Northwestern Oregon '68 Bronco purchase questions - ethics and refresh questions

[BroncoDogDad]

Hi all. First time posting. I have been passing by a tarped vehicle for about five years now on walks in western Cascades and stopped and asked the older lady (early 70s) when I saw her in the yard last week, what was under it. She showed me the Bronco and said they have had a few people over the years express interest but decline their $5,000 asking price. I'm not sure when last that happened but it's been parked since 2010 or so. I scooped it up for asking and now I am thinking that I might have taken advantage of them.


It's not driving but is original in many ways. Hagerty doesn't go below a condition #4, which assumes it's a daily driver, the value range for which they list as $30k-$40k. I found some different ideas of value here and there and $10k-$14k seems realistic. Feedback on this is appreciated but my main question is: Should I go back to the couple and give them more money? They are acquaintances and we have friends in common. I was thinking another $2,500 as that's the most I would have paid, just couldn't afford more and still fix it up. I worry that this action would just give them reason to look up values and perhaps even seem insulting but it's likely someone else will eventually suggest I took advantage so getting ahead of that as best I can is my thought.


The other question I have is regarding getting it looked over and repaired such that it could be a daily driver. I think I'll replace the gas tanks and lines, the radiator and hoses, and pretty much everything else that's rubber, fluid, or sat wet for 15 years. The rough plan is fuel → brakes → cooling → ignition → driveline fluids → tires. Fuel: both tanks and senders (silt in both), all rubber lines, mechanical pump, Autolite 2100 rebuild, filters. Brakes: full hydraulic refresh — master, all four wheel cylinders, rubber hoses, hard lines, shoes and hardware, or maybe a disc conversion. Cooling: replace radiator, hoses, 180° stat, belts, cap. Ignition: points, condenser, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, coil. Fluids in the 3-speed, Dana 20, and both diffs; repack the front bearings with new seals and go through the steering and kingpins while the wheels are off. New tires, a new windshield, battery and cables, and a look at the harness. The engine hasn't been turned yet — the air cleaner was found off the carb. The clutch is probably stuck to the flywheel; hoping to free it without pulling the trans. Anything obvious I'm missing for a first-time early-Bronco owner, and is there a shop in the Salem area people here trust for this kind of work? This isn't "Bronco restoration" work exactly, that will maybe come in a few years. I'd like to start driving it in a couple months, is that realistic?

exterior-01-front-driver-three-quarter.jpg

classicbroncos.com

 

[JB Fab]

It needs a lot.....
Less than a year ago I sold a friend a Bronco, similar condition for almost the same price.
You got a good deal but my advice is not to loose any sleep over it

 

[NewDog]

Like @JB Fab said, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. You paid their full asking price. And they told you a few others had balked at that price. So they got what they wanted, and so did you.
Sure maybe some Monday morning quarterback is gonna tell them they could have got more, but where was that guy with all that additional cash in hand offering it to them, when it was for sale for years?
You will probably find that the additional $2500 that you were thinking of giving them is going to get eaten up pretty quick in getting it road-worthy.
Good luck with your new project!

 

[904Bronco]

Agree with the others, you gave them their asking price, so... Not to say you could do something special for them... shooting from the hip here, But: a gift basket, help with a project around the house, find out if they have any special likes... See's candy box, or Harry and David... And bring it by when it is running and on the road

Not to sound like the Vice Grip garage, but maybe see if the motor turns over by hand and then fires up with fuel down the carb - not hooked to the fuel tanks. And then work through everything else.

 

[m_m70]

You will probably find that the additional $2500 that you were thinking of giving them is going to get eaten up pretty quick in getting it road-worthy.

this.....

 

[BroncoDogDad]

Okay, thanks for the opinions, they helped me feel better about it. Additionally, I registered it in WA today and they charge a use tax based on the value they determine, they looked at a couple different books and came up with $7,500. I completed an affidavit attesting that it didn't run etc., that I had to get the sellers to sign to have the $5k be accepted. So that should effectively ward off bad feelings.
I did buy a Marti Report because I was curious about a couple things including a USGS sticker, the color of the paint, the PTO winch, etc. Looks like it was ordered by the Fed to their facility in Denver at the Federal Center in Lakewood, CO. for the USGS.

I added more pictures to the gallery folder.

