The marketing appeal of John Wayne cannot be understated and the seller of this ’75 Bronco Half Cab with only 67K original miles, available here on eBay, knows this.  What do a Ford Bronco and John Wayne have in common you ask?  Nothing.  But at some point, someone happened to place a “God Bless John Wayne” sticker in the rear window of this truck.  And since this Bronco originally hails from the California desert its seller has taken license in using “The Duke’s” namesake in his sales pitch.  Perhaps it’s working because at the time of this writing bidding has vigorously reached $16,100 with a couple of days left in the auction but the reserve price not met.  The truck is also for sale locally in Reno, Nevada.

I grew up in what you might call the post-John Wayne era of the late 1970s and 1980s.  As a kid, whenever I stayed home from school (due to real or feigned illness) I remember lounging on the couch and seeing tons of The Duke’s movies broadcast on daytime TV.   I didn’t quite get the appeal and was more drawn to shows like CHiPS and Starsky and Hutch.  But that changed when my father went all out on a John Wayne commemorative Winchester Model 94 lever action carbine complete with a scabbard and custom boxes of ammunition.  When he unpackaged that gun it was akin to the scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie’s dad unveils the leg lamp.  What excitement!  He never fired the gun but instead oodled over it, keeping it proudly displayed on the wall.  That’s when I realized how powerful the impact of The Duke was on his generation.  As for this Bronco, the original “70s paint and graphics” have held up fairly well over the years in the arid desert climate.  The seller reports there are three rust spots “any Bronco-phile would ask about.”  One on each inner fender and one on the driver side floor pan, but “nothing that needs attention.”  Plenty of pictures are provided in the listing but an in-person look at the truck would certainly behoove potential buyers.

Seat covers, carpeting, and steering wheel wrap make it difficult to judge the true condition of the interior.  The seller admits “the dash pad is beat up” but even so, carpeting placed over the dash hides just how bad things might be.  The original stereo has been removed but will be included with the sale.  Gauges are said to be in working order and an aftermarket tachometer and compass have been added.  Issues to be aware of include a bypassed heater core, inoperable driver side door handle, and non-working dash lights.  My eyes are immediately drawn to what looks like some type of sticky yellow residue on the B-pillar.  Did someone actually apply adhesive backing to keep the passenger door closed?!

The installation of a new radiator and hoses help to give things a fresh look under the hood.  The seller claims the truck “runs and drives GREAT” and brags about doing 70 mph down the road.  The 302 V8 is mated to a 3-speed manual transmission converted to a Hurst floor shifter.  The seller casually mentions the possibility of a power steering fluid leak and makes it known there is some “slight fuel wetness” on one of the tanks at the sending unit.  We talk a lot here on Barnfinds about the continued strength of first-generation Bronco sales but at some point, that bubble just might burst.  What do you think of this well-preserved mostly original “survivor?”  In addition to the John Wayne sticker, the seller offers to include some 70s era matchbooks found in the glovebox and some dream catchers.   If the reserve price is above $20,000 then perhaps he should hold on to the dream catchers, don’t you think?