SC First post looking for help

[swaincss]

Hello,
This is my first post here but I have been reading this forum for a while now. I am looking for an early bronco for my wife for our tenth anniversary. I first want to thank all of you and this site for the wealth of information. I have found a 1971 Bronco in Winder, GA (I will list the link below) but this being our first Bronco I fear this may be more work than we are prepared to do. I am looking for an everyday driver for my wife to give you an idea of what we are looking for. Has anyone put there eyes on the Bronco? Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

Swain

Link http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/3347674149.html

 

[swaincss]

I guess what I am asking is this too much work for us being that is our first Bronco?

 

[broncosbybart]

Depends on how much mechanical knowledge you have. I can tell that it is still manual brakes, and probably drums unless a disc conversion was done on the front. It does have PS which wasn't offered factory. Not sure what they used for it, but it is run off of a serpentine belt setup (also not factory). Can't tell much about the body. The trans is probably a manual trans still. It will likely be a handful to drive, given the tire size and the apparent lack of some updates. If it is something she is going to drive, these are all things to be aware of.

 

[swaincss]

Thanks

No anything that needs to be done I would have to pay someone to do. My wife would be driving this and my kids with her it is not something I want to half-ass as I know enough to get myself into trouble but not enough to get myself out of it. In your opinion will I be putting more than I paid for it in repairs and updates to make i a reliable safe driver?

Thank you again for your time.

Swain

 

[Crawdad]

No anything that needs to be done I would have to pay someone to do. My wife would be driving this and my kids with her it is not something I want to half-ass as I know enough to get myself into trouble but not enough to get myself out of it. In your opinion will I be putting more than I paid for it in repairs and updates to make i a reliable safe driver?

Thank you again for your time.

Swain

I will PM you.

 

[Nightstick]

If your wife and kids are gonna be riding in it, disc front and power brakes (vacuum or Hydroboost) would be the minimum I would do before they drove it. Since it already has a power steering pump, going to Hydroboost brakes wouldn't be that hard or expensive. If you need to do a disc conversion though, that can get pricey depending on whether you go with new or used parts and whether you do the work or someone else does it.

Other things you might consider are a solid roll cage, seat belts, and steering setup. You might sell the tires and go with something a little smaller to make it more road friendly as well. The bottom line is if you have limited mechanical ability and not a lotta money, you're gonna get in over your head pretty quick.

 

[Skiddy]

You might sell the tires and go with something a little smaller to make it more road friendly as well.

also i wonder what gears it has in it

 

[Oakland Bronco]

I bought my first Bronco about 1.5 years ago. Like you, any work that needed to be done on the Bronco would have to be done by a shop.

A few questions that come to mind...

1) If I were in your shoes, I would at least ask the owner for more pics. Interior, steering geometry, undercarriage, and all rusted areas. You mention that the Bronco will be transporting your wife and kids, so does it have a back seat? Seat belts? Do the lights, turn signals, etc. all work? Would you be more comfortable with your wife and kids being in the rig if it had a full family cage rather than the 4-pt cage that is in there now?

2) For your wife to be happy with the Bronco, will you need to do bodywork and paint to make it look nice? How much will a decent paint job cost you?

3) What type of transmission does it have? Is your wife comfortable with driving a stick shift (and 3-on-the-tree)?

4) What type of distances will she be driving? A 347 stroker is going to have different MPG than a 5.0 EFI with AOD transmission.

A new family-cage would cost about $1K. A decent paint job in my neck of the woods is $5-6K. New, power front disc brakes is another $1K (in parts alone). You can see how quickly things are adding up.

I paid about 2X as much for my rig (see pics in my Garage) and have already put in almost $7K since purchasing it. Just my 2-cents. Definitely don't rush it. You're doing the right thing by asking for input before pulling the trigger.

Good luck to you! I think a Bronco makes for an excellent gift!

EDIT: Just noticed that the Bronco is missing side mirrors, and rear bumper. What else?

 

[okie4570]

It was listed here on the CB classifieds yesterday after noon. I'm not sure what type of driving your wife will be doing, whether it's all highway, all town or a combo of both, but there's no way I'm sending my wife and kids down the highway with 35's, a stroker, and manual drums brakes, and a front end that I don't know anything about. If it's just going to be driven in town, then a power brake upgrade I'd be ok with. Not saying by any means that this bronco is unsafe, just pointing out some things to think about. Has she driven an EB before?

 

[Krawlin5]

I would keep looking that Bronco has a lot of work that needs to be done just to be safe on the road with that much engine and tire size.I own a 77 with powerbrakes and manuel steering and 3 on tree and I wouldnt want my wife driving it on the road this day and time even with power brakes and emergency stop can be hard to handle.

 

[Crawdad]

Any updates?

 

[Crawdad]

Any updates?