@904Bronco Good idea! They are definitely interested to see how the project goes over the next couple summers. I'll pick them up some wine, I know they like that.

 

[katwalk]

If they are happy and you are happy - no harm no foul.

 

[DirtDonk]

Looks like Sears TrailHandler tires. Best tires I ever had on my '71 in 32x11.50. But yours are probably more than 40 years old at this point!
I'm guessing that there will be no DOT date code on them, being pre-2000 models, but you might look anyway.
You never know about tires anymore. Multiple companies will use multiple manufacturer's tires as a private label part. Maybe yours are actually new, but with someone else's name on the sidewall.
Let us know what you find on the sidewall. I'm curious now.

I would also look at removing that crazy steering stabilizer shock up front. Can't say it's bad, the way it's mounted. But it's not stock and sure looks wonky to me.
However, even though it's a rare Bronco that did not get a stabilizer from the factory, it's always possible that yours was one of them.
Interesting too, being one of the seldom seen hard tops (wagons) with the bulkhead and bench seat. Not "rare" necessarily, but not common.

There's another thread around here somewhere, wherein members post up their Marti reports to let us all see what was included in the original build. Might be something interesting in yours.

Paul

 

[Jakedog]

Okay, thanks for the opinions, they helped me feel better about it. Additionally, I registered it in WA today and they charge a use tax based on the value they determine, they looked at a couple different books and came up with $7,500. I completed an affidavit attesting that it didn't run etc., that I had to get the sellers to sign to have the $5k be accepted. So that should effectively ward off bad feelings.
I did buy a Marti Report because I was curious about a couple things including a USGS sticker, the color of the paint, the PTO winch, etc. Looks like it was ordered by the Fed to their facility in Denver at the Federal Center in Lakewood, CO. for the USGS.

I added more pictures to the gallery folder.

@904Bronco Good idea! They are definitely interested to see how the project goes over the next couple summers. I'll pick them up some wine, I know they like that.

It kind of pisses me off how government agencies like the dmv are so worried about the price we pay for old cars.
The people that work for the dmv are just regular people, but they act like they're top tier investigators when they think you didn't pay enough for your used vehicle.
So much corruption and wasted money in the government, and they worry that you didn't pay enough for your registration.

Sorry. I live in California, and sometimes the words just pour out.

 

[SLOWnEASY]

I love it. It looks like there's a lot of history there. Like I smiled when I saw the bungee holding the glove box closed.

Are the front wheels turned in different directions in the picture with the steering stabilizer in it? Or is that just a optical illusion?

 

[CaptainAwesome]

You paid what they were asking. You didn't know what these were selling for and even if you did, you paid what they were asking. Tomorrow the bottom could fall out on these things and it be worth less than $5000.... not likely but still. We paid $2500 for ours 25 years ago, it boggles my mind its now worth at least $40,000 as is.
As someone currently trying to sell an old car I can tell you sometimes it's worth making less money to sell it to someone you like and to just be done with the whole ordeal. Like 30% less than asking to someone you like, just cause most people suck and it's exhausting dealing with them.

 

[dmoses42]

It does have some unique features. I just quickly glanced over the pics, and as you mentioned, it has a PTO and winch, but it also has a radio delete dash, the optional reflectors above the front turn signals, and the latch on the quarter panel for a Ranch Hand, as well as the bench front seat and bulkhead. Did you get the Marti report that tells how many came in the same configuration as yours? That one would be cool to restore back to fully original, with the heritage of being originally purchased by the federal government.

 

[BroncoDogDad]

Looks like Sears TrailHandler tires. Best tires I ever had on my '71 in 32x11.50. But yours are probably more than 40 years old at this point!
I'm guessing that there will be no DOT date code on them, being pre-2000 models, but you might look anyway.
You never know about tires anymore. Multiple companies will use multiple manufacturer's tires as a private label part. Maybe yours are actually new, but with someone else's name on the sidewall.
Let us know what you find on the sidewall. I'm curious now.

I would also look at removing that crazy steering stabilizer shock up front. Can't say it's bad, the way it's mounted. But it's not stock and sure looks wonky to me.
However, even though it's a rare Bronco that did not get a stabilizer from the factory, it's always possible that yours was one of them.
Interesting too, being one of the seldom seen hard tops (wagons) with the bulkhead and bench seat. Not "rare" necessarily, but not common.

