- Joined
- Nov 3, 2003
- Messages
- 47,345
Agree with the others. For disc brake swaps to be an issue, the rest of the truck's original parts would need to be in much better shape and not need replacing themselves.
Originality only adds value when it's in good shape.
For now, new paint still sells more than original, except in very few special instances.
For brakes, I can attest to the fact that the drum brakes on these things can work well. If you don't mind spending half your life fiddling with them that is!
Oh, and if you don't plan on loading it up for a weekends worth of fun and driving up and down hills. In that case, toss the front drums out right away!
I drove my '71 for 10 years or so as a daily driver with the stock "big" brakes. Never had an issue locking up the tires or stopping as expected. And because I tweaked with the adjustments about every other week or so, even panic stops left me stopping straight and clean.
Not so much straight and clean if you don't keep them adjusted down to a fine art.
With your rig as far as I can see in the pics, you're not going to be leaving much original I'm afraid. So screw the drums, and just add discs!
If you're really concerned about future value, keep the old parts in a box in a corner and give them to the next owner at the time of the sale. There is nothing that says you can't just put them on for a future sale. The only non-reversible mod regarding the brakes is the grinding you will have to do on the knuckle. I don't know how much a Dana 44 knuckle needs to be ground compared to a Dana 30, but in a pinch you could simply replace the ground down disc-compatible knuckles with unmolested ones.
But I don't know of anyone that's going to pay more for stock drum brakes yet.
Eventually, when Broncos are so valuable that they don't even get driven to car shows and every original piece adds value, that may be the case. But until then, make it a better vehicle to drive.
And besides, like I said, yours is not going to be anywhere near original when you've replaced all the tired old worn out pieces.
If you really think that original sells, you should re-sell it right now. But I'm pretty sure that what sells a Bronco right now, is new paint, new parts, new engines, new bits-n-pieces, and better road manners and a better driving experience.
Whether it's a profitable endeavor or not, depends on how much you do yourself.
Heck, I bet it'd be more valuable if you added the Ranger stripes back! It would be less original, but better looking and appear more valuable as an obvious Ranger.
For those few EB's where originality counts, you need to start with a Bronco where all those original bits are still in good condition. Yours is just crying out for a restore.
Even if it's original paint and your painter can match the new body parts with the old paint (my '68 was done that way and it's cool), you're still going to have all those new parts replacing old.
Paul
Originality only adds value when it's in good shape.
For now, new paint still sells more than original, except in very few special instances.
For brakes, I can attest to the fact that the drum brakes on these things can work well. If you don't mind spending half your life fiddling with them that is!
Oh, and if you don't plan on loading it up for a weekends worth of fun and driving up and down hills. In that case, toss the front drums out right away!
I drove my '71 for 10 years or so as a daily driver with the stock "big" brakes. Never had an issue locking up the tires or stopping as expected. And because I tweaked with the adjustments about every other week or so, even panic stops left me stopping straight and clean.
Not so much straight and clean if you don't keep them adjusted down to a fine art.
With your rig as far as I can see in the pics, you're not going to be leaving much original I'm afraid. So screw the drums, and just add discs!
If you're really concerned about future value, keep the old parts in a box in a corner and give them to the next owner at the time of the sale. There is nothing that says you can't just put them on for a future sale. The only non-reversible mod regarding the brakes is the grinding you will have to do on the knuckle. I don't know how much a Dana 44 knuckle needs to be ground compared to a Dana 30, but in a pinch you could simply replace the ground down disc-compatible knuckles with unmolested ones.
But I don't know of anyone that's going to pay more for stock drum brakes yet.
Eventually, when Broncos are so valuable that they don't even get driven to car shows and every original piece adds value, that may be the case. But until then, make it a better vehicle to drive.
And besides, like I said, yours is not going to be anywhere near original when you've replaced all the tired old worn out pieces.
If you really think that original sells, you should re-sell it right now. But I'm pretty sure that what sells a Bronco right now, is new paint, new parts, new engines, new bits-n-pieces, and better road manners and a better driving experience.
Whether it's a profitable endeavor or not, depends on how much you do yourself.
Heck, I bet it'd be more valuable if you added the Ranger stripes back! It would be less original, but better looking and appear more valuable as an obvious Ranger.
For those few EB's where originality counts, you need to start with a Bronco where all those original bits are still in good condition. Yours is just crying out for a restore.
Even if it's original paint and your painter can match the new body parts with the old paint (my '68 was done that way and it's cool), you're still going to have all those new parts replacing old.
Paul