dhendriksen
Jr. Member
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2009
- Messages
- 90
So, about a month ago someone made a bizarre and cryptic post in a small facebook group I'm part of and, while poorly written and confusing, it looked like maybe a for sale post? I've had my eyes out forever and so I immediately called him. I told him I can pay him cash and come anytime. He explains that he has a 71 Bronco that he bought in 1980, put 10,000ish miles on it (it was his "huntin rig") over the course of the next 32 years before he drove it in the back corner of a storage unit, pulled the battery, set it on jackstands and left it. Buried...sitting for more than 10 years while he lived out of an RV traveling all over the place. He said it was a good runner, but that it needed a new "bucket". I told him I didn't care, and at the price he listed I'm happy to take it.
Then I didn't here from him for more than 3 weeks, when all of the sudden I got a call out of the blue that he was going to be in town and wanted me to come get it this past weekend. I drug a flatbed trailer out there, spent about 2 hours moving stuff out of this guys storage unit, and unearthed an incredibly well preserved 71 Bronco Sport. Not a single drop of oil or anything underneath it.
I drug it out, loaded it on the trailer and drove it about 75 minutes home...the entire time in awe of what I'd just found. When I got home I lifted the hard top off (it wasn't installed but rather sitting over the "soft top" with some 2x6 between the top and the Bronco) and started clearing out all the junk. I found the back seat carefully loaded in there, upside down, with the original upholstery in fabulous shape. The seat covers had been installed since before this owner bought it, and he never took them. I removed them to find the original upholstery in fabulous condition.
He claims the 29,XXX miles on the odometer are original, and judging by the lack of wear on the seat and the pedals, I believe him.
I disconnected the fuel line, ran a line to my gas can, hooked some jumper cables to my 22 Bronco, sprayed some starter fluid in the carb and it fired right up...then died. I noticed the fuel filter was dry and after a couple more attempts with the same outcome, I ran to O'Reilly and bought a fuel pump. 20 minutes later it was installed and the Bronco was purring like a kitten. I siphoned the old gas out, put some new gas in (ethanol free) and it runs like a dream.
I did have a brief period where I couldn't start it a time or two, but I think it was just working out some remnant old fuel because since then it fires right up and runs perfectly.
So far, everything that I've tried works expect for the cigarette lighter, the reverse lights, the horn (it will work if you get it JUST RIGHT) and the left blinker doesn't auto cancel. I'm just in awe of what I found and feel so fortunate. I now just need to figure out how to keep it - I have no space in the garage.
So far, the only things I can tell that have been done to it is new carpet, a new casette player with some additional speakers and an amplifier, a CB radio, a new carb with auto choke, new spark plugs and wires, new starter solenoid (those look brand new) and the shifter moved to the floor. Oh yeah, and a quick exterior paint job done sometime in the 70's.
I'll post little updates here and there as I do things, but I wanted to share my score with the rest of the world. You can find a gallery of the photos I have so far here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/m54gXj2xdCndtYQT7
Then I didn't here from him for more than 3 weeks, when all of the sudden I got a call out of the blue that he was going to be in town and wanted me to come get it this past weekend. I drug a flatbed trailer out there, spent about 2 hours moving stuff out of this guys storage unit, and unearthed an incredibly well preserved 71 Bronco Sport. Not a single drop of oil or anything underneath it.
I drug it out, loaded it on the trailer and drove it about 75 minutes home...the entire time in awe of what I'd just found. When I got home I lifted the hard top off (it wasn't installed but rather sitting over the "soft top" with some 2x6 between the top and the Bronco) and started clearing out all the junk. I found the back seat carefully loaded in there, upside down, with the original upholstery in fabulous shape. The seat covers had been installed since before this owner bought it, and he never took them. I removed them to find the original upholstery in fabulous condition.
He claims the 29,XXX miles on the odometer are original, and judging by the lack of wear on the seat and the pedals, I believe him.
I disconnected the fuel line, ran a line to my gas can, hooked some jumper cables to my 22 Bronco, sprayed some starter fluid in the carb and it fired right up...then died. I noticed the fuel filter was dry and after a couple more attempts with the same outcome, I ran to O'Reilly and bought a fuel pump. 20 minutes later it was installed and the Bronco was purring like a kitten. I siphoned the old gas out, put some new gas in (ethanol free) and it runs like a dream.
I did have a brief period where I couldn't start it a time or two, but I think it was just working out some remnant old fuel because since then it fires right up and runs perfectly.
So far, everything that I've tried works expect for the cigarette lighter, the reverse lights, the horn (it will work if you get it JUST RIGHT) and the left blinker doesn't auto cancel. I'm just in awe of what I found and feel so fortunate. I now just need to figure out how to keep it - I have no space in the garage.
So far, the only things I can tell that have been done to it is new carpet, a new casette player with some additional speakers and an amplifier, a CB radio, a new carb with auto choke, new spark plugs and wires, new starter solenoid (those look brand new) and the shifter moved to the floor. Oh yeah, and a quick exterior paint job done sometime in the 70's.
I'll post little updates here and there as I do things, but I wanted to share my score with the rest of the world. You can find a gallery of the photos I have so far here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/m54gXj2xdCndtYQT7
