You learn something new every day: at first glance, I thought this was another Ford Bronco with its hard-shell top removed, but I was fooled: this is the less-often seen pickup variant, which actually features a real (small) bed behind the cab. Said to be all original with uncut fenders, this Bronco U-14 does have some rust issues to contend with but looks like a decent starting point for a project. Find it here on eBay with a $12,000 Buy-It-Now and the option to submit a best offer.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Ikey H. for the find. The Bronco retains uncut fenders, as well as an uncut dash – no period of aftermarket radio installed. It runs and drives and shifts well enough, although the seller has not tested 4WD functionality. The 289 V8 supposedly sounds healthy and pairs nicely with the 3-speed manual transmission. The seller says rust is present in a few areas, but the left door post, both inner front fenders, and rocker panels are the worst.
The bench seat remains in good shape, evidently preserved by a cover kept draped over it. The dash looks really nice overall, including the dash pad itself which appears to be uncracked. This Bronco gives off the vibes of being a nicely preserved driver, even with the rust issues noted. The cleanliness of the cab suggests it was never worked too hard, and remained in decent condition even when it entered long-term storage.
The same qualities I used to describe the interior carry over to the engine compartment, where the motor itself looks surprisingly fresh. The paint on the engine itself and the air cleaner both look better than the age of the truck would suggest, and potentially point to a previous owner that took the time to keep the oily bits looking nice. It is getting harder to find a Bronco that hasn’t been modified or over-restored, so this pickup body seems like a fair deal at the current asking price.
Nice little ride here in good condition with the right power plant! This won’t last long at all because it don’t need much,if I could buy this I wouldn’t change anything .
OK, I know 1st gen Broncos are pricey but buyer gets a fair amount of rust for his money here. It is definately salvageable but the rust in the left door post would concern me.
I’m sure the purists out there would freak out, however I’d be tempted to yank out my angle grinder to free this from its roof cuz how I see it the best part is driving her with the top off ! The roof might be what saved this from major rot though
I’m pretty sure that the roof just unbolts on the “pickup” variant in the same way as the full – length hardtop does.
If not, that would be a pretty bad design flaw! The removable top is half the reason for buying one of these!
If only the tops of the door window – frames were also removable… :)
It’s a 66-67 bronco, and you can see the bolts needed to do so, on both doors you can unbolt the upper door window frame, and yes you can just unbolt the top, but you already knew that….:)’
Thank you, Aamodel, I had no idea that those window frames were removable! It would certainly make for a much less-clunky appearance with the top off!
I guess one learns something new every day, huh?
If people overhear me wanting an uncut Bronco, they will give me weird looks and cover their children’s ears.
You don’t find half cabs on every street corner and it looks like a pretty workable project. I’m surprised it hasn’t sold already!
Look closely, although I love Broncos this one is rotted really bad, check inner fender areas, door pillars. Maybe drive as-is, full resto will involve replacing all that metal.
Maybe I get enemys now, but I think These Broncos after my opinion are ugly cars and I do not understand why everybody wants them. I had 2 or 3 of them when they ware almost new and I was not impressed then. Sorry
No, offense, but I find it rather strange that someone who doesn’t like a particular vehicle would purchase multiples of said vehicle.
I personally think these old Broncos are awesome and wish I had an unmolested example of my own. Though I have always thought that they looked just a little too short in length from the doors, going back.
I love the first generation Broncos but the prices are ridiculous. These were purpose built for snowplowing and off road use. I could have bought a half cab same color but in much better shape in 1999 for 4K and I kick myself for not pulling the trigger.
@local_sheriff … You don’t need your angle grinder as the roof and lower divider panel bolt on so all you need is some WD-40 and a couple 7/16 or 1/2″ wrenches.
Thanx for enlightning Jimmy, honestly I thought the top and forward bed wall were rigid on the pickup variant. Seems the purists won’t need dragging me to the execution ground after all …!
To show my ignorance…what’s the deal with using leaf springs AND coil springs? I’d not seen this before, and it just seems kind of unnecessary. Were all of the early Broncos like this? Sure do like these old Broncos though, but too much rust for me on this one.
Yes they were, our 68 plus our 73 had leaf springs out back and coils up front. Why I have no clue.
This bad boy has both types on the rear in the eBay photo. It almost looks like the coils were added as sort of an afterthought.
How hard is it to check if the 4 x 4 work? Just engage the transfer case and lock in the hubs right?? Just my 2 cents.
Cool yes. 12K, not to me. If you got lucky in one back in the day and brings you to a happy place, great. 12K can buy some cool stuff. If you have to have it for that I am on your side. Enjoy, Mike.
Ugh. When will the insanity end, bubble burst, story arc conclude, bell curve drop off — whatever — on these early Broncos? Is someone hiding all the trailer queens, where spectators see these rolled off onto the field at Amelia? I will look to the sky and curse the pig that made them such a nostalgia/fetish. Use them as intended, discard when roached out. Simple.
I guess considering the price of the new Ford Bronco, I should hibernate until this early Bronc phase passes.
That pair of plastic Cal Custom chrome mirrors will prove about as worthless as the ones on my 65 MG. You can tell bigger, useful ones were once mounted to the doors. I’m glad nobody has bitten on the $12k BIN.
How do I contact the seller