For Real?

[TheGanzman]

Your wish is my command (whatever the hell THAT means!), Mssr. Todd:

These are courtesy of none other than Mssr. Jay Leno hisself; I guess they were in an early Porsche of his that he sourced the original & correct seats for. For the record, these were actually a fairly rare factory/dealer option for Porsche & BMW back in the '70's & '80's; they are incredibly well-made "suspension seats" on a par with (or a tick above) Recaro seats. I've been trying to source a pair of LEATHER Scheel-Mann seats for about a dozen years now; thanks and a tip o' the hat to Jay Leno!

 

[delconick]

All of this from a guy who brags about parting out over 200 Broncos %)

I'm in Pennsylvania....... if you see what a typical bronco looks like here after being used as a plow truck all its life its far different then what you think! I'm parting out literal junk. ask anyone who sees the crap I part in person.

around here barn finds are one in a million. vehicles rott in the garages here!!!! to us they are mythical beings! unlike you lucky cali guys!!!!!

 

[toddz69]

Your wish is my command (whatever the hell THAT means!), Mssr. Todd:

These are courtesy of none other than Mssr. Jay Leno hisself; I guess they were in an early Porsche of his that he sourced the original & correct seats for. For the record, these were actually a fairly rare factory/dealer option for Porsche & BMW back in the '70's & '80's; they are incredibly well-made "suspension seats" on a par with (or a tick above) Recaro seats. I've been trying to source a pair of LEATHER Scheel-Mann seats for about a dozen years now; thanks and a tip o' the hat to Jay Leno!

Thanks! Those are really nice seats. I really like the high end buckets from that era - I have a pair of late '70s BMW Recaros in my truck as well.

Todd Z.

 

[JAFO]

I'm a broken record, but I like these trucks staying mostly stock. If I want to drive modern I'll go buy a modern vehicle. A Bronco body on top mostly modern other stuff is no longer a Bronco in my book. You butcher a classic, it is no longer a classic. But of course to each his own.

 

[Dave K.]

The day of reckoning happens when the owners go to sell and realize they might be lucky to get 50% of their "investment"....

 

[Ryan_M]

I'm a broken record, but I like these trucks staying mostly stock. If I want to drive modern I'll go buy a modern vehicle. A Bronco body on top mostly modern other stuff is no longer a Bronco in my book. You butcher a classic, it is no longer a classic. But of course to each his own.

I think you if you expect to drive your bronco with any regularity and expect it to last another 40 years then you must accept some "modernization" is going to need to happen.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

I read all of these replies and can relate to each one of them from that perspective. I think the biggest thing back to the OP and his statement about the new builder, for me, they certainly are not my taste but it is part of this hobby to buy a bronco and make it yours. This is no different than the Harley owners, you start with something and make it yours, you do it for you, not for future resale etc as if any of you who have owned a Harley for example learn 2 very important things, what it is you do to make it yours, 90% of your changes go un-noticed by others, the first thing they always see is a Harley and #2 is when you decide to sell it, all of the stuff you spent thousands on to make it yours doesn't fetch you one penny more... This is the same for the Broncos. You buy it because you like it, you want something different and as I am learning with my customers, they want it to be theirs, fit their needs and give them what they want to see out of it. I don't see anything wrong with modern power plants though I do try to steer them towards building a proper 302 to their likings etc. but there is always that factor of what they want and what is cool to them. From cutting them, to uncut, lifted or lowered and even the dreaded bow tie conversions that exist, it still is a Bronco and it gives the owner exactly what he or she wants. It is this that drives our hobby and keeps their value rising. Yes it sucks that what 1K would have bought 10 years ago vs today but that is life. They are not making any more 66-77 Broncos so they will continue to become harder and harder to find. It's all part of it wether you like all of the aspects or only some of them. Either way, to each their own, at the end of the day I am just happy to see another EB living on and being enjoyed by someone even if it is not my taste, it still puts a smile on my face.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[NCSUWoj]

He certainly does have the advertising and display part down. My issue was I have yet to really see what he has done. When I saw his display at Carlisle Friday afternoon, the carrier truck had broken down and he didn't have any of "his" work to display yet. You go to his website, I see pics of a few barn finds but not really sure what it is he is exactly doing... No doubt he is legit, has the $$ and a heck of a business plan. I asked him at the display at Carlisle where some examples of his builds were... Probably thought I was a jacka$$ but I wasn't really sure what was going on...

 

[JAFO]

I think you if you expect to drive your bronco with any regularity and expect it to last another 40 years then you must accept some "modernization" is going to need to happen.

I will disagree that I must modernize my Bronco to drive it regularly. I have put 6800 miles on mine since November. It's doing fine. Everything was new or rebuilt when I put it on the road, so I expect it to last fairly well with regular maintenance. It lasted 40+ years before, though it was in pretty rough shape when I bought it in 2007. People daily drove my model in 1973, as all the other even older cars on the road in that time period.

Not sure what I need to modernize. I don't have cruise and don't seem to need it. Extremely Light pedal pressure holds it at speed. And your leg gets used to it, like when I didn't have cruise back in the day. I drive down to our boat (180 mile round trip) and am comfortable. But, I started driving in 1976 and I didn't own a car with cruise until the late 80's, early 90's as I remember. Seats seem fine to me. I would like to add intermittent wipers, but then I don't drive in the rain, so maybe no matter. I know that if I am in a crash I'll have the same chance someone had back in the 70's, but again, I grew up in vehicles like this and it's my choice.

