New to Me: 1975 Parrot Ranger

[green61bug]

Hey guys, I haven't been super active on her and there is a lot I could share but the first thing up is this 1975 Im pretty excited about. If anyone read the recent Bronco Driver article about the 68 Stroppe road trip you might remember that SurferB likes to talk me into buying broncos. Haha. This orange ranger is no different. I woke up one morning with the listing in my inbox straight from SurferB. I didn't need another bronco but this one sure looked interesting and I felt the price was right. I started messaging and talking with the owner at 6AM and he was completely overwhelmed with all the folks inquiring about it. Once we got off the phone he sent me a few pics that really caught my attention. They showed that the bronco had a cable truss that I had never seen, although I had heard about them. The pictures also proved that the bronco was really solid and most likely original paint. That afternoon I spoke with the seller again and begged him to let me send him a deposit and make the 13hr drive to see it the next weekend. It took some persuading but I finally got him to agree and I spent the next few days thinking about it, hoping that it wouldn't get sold out from under me. I hit the road that Friday morning driving in the pouring rain the entire trip to Illinois but then as I was arriving the rain suddenly stopped. It was clear and dry just in time for me to hop out of the truck and inspect the 1975 Parrot Orange Ranger. The bronco looked killer and the owner seemed trustworthy and legit so I handed over the cash and loaded the bronco up on the trailer. I got back on the road and immediately started heading back to NC. The rain started shortly after and continued for the rest of the drive home. It was about 28hrs of driving time and I spent about 3 hrs sleeping in a Loves parking lot.

These pictures are from the next couple of days. I haven't done anything to the bronco but take it up and down the road some so these pictures show it just as I got it.

 

[green61bug]

I pulled the bronco inside after I got home and since it rained the entire trip home I wanted to pull the front carpet up to make sure the floors were able to dry out properly. Lo and Behold I found my first build sheet! It's not really legible but I still thought it was super cool.

 

[green61bug]

This bronco is in really nice original condition. What gets me is why leave a bronco so stock but then add all the suspension bits that you'll see in upcoming posts?

 

[green61bug]

It's a bummer that someone undercoated the bottom of the bronco over the years but it is really solid under there.

 

[bigmuddy]

Great find and great bronco. If that is original to IL it didn't see much winter action as the salt would have eaten it by now.

 

[green61bug]

You gotta love solid original rockers! I am going to try and remove the black paint on the rear tire carrier and license plate bracket. You can see orange underneath!

 

[green61bug]

So this Bronco has had a front and rear axle truss installed. The front being a Stroppe specific bit. It also has Dual shocks on all four corners as well as airbags in the front coils. So interesting to me and super cool. All that suspension work but they left the factory reduced noise exhaust on there. I also go the ranger cover, which I am not sure if it is original or not but is in great shape. I found these aluminum wheels on eBay right after bringing the bronco home and plan to install them for a more vintage look. We did find one crack in them so I shipped it to SurferB to weld up and repair. I also did one quick eBay search for the correct dealer tag and sure enough there was 1 original one on eBay and it was less than 100 bucks!

 

[green61bug]

Great find and great bronco. If that is original to IL it didn't see much winter action as the salt would have eaten it by now.

Thanks! It's actually a 71 DSO truck and spent its entire life in Cali until December of 2025. The guy I got it from bought it in November and took delivery in Illinois right before Christmas.

 

[toddz69]

What an incredible rig! Looks like a few of those shocks will be bump stops if the suspension compresses much .

I'm guessing the dual shocks and trusses were added when the truck was new or not very old - at a time when lift kits weren't really a thing yet.

Keep finding these beauties, and buying them! You have more than a few of us living vicariously through your purchases!

Todd Z.

 

[BajaBronco]

Such a cool truck. Was fun talking to you when you hadn't yet picked it up and were no doubt nervously pacing around. LOL Congrats. It's really cool. Those are Stroppe mounts up front and rear and cable truss axle. Rear a bit different, but a likelyhood its from there too.

 

[JGbronc]

I’m a sucker for Orange. This one is beautiful, and I love the Stroppe bits. Also, this may be the first wheel cover delete Ranger I’ve seen record of.

A great addition to an awesome collection! Congrats Jesse!

 

[green61bug]

Thanks guys! I thought this one was pretty cool. And yeah Todd, shocks are high on the list. Haha. I gotta do all the typical maintenance things as well which Im hoping to start tackling later next week. My plan is to hopefully drive it to the throwback in a few months but I've got a lot on my plate so we shall see. It's a pretty good driver but has some leaks that need addressing other than that and shocks it should just be all the new to me vehicle stuff. I am curious if dry ice blasting the underneath of this one could get rid of the undercoating. I think that would make a huge difference on this truck.

Wow, super cool about all the Stroppe bits on it. Andrew, do you think the work was probably performed at the shop?

The previous owner took off some slots to put the new wheels and tires on and unfortunately he got rid of the old wheels or that is what would be going on it.

 

[BajaBronco]

Well, seeing as how they installed the cable, that part would have to be done at Stroppe, and Stroppe & Son due to your sale date.

 

[BajaBronco]

wait a sec, they took your cable off your glovebox and put it on your front axle it seems. Now everyones gonna do that.

 

[ford man]

Nice truck I too like orange broncos and that ginger is my favorite interior ? So was it stripe delete but no rocker moldings?I am getting old and can't see the marti report .

 

[Hopstr]

What a great find! Love the Parrot Orange and the ginger interior. I'd drive that everyday.

 

[904Bronco]

Awesome.... And who doesn't love an orange Bronco!

 

[ep67bro]

Man you get some great Broncos! This one is really cool. Love the color and Stroppe bits!
Do you still have the 72 I sold you?

 

[green61bug]

Nice truck I too like orange broncos and that ginger is my favorite interior ? So was it stripe delete but no rocker moldings?I am getting old and can't see the marti report .

Ginger is up there on my list of favorite interiors too but it's hard to beat an orange explorer interior. One day... haha! It was a stripe delete and no rocker molding added. at first I wanted to add the stripe back but then I saw it was deleted so I'll leave it as it is.

 

[green61bug]

Man you get some great Broncos! This one is really cool. Love the color and Stroppe bits!
Do you still have the 72 I sold you?

Thanks man! It is a cool one for sure and feels tight. It's gonna make a great driver. I bought the '70 Carmel Bronze from you and I do still have it. It's my main daily these days.