Every now and again, you can just tell the original owner of a particular vehicle had a singular purpose in building it a certain way. It’s easy to see with sports car, wherein the first-time owner specs it with the limited-slip differential, sport seats, firmer suspension, and a larger OEM wheel and tire package. We forget that vintage squarebody trucks were much the same way, but the upgrades were less obvious to the naked eye. This 1978 Ford Bronco 4×4 was purchased to be one thing: a hard-nosed 4×4 that came with no frills other than what was needed to get hard work done. The build sheet tells a great story, and you can find the Bronco here on eBay with bids to $9,256 and the reserve unmet.

Even the Bronco’s paint job screams utilitarian, with what looks like the closest thing to a military-spec scheme you could get from the factory. The Bronco rides on steel wheels with hubcaps, and not ever oversized ones – they’re fairly puny, but my God, you can run over next to anything and I doubt you’ll bend a rim. The Bronco’s paint code is called Gold Metallic, and I can’t recall seeing too many of these in this color over the years. It comes with a white fiberglass roof, vinyl bodyside moldings, tinted glass, and the Custom package. Going back to the wheels, it’s worth noting when it was ordered, the first owner requested mud and snow treat tires with black sidewalls – all business, all the time.

Other indications of this Bronco having a caretaker who wanted a reliable steed for the road less traveled is the fact that it was ordered with a “…oil bath air cleaner,” which makes sense if the Bronco saw a lot of use on dusty roads. Paper filters weren’t as widely available when the Bronco was new as they are now, so the oil bath actually made a great deal of sense. The Bronco also left the factory with ammeter and oil pressure gauges; auxiliary transmission oil cooler; “Super Cooling” radiator; heavy-duty 68 amp battery; increased capacity fuel tank; and of course, full-time four-wheel drive. This was a serious truck.

The Bronco remains in solid condition all the way through, including its interior. The front and rear seats have covers, and the listing doesn’t note whether the original upholstery is trashed.  The seller notes it left the factory with air conditioning and that all of the equipment is still there, but it hasn’t been fired up in some time. The Bronco also comes with a Dana 44 front axle and Ford nine-inch rear with 3.50 gears. The body is said to be mostly rust-free with some spots here and there, and the seller notes it has been repainted at some point. If it were mine, I’d just drive and enjoy it and not touch a thing. I have a feeling the original owner would have wanted it that way.