Fancy! You know this isn’t a base Custom model because it doesn’t have round headlights. 1978 was the only year they were available on the second-generation Broncos and only on the base model. This is a high-trim 1978 Ford Bronco Ranger XLT model, and it’s listed here on eBay in Trevor, Wisconsin, less than a mile from the Illinois border. The current bid price is $8,800, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
I love the look of this Bronco, every single thing about it, from the “Combination Tu-Tone” paint scheme in Raven Black and Silver Metallic, to the wheel covers that oddly don’t show up in Bronco brochures. Well, not everything about it. Some of the details are a little rough, but it’s almost 50 years old, so you have to expect some things not to be perfect. The underside looks solid with some surface rust.
Ford made the second-generation Bronco from 1977 for the 1978 model year until the end of 1979. Only two years, how is that possible? Maybe that’s why Hagerty has them listed as $21,200 for a #4 fair-condition example and $37,400 for a #3 good truck. It’s my personal favorite era, and make mine a Custom with round headlights and a 4-speed manual transmission, please. Although I will take the optional power steering. The seller says this Bronco has a clean Colorado title and a “solid body and undercarriage with some minor surface rust and some small bubbles on lower body panels around wheel openings.”
The Ranger XLT interior looks nice from what we see in the photos. The special seat fabric looks good, and this trim level received faux woodgrain inside, along with full carpeting and other features. This truck doesn’t have optional power windows, and you can see that it’s an automatic-equipped Bronco. Oddly, with 14 interior photos, there isn’t one that even shows a glimpse of the seat fabric on the back seat. I’m guessing it looks great, but we don’t know. The back of it looks fairly good, other than a big rip on the bottom vinyl, in this shot of the rear cargo area.
The standard engine was the 351, but this is Ford’s 400-cu.in. OHV V8 with 158 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by a three-speed automatic and transfer case sending power to all four wheels, it’s said to run, drive, and stop well, and it’s a steal at the current bid price. How much will this Bronco sell for?
This is one very well optioned and fancy Bronco. It must’ve been something else for the original owner when it was brand new. Two tone black and silver and the dark red interior looks nice, and a removable white top too. And there’s those wheel covers again. I make one comment about them and now every other 70’s vintage Ford truck or van on here seems to have them lol. Its really very straight and rust doesn’t seem to really be an issue either. Nice one Scotty.
Huh…No clear picture of the tailgate, normally the first place to rust. You can see some cancer on the obscure side angle pictures on a tailgate that belongs on a 87-91 model. Not a 78.
I was always partial to the full-size Broncos of this vintage, and the one after. They rode amazingly well considering they were so short and they held up to a lot of abuse. My brother bought one very similar to this and he drove the wheels off it. I wanted one of this vintage but, considering that I was working for GM, I had to opt out and bought a GMC K-1500 instead. I bought a Bronco from the next generation in ’85, and it was every bit as good as the one my brother had.
These had a tendency to rust, even in non-rust regions. My brother’s rusted above the rear wheel openings and bubbled out the lower rear fenders and the tailgate. Unfortunately Ford didn’t try to fix the situation until ’87 as my ’85 poked through in the same places. And I was anal in pressure-washing out the fenders and quarter panels.
But Ford had it aced just the same. Broncos were good vehicles…
Ford also installed square headlights on the’79 Bronco. I had one and sorely miss it! I had 32″ hard to get tires on it and it rode smooth and quiet. It had a ’78 catalytic free exhaust but NJ motor vehicle made me put cats on it so I settled for true dual exhaust. Hoppefully its new owner in Mass. is still enjoying it.
That’s NJ with there strict laws Marvin. I grew up there and left in 1996 and moved to Nevada. Not much of a Ford guy but I like the outside colors on this one and the 400 bigger engine!
Auction update: bidding ended at $10,300 and didn’t meet the seller’s reserve, so no sale.