Help - suggestion for Bronco purchase

[asa]

Recently went to show and fell in love w/69 Bronco. Did some very basic research and find the 69-76 similar in looks. I am not mechanically inclined. I want Bronco to have fun in - stick shift on floor, hard top, reliable, good shape or easy to restore. Any suggestions on particular year, model, specs, to look for would be greatly appreciated. Live in Northeast. Thanks.

 

[wildbill]

%) %) %) Bronco's are the same body from 66 to 77 and if you want one that need's little work you will need to look hard and be ready to pay a lot. But if you want to learn then you will be able to find a fixer up and start there but it is a never ending thing. The more you do the more you want to do. Its a lot of fun good luck and hope you find what you want. Bill

 

[Jeepster]

As wildbill states the Broncos are, style wise the same from 66-77. The 76-77 having the best goodies from the factory. Finding one in the northeast in good shape is to say the least a challenge but doable if luck is smiling opon you. A bronco is by todays standards very easy to learn and work on. Almost a joy in simplicity. Its like a big toy. ;D

The big factor is rust in a vehicle this old and care must be taken to inspect everynook and cranny over and under for rot. Rust is about the only thing that kills these things. If you find one,or two, buy the best one you can find body wise (I personally stink at bodywork). The extra money in cost will be worth it. Everything else can be replaced/rebuilt. Like I said these are big toys. There are guys that have built broncos with nothing more than a title and a collection of parts. And those with no more knowledge than turning a screwdriver that have expanded their skills far beyond expections due to the simple nature of the vehicle.

 

[asa]

Help

Tks. Bill for advice. Depends on what you mean by alot. I'm female but have dependable mechanic who can help w/work.

 

[asa]

Help

Tks. to you Jeepster. As I told Bill, I am female and would not be able to do most of work. Any suggestions as to motor type, most reliable year, questions to ask seller. Also, any quirks they may have. I can travel to southeast to find 1 but don't want to waste time looking at something that is not suitable.

 

[Jeepster]

Tks. Bill for advice. Depends on what you mean by alot. I'm female but have dependable mechanic who can help w/work.

You can buy decent broncos for $3500 (some rust/issues)and up. Up could mean as much as the seller is asking.

You shouldn't let the fact that your female hinder your skill level or desire to learn. There are several ladies here that wrench for themself. The ability to perform the work yourself is a major factor in ownership of these vehicles for the fact that labor cost today would make owning one of these beauties costwise put a hurtin on your purse if you have to rely on hired help.

 

[Jeepster]

Tks. to you Jeepster. As I told Bill, I am female and would not be able to do most of work. Any suggestions as to motor type, most reliable year, questions to ask seller. Also, any quirks they may have. I can travel to southeast to find 1 but don't want to waste time looking at something that is not suitable.

Most early Broncos DONT have POWER anything! (Brakes/steering/Transmission) The 76-77 model came with these items. Better/bigger front axles (Dana 44) and big bearing rearends (ford 9") power Disk brakes (front) and larger Drum brakes (11") rear. C4 auto trannies. You will ofcourse find most rigs that have had upgrades at sometime in their lifes. Finding a EB that has been unmolested is a rare find. A v8 engine is favored and you will find a couple of sizes depending on year. 289 earlier yrs to 302 later. A 351w is a popular swap as is a late model 5.0 from a mustang or something. A reliable year? There isnt one over the other. It boils down to the individual vehicle and the care/quality of work that the vehicle has seen. Quirks? The Bronco is a bare bones crude vehicle by todays standards. No luxuries/cupholders. They are noisey, like to rattle. Sometimes cold if the heater isnt up to snuff and allways hot in the summer. The good point is you can remove the top with some effort. Bottom line is you gotta really love one of these things to own one. Its kinda like a guy that farts in bed but you dont really care cause you love him. ;D Visual inspection is the only way to buy one. It takes time to find a good one.

 

[Skuzzlebutt]

Here's a chart showing the few upgrades Ford made over the 12 year run. Generally speaking, later years have better equipment but all of the upgrades can be retrofitted to earlier model fairly easily. Finding a solid platform to start with is more important than finding one with all the bells and whistles.

 

[Fathom]

....I'm female but have dependable mechanic who can help w/work.

Glad to see more ladies getting involved. But don't use that as an excuse. You will need to get dirty, but is washes off.

I would suggest you work with the mechanic and have him/her show you what to do. You do the work he/she tell you how/why!

If your rig breaks down on the road, your Mechanic won't be there.

You already made the first step, you signed on here!

