When I first looked at this 1966 Ford Bronco, I came to the conclusion that it really is a miraculous survivor. While they were built to be rugged and dependable, the early Broncos could also be prone to rust problems. This one has spent part of its life as a winter plow truck, and that is a role that is almost guaranteed to wreak havoc upon susceptible steel. However, this classic has managed to survive that ordeal remarkably well, and while the owner had some pretty grandiose plans for it, these have changed. As a result, he has listed the Bronco for sale here on eBay. It is located in Pueblo, Colorado, and while the bidding has worked its way to $11,100, the reserve hasn’t been met.
Apart from its limited rust issues, one of the best pieces of news surrounding this Bronco is the originality of the body. The vehicle has been fitted with a lift kit and larger wheels, but thankfully, the fenders and quarter panels remain uncut. Replacing cut fenders and rear quarter panels on a Bronco isn’t a big job in itself, but if you don’t have to do it, then that has to be a bonus. As well as the originality of the body, what impresses me is its lack of any significant rust. The body does have a sprinkling of surface corrosion and a number of minor dings and dents, but the panels aren’t riddled with problems. About the only significant rust is located in the floors, and replacing those is quite straightforward. The door jambs look really solid, while the vulnerable rear corners of the engine bay seem to be okay. This really does look like the sort of restoration that could be tackled in a home workshop.
The engine bay looks pretty “icky,” but therein seems to lay the secret to this Bronco’s story of survival. All of the dirt and gunk is clinging to a heavy coating of hydraulic fluid, which was liberally applied at some point to minimize rust issues when the vehicle was operating as a snowplow. It is going to take some work to clean that off, but that has got to be a better prospect than undertaking major rust repairs. Under all of that gunk rests a 170ci 6-cylinder engine, backed by a 3-speed manual transmission. The sticking point, quite literally, is the column shifter for the manual transmission. Apparently, this is jammed in 1st gear. The vehicle does run and drive, but this will need to be addressed before the Bronco can hit the road once again. It seems that apart from that issue, the vehicle is in sound mechanical health. Therefore, it might not take a lot of effort to return the Bronco to a roadworthy state once again.
Life inside a 1966 Bronco was never going to be particularly luxurious, and years of exposure to UV rays have inflicted plenty of damage on the upholstery. New seat covers and foam, new armrests, a new dash cap, and a new steering wheel are all going to be on the shopping list if the interior is to be returned to a reasonable state. Of course, a trim kit is almost certainly going to be the easiest and most economical way to tackle the interior, and the cost of a complete kit, including foam, will depend on what the next owner wants to have on the floor. Choose rubber mats and you would be looking at around $1,150, while carpet will add a further $180 or so to the price. Of course, a replacement wheel will not be included, and a complete wheel and horn ring in the original style will add a further $300 to the cost of restoration.
These early Ford Broncos are a vehicle that has continued to grow in popularity, and spotless and original cars are highly prized. This one isn’t spotless, but it is original. It is also free of significant rust issues and would seem to represent a fairly straightforward restoration project. Spotless and original examples can easily fetch $40,000 all day long. A pristine vehicle can push the price up to $70,000 or more. It would be interesting to know what the reserve is on this one because it has all the hallmarks of a great restoration project that could make sound financial sense as well.
I always never did like these. Don’t understand the fascination with them.
IMHO This would be a good one to rebuild, or just clean up and drive. The early model Broncos were a challenge to the CJ series, and before they grew into the ungainly Leviathan models that came later they answered the call very well. Short wheelbase, good power-to-weight, simple, they made terrific off-road capable machines. Thee problem comes in that the car industry still doesn’t understand that if the design works leave it alone (BMW, Mustang, 4Runner,EVERY truck now on the market). Instead, they try to make it bigger and raise the price accordingly but lose the essence of the original idea. Even the Jeep has gotten portly in comparison to the older CJ series, but it has kept the appearance of the original idea, an open-air, off-road capable fun machine as a daily driver.
I simply don’t get this craze and for that matter don’t have to!
I have always been fascinated with these rigs, but I’m not inclined to lay out big bucks for one.
God bless America
I’m with you there, Johnmloghry. I like ‘em too for what they are. Certainly not worth anything north of $2500 to most of us, but then again it appears that there are people banking on the new Bronco when it’s released to bring them money on the oldsters like this one. These old ones are unique, after a fashion, but $11K+ and the reserve is yet to be met? That’s just goofy!
It would be advantageous to find a 200ci engine that has 7 main bearings then hop it up a little with some available speed parts or go all out with a 300ci six banger, Clifford has achieved 600 hp and 7,000 rpm hopping one up…
Ahhh jammed in first gear- this gets you in the greasy hands club when u have to go under the hood to unjam the column shift linkage. No wonder many floor shift conversions were done. This one looks decent, gotta go west for a clean one. Like you guys, I don’t see the attraction of these, especially when unfamiliar and trying to take a corner too fast. They were rusting when they came off the trucks here in NY state.
Cheers
GPC
I had a 68 with a 302 and the column broke so only 1 section worked.
I drove it for a couple months with just 2nd and 3rd. They were so light that it never had a problem starting off in 2nd, kinda like a manual powerglide.
You’d be surprised how long you can go without having to use reverse unless you had a second person to help push
It was Pepe my little mule
I always liked first gen Broncos, but maybe it’s nostalgia as much as anything. My grandfather bought one new in 1973; a burnt orange-ish with a 3 speed affair. When he brought it home, my grandmother asked him why he bought that ugly box. Despite liking them, the craze has left them incredibly overpriced in my view.
I love these first generation Broncos, had 2 a 68 6 banger three on the tree and a 73 with a 351 and auto trans. The 68 was my winter beater and the 73 was my summer fun off roader. I miss them and would love another but not at these prices. This one would be easy to fix up compared to my 68.
Looks like this one was in a pond or river for a while. Like Nevada said, $2500 max.
My grandpa had one just like this one in 1971 . Drove it for years !!! Rolled it in 74 going down a steep hill in snow and then they rebuilt the whole rig and them cut the rear quarters and install the flares . was really sharp looking . We would drive all over the woods in it and was fun when he took the top off . I don’t understand the pricing either . I guess they figure there are a lot of people with money to burn .
OK. So the container ship that unloaded all the Buick GN/GNX has returned full of Broncos.
I don’t dislike these but I too don’t understand the high prices on them. If this was a plow truck, it is probably a bondo bucket. It is way nicer than any plow truck I ever owned lol. Mint compared to my last one!