When it comes to desirable vehicles that are being rescued and restored almost daily, it can be tempting to dive into a project regardless of condition. Air cooled Porsche 911s were in this space for a while, wherein it didn’t matter how far gone the vehicle was, provided it had a VIN number still attached. You can see the same thing happening with vintage squarebody trucks like the Bronco and Blazer as this very rough example goes to show. This is a 1975 Ford Bronco that the seller freely admits is super rusty, but bidders have still pushed it to $2,600 here on eBay where there’s no reserve and the Bronco is located in Duluth, Minnesota.
Dang – that is some serious rot. The seller says straight-up the door posts have pretty much evaporated, and he’s not wrong. The other rust trouble spots include the rocker panels (“…hanging on by a thread”) and the missing driver’s side door. Shockingly, the frame is said to be decent, but the seller still feels that the best course of action is to source a new tub mounted on the existing chassis, while moving over any parts worth saving. He mentions that the transferred components should definitely include the dash, which is said to only have minor cracks, and the drivetrain, which is complete and features a 302 that isn’t locked up.
I suppose there’s enough value here for someone to justify throwing some money at this rotten hulk, which has clearly lived through one too many Minnesota winters. The engine and three-speed transmission can certainly be put to good use, and the aluminum wheels still look pretty sharp. There are the factory badges, front grill, the hardtop – all of those pieces would likely find buyers if the Bronco was being sold off piece-by-piece, but since it isn’t, the next owner will hopefully have a use for all of the good parts still attached. If you look closely at the photos, you’ll see the rust have overtaken the inner fenders as well.
The seller opines that the black carpeting had a role to play in all the rust that’s is showing in the floors beneath the floor covering. It likely did, but it’s also possible this Bronco was used hard like so many other trucks from this era by the time a second or third-owner came around. The Bronco would made have made a great plow truck, but 4x4s put into this line of duty are usually rotten after the first season. Does this Bronco have a shot at redemption, or is it destined to be an expensive parts truck or a body swap project with a new tub?
I’d say it’s a parts car. I don’t know the value if early Bronco parts, but have parted out several cars that were base models of projects I was working on. There have been occasions where the total value of parts sold exceeded what I could have sold the cars for if they were running and driving, sometimes significantly more. It’s a mistake to underestimate the amount of value locked up in certain makes and models.
Steve R
Wow that’s in bad shape.Hardtop looks fairly useable.Some good parts but a lot to go to the scrap man.Don’t believe frame is useable.What does rust bring per pound??
https://broncodesign.com/product/body-tub/
This is a frame/VIN sale subject with some of the parts being parted out. The vendors building new rigs are starting to pay decent $$ for trucks like this if you have a title to go along with the frame.
If the chassis is still good, or at least can be worked on, a new body should take care of the rest of the problems.
In this case, you SHOULD read a book by its cover.
parts are available ,just how much do you want to spend ?
Too far gone ? Beyond the shadow of a doubt.
Market value ? Very close to 10 grand .
The new tubs still need a frame ,vin and title,then add the bits and pieces that might be salvageable.
It’s crazy ,but for the moment ,you have a better chance of being above water on an early Bronco,or Blazer than just about other project out there.
I have both =;^)
yup, I C them sell the vin on-line. Everything’s avail aftr mrkt to make an oem appearing (if U no the tricks, few do) vehicle illegally. Sad but the net and auctions style selling have made the prices go up enuff that ppl do these things.
Worse? ppl buy ’em that don’t even appear brono-ish. Last, some of the aftr mrkt builders (ICON is one but John will move 1 along untouched now’n them) make stuff (near 100K$) that is just a silhouette of a bronk (electric pop-out steps, coyote motors, plush interiors). Thank heavens they R just now comin into “the classic car status”. Longer term ownership, more along the lines of other ‘classic cars’, higher prices for more oe condition, less radical & garish mods, etc
Can you spell POS?