Opinions: Bronco vs FJ40 vs Wrangler?

[hoser]

I'm looking for my first off-roader to use up in the snow and a time-to-time around town driver. I'm assuming most of you have Broncos. Why did you choose it over a Toyota FJ40 or Wrangler?

Opinions much appreciated!

 

[BG's 68 Bronco]

Couldn't find a decent yota at the right price and who wants a heep? It's nice to be 1 of 10 on the road vs. driving down the street and seeing someone else with the exact same ride in the same colour and it's a girl driving it. Your nuts kind of shrivel up after that!! ;D

 

[GrantMurray]

Just check out your television commercials these days, there's an early bronco in a handful of them. The simple lines and stance does it for me, whether it's a rock rig or your grandpa's uncut original stocker. You just don't get that from a Wrangler or FJ. I've had my Bronco since 1983 and I still sometimes just like to sit in it and dream about what else I want to do it. Never had that kind of affair with my Sahara that I sold 3 years ago.

 

[texashcane]

I was in the same boat several years ago. I went with a bronco just to be a little different. I knew nothing about off roading; I just wanted something I could enjoy at the beach with the top off. Six broncos later i am hooked. I love wheeling a 38 year old rig vs some of the newer things out there. I've since learned a lot about off roading which can be an expensive education, but I don not regret any of it. It seems the bronco people I have wheeled with are a lot more friendly than other. They are not stand offish always sizing up one anothers rigs. We always help each other out and work on one another's rigs to get you going again. I've been baled out many a time by someone with more expertise than myself. Where are you located? Come to a bronco event vs. another event with a mix of vehicles and you will begin to understand.
Go with a bronco. You will not regret it.
That is my extremely biased opinion.

Stephen

 

[trailpsycho]

FJs are cool, but a bit more rare. Most of the FJs I see have been restored, which means they will cost even more $$. The other problem with FJs is that they are small, maybe smaller than a heep. They are even more rust-prone than the Broncos: 70s Japanese steel is horrible...I think only the International Scouts were more rust-prone.

I think if you look at what a Bronco is: 302 V-8, D20 TC, C-4 or 3Spd (both hardy trannys), D44 front end, 9" rear end, fully boxed frame and of course removable doors, top and fold-down windshield...its a no-brainer; the BRonco is BEEF. The question is what are you about...seriously, I am not trying to sound macho, but the reality is unless you have ALOT of extra money to pay someone else to do teh work for you or perform upgrades/fixes for you, you need to be the kind of guy/girl who is willing to spend a decent bit of time doing some upkeep/work. There is alot of getting dirty, preventative maintenance, rust-repair, rebuilding of some things here and there or at least have the ability to do some parts changes and upgrades...keep in mind that at this point all of these trucks are 30-40 years old. Alot of them will require a decent bit of maintenance to get them ready for dependable off-road duty. If you are lucky enough to find/afford a Bronco already cleaned-up, beefed-up or still in great shape for a reasonable price and you plan to run it in the snow; it will require alot of maintenance to keep it that sweet condition...snow and salt are not her friend. If you are into wrenching, then the Broncos are great...relatively simple, durable, and pretty affordable as far as parts cost and availability. We have excellent vendors who provide us with everything from mechanicals to body parts to drivetrain upgrades to hard core wheeling accessories and technological advancements. Its a great time to be in a Bronco--if you have a little time and cash--the suspensions out now ride/perform better than ever before both on and off-road. Drivetrain upgrades are readily available to go to modern 5 and 6 spd transmissions, low range transfer cases, fuel injection upgrades are common. Of course, these all add up. Or you can keep them stock or slightly modified and still have quite a Beast. Do your research, find some folks from the site local to you. Check out their trucks, get an idea what you want and whether a Bronco is right for you. I rarely hear anyone regretting buying one of these classic trucks...when they leave, they almost always come back when they realize the grass just wasnt greener.

I wont even discuss the heep; if you have to ask why, dont buy.


Good luck with your choices.

John

 

[bmc69]

I started out with Scouts in the 70s..still have two now. I almost bought a '74 FJ40 back in the the early 80's and still have a lot of respect for those things. But they are scarce and pricey..upgrade part options somewhat limited. Kinda like the older Land Rovers in that way..you pretty much run what they built or do a LOT of custom fabbing otherwise.

Jeeps..well I guess for me it's the 'everybody idiot has one' nature of them and very limited out-of-the-box capability they have always had, especially when compared to the stout drivetrains used in the Scout IIs and 71 1/2-up EBs.

EBs are just too easy to make do about anything you want them to do..and will turn more heads and get more attention than all of the otheres combined. So there is ego involved too;D

 

[Doyle]

If I gotta explain it, you just wouldn't understand. LOL. It's an addiction, once hooked you can never do without for long.

 

[Dan76]

They are hands down coolest rigs around.. wether its summertime or winter. Top up or top down they're a blast, plus the girls just looooove them. They are alot more luxurious then any heep or cruiser ive been in, stock they have really solid running gear V8/D20/C4(or 3sp)/D44/9" they are also extremely easy to work on probably one of the easiest vehicles ive worked with. They are becoming more and more popular which also makes them worth alot more so its really a good investment. Since they're so popular and bronco owners love their trucks so much, theres a HUGE amount of easily accessed recources on these trucks aswell as parts suppliers.

