So much great discussion and links to fill my head up with info! Thanks guys, please keep it coming!
I had a 77, 302, auto which I lifted and wish I never sold. Also had a 90, 5.0 which I put a 93 5.0 GT Mustang motor in. Awesome truck. Then a 93, 5.8, also a geat truck. I never really had any trouble with any of them. We are getting ready to buy another soon. I did roll the 77 but it wasnt its fault. We were hauling but and sliding sideways and hit a deep rut. We did some stuff in that truck you might not believe. It would climb just about anything.
Dont have any direct expierience, but a friend has/had 2 of them. (He just sold the later 5.8L one) He said he prefers the 5.0L Broncos. Having had both, he said the 5.0 Bronco he has gets 3/4 MPG better mileage on a regular basis. In town, highway didnt matter.
you can see my 88 F350 4x4 4 door Bronco in the background. 460 auto. this thing is a beast that gets about 9 mpg.
that’s my son’s 69 in the foreground
Nice!!! A Bronco Magnum!!!
(cool 69, too!)
I drove a '78 F150 from 1981 to 1999. Originally had a 300 six, which I replaced with a 351W from a '70 Cougar parts car I’d acquired. Very solid vehicle. Almost no plastic in these things, with the notable exception of the door panels. (Very hard to find originals that aren’t cracked and broken, but replacements are available.)
I had lots of little problems with mine over the years, but fortunately they’re very straightforward vehicles and (mostly) easy to work on. Biggest ongoing problem I had was the front suspension. Centerlink and tie-rod bushings wore out frequently. I replaced the kingpin bushings (not a fun job) used quality heavy-duty shocks, and had professional alignment shops take a look at it more than once. Didn’t matter if I used the best Moog parts or the cheapest AutoZone replacements, I still had to rebuild the front end every two or three years. (On a related note, be aware that the steering boxes, both manual and power, are prone to wear, and its rare to find one that isn’t full of slop today.)
Another recurring problem was the driveshaft carrier bearing, which required regular replacement. Fortunately for you, I don’t think Broncos used these.
Fenderwells and cab floors, particularly where they meet the cab walls, are prone to rust. Look for patching/bondo in these areas.
Manual transmission vehicles use a bell-crank clutch linkage similar to what was used on first-generation Cougars, with similar issues.
They made tons of these things, and in parts of the country where rust isn’t a big issue, lots are still on the road. So parts availability is still good through regular channels. If you find one that isn’t rusted out or used up, you’ll probably be happy with it.
sorry, just isn,t all that easy to get past what’s in the forefront of the pic.
nice…
90-something percent chance I’m heading up to Michigan this weekend to buy one. Pics don’t look rusty but seller said it is. Says frame is solid but floor panels and rockers are pretty rusted out.
Two questions. First, am I an idiot if I try and make the 3.5 hour drive back home to Chicago in it? I’ll have my dad along with me in his pickup that we’ll drive up there in. I thought about renting a u-haul trailer, or at least getting a list together of every u-haul facility between here and there so we can get a trailer if needed.
And second, any recommendations on what to test for in test drive, or what specific problems to look for (other than what’s mentioned in this thread already)?
I sold a guitar today, need a daily driver for winter, and this one is semi-close and plenty cheap, so… hard to resist.
Aaaaaaaaaand… Done! One just came up locally, less than an hour from the house, for fairly cheap.
'79, 351m, 4" suspension lift and 35" tires, that dude did a bunch of work on but not quite enough. Needs some love, but ran like a top. The test drive included driving several blocks away to a field where I got to test the 4H and 4L.
Capped vacuum advance?!? Gotta remedy that. I hope it’s not a leak in the distributor.
New fan and radiator. Nice.
He gave me the card that came with the cam he put in it. He said it was for more torque. Hell if I know.
Came with an extra set of rims and wheels. Probably gonna keep one set of rims and see if I can either trade the other set of rims and both sets of tires, or sell em, to get a good set of 33’s that are geared toward snow, not mud or offroad. Also got a rollbar and front and rear sway bars that I’ll likely get rid of. And he threw in a-- I dunno the name for it, I’ll learn it soon enough, but the big front bumper guard/ram kinda thing like they add to some cop cars? That I’ll probably mount up and keep.
Oh and driving home with no side mirrors on either side, and no visibility out the back window cause of the four giant honkin tires in the back? Do not recommend!! That’s gonna be project number one, attaching the driver’s side mirror that’s in the back seat, and getting the tires out of there so I can see out the back window.
At about 7’ 2" tall, I had to disconnect the garage door opener to get the door to open high enough to get it in there. But I did.
Oh, and the braking distance is brutally long, but the steering is much tighter than my Cougar.
So psyched. So much new stuff to learn too.
nice to see you got what you wanted!!!
a good fan shroud and a vacuume diagram should do wonders
looks like a good healthy cam , should run nice
good luck with it 
Yeah, it should do quite a bit better when you get the dizzy sorted.
Nice find!
And Mick said you can’t always get what you want. What does he know. Don’t forget to add that truck to your signature.
AND DONE! 
LOL. Hey as long as he doesn’t mind.
MINE!!!
Ok sig updated. I had to change my password cause I went to log in on the browser version and couldn’t remember it. But the good news there is that now I’ll remember it and that means I can finally start voting in the polls for ROTM.
Nice looking Bronco…should make you a great winter/fun driver!
Ummm… I’ve already added your Bronco to MY signature. Please remove your vehicle from your sig, as I am using it in mine. I beat ya fair and square.
Does this mean you’re gonna add the side mirrors, get the tailgate to open, get the vac lines all set up right, set the timing, adjust the carb, and get the brakes working better?
Also, MINE!!
I’m not really sure why, but that’s hilarious. 