Good Luck, welcome to the board, and get us some pictures of what you are looking at buying! ;D

Fathom

 

[70_Steve]

You're asking for opinion as much as anything else. And, as we all know, opinions are like... elbows. (That's how the saying goes, right?) Everybody's got a couple? Jeepster's right, in that the 76-77 Bronco's came stock with a lot of goodies like power steering and power disk brakes. But it's very common to see the pre-76/77 Bronco's upgraded to these goodies. Look at Fathom's signature. His first line is "1966 Un-cut Bronco w/170 ci, Very Stock (w/Power breaks & Steering; 3.5 suspension lift)" Just an example.

Another consideration might be any local emissions requirements. The older EBs may not require emissions testing.

 

[TOFIC]

Welcome to the board!! Always nice to see a new member

You state you are female and have a mechanic friend, Thats real good, but are you using the fact you are female to get out of some work?? Just teasing, dont let the fact you are of the "gentle" gender stop you from learning and working on your Bronco. Nothing is more satisfying than tackling a repair job yourself and getting it done. Nice thing is, you know it is fixed and fixed the way you want it. Another bonus is when you have to take the Bronco to a garage you will know what they are telling you is the straight goods or a pile of S**T. AND you can argue with them from knowledge.

AS to the opinion part, in your situation, I would agree with the guys about the 76 or 77 Bronco. Has the goodies from the factory and would probably be better from the standpoint of work to be done. Not much, but some. If the one you are looking at doesn't look good probably isn't. Once you find a good one, take it to a body shop, and pay them to have a quick look at it. Body is the problem with Broncos, most of us are not bodyman type people, except 2badrotties, so get an opinion from them. As to mechanical, if you can read and write you can fix a EB. right guys??

Again, welcome, and remember grease and oil wash off. Satisfaction of a tough job done well by you lasts forever.

TOFIC

 

[asa]

Help

I'm overwhelmed by you guys (any girls out there?). Your suggestions are great. I've been searching for information for some time. Should have found you sooner. I'll have to narrow choices. As to lack of luxury - I had a bare bones 76 Jeep for 18 yrs., and then an 86 Jeep for 5, both stick, no a/c, power windows or locks, etc. Reliability, power, and fun to drive is what I'm looking for. It doesn't have to be all original.

 

[2badrotties]

Trying to find a GOOD Bronco in the Northeast is tough. They rust so bad and bodywork isn't cheap. Most of these trucks will be pretty reasonable to repair mechanically. No computers, fuel injection, and everything else is pretty simple. I posted one for a guy a while back. It is fiberglass body and I think it is pretty good mechanically. Give him a call. You never know what he may sell it for with cash in hand.
http://www.classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51571

Good luck with your search.

 

[2badrotties]

Me again ;D . I don't know what your budget will allow but I do know of another one here in N.Y. that is supposed to be VERY nice and rust free. PM me for a phone number and you can ask what he wants for it. He has owned it for about 15 years and it has a lot done to it.

 

[Kidney]

I am not mechanically inclined.

Honestly how many of us are really Mechanically inclined? I know when I first bought my Bronco or even my motorcycle for that matter. All I did was buy a manual and found great web sites to help me out (since you registered you have one part taken care of). If you can follow directions and purchase an ok set of tools (nothing fancy) you could fix just about anything on your Bronco. Also get used to yelling at people "It's not a jeep you A@# Hole!"

 

[Jeepster]

Reliability, power, and fun to drive is what I'm looking for. It doesn't have to be all original.

Power and fun factor is certainly there for sure. As well as the head turning factor. ;D Reliability is hingent opon the care of the vehicle which anyone of them can be made to be so with some work. Jeeps are fun I know,have 2,...the Bronco is allthat and more. Plus being in the northeast you would be part of the rare breed by just having one.

Besides we need more pic of ladies in Broncos. ;D

 

[2badrotties]

Besides we need more pic of ladies in Broncos. ;D

Yep, Jeepster is right ! ;D

 

[broncosr4ever]

unless you have lots of money to put into sheet metal and a good body shop your better to get one without rust, might pay a little more but all the other stuff can be upgraded.out west we dont have much rust and can have it trucked to where your at usually under 1100.00. its amazing the money you can put into a bronco and it wont look any different. how far north east are you? ive been dealing with broncos for 15 years, some people dont realize you can get one for 2500 but then put 1000's into it when you can pay a little more and then upgrade what you want for a lot less, just depends how far you want to go. I work at a shop that does a lot of broncos so kinda know what things cost. oh by the way, female here too! got my name because i dont see the early broncos ever going away ;D

 

[2badrotties]

Yahoooo. Two females on one thread, things are getting better here

 

[asa]

Help

Appreciate the 'chart' from Skuzzlebutt and recommendations of features from Jeepster.

To broncosr4ever - live 1 hr. North of Phila. I know south is best place to buy due to rust factor but w/out experience of you 'Bronco' fans, it's hard to buy w/out seeing/trying vehicle. Unless I want to spend lots of time and money driving to far states, I have to limit myself to area.