First-generation Ford Broncos are a hot commodity these days, with some examples touching the six-figure mark. It’s hard to believe restoring one in this rough of condition can make sense financially, but it might actually make sense for anyone serious about owning one. This one’s restoration cost might be offset a little by the included parts, which is a bonus, plus it’s equipped with the desirable 302 V8! You can find this major undertaking here on eBay in Vergennes, Vermont with a current bid of $2,250.
This 4×4 probably won’t ever be a six-figure truck, but if you are the type that likes to get their hands dirty, you might be able to make it into a presentable off-roader for less than the cost of buying one that’s already done. Of course, it isn’t always about the economics. Sometimes it’s about the love of rescuing and restoring something. If you are going to restore a vehicle, a Bronco is a pretty solid choice. Parts are plentiful, they are simple enough to work on, and offer lots of utility.
Based on the underside and interior pictures, it looks like this Bronco was driven out of the mud and then parked in the seller’s field. The volume of acorns and debris would suggest it then became a multi-generational home to a family of squirrels. There’s also lots of mud smeared throughout the car, at least I hope that’s mud! All the major components seem to be present, but you might be better off replacing everything rather than trying to restore it. And, thankfully, you can get every item needed to make it like new.
The 302 was the top engine option offered in ’69, with a horsepower rating of 205. The Bronco was capable of highway speeds, but its main focus was getting its occupants from point A to B no matter the weather or terrain, so speed wasn’t a top consideration by the good people at Ford. The seller doesn’t give us too much information on the engine or it’s condition, simply stating that it’s a 302 and it’s paired to a C4 automatic. Hopefully, it turns over freely and can be made to run again without a full rebuild. Since it’s a pretty run-of-the-mill Ford V8, crate engines are available and not overly expensive. Everything adds up though, so if the engine can be saved, that would be ideal.
The seller has replacement sheet metal for some of the body, but even those parts have rust that needs to be addressed. Given how popular Broncos are, replacement panels and even complete tubes are being manufactured, so it might be easier and less time-consuming to buy a replacement than to fix the included items. At the end of the day though, it will come down to your budget and goals. And that’s kind of the beauty of early Broncos, you can build one to be a wild rock crawler, a winter beater, or a pristine show truck! It just comes down to you and what you want to do with it. So, if this Ford were in your garage, what direction would you take it?
Uggh…
Being a 1st gen Bronco adds to the reason someone would attempt a workup on this one. There are people that enjoy taking a basket of seeds and turning it into a bushel of fresh corn. Those people get a sense of satisfaction and self pride in seeing their hard work (and applied $$) turned into something they and others can admire. My hats off to them, be interesting to see how this one ends up. Actually hope it gets a resurrection, will be interesting.
There’s a Bronco restorer in my state. They also sell finished resto mod ones. I think, if you brought this pile into them? They’d go over your ideas, take your deposit, pull the VIN, and drag this thing to the junkyard. Then, call you in 6 months, and present you with one of their’s.
Yummy
Can you imagine the stink? Looks dead, and has the bullet holes to prove it. Sellers EBay shows he only deals in crap, such as this. $2250 and the reserve is not yet met? He thinks he hit the mother load. For what this will cost to fix, you could buy a brand new one. That might be a better idea. Anyone foolish enough to tackle this is going to have very large hospital bills and permanent lung damage (if they survive at all) I have always wondered why people put a car out to pasture and leave windows open.
Rust never sleeps
Rust never sleeps I suppose
Would not let it in my garage!
Sad to think I bought better scrapped out broncos then this for couple $100 bucks in the late 80s
$2200 is about the max I’d pay for this. It’s gonna be a gob of work and money to make it street legal, but it’s about perfect if you’re only going for a mud buggy…
IF and only IF the frame was solid I would get it running and driving and use it as a plow rig for clearing snow out of the driveway or even charge some businesses to clear the snow out of their parking lot. Because sure enough as I’m doing that someone with more ambition than me would offer a ridiculous price for it and I would sell it and move on to another project
Wow….I’ve seen sheet metal cut out of cars that was better than this…
junk!!!! get your junk here!!!
Still hasn’t hit the reserve but come on, a couple cans of Fix a Flat and send it.
How about bundling this and that 59 Caddy hearse together for $5?
I’m going to say someone already did a little restomod on it 20 years or so ago. They probably cut the already rusty fenders to fit the oversized super swamper tires, fabbed up some tube bumpers, put some seats and a console in it, added some headers and a new carburetor, painted it flat black, and hit the mud. Then the engine or trans gave out, and there she sits. I figure the mud bogging was probably this old girl’s last ride. It probably made for a pretty good mud riding / hunting / knockaround truck back then. I don’t see it getting resurrected again at this point.
I’d buy the rear end and put it in my 65 Nova wagon. It’s a bolt in swap but the price is a no go.
Should be left in the field!
I have seen my Dad fix up worse Broncos back in the day , theres always hope where there is will . someones dream project for sure !