 

[74BroncoCO]

Well I assume you posted this on Yota and Heep sites as well? Because you'll get a highly biased opinion here, but it's not without it's merits. I went bronco because 1, I bleed blue, and two they aren't the run of the mill rig on the trails. The advatages to Heeps are they are plentiful and cheap and parts are available just about anywhere. the disadvantages, no V8, drivetrain is weaker stock, and everyone their grandma has one.

That being said, the FJ's are cool too. They can make great wheelin rigs or trail riders, but as mentione above, are harder to find in good shape and parts aren't quite as available.

Keep in mind that if you are looking for a wheeling rig, the 71 and new rigs have a D44 front axle, the older ones are D30, which are a weaker axle. Also in 76 and 77 they had factory front disc brakes. Also the later years came with a Big Bearing 9" rear, but I can't remember the split there.

Your personality and purpose for the vehicle should be your deciding factors. Have fun looking around and let us know what you decide, even if it's not a Bronco!

J.D.

 

[broncnaz]

Bronco all the way they do all you ask in stock form and not everyone has one. my next choice would be the FJ40 stout drive train and they are cool. If I had to have a heep it would be a willy's or ford GPW the true jeeps.

 

[hoser]

Suggestions on year to look for?

Any suggestions as to years to look for or avoid?

 

[broncow72]

Tough question on a bronco site... I think if you keep your eyes open to whatever fits YOUR needs, get it. There is a coolenss to older trucks. Broncos, Scouts, FJs....even Jeeps. But there are more cool jeeps than the wrangler. Keep your eyes open for their Commandos. They are very cool and as capable as anything else of it's era.
When you try to compare wranglers to the real offroad pioneering trucks of the '60's and '70's....well, not good. They've been pussified over the years.
Other cool rigs to keep your eyes open for are Defender 88's and datsun patrols.
And as much as I'm going to get flamed for this...Suzuki samurai's make fantastic first time off roaders. They are cheap to buy, cheap to upgrade and fix. Plus, they're able to get into places we couldn't think of.

You're doing the right thing by researching, just don't expect much from a specist group like ourselves.;D

Remember, get what you want and use it. Nothing worse than looking at a project sitting in the garage for more than a year:-[

 

[trailpsycho]

Some of that may depend on the state you live in. As aforementioned, the 76/77 yrs had factory disc brakes up front and power steering and power brakes were options from the factory, but were not standard equipment-as some think-just pretty common options. The Big Bearing rear end was also factory equipment in 76/77 and are slightly more desirable than other 9", but really ANY 9" rear end is better than no 9" rear end. But otherwise, as mentioned, after mid-71 the D44 replaced the D30. The D44 is much more desirable than the D30. The drum brake versions of the D44 (71.5-75) can easily be converted to disc brakes using either readily available Chevy or Ford parts. You can do a search using hte function above and spend hours going through all the info...probably also in the tech section too. The 66-68 broncos had removable door frames, which some find desirable. But really any Bronco is or can be built to the level of any other Bronco pretty readily. Like I mentioned before...read, read, research and find some local folks to get a little "hands on" time.

Building one (up) or rehabbing one is a great time and a great learning experience to become acquainted with the truck...however, it is also probably the more expensive proposition...the most expensive option is having someone else do the work for you; can you say money-pit? You will have some guys say, "OH, thers no way that truck is worth that much $!" Sometimes, this is true. However, the market determines an items value and Broncos are the shit...DUH! Most of the time, buying a very clean, refurbished, rebuilt, restored, or resto-modded truck is a cost-effective option....most of the time the seller is loosing money...unfortunately. Notice how I used the different adjectives above; thats because as with most used vehicles, there are varying degrees of "rebuilt/restored, etc"...make sure you know what yours is. Buying a truck with a solid body, I would argue, is often a better trade off than buying a mechanically sound truck that needs alot of rust repair or body work. The mechanicals are the easy part...and probably cheaper too. You also need to know where to look for the "problem spots" and rust. You can do a search on this too. Dont be shy the search function works very well on this site and members are not afraid to give a plethora of opinions, if you couldnt tell. Really restoring or resto-modding a truck--with you doing the work--in stock form will probably cost about $20K, with upgraded components, etc its closer to $30K and up, up, up. So, if you find one 'mostly' finished with upgrades in the 15-20K range you will come out ahead, if the specs suit you. Oh yeah, since you are new; they are NEVER really 'finished'. Best of luck on your vehicle-quest.

Just as a ball park figure; a driveable starter Bronco should be obtainable in the 3500-6K range, depending on condition. Anything less, should probably be thought of as a steal (if its in good to moderate condition) or a project/parts/starter vehicle. Anything above $7500 should be pretty clean, straight, modified, lifted, or built or some combination of such and the price goes from there. Again, good luck.

John

 

[NAK]

Hey Hoser.

