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Fj40 guy switching to Bronco

JV1

New Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2018
Messages
4
Loc.
Sacramento, CA
First post here! I recently finished restoring my '67 FJ40 (8 year project) and am thinking about taking on a Bronco. I tend to like mostly stock vehicles so I am starting to do some research. I live in California so it would need to be Early-75 to avoid smog checks. If I was looking for a vehicle with the following stock, which years should I be looking at...

3 on the tree
Power brakes
a/c would be great but not required
Year where parts are not incredibly rare and are still somewhat attainable

Thanks!!
 

399strokerEB

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
1,437
Loc.
Wasilla, AK
Sounds like a 74 is what you're looking for, but power brakes were an option not mandatory. AC was a dealer option not factory. Both of those will be harder to find pre 75.
 

sykanr0ng

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
5,363
Because you want power brakes and a stock vehicle you need to look for a 1974.

No early Bronco came from the factory with A/C.

Power brakes are easy to add but hard to find on an original.
 

garberz

Bronco Influencer
Joined
Jun 24, 2007
Messages
6,856
Loc.
Conejo Valley, Ca.
Because you want power brakes and a stock vehicle you need to look for a 1974.

No early Bronco came from the factory with A/C.

Power brakes are easy to add but hard to find on an original.

Power and disc brakes weren’t available till 76’. And then the power booster was an option. Depends on how serious you are about keeping it stock. Disc brakes and power steering upgrades are rarely looked down upon.

Mark
 

73azbronco

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 11, 2007
Messages
7,796
MIght want to verify, I bought a stock 66 with a 6 cylinder and it had a factory smog pump on it, cali dmv said it would need to be functional to register. I took it to Az so no worries.
 

garberz

Bronco Influencer
Joined
Jun 24, 2007
Messages
6,856
Loc.
Conejo Valley, Ca.
MIght want to verify, I bought a stock 66 with a 6 cylinder and it had a factory smog pump on it, cali dmv said it would need to be functional to register. I took it to Az so no worries.

That must have been a long time ago. Now, any vehicle 1975 or older doesn’t require a smog check to transfer ownership or renew the registration.

Mark
 

tirewater

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
1,040
Loc.
San Francisco Bay Area
If you want stock, you may as well include '77 & '76 in your search. Just make sure that any '77/'76 Broncos have all smog related equipment.

FWIW, a user named JAFO restored both a FJ40 and a Bronco. He ended up selling his Bronco.
 

fatboy

Contributor
Glad to be here.
Joined
May 15, 2006
Messages
7,001
Loc.
New Hampshire
Welcome, I did a similar move starting with a 40. Technically “stock” would allow you to buy anything you could find from 66 - 74. You could use stock parts for disc brakes, power etc. off of a newer model. You could even source aftermarket dealer added air if you wanted. Now if you want to keep it “original” then your best bet is the 74 but you will likely not get everything you wanted. Good luck with the search.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

price209

Full Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
337
Loc.
Folsom
66-67 are kind of the early odd balls with the most parts that are year specific and harder to find original. There are some good bronco parts vendors on here, you could probably build a bronco from the ground up with new parts from them, so unless you want original parts almost everything is available pretty handily. Original 72-75 will have a better front end with a Dana 44 in place of a Dana 30 although many older models around have had the 30 swapped out for a 44. As stated above, power brakes weren’t an option until 76 along with front discs. A/c was never offered stock but was a dealer add on. 73 was the 1st for an auto, so from 66-72 the only option was a 3 on the tree. I can’t remember what year was the 1st to offer power steering, I know that wasn’t in your list but something to consider. Again there is a difference between stock and original, so to best help it’s best to let us know what you are looking for exactly. You can buy “stock” style power brake kits, power steering kits, and disc brake kits to add to any early bronco model so unless you are looking to keep a bronco “original” I would say find a good starter bronco any year 75 or earlier and add the “stock” style parts you want to it to make it as safe and enjoyable to drive as possible.
 

half cab

Contributor
Guru Bronco
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
16,306
Biggest option is finding any year reasonably priced. With this web site and our vendors you can make any year what you want.
 

NGABronco

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 4, 2007
Messages
7,343
Loc.
N. GA now South Carolina
Welcome to the site!!! My first 4x4 was a 77' FJ40, back in 77'!!!;D;D;D

The 4 0r 5 things you ask for are not available in stock form. Check out local EB clubs, Meet & Greets, etc and look at all tha Early Broncos you can. Try to meet some of the folks on this site and learn all you can before you jump in. This is a great site with outstanding folks!!!;D;D;D

Good Luck!!!
 
OP
OP
J

JV1

New Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2018
Messages
4
Loc.
Sacramento, CA
Thanks for all the great replies! This is super helpful. My '67 FJ40 didn't have a brake booster or disk brakes but I was able to add it and keep it mostly stock. Under the hood is sort of tight with the booster now but it's in, and i can stop, so that's good. I have seen that massive booster and master setup. So let's say I find a '70, will it be easy to take a booster from a later model and add it in? If so, do I need to modify the firewall in any way?

One thing I promise to do is a detailed build thread. For whatever reason I didnt do that with my FJ.

Last question.. how do I post pictures here? I am scratching my head.
 

sykanr0ng

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
5,363
Thanks for all the great replies! This is super helpful. My '67 FJ40 didn't have a brake booster or disk brakes but I was able to add it and keep it mostly stock. Under the hood is sort of tight with the booster now but it's in, and i can stop, so that's good. I have seen that massive booster and master setup. So let's say I find a '70, will it be easy to take a booster from a later model and add it in? If so, do I need to modify the firewall in any way?

One thing I promise to do is a detailed build thread. For whatever reason I didnt do that with my FJ.

Last question.. how do I post pictures here? I am scratching my head.

How to upload photos - Become a Contributor
 

elan

Sr. Member
Joined
May 27, 2015
Messages
541
Loc.
s
I sent you a P.M. Looking forward to seeing your FJ40. Yes, it is worth it to join.
This site is 100 easier than IH8MUD.......as in user friendly concentrating on early Broncos only.
 
OP
OP
J

JV1

New Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2018
Messages
4
Loc.
Sacramento, CA
One last questions for you guys... is there a tell tale sign when buying a Bronco that should leave me running for the hills? In the FJ world there are some spots that are rust prone and if you didnt know FJ's then you wouldnt know to look there.
 

price209

Full Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
337
Loc.
Folsom
On your brake booster question, all the vendors sell a brake booster kit which based on the original brake boosters offered in 76-77 they dont require any firewall mods and bolt right in.

As to rust, unless you are buying one that has had work done already you will almost always find the front floor boards in need of rust repair. There arent really any hidden spots to look at, just check the standard stuff you would on most classics, door jambs, front core support at the windshield, floor pan, bottom of the tailgates sometimes rust out too.

Here in CA rust usually isnt nearly as troublesome as on the other coast. If you have questions on a rig you are looking at, post a couple picks here and ask, guys are really quick to respond. Beware though, the bronco market is insane right now and builders are quick to snap up the decent projects to do high end builds so if you see a Bronco you may have to jump on it quick, I have missed out on my fair share by waiting a daugh too long. If you see a low price $5k or less Bronco on the market that is in decent shape grab it, thats probably going to be about your starting point if you are looking for a project that will need a lot including rust repair. If you want one that can run and drive and has a fairly ok body you are probably looking at $8-10k starting price now.
 
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