Update 2/28/20 – This one got bid up to $4,300 when we featured it back in January, but for some reason, it has been relisted here on eBay.
From 1/17/20 – As some vehicles continue to escalate in value, is there a point at which the threshold against which they are judged as builders or donors gets pushed farther out? Inevitably, as has been proven by the collector vehicle market time and again. It’s fascinating to me to see cars and trucks that at one time would have been put out to pasture (literally) suddenly emerge as viable projects. Is this somewhat rusty and engine-less 1972 Ford Bronco here on eBay a potential restoration project? Bids are just over $3K with no reserve, so it looks like it might have a shot at rebirth.
From afar, this Bronco looks crunchy. Up close, there’s daylight pouring through the body in more than one location. It’s too bad, because it still looks quite handsome with its pale yellow paint, chrome roof rack, and tough-looking black fender flares (it’s missing a couple.) The white steel wheels with their generous dish and the meaty tires complete the look, almost helping you forget that this Bronco has no engine. Yes, sadly, the 302 V8 has been pillaged from beneath the aftermarket fiberglass hood, which will also need some repair.
The interior is fair at best, and I wonder if the doors came from another Bronco based on the difference in paint color beneath what I assume was where the door panels once sat. The truck retains its original three-speed manual column shift, according to the seller, but that’s about it for highlights. The original radio is gone and the dash will need repainting if you’re a perfectionist. The front bench is in average shape, with tears noted in the driver’s area. The rear bench seat has been removed and a replacement is not included.
Seeing as this Bronco apparently lives in a retirement home of sorts for Ford’s well-loved off-roader, you begin to wonder if the seller grabbed what he needed and otherwise is planning on someone else taking on the monumental task of fixing all of the rust, some of which is just to the left of this photo where the passenger-side fender has rotted through. Some vehicles you can justify taking on the work of fixing patches of rust and driving it as a rat for years, but this Bronco is on the threshold – safely, within the threshold, in my opinion – of becoming a parts donor. Anyone agree?
This is a good running gear donor. The rust repair will cost as much as a new body.
I don’t think this truck is that bad, really, compared to what’s come through here. Just goes to show, these folks with money, wouldn’t know the 1st thing on how to make this right. I say, it’s perfect for someone with a motor, 6 or 8, laying around. Then you can sell it to the rich for 5 times what you have into it, or,,,the bottom has begun to fall out for these, finally, and the rest of us can enjoy a 1st gen Bronco without taking out another home loan.
At least it has a good title, that is more than a lot of the old iron out there. A title, a frame, a drive line less the engine, and a few usable body parts looks like an expensive build or a title for a good one without a title.
I think these are pretty cool as I do most old iron and 4×4’s. Don’t think this one has a lot going for it.
looks like it was used for a parts car, not that it couldn’t be restored, guess it depends how much you want to work. good luck either way. Like howard says, the bottom of these will fall out sooner or later, couple that with the number of these that have been rolled over because people don’t know how to drive em.
Cheers
GPC
Good for parts if your building one!! Dash, switches, glass and internal door and tailgate parts are probably all good and usable with some cleaning!! As for a restoration I would want to inspect the body a little closer!! The top and windshield frame look ok too!!
yes, they fell frm #1 this Fall.
Bring it back w/a junk yrd drop in (I see bent8 towers, the mounts musta left w/the engine)
/or/
all new panels AND a motor
/or/
hold onto & part out.
If I were this guy, that’d B it (dor #3). May B no patience &/or no contacts (there’s millions). Luv to C another built !
relist cause he prob had shill bidders,lol
I’ve had a few sellers list an item with no reserve, then when you contact them after winning the auction they tell you what they want you to pay for it. Granted, that was before PayPal made paying automatic.
I always thought these things were cool, but the prices they’re selling for are out of all proportion to what they are. They remind me of driving a late ‘80s Jeep Grand Wagoneer. It drove like a rattly old truck, because that’s what it is under the skin; the reality was a letdown from the expectation. So I ended up with a Cherokee XJ, which is still pretty trucky compared to modern SUVs, and it has iconic boxy styling like the Wagoneer and Bronco. The difference is that it’s a nimble, practical, and comfy everyday driver. It’ll never skyrocket in value like the Bronco and Wagoneer have, because they made 3 million of them, but it looks like really nice ones are creeping up a little these days.
This Bronco has been featured here before.
While this one seems somewhat nicer, despite poor pics, than 1966 model recently featured; perhaps Dan is correct about shill/bad bidders. It seems to me the seller would be smart to take a legit $4300 bid rather than relisting it and being $1000 short of that number.