My advice to you is obviously is go Bronco. But after that, I would say spend the money on a rust-free body or a body that has been fixed. Take extra precaution on this. I find that mechanical parts are easy to find and mechanically the Bronco is relatively easy to work on. It seems to me that there are lot of Broncos for sale that have good mechanicals, but nasty bodies and thats because body work is difficult to do in your backyard. My hat is off to you guys that do it well. I just purchased my second Bronco and I spent an extra few thousand on a solid body... and it took me a couple of years to find this one in my price range(actually I spent a little more than budget, but it was worth it).

 

[NAK]

Oh, and why I chose it over the others...
1 more room than both.
2 more power " "
3 rides better " " unless you go TJ as they ride on front coils now too.
4 im not real macho, but lots of chics drive heeps.
5 like the back seat compared to fj's.
6 bought my '75 in 92 for 3g's sold it 4 years later for 4g's... now i got my framed up resto '69 for 13g's... guess they are an appreciatting asset.

 

[pmhvps]

I'm looking for my first off-roader to use up in the snow and a time-to-time around town driver. I'm assuming most of you have Broncos. Why did you choose it over a Toyota FJ40 or Wrangler?

Opinions much appreciated!

Well, I have both. A '69 Bronc and a '78 FJ-40. I belong to Upper Canada Cruisers in Ontario, no Bronco clubs here that I know of. As for preference, I like them both. I'm a bit more partial to the EB though. As someone said, I also bleed Ford blue. I work at Ford and the Bronc gets me preferred parking...lol. My oldest son had a BJ-42 (diesel) down on the beach and a girl came up to him and said I like your Big Heep! He said, ........BJ. Before he could say Toyo......she told him to F off.....lol. He ended up pulling a Heep out of the sand that day. The '69 EB rides smoother than the FJ. As was mentioned find something that has a good body.

Mike.

 

[jmaples]

Fj40 Vs Bronco

I've currently got a 76 Bronco that I traded my 76 Fj40 for about 2 years ago. It's all been said before but as with any truck they both have there goods and bads. I to prefer my Bronco over the Fj even though they are a stout rig. The Fj's are getting harder to find with the stock bullet proof 2F six cylinder engine. If you choose the Fj that's what I would look for. The Fj's also have limited conversions that you can do from a junk yard or even the aftermarket, unless you go with chevy (most commmon) or ford engines which IMO is cool I love FJ40's on Dana 60's and a 351W 203/205 Tcase, fuel injected of course. If your looking at a truck you can drive around town, moderate trails, nothing bigger than 33inch tires either one in stock form will suite you well. There are alot more options for building a trail rig IE lower tcase gears, axles, fuel injection, in the Bronco. The Bronco will have a smother ride and a little more room. The cruiser like I said will give you a couple hundredthousand miles on a 2F motor. Fold up jump seats are cool as well. To properly lift a FJ (IMO spring over takes a little more fabrication cut and turn knuckles), most Fj's will have 350's. Alot are done wrong with the engine to far back in the engine compartment which will cause overheating. The Fj is easy to regear with the ability to pull both 3rd members. The rear axles are C-clip and 30 spline which is gay. The power steering in stock form sucks, most have had saginaw conversions done (look for a boxed frame),
No matter which one you are leaning towards drive them all, try to figure out you will want to eventually do to it (that is always changing at least for me) and get hooked. I have been hooked on both rigs and I appreciate any well built rig, even a Wrangler. JMaples

 

[hoser]

Snow and mud use

A lot of use would be going up rainy or snowy roads up to a local lake. So semi-deep mud and probably snow would be a concern. Does the early Broncos measure up well to the other choices?

I'd definatly be willing to spend some extra on a pretty decent condition (no rust) Bronco. Just have to find the right one. Looking at a couple for sale on this board, but seem pretty pricey at first glance (but may not be once I learm more). These are two I'm looking at since they're in CA already:

This one close by my town:
http://www.classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86246

This one is really expensive and I'm waiting on list of upgrades to see why (body is in great shape):
http://www.classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88151

 

[trailpsycho]

You will pay a premium in Cali. It may be worth your while to look further away; fly out and drive it back or have it shipped....yes, you can save that much by looking outside Cali. At the same time, there are some nice ones there that dont have the corrosion issues that some other parts of the country have.

 

[broncohaulic]

broncos (after '71) come with a dana 44 front axle. jeepers find scout IIs to get 44s from to upgrade the jeeps. the ford 9" rearend is about the strongest made (until you get to like 3/4 & 1 ton trucks) I really believe that broncos will outperform a jeep. It may be a fluke but they just seem to work better than jeeps. A lot of times both myself and my son will pass a jeep, eqipped similarly to our broncos, stuck up to the axles and we can drive right around them - sometimes we are even still in 2wd. And ..... broncos are just flat out cooler.

But if youare after a vehicle for snow a longer wheelbase vehicle like a suburban will be more stable on slick roads. I own 3 broncos and 2 suburbans and we always take the 4x4 suburban skiing it's just more stable. But for offroading the bronco wins hands down.