I'm new to CCB, but I've been an EB fan ever since I saw a '75 feature Bronco in Four Wheeler magazine back when I was in middle school. Regretfully, I have never owned an EB (why I've waited so long I have no clue ) so my restoration experience is questionable at best. I am getting serious about purchasing an EB now and looked at a '75 Bronco yesterday (you can see it on craigslist http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2013160114.html --the owner claims it's a "Denver Broncos Special Edition") and it is definitely a restore project with rust, destroyed seats, jerry-rigged things, etc. My head is telling me the price is attractive and it could be a fun project, but my gut is telling me this is probably biting off more than I can chew. As Dirty Harry said, "A man's gotta know his limitations," right?

For you experienced Bronco owners: has anyone looked at this Bronco by any chance? Do you think a Bronco filled with rust is too much for a newbie to tackle? Also, wasn't power steering standard in 1975 Broncos? This Bronco does not have power steering. Sorry for the long post, but yoru advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'll chime in with my advice and I'm sure others will follow. From the pics it looks decent for the price but that can be deceiving, there are very few Bronco's out there without rust so you'll need to decide what you are willing to tackle. If it is just the floor pans and some other minor items that aren't seen easily then I say tackle it yourself, but if you are talking belt line rust, lower door rust and maybe some frame rust (w/holes) then you may want to pass depending on what your skill set is or how big your wallet is. A lot of folks, including myself, buy them to work on themselves and to learn new skills. The special addition part is beyond my knowledge but there is a lot of info on the web, take a look at classicbroncos.com and do a search for "denver edition" and you should get a few hits. I would take a fellow Bronco owner with you that can really dig into it and look for problem areas that are usually overlooked by new owners. I wouldn't say say anything is standard for every model year, there were a lot of common items depending on the year but they could be deleted from the order just like today. The best way to look at it is the first year an option was available and use that as a comparison. An example would be 1973, first year of power steering and 3 spd auto as an option.

Talk about a long post... must be that second cup of coffee. If you want I'd be willing to look at it with you if no one from your neck of the woods chimes in. Let me know, Kirk

I'd also be happy to check some out with you if down south. Let me know and we can meet up!

- Eric

Wow, guys, that is generous of you to offer to go looking at Broncos with me, your knowledge and experience would be a tremendous help. There's another '75 that was just posted on craigslist yesterday and it looks very nice in the pictures. I just called the seller and he's up in Ft. Collins. I'm hoping to make a trip up there on Monday to look at it if it makes it through the weekend without being sold-- I don't think this one will last too long. If any of you happen to have Monday off and would like to cruise up to Ft. Collins with me perhaps we could coordinate something. I'm not sure of a time just yet. I'm going to call the seller tomorrow, first to see if the Bronco is still available, and if so, to set up a time.

As far as the other '75 goes that I posted about this morning, I haven't completely discounted it as an option, but I'm thinking it's more work than I'm comfortable with taking on at this point, especially since I have no metal work experience.

I can't make this Monday up north but keep us posted!

I had no metal work experience also when I bought my Bronco last year. I bought a MIG welder and did a pretty bang up job of replacing the floor boards. If you're going to buy a Bronco, you need to be excited about learning new skills or you're going to be dumping loads of $ paying for someone else's labor. And even then, they won't take the time and be as caring about it as you would be. Just my 2 cents.

You make a great point zillacon. Thanks.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things - watching the classifieds, looking at many trucks, seeing the trucks in person, asking for help, etc. I am sure you will find the right truck. I prepared a spreadsheet that had all the things I wanted - paint, soft top, 23 gallon tank, etc. Then with each candidate, I would evaluate what it had in comparison to other trucks. It made it more of a numbers game than emotional purchase.

The spreadsheet helped me prepare offers to the sellers and give them a valid reason why it was worth what I was offering. If they did not like the offer, at least they understood. Besides, something is only worth what someone will pay for it. There is a Bronco on CL for $88,000.00. Is it worth it? If it sells then it is worth that but if he holds it for 10 years waiting then the market mearly rose to his asking price. I am happy to get you a copy of the spreadsheet, but looking at each Bronco as a commodity makes it more about final costs and less about convenience, emotion, etc.

A good example is to set a budget, then evaluate each Bronco on what it needs to compared to what it has. Example: A Bronco that comes with great set of rims and tires saves you a minimum of $1,000.00 later, but if that Bronco is $2,000 more than a similar Bronco, then it is not the correct purchase. Emotion will have you pick the Bronco with the nicer rims and tires every time and will spend more in the process.

Poker pros know that it is all about the odds and numbers vs. emotion. Getting a Bronco is very similar to Poker - you want the best Bronco for the Best Price and want to win.

One suggestion if the Bronco is outside is just to drive by and see it. I think Airbur or Billie said he knew in 60 Seconds if it was the right Bronco. I am sure that they had an evaluation process to see if they could do the Bronco they wanted in their budget. May not have had a spreadsheet, but still can assessed what it has and what it needs relative to the cost.

This one may be gone already..... http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2034867025.html but worth a call. I've seen the cheap/good ones snatched up in under 5 hours in the past.

Another one worth a call/look.... http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2034053122.html

I'm posting some pictures I took of a '72 Bronco that I went and looked at this evening. My pictures aren't the greatest because the guy had stuff all around, in and under this Bronco and there were some tight spaces. Hopefully you can still get an of what I was looking at. I could really use everyone's input so I can make an informed decision on whether to make an offer or not. I did like this one much better than the '75 I looked at last week. The seller says pretty much everything is in working order except for the transfer case. So the Bronco currently is not running which would mean I would have to find a way to get it home (tips?). Anyway, below are three pics, but I guess I'll have to add more in separate posts since 3's the limit. I would appreciate any advice, input, opinions, etc.

Thanks,

Christian

More pics...

And more...

Yep, depends on price, most of the rust is in the usual areas but it looks to be aggressive. Not that I've done a lot of panel replacement yet, but the one that puts me off is the door post area.

The visible rust to me means there is much more that you didn't find. Being that it's not running...and with the rust that's visible....I would say $1000 or less.

All that rust would send me running. But that's me. I don't have the skill or money to fix it all.

pm me i will show you mine and how much work i've to get it there i would also be happy to go with you on hunts for the perfect bronco .