
Welcome! The good news is it has the correct bumpers, and they're somewhat rare. Here's some observations:

Painted ID tag (which should be in glovebox), and the paint looks thin,
No seam sealer on the tailgate
Sloppy carpet at the trim
painted door panels
Door strap bracket is backwards
Painted the trim ring and screws on the gauge cluster
It has a Tuffy locking/rollbar glovebox
Painted tailgate latches
Don't see the tailgate drain on the Pass side (gap right at the top of the quarter panel)
Sprayed the fender bolts, and frankly the spray job in the engine compartment is poorly prepped.
Paint chipped all along the PS door/quarter panel gap
PS fender not lined up with rocker
DS door gap is poor
They sprayed everything on the front suspension black so I can't tell what it's like
Looking at the radius arm mounts on the frame, you can tell the frame wasn't really prepped, just sprayed over with black
Not sure about the gas tank. It looks like it's being crushed on the sides.
Sprayed the transfer case but can't tell if it was rebuilt or just sprayed to look good.
Sprayed the front hub locks
Can't see the floors because of the new carpet.

Here's my take - it's an original that they pulled the drive train out of, did a quick paint job with overspray everywhere, painted the drive train without doing any work to it, sprayed the entire undercarriage black without prepping it, put in new carpet, weather stripping, and seat upholstery, and put it back together. So if there's any rust we won't be able to see it. It's a lipstick job, and a shame on an original 66. It should have been restored correctly.

You'll be getting a 66 Bronco with mostly original parts that has a fair paint job and no real restoration. My take is it's MAYBE a $12,000-$15,000 vehicle that won't look like this in 3 years and probably needs all new suspension rubber and body mount rubber. I pass on lipstick jobs. If they don't care enough to do it right, they're just doing it to sucker someone.
 
OP
OP
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GoGriz

New Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2017
Messages
3
Wow thank you everyone for your thoughts on this.

I am glad that I asked for opinions as I am pretty surprised by how everyone feels. I did think that it seemed a little odd it hadn't been snapped up by someone if it was as original as it claimed to be. Also with the low miles and whatnot...

I will continue the search and once again I thank you all for your help!
 

ep67bro

Contributor
Bronco Junky
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
3,643
Loc.
Easton, MD
Also do your self a favor and spend the time and money to look at what ever truck you decide on see it in person. I have been messing with broncos for over 12 years and messing with old fords for over 20 and I was even burned by not seeing a truck in person. I bought a truck just based on a description and a bunch of pics, turned out to be full of bondo, I would have easily seen if I had just saw it myself. And for $30,000 their better no be any bondo!
 

hyghlndr

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
5,020
Loc.
Hockessin, Delaware
Besides all of the issues mentioned above, have you driven an early Bronco and what are your intentions? Not sounding smart but a plain jane 6 cylinder with manual everything is not a lot of fun for most (yes I know there are purist and Bronco geeks that love it), but for the average person I think a nice 302, power steering, disc brakes, power brakes, and either auto or manual transmission based on preference.

Low miles on the odometer don't mean much, condition and options do impact value. For 30k, I could find a nice Bronco.
 

okie4570

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
9,229
Loc.
NW OK
I feel like I do need to clarify that the seller, 4-Wheel Classics, doesn't claim that it was restored to original condition, just the article in Classic Cars Journal which is what I commented about.
 

sykanr0ng

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
5,363
The Bronco speedometer can be taken apart and the odometer numbers set to whatever you want them to be, so claims of 'low mileage' mean nothing.

What really matters is condition.

But first decide what you want from the Bronco.
Do you want an absolutely original 1966?
Or something more driver friendly?
 
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GoGriz

New Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2017
Messages
3
The Bronco speedometer can be taken apart and the odometer numbers set to whatever you want them to be, so claims of 'low mileage' mean nothing.

What really matters is condition.

But first decide what you want from the Bronco.
Do you want an absolutely original 1966?
Or something more driver friendly?

To you and hyghlndr's point: I like the look of the classic Bronco's with minimal aesthetic alterations but I suppose if my wife is gonna drive it I should consider finding one with the bells and whistle's. My thought was I could add the parts of the driving experience I wanted while retaining the look of the old school Bronco. Anyway, noted on needing to narrow down what matters more.
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,355
You can definitely do what you want with the look you're hoping for. Just have to keep looking. Lots of uncut ones with original looks and in good condition for under $30k these days.
And yes, lots of them with less for more than that too! I didn't even look at the pics yet but can tell from the other's reactions that it's similar to many that are being sold for big bucks out there these days.

And don't forget too, that if you are looking for an uncut Bronco but find just the most killer deal imaginable on a cut one, you can take what you saved and have new fenders and paint added and get more of what you want in one package.

Good luck.

Paul
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,355
Hmm. Well I will say this, that the one in the pics is a LOT cleaner looking than I expected from the earlier comments. Yes to most of what they said, but I have to say it looks a lot more well turned out than probably 70% of the other "great condition" Broncos being foisted on the unsuspecting public these days.

If you're going to drive it more than down to the ice cream shop once a month however, int today's world I would hold out for a V8 if nothing else. Even though I like them, trying to keep up with Boston traffic with a 170 inline-6 would not be my favorite thing to do.

Even if many things are hidden under the makeup on this one, at least they did replace or redo most of the items that you would have had to do yourself anyway.
I'd sure want to see the close-up shots of the floor pans and fender corners though.

At least it looks like they partially touched on just about every corner. Too bad they left the original rubber C-bushings in place. And it looks like there is a front differential/axle leak perhaps.
But I've seen worse...

Paul
 

roundhouse

Bronco Guru
Joined
Sep 5, 2003
Messages
2,886
I'd suggest getting a later model with a V-8 and power steering
You can add disc brakes pretty easy

This site is the best place to find a bronco

Two years ago I saw a pretty rust free bronco with fuel injection power steering and disc brakes for $8K

It had lots of patina ,

I'd skip any bronco with new paint
A: there's a 99% chance it's a poor quality job that's hiding tons of bondo and rust
B: a brand new paint job means you gotta worry about every little scratch and ding

The rocker panels under the doors on my bronco were bondo over rolled up newspaper , I took a magnet with me , so I knew it was there , the price was right and the rest of the truck was solid , and I just cut the rockers of and installed rock skids

Do NOT buy a truck without looking at it in person and or having a knowledgeable car guy or bronco guy look it over for you

If you find one that's way off , find someone on this site to take a look at it and if you decide you want it , fly there look it over and buy it , and either take it to a storage lot till you can get it shipped or just haul it back yourself

They fit snugly inside a U-haul or Ryder / Penske rental truck


We bought my sons 76 Chevy K-10 without looking at it in person but it was only $1600 plus $800 transport . And only because we wanted a rust free Arizona truck , plus it was a 4wd, 4 speed Stepside , exactly what we wanted ,

Rust is your main enemy
A new engine is much easier and cheaper than rust repair
 
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