There's another thread around here somewhere, wherein members post up their Marti reports to let us all see what was included in the original build. Might be something interesting in yours.

Paul

The tires are 15+ years old so I'll need to replace them.
I did add a more close up view of the front tire to the gallery.
I'm trailering it down to "Bronco Bob" at All 4 Fun Offroad in Albany and he's going to go through the major components and make recommendations to get it road-ready and safe so I can start flat towing it behind my RV as I head south for the Winter. I'm going to have him do another chunk of work each year, not sure how far I'll take it. I'll ask about the steering stabilizer. Thanks for the suggestion. I gather that the bulkhead was something the U14's came with not the U15's, my guess is that maybe the USGS swapped it in? Nothing on the Marti report about it from the factory but I suppose that's not a perfectly definitive answer either.

 

[BroncoDogDad]

It kind of pisses me off how government agencies like the dmv are so worried about the price we pay for old cars.
The people that work for the dmv are just regular people, but they act like they're top tier investigators when they think you didn't pay enough for your used vehicle.
So much corruption and wasted money in the government, and they worry that you didn't pay enough for your registration.

Sorry. I live in California, and sometimes the words just pour out.

The lady was incredibly helpful, going through multiple books and eventually printing the affidavit and instructing me on it. She's bound by the rules of course, but did what she could.

 

[BroncoDogDad]

I love it. It looks like there's a lot of history there. Like I smiled when I saw the bungee holding the glove box closed.

Are the front wheels turned in different directions in the picture with the steering stabilizer in it? Or is that just a optical illusion?

I see what you're talking about there, but no, the wheels are straight (to the eye anyway, we'll see what the shop says lol). I had my phone's "wide angle" setting on, that probably skewed the parallax.

 

[BroncoDogDad]

You paid what they were asking. You didn't know what these were selling for and even if you did, you paid what they were asking. Tomorrow the bottom could fall out on these things and it be worth less than $5000.... not likely but still. We paid $2500 for ours 25 years ago, it boggles my mind its now worth at least $40,000 as is.
As someone currently trying to sell an old car I can tell you sometimes it's worth making less money to sell it to someone you like and to just be done with the whole ordeal. Like 30% less than asking to someone you like, just cause most people suck and it's exhausting dealing with them.

I hear that, I hate selling anything haha.

 

[BroncoDogDad]

It does have some unique features. I just quickly glanced over the pics, and as you mentioned, it has a PTO and winch, but it also has a radio delete dash, the optional reflectors above the front turn signals, and the latch on the quarter panel for a Ranch Hand, as well as the bench front seat and bulkhead. Did you get the Marti report that tells how many came in the same configuration as yours? That one would be cool to restore back to fully original, with the heritage of being originally purchased by the federal government.

I noticed the lack of a radio haha. I'll just get a bluetooth speaker on the dash, I only use my phone anyway.
Someone else (IRL) mentioned the reflectors, saying that they didn't meet newer regs at the time or something. Really interesting, prob was insisted upon by the govt. I'll have to take a look. I'm going to get some advice on the current paint and see if cleaning it up, treating it and then either clear-coating over it or I gather there's another process people do to treat it yearly. I may "restore" it in a few years but for now it's going to replace my Jeep as a TOAD behind my RV. I work from the road and no longer own a house, so all my tools are in storage.
I did get a Marti report, and posted in that thread but here it is again for everyone here:

 

[dmoses42]

https://classicbroncos.com/forums/threads/the-bronco-breakdown-information-thread.329754/

Read up on this when you hav some time. I just read through it a couple of days ago. Very informative.

 

[BroncoDogDad]

Thank you! Directly addresses the bulkhead.

 

[nvrstuk]

It kind of pisses me off how government agencies like the dmv are so worried about the price we pay for old cars.
The people that work for the dmv are just regular people, but they act like they're top tier investigators when they think you didn't pay enough for your used vehicle.
So much corruption and wasted money in the government, and they worry that you didn't pay enough for your registration.

Sorry. I live in California, and sometimes the words just pour out.

... but you are right. I live in Wa and my daughter just paid over $1,000 to license a 15 yr old trailer! It's not the people running the title agency (least not the private ones) but ALL our old vehicles in our State are based off of Haggerty valuations... What a joke!

So sick of this State's taxation policies... it's putting CA to shame.