Bidding ends later in the day on Sunday for this project-grade 1979 Ford Bronco. It’s already attracted over $6,000 in bidding activity, and that’s for a truck that has rust and isn’t running at the moment. The seller notes it was parked due to issues with the braking system, but that there were no issues with the V8 mill under the hood that still spins freely. While squarebodies of this vintage are certainly climbing value-wise, I’m a little surprised to see the action so far on this example. Find the Bronco here on eBay and located in Hillham, Tennessee, with no reserve.
Broncos from this generation seemingly all have fender rot, and this example is no different – you can see it poking through on the driver’s side rear quarter panel. Fortunately, it hasn’t spread to the passenger side, so it’s possible you’re just looking at that one panel for replacement purposes. Listing photos also reveal some areas that look weak inside the driver’s side door jam, but it could just be surface corrosion and not anything serious at the moment. The seller refers to the color combination as “coffee and cream”, which doesn’t appear to be on any official color charts from the factory, but it an apt way to describe this scheme.
The interior isn’t in great shape, with the driver’s seat cloth fairly well torn up; it’s definitely past the point of a quick stitching job. The good news is the passenger side bucket and the rear bench both appear relatively untouched, so it’s possible the Bronco was typically used by a solitary driver. No other details are offered on the interior accommodations, like whether the air conditioning still works or all the gauges. The interior is simply described as “intact”, and with no mention as to the condition of the floors, one would hope the Tennessee climate has prevented them from rusting out.
The engine isn’t locked up and still starts and runs when fed carb cleaner, so the next owner has that going for them. The braking issue isn’t explained in any great detail, but it seems an issue deeper than needing new pads and shoes would be the root cause of it being parked; perhaps a bad master cylinder or booster? Given all the questions this Bronco still poses, the bidding seems quite strong, but I will admit to finding the stance with those low-offset wheels and all-terrain tires pretty appealing. What do you think – is the current bid a fair number for a non-running Bronco with some body rust?
It wasn’t long ago this would be $500.
The color is not spectacular, the rot showing externally will have companion rot in the ‘hidden spaces’ below and inside the fender wells/interior panels (most likely) and the door jamb shows to be as rotten as a moldy cracker. Looking closer at the frame indicates possible problems also. Now if it were an appealing color, decent interior, and rust free with a manual and a Windsor 351 H.O. powertrain with original rims, YES ! Deal me in at 6 G. This truck would not be on this guy’s bucket list in this condition with all these issues. I know where one sits in tall weeds with less problems for far less money, and am just as dis-interested…..
Parts cars cost over 6 grand now? LOL!!
it’s all available aftr mrkt like the EB, stang. Bring that baby back! The net, auctions have both pluses and minuses on the whole field (service industry: sales, marketing, puters, etc / industry: mechanics, builders, panel production, paint, etc).
I like this model altho an EB owner of 40 yrs. One of my fav looking vehicles is the ’73/9 F series (yes, even above alot of ‘cars’). This is right ‘in there’ as a 2 yr model of same. Could this be an even better model than the EB? Just like every other Q asked of the automobile the answ is in “What is the application?” (me? for 4WD – the smaller the better as ‘back east’ we need ’em to get into the narrows for the back country).