Daily Driver can it be done?

[afrothunder8854]

I really want a 66-77 Bronco as a Daily Driver when I told this to my father he proceed to laugh in my face and point out all the bad things that could happen, not starting up when its really cold and stuff like that. I am just really mad about it because I was really planning on it and now I am doughting that it can be done. Dose any one know of a Bronco for sale that is a daily driver and fully restored ?

Thanks Drew

 

[crab]

Had one but sold it. I'm sure there are hundreds of daily drivers out there and I wouldn't hesitate to build another one. As far as the not starting issue, that has pretty much been eliminated by electronic ignitions. I'd say you are better off with a rebuilt 302 then most of todays american cars or trucks. Go for it, and don't let someone tell you it can't be done As far as finding one that is a daily driver and fully restored, plan on spending upward of $10K. You should be able to find a nice unrestored daily driver for around $6K

 

[Draglink]

I drove my 76' daily, 100+ miles a day for 2 years. I added A/C to make it more comfortable in the summer. It was a blast to drive! I got comments a thumbs up all the time. Drawbacks - gas mileage, not the best riding vehicle, but thats nothing compared to the thrill! I would look for a later(76 or77)model, with power disk brakes, c4 tranny, 302 or 351, hard top. You can find one thats been redone, or all original...course you have to pay for it! You can pick one up pretty cheap and do it yourself. Little things like updated wipers, gas lift gate shocks make all the difference in the world!

 

[NicksTrix]

yes it can be done. it's like anything else. if it is and was taken care of it will be fine. sure they are and can be tempermental but it is really relative to trhe condition of things.
i've had a couple i drove daily for years at a time. i recently took one off the road after 4 yrs of daily driving, just for a complete frame off resto.

words of advice: to a certain degree you will get what you pay for. buy a cheap truck that's beat, your dad will be the one laughing. spend some money and get a good solid truck that's well maintained, you can laugh right back at him if you carry on the upkeep.

once you get one. remember this, if you drive it hard, you'll work on it hard.
these words come from 25 yrs of ownership & experience.

just don't forget these trucks are over 30 years old, things do wear out.

 

[RajinCajun]

Here's my two cents... Bronco's are a love, I wouldn't trade mine for anthing.. BUT they are over 30 years old and need regular TLC by a GOOD mechanic. As for the not starting, I put EFI in mine and it will start at any temp (coldest in TX that is, about 2 degrees myself), I also have a 69 Mustang with a Holley Street Avenger on a 351W and it will start about as good as the EFI. All I need to do is push the gas pedal once and she starts right up and maintains a high idle until it warms up and you tap the gas...just as it should. The EFI starts without touching the gas and will run at any angle..

 

[2badrotties]

Any Bronco can be a daily driver it just depends on what you want for comfort. 30 years ago they were someones daily driver and they can be again today. Not as plush as todays cars and trucks but they can be very realiabe and a lot cheaper to repair than todays cars when they do break down. I don't own a new vehicle. I have a 87 nissan that is my winter beater but I could drive my Bronco every day. I'm preserving it for the future though ;D . Cold weather has no effect on my Bronco. One pat of the gas and it fires right up even at 10 below zero.

Every bronco is going to be different. You probably won't get as much reliablity with a modified Bronco as you would with a stocker but then again, you may get a modified one that is better than a new one. You just need to shop wisely , there are plenty of daily drivers out there.

 

[crab]

Another bit of advice I have is, if you have the time and know how (even if you don't) try to do all the work yourself so you get to know what makes it tick. I completely restored my '70 from the ground up including the 302. There's nothing on a bronco that is a mystery. Most things can be fixed with simple tools.

 

[Gummi Bear]

!!

I daily drove mine for 6-7 years, mostly over 100 miles per day (in the Texas heat). It did fine. There were some bumps in the road along the way, but it has been pretty much the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned.

Save up your money, and do an EFI swap onto it, and you'll really be rockin and rollin. Stay with relatively stock sized tires, and you're even better off yet. I'd say that 15 MPG with an EFI setup isn't unrealistic at all (that's what I get in my Dodge pickup that's 20 years newer than my Bronc)

I went through it with my pop when I was young too. "Not today, not tomorrow, not EVER! Dammit son! You have no business with a 4 wheel drive!" was pretty much the standard answer. I did manage to destroy about 3 2wd trucks by treating them like Baja racers in the interim. I bought my Bronc right after I turned 20, now, after 10 years of hard use, it's still hanging in there. ;D

 

[S/C-HD2002]

My bronco was my only vehicle in college. I drove it from CO to WY 280 miles every other weekend and daily around town in Laramie. I did this for 5 years and never had a problem. I started with a bone stock 1969 sport in 1994. As I drove it I upgraded from the dana 30, manual box, manual brakes, etc. They are all works in progress.

