Wearing the fanciest of four “Tu-Tone” paint options, the “Combination Tu-Tone Option” in Cream and Dark Brown Metallic, this 1979 Ford Bronco Custom appears to be in nice condition. The seller says it was repainted eight years ago and the body is very clean and honest and there is no rust. The aftermarket LED lights aren’t for everyone, but a lot of Broncos from this era seem to have them.
We’ve seen many second-generation Ford Broncos here on Barn Finds over the last decade or so and they may be the rarest of the bunch as they were only made for two model years: 1978 and 1979. The standard model is Custom, as weird as that sounds, and that’s what this model is. There was also a higher trim level Ranger XLT with some fancier features.
I like my tires/wheels to fit within the wheel wells, width-wise, but obviously big wheels are popular with almost everyone else as it’s rare to see a Bronco of this era having factory-sized tires and wheels. You can see the small ding on the tailgate and the seller mentions that so it must be the only issue on the body, and I’m assuming it happened after it was repainted around eight years ago.
The faux wood glove box door almost looks out of place on an otherwise unadorned dash, but things look nice inside for the most part. There is some cracking on top of the dash but that’s about all I see that could use some work inside. The bench seats in the front and in the back look perfect, and the rear cargo area looks good. The seller includes a few underside photos and that’s always a nice touch.
The engine is Ford’s 400-cu.in. OHV V8, which would have been factory-rated at 156 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque when new. It sends power through an automatic transmission and two-speed transfer case to all four wheels as needed. The seller says the “motor was built 6 years ago” with a slight overbore and mild cam, and has an Edelbrock intake and carburetor. They have it listed here on eBay in Tacoma, Washington, there is no reserve, and the current bid price is $15,100. How much would you pay for this Bronco?
After many years of the small first gen Bronco, along came the full-size Bronco. And it sold well. One can look back and see how this model was a component in the growing large SUV segment. And now, think how common full-size SUV’s have become (and, how profitable they are for the automakers).
Looks like a nice example. I like the two-tones of the era, in all their different styles and colors.
Good job Scotty.
I owned a 79 Bronco with the bench seat and equipped similar to this one except it had 32″ tires. Loved it but did not drive it much do to its love of gas.
Unfortunately I sold it about a year before Bronco prices entered the stratosphere! Still miss it and will buy another one someday after I finish my current project. However, if I was ready now I would definitely bid on this one.
Auction update: this Bronco sold for $19,200!