As for that hyped up ad on eBay, that's all it is! Budd was merely a sub-contractor to Ford at one time, just like Fisher was to GM. Located in Philadelphia, their main line of work was building rail cars but somehow built other items such as the bronco body for a very short time. I have never seen or heard anything of the prototype bronco being built by none other than FORD!
...
With that said, stating that the early eyebrow grille rigs were built/produced by Budd is very misleading!
That ad also states "all original". The whole rig has a ton of red flags indicating it's not including a blow-n-go paint job!
So, let's talk about this for a minute or two.
I own the 66 U13 in the ebay ad. I picked it up to flip because the seller didn't know what they had. They were happy they got their asking price and I am happy that I finally got to own a 66 U13, if only for a little while. I am a Blazer guy now (own a 72 K5) but have always had a soft spot for 66-77 Bronco's as well.
It's currently listed at $45k including shipping in the lower 48 via enclosed trailer in that price.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/223850556610 is ebay and
https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1966/ford/bronco/101243965 is autotrader.
I made a mistake on saying there were 200 Budd bodies
produced. I did a bunch of research and
"numerous sources" were saying there were thought to be 200 U13s remaining. U13 registry disproves that so I'm going to say "Less than 300 left". My eBay and Autotrader ads have been updated to reflect this change, which is why I provided the links to each.
Second, I believe you are incorrect in saying that Prototypes and early Bronco bodies were produced by Ford and not Budd. There's a nice book out there by Todd Zuercher titled "Ford Bronco: A History of Ford's Legendary 4x4". Maybe you've heard of it? He did an amazing amount of research and even went as far as to interview Ford Engineers who were on the design team. In Todd's book, he specifically states in TWO places that Budd manufactured the Prototypes for Ford and that they Produced the Bronco Bodies for the first several months of the 1966 production run. Here's the page:
The last item in your list I am going to address is your reference to being "red flags". I stated there is evidence of paint respray on the windshield frame, door inserts, hood and interior. What else is saying this is not original? Everything else I can find appears to be 100% original on this truck down to the FoMoCo wiper washer fluid bag still in use. It has the eyebrow grille, straight bumpers, 66 hubcaps, silver vinyl seats, correct tail gate, vacuum wipers, correct 4-rod hood, etc, etc, etc.
Last - I purchased this truck to sell, not to keep. If someone would like to own it, I am open to offers. If someone here has the scratch to get serious about a purchase, please feel free to reach out at any time. I joined this site back in 2007 because at the time I was looking for a Bronco. Didn't find what I wanted and ended up buying a CJ7. Mistake. Sold that and decided the classic truck game had to wait while my two toddler sons grew up a little. Five and a half years ago I bought a 72K5 and still have it. From time to time I find/clean/fix/sell and old classic. My motive isn't only the money made on the flip, but the thrill of the hunt as well as the opportunity to own a rarity like these.
I love old trucks and cars. I love the "hunt" to find them and I love driving them. I even love working on them, to an extent. As far as this one goes, it truly is a unicorn and you'll be hard pressed to convince me otherwise. It is a survivor that has had a little makeup (paintwork) applied but that is it. If any of you want any additional pics, if nothing more than for documenting a real )ct 65 Budd body U13, please just ask and I would be happy to oblige.