I always laugh when people say a bronco can't be driven daily. People have been driving them daily since their release in 1966.

 

[afrothunder8854]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1976...4606524704QQcategoryZ6222QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


what do you think? also thanks for the quick answers

 

[Skuzzlebutt]

Mines been a daily driver for 12 years. Never had any problems with starting in the cold. And that's with a stock distributor and carb.
The only drawback I can see is these didn't get good gas mileage when new, and it rarely gets better with age. If your engines in good shape, properly tuned, and your lift and tires aren't too large, you can get 16/hwy 12/city.
Some have had better results retrofitting the Ford efi from late '80s, early '90s cars.

 

[DonsBolt]

Like the rest of them said, if you have it set up right a Bronco can be a awesome dailly driver.

Every day when I go out to my garage I have 2 choices on what to drive. A 2001 Lightning with over 700 HP, a fully adjustable suspension, recaro seats, Satilite radio, and just about any option you can think of. Or my 1977 Bronco, Maybee 225HP, No AC, No Fancy Seats, no fancy options, well it has a CD player.

So what do you think I decide to drive allmost every day, yep the Bronco.

So don't listen to your father, if you want a bronco go for it. Just make sure you find a good one. After all life is short, so if a Bronco makes you happy go for it

 

[Madgyver]

All I have for drivers is EBs. It is what I use to get around.Other than the company 3500 dually utility that I use for work, The EBs is for personal pleasure. I recently got one that came with a carpet interior, Pioneer deck, etc. I did minor things like get it running better, STC top to seal better, added better speakers and redid some wiring behind the dash that was messed up, also added power windows to sweeten it. Now this is my going out truck.
Who said they can't be daily drivers?
Some bumpy-Bumpy and gas mileage is the only sacrifice.
More power = more gas........

 

[2badrotties]

I looked at your link. Looks like a nice truck in the pictures but pictures can be deceiving. If you are close to the truck at all I would e-mail seller and ask if you can see it in person. A 408 is kinda big for a daily driver but if you have gas money ... it is great ;D . I looked at the picture of under the hood and I see rust starting around the inner fenders / wheel tubs and maybe a questionable area up where the inner fender meets the cowl. Very hard to see in the pictures. If that is all there is you are lucky. I'm really surprised a seller wouldn't have fixed it up a little under there if it was for sale. His ad has a lot of new parts listed and parts are not cheap. It is probably a good deal if the body is really rust free.

 

[Mark]

Are you pretty strong mechanically? If so, there is no reason a Bronco cannot be a daily driver. My '74 has been my daily driver for 3 years now and I LOVE it! I keep it well maintained. It teaches you discipline.
Will it be kept outside? It gets pretty cold here and I may have to turn the key a couple more times, but it starts fine.

 

[Chris1974]

My '77 with the 302 and factory electronic ignition and 2bbl carb. starts up immediately every time no matter what the weather. Actually, the transport driver that delivered it to me loved it. He had a Hummer, some trucks, a Mercedes and some other cars on his semi and 3 of the newer ones wouldn't start in -10 below weather... Bronco started every time so he had it strategically placed on his rig to make things easier on him.

Go for it!

 

[Broncoholics]

Daily drove it for two years until I rolled it and parted it out. 100mi a day too.

 

[broncnaz]

My 73 was a daily driver from the day it left the showroom in late 1973 to 2003 and never once left me stranded. The not starting thing is a myth SBF's are one of the best starting engines out there. Every 302 I've ever had or worked on would start at a just a bump of the key no long cranking. I've had mine from one extreme to the other it started right up even with slush in the radiator I think it was around 60 below that morning. Like others said these are 30 year old vehicles and do require so maintenance from time to time. While there are people that use them for daily drivers I would lean towards something that will get a little better gas mileage for a daily driver and get a bronco as a second vehicle. I finally broke down and did that in 03 but still take the bronco from time to time.
The ebay bronco looks good and sounds like its all been recently rebuilt so should need little work to keep it on the road. the 408 could turn out to be a real gas hog though I would ask the owner about the mileage it gets anything above 12mpg is about normal for a bronco.

 

[JaxLax]

drove the old red one everyday. no troubles.
currently building another 77 to be a serious DD.
comfort and sound and ease on the road.
can't wait to get deep into this one ;D

 

[unclebap]

I'm older than your dad,tell him I said bull shit!, an read the past posts, shucks, been driving mine for the past 20 somthing years, an dont bother with the wifes suv jeep or her chev. Dude get a freekin bronco, if nothing else you'll be cool.