The time has come for me to fess up that I’m the current proud owner of Chad’s 1966. As with a lot of things it was the right truck, I’ve always wanted a “grandpa” Bronco, at the wrong time, Willem had totaled my F-150 hours before Chad messaged me. Anyway, I didn’t waste much time before deciding a new truck wasn’t worth passing on this little gem. I’ve named it Gunni as a nod to its previous owner and town from which it came.

Chad has spent a ton of time researching the quirks of the 1st year Bronco and acquiring all the correct parts for this rig. His hard work can been seen in the following threads.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8062

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8240

I’ve spent the last few weeks getting it running and road worthy. The engine needed a little sorting out with electrical, fuel and exhaust. All the lights work, brakes brake and steering steers. The correct, though crusty, interior was bolted in and I had Bobby help me find some AT tires to put on the tiny rims. I also wrestled the twisted bumpers straight enough to mount up. Finally, I pulled the NP435 out and put in a converted top loader temporarily.

The grand plan is a restoration with a few period correct additions like a Stroppe roll bar and Rancho overdrive. Also, some safety mods like disk brakes for the Dana 30 and 3 pt seatbelts. The resto is years away, I need to finish Willem’s Bronco, then Declan’s Camaro and BSD always needs a few things. In the mean time I’m going to drive it around Parker and keep it on the road!



More to come...

Nice!

Well done! I'm happy to see you got it Kirk!

Congratulations on the new ride, its very cool!

I wish I could have kept it. But I'm glad it stayed in the club, and that it will get a restoration, not a resto-moderation. I'm so happy it's back on the road!

NICE!

I can only hope to follow in your footsteps someday with a "grandpa" bronco of my own. I also got to think of something for my son to drive in 9 years! I look forward to watching you enjoy and then restore this one!

I was curious who got it. Great to see it on the road now.

Very cool.

that truck has so much character !

The future looks good for reduced RPM and maybe even 65mph!

I guess 50+ years of use isn’t bad, I just wish it would have broken at home instead of 30 miles away. Good thing I remember how to shift without a clutch, of course the stop lights were a bit tricky.

I think I may have one as well. Lord knows I owe you!

Thanks fellas, already back on the road. I should have known something was up, it was needing more travel in the pedal to get it in gear.

Goodbye lift, Gunni will be just fine without you.



Pics when the sun comes up.

So much better with the front lift gone, the PO (not Gunnibronco) that put the lift in did it right, all the items were welded in, serious pain to get it all out without hurting the original parts. Next is pulling the small lift block in the rear, should sit level then. I was a little concerned that the 50+ year old coil springs would sag, but they seem okay.

Nice!!

I wondered about those coils as well. It's really coming along. So good to see you breath life back into it.

Looks great! How high are the lift blocks?

Looking great!!!

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You can notice a slight difference in how the tire is covered. It looks great!!

I’ll see if I can get a part # off of them, if not I’ll measure them and try to find a comparison.

Just something I had wondered about. That front bumper must have weighed a couple hundred pounds, plus the winch. I needed help to get it into the metal recycling dumpster at my neighbor's shop. I don't know what the weight difference between a 170 vs a 302 is.

I think Duff just introduced a 2.5" lift. I'm wondering if it was a 3.5" coil. I bet a measurement and a call to Duff or a post on FB could get an answer. Not really a big deal. I was considering putting them on my 72 at one point. It has an old Superlift lift with coils that look like they belong on a diesel F350. I'm sure it will test the quality of your dental work on a washboard road.

The lift springs measured 18.25 -18.5” free length, a quick search shows 3.5” lift springs have a free length around 20”. Free lengths are based on progressive springs. I’ll send the measurement off to Duff, but right now it looks like a 2” ish lift spring.