Bronco gas doors.

[Pa PITT]

... What year models did the Doors over the gas caps start on. Some old guy recognized me today. He says your the Guy who has that 68 Camo Bronco in Stephenville. I said Yes & No .. It's Camo but it's a 72 .. He kind of says whatever! .. Then he tells me about his Ginger 68 & I haven't remembered it yet.. But he says he'd like to have a 73 one that has the Gas Doors not the Gas caps showing ..
.... I told him I think the gas doors are a 76 & 77 thing I'm not sure.. But once again he let me know how I didn't know my Broncos.
.. So when did the doors start . & Did all 76's & 77's have 2 tanks.

 

[green77bronco]

I believe the gas doors are only on the '77

 

[jckkys]

It's a '77 only item. It also includes more than just the doors. To retrofit them to another year would require major surgery and a '77 donor.

 

[okie4570]

There was a local, late build 8/76' for sale a couple months ago that had fuel doors. It was sellers dad's and said nothing had ever been done to it other than replace the passenger door after an accident.

 

[DirtDonk]

My experience too. And since '76 was another one of those "late" model year changes similar to '72/'73, it's entirely possible some got some '77 only details, or towards the end that some earmarked to be '77's were registered as '76's in some areas.
I know of several Sept. build EB's that are registered as '76's.

There were also some very few '77's with caps, and even some with single doors as opposed to dual doors with one locked closed if the dual tank option was not specified.
Strange things happen on a truck assembly line apparently.

Paul

 

[half cab]

If you had a late '76 / early '77 with a flap n a cap you would have a real oddball!

 

[turbotim2]

My early 77 has no fuel doors.

 

[crozetcrew]

My first 77 didn't have doors either but my 2nd 77 did.

 

[Broncitis]

77 only.

I have heard that some early production 77's (summer of 76) had caps. Likley to use up remaining parts inventory or because new parts were not yet ready.

Supposidly Federal regulations requires recessed fill caps that year to prevent them from shearing off and spewing fuel in a side swipe collision. I have never confirmed that, but just what I have heard.

That would be the only sensible reason for FoMoCo to make significan tooling changes when they knew 77 was the last year of the EB.

 

[Pa PITT]

.. Great Info Guys.. I thought we could say 76 MAYBE & most 77's But I didn't think I'd be off several years.

 

[DirtDonk]

Another weird area for the late '76's is the parking brake. There is a third type, that was available ONLY for a short time between the two years. We were tracking it for awhile, but with so few data points it was hard to pin down exactly when it changed.
But the bottom line is, if you have a '76 and are going to re-do the cables, it pays to look first, then compare to what's available. You might just be lucky enough to get to "customize" your own.

The parking brake pedal assembly changed in '76, and that carried over, but the cables varied, as did the use of the little cantilever/lever thingy that pivots off the floor. They dropped it sometime in that range as well.

Paul