I kind of wonder how many early Bronco owners are driving a totally restored Bronco. If they were driving a like new Bronco they might sing a different tune. But maybe not. So many people these days must have their creature comforts. I'm not one of them. My daily driver is an FJ40 for the past three years and so when I get in the Bronco the ride is much more comfortable .

 

[HoldMyPocket]

The Bronco was great out of the box. Put together the best features of any of the classic Broncos offered from the dealership with a few aftermarket additions and you have a great, simple, capable truck that won't break the bank or your heart: carbureted V8, Auto Transmission, power-steering, disc-brakes, Dana 44, Ford 9, Dana 20, add air-conditioning, lockers, and a lift if you're into that (my plan).

 

[TheGanzman]

When it comes to a "daily driver", a WHOLE LOT depends on exactly WHERE you live, and what your "daily drive" IS! Some of you guys prolly never take your Bronco above 45 MPH, and never get off a 2-lane road. Come on out here to SoCal and lemme see you take your "stone stock" 6 cylinder, manual steering, manual brakes Bronco out on the Freeway - you'll be like Pops in his Model A! I've set my Bronco up with suspension seats, 4 wheel power disc brakes, power steering, F&R sway bars, and a "modern sized" steering wheel, as well as a stock suspension with ZERO lift and 5+ degrees of caster; as such, I can drive 80 MPH (and STILL get passed LOL!) with one hand on the wheel. Still carbureted, stock 3.50 open rear, and NO QUESTION that if I were in a crash, even at 50 MPH, my wife would be enjoying an early retirement from my "death insurance" settlement...

I agree with Englewood Cowboy's MOST erudite post above; as a former Harley owner, the analogy is PERFECT! And I will say also: "A rising tide raises ALL boats" - if this guy's bidness gets any traction, we will ALL reap the benefits of an increased interest, awareness, and desire for ANY & ALL Early Broncos! As an aside, the more interest, awareness, and desire for these vehicles will have the "ripple effect" on our fine vendors, who will up the ante by making more/better parts available for same - yes please!

 

[Ryan_M]

I will disagree that I must modernize my Bronco to drive it regularly. I have put 6800 miles on mine since November. It's doing fine. Everything was new or rebuilt when I put it on the road, so I expect it to last fairly well with regular maintenance. It lasted 40+ years before, though it was in pretty rough shape when I bought it in 2007. People daily drove my model in 1973, as all the other even older cars on the road in that time period.

Not sure what I need to modernize. I don't have cruise and don't seem to need it. Extremely Light pedal pressure holds it at speed. And your leg gets used to it, like when I didn't have cruise back in the day. I drive down to our boat (180 mile round trip) and am comfortable. But, I started driving in 1976 and I didn't own a car with cruise until the late 80's, early 90's as I remember. Seats seem fine to me. I would like to add intermittent wipers, but then I don't drive in the rain, so maybe no matter. I know that if I am in a crash I'll have the same chance someone had back in the 70's, but again, I grew up in vehicles like this and it's my choice.

I kind of wonder how many early Bronco owners are driving a totally restored Bronco. If they were driving a like new Bronco they might sing a different tune. But maybe not. So many people these days must have their creature comforts. I'm not one of them. My daily driver is an FJ40 for the past three years and so when I get in the Bronco the ride is much more comfortable .

I guess when I said modernization you took that as a new car. Your first statement effectively said you want all cars to remain stock. Seems like a stretch to talk about modernization and jump to cruise control and I assume references to airbags?

With regards to safety times have changed a lot since 1973 when the federal mandated speed limit was 55 MPH and today most highways are 65-75 MPH. Let us not forget to mention 16 year old kids playing on their phones and driving.

So yes count me in for modern brakes and modern tires and modern lights that allow me to see far enough out to keep up with my speed. I'll toss some new suspension in there, well because technology has made it better.

 

[Slowleak]

When you talk about an EB needing to be "modernized" if you want to drive it regularly, keep in mind that there is a big difference between a '66 with a 3 speed, 4:11 gears and manual drums and a '77 with automatic, A/C, 3:50 gears, and power disc brakes.

 

[Teal68]

When you talk about an EB needing to be "modernized" if you want to drive it regularly, keep in mind that there is a big difference between a '66 with a 3 speed, 4:11 gears and manual drums and a '77 with automatic, A/C, 3:50 gears, and power disc brakes.

Yea, you got that right "big difference". That to me is almost the difference between old and modern when it comes to driving comfort today. Power steering and power brakes with disc in the front are the two must haves for me for comfort driving. AC is on the wish list here in FL these days for sure!

 

[Nickm1024cobra]

Modernize....

Interesting how people consider "modernization" and "daily driving". Different for everyone. Im in my late 30's, so I appreciate cars from the 60's and 70's but have no desire to drive one that drives like that. I have a couple toys that look old but are modern. I bought a 65 fastback that was gorgeous. I hated driving that car. Manual drum brakes, stock 4 speed trans, and manual steering. I sold it pretty quick as it was too nice in my book to turn into something else. My goal with the bronco was for it to look like a beach cruiser with power disks, hydroboost, power steering, fuel injection, etc. To me...that is a fun drive to cruise around with the kids and safely do 70mph on the highway in Chicago.

To each their own. Different strokes for different folks.