Newby that is going to buy.

[ssrhythm]

I have loved and wanted an EB since I was in middle school. I'm 43 and looking at buying within the next 6 months, but I'm trying to do my homework. I really want an uncut, as close to original ride as possible. I have a few questions that I hope y'all can help me with.

Pros/cons of the straight 6?

What your favorite year and why?

What models came with/have a fold-down windshield? Any issues/cons with one?

I want this to be my semi-daily driver for around town use mainly with the monthly 60 mile round trip visit to the parents house and maybe an annual 12 hour round trip drive to hunt in the Ohio. Is this feasible?

I will likely have another small car for most of my traveling, but I'd like to drive it if I buy it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as this will be my first plunge into Bronco Brotherhood, and I'd like it to be my last.

Thanks, Eric.

 

[Explorer]

Extended interstate driving with a stock straight six is not good. 76-77 have the better stock options, but anything can be added. Windshield will fold down on any of them, but only the early years were equipped with a latch to hood. Rust is the number one issue in anything you look at.

 

[Scoop]

Search for "best year" and you should get lots of threads covering this. I prefer the 73-75. All options were available except disk brakes that can be added easilly. Others have different favorite years! (There are a lot of 76-77 fans out there!) There are some real nice I-6 builds but they are normally underpowered and too low geared for long cruises at freeway speeds. What you want to do is very feasible for an early Bronco. But to make it more comfortable I recommend a V8, power steering, power disk brakes, and either a C-4 or upgrade to a 4 or 5 speed manual tranny.

 

[crab]

I would look for a '73 or newer with a 302, PS and C4 auto. You can add disc breaks down the road. I picked up a bone stock '73 last year and drove it from Boise Idaho to the Oregon coast with no issues. Just look for something that hasn't been altered and is still in original paint if possible.
Good luck......there's still a few out there!

 

[BronCowie]

A lot of good advice already as usual from this bunch. Depending on what state you live in you may want to go with an older year to avoid annual smog inspections. In Oregon, I believe 1975 is the cutoff year, so my '69 is exempt... a very nice advantage.

There are also a lot of older models around that have had the usual upgrades like auto tranny, power disc brakes etc. so you don't really need to limit yourself to certain years.

There are plenty of daily drivers out there. That is entirely feasible, but be prepared to "stand out".

Welcome and good luck!

 

[ssrhythm]

Thanks for the info. My dad and I used to have a 66 Chevy 4wd that my Grandad got new; when we go it from him, it had 62K miles on her. That had a straight 6, and all I remeber about it is that it would pull a house through a quicksand pit. Being 16, I literally killed that truck over the next eight years by putting it in some seriously bad positions while hunting. From what I can remember though, the motor was relatively trouble free, but it was just a really torquey slow going ride.

I'm selling an 04 Landrover that I bought new, and once sold, I will hopefully be buying. I'm over the new luxury bla bla bla, and I'm excited about getting into a car that I've wanted to own since childhood. Just from looking around a little on the internet, I really like the looks of the 68 baby blue florida bronco with the inline 6 on broncograveyard and the orange 77 on here. My biggest issue with both is that I'm a SC Gamecock and the NC Tarheel Baby Blue and the Clemson Orange are really, really messing with my head. Both are beautiful though. %)

How about the 77 and the auto transmission? Is the stock auto a good idea? More/less trouble than a manual? I most likely will not take this on many if any long roadtrips, but I'd like to know I can if I need to.

BTW, as you can already tell, I'm an absolute idiot when it comes to anything remotely related to motors and car functioning. That said, when I put my mind to something, I get it done and get it done well. I'm in CRNA school now, and once I'm out, I plan on spending the next many forseeable years learning everything about these vehicles so I can keep the one I get running and running well. I just don't want to start with a project and a bad decision that puts me behind the 8 ball from the get go.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks again, Eric

 

[1970mule]

well in my opinion, the worst thing to deal with off the bat is body work if you are not into that kinda thing. I am talking rust and bad patch jobs and just old crap. get something that is in good shape. for me mechanical is far eaiser and more rewarding than messing with body work.

 

[sprdv1]

How about the 77 and the auto transmission? Is the stock auto a good idea? More/less trouble than a manual? I most likely will not take this on many if any long roadtrips, but I'd like to know I can if I need to.

s again, Eric

Welcome Eric..

Auto/Manual is all relative to what you enjoy driving more. Either is a good option.