Highlights
- Great potential
- Amazing piece of Americana
- Starts and idles well
- Hard to find these in the UK
The Appeal
The Ford Bronco is one of those iconic models that had stood the test of time. It is so iconic that Ford has just bought the name back for their ’22 model Bronco. This Bronco has been in the UK for at least 10 years now and it has just been pulled out of the barn for the first time in nearly a decade.
With a bit of love, this car will be a great modern classic truck that people will always turn to look at as it goes past.
The History and Paperwork
- Built stateside in 1988 this truck must have had an interesting life
- Looking at the back of this Bronco there is a badge from Sutherlin, a dealer of Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, Nissan’s, and Isuzu
- So, we can say that at some point in its life it has spent time in sunny Fort Lauderdale, California
- We don’t know much about the history in America
- It is said to have entered the UK at least 10 years ago, but once again we’re not too sure about this
- Since then, it has sat within the previous owner’s barn waiting to be restored
- It has then recently been bought out of the barn and sold to the current owner
- They have spent a bit of time getting it running and it’ll now start and idle okay
- You will have to apply for a new logbook as it doesn’t currently have one, or any other paperwork
- It is believed that it may have once been registered for the UK roads, but with no paperwork, it is hard to say
- Now it is time for you to add to this car’s history, after some TLC it should be an excellent truck in your collection
The Interior
- In lovely all round condition
- Very comfortable seats
- Vibrant colours
If you look at any American car from this time, they usually have some very wacky interiors, this Bronco is no different. Finished in burgundy with some rather tasteful wooden accents it is a nice interior to sit in and watch the miles tick by.
The seats are actually in good condition, the burgundy cloth seats are all presented with no major rips, tears, or stains to the material. There may be a bit of age related wear and tear in the form of some fabric sagging, but on the whole, all four of the seats are in good condition and ready for you to hop on up.
To match the burgundy seat covers the carpets, trim, and headliner are also finished in this vibrant colour. These are presented in good condition too, you may wish to give it a bit of clean to bring it back to life, especially around the steering wheel area. The interior of this car appears to be nice and dry, so it may have been stored properly as it is void of any nasty big patches of mold or dampness.
An area that may need a bit of work, to begin with, is the boot lid, the stay isn’t present, so you have to keep it open with a pole. But this shouldn’t be a turn-off just because the rest of the interior appears to be presented in nice condition.
Moving back to the front there are a couple of nice features that should be pointed out. Just above the rear view mirror, you will find the panel that controls the 4x4 system and the low range box, these weren’t tested on the day of the photos, however. Another nice feature is the wooden inlays in the dash, they break up the burgundy and add a bit of class to an otherwise rugged interior.
Overall, the interior is in good condition and shouldn’t need too much work to get it back to very clean condition.
The Exterior
- Swing out spare wheel holder
- Auxiliary roof lights
- Lots of potential
Sharing design queues with the original boxy Bronco, this curvier example might need a bit of exterior work, but it will look great when it has been bought up to your standard. There aren’t many of these on the UK roads so you will be entering into an exclusive club.
Originally this truck was supplied in red, but with the interior also being the same colour this might have been a bit too much red, so someone has painted the exterior in the Olive Drab Green. If you restore it you may wish to change this colour, but it does suit it.
There’s no getting around the fact that the exterior has been affected by corrosion, it is worse in some areas than others, but underneath the chassis appears to be okay from a quick visual inspection. Once you have cut out the affected areas the body should be nice and strong.
The exterior does look like it is mainly original, with no nasty aftermarket parts being fitted in the past 30 odd years. This does leave you with the chance to add your own exterior improvements, but we’ll leave the imagination to you.
The Mechanics
- Starts and idles well
- Optional 4wd and low range
- Manual gearbox
From the start, the Bronco was built to be tough, and tough it was. This example is a testament to this nature as although it had sat in the barn for a decade it required very little work to get it up and running again.
On the day of the photos, it took a small jump start, which can be rectified with a new battery, but after this, it sat there and idled nicely with no undue hunting of revs. This should be an encouraging sign that the mechanical elements are still in okay condition.
It was required to shift around every so often and it did this with ease, slipping into first and reverse on a couple of occasions. You may wish to give it a full service just so you can build some confidence with the mechanicals, but it should hopefully be a nice running truck for you.
You may find throughout the work that other ancillary parts may need changing, but as a blank canvas to start with this Bronco is in okay mechanical condition.
Summary
This Bronco has immense potential, when you have spent some time and money on a restoration it will be a rare car to find in the UK and one that people will always enjoy seeing.
If you are looking for a project to keep you busy over the autumn and winter months that you can display at some car shows next summer then this should be at the top of your list.
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