Fiance wants a SUV, but not what you think...
 

She has always wanted a removable top 78'-79' Bronco or International Scout. She saw one in a movie when she was a kid....so instead of shelling out cash for a newer truck to tow the hopefully new boat, I figured I'd kill 2 birds with one hammer.

I'm fairly certian a Full Size 4x4 Bronco (351W, 400M, or 460) can haul a 4k lb boat but I doubt the International will. Plus all Bronco's came with A/C, most Internationals did not.

Last time I was in Napa Valley I saw a cool "california style" Bronco. Beautiful stock condtion. Baby blue & white with just slighty oversized tire (Maybe 30's). Looked classic cool.

Anyone have any experience? My buddy in highschool had one as a DD. Ran great and would go through a wall.

i had a 78 with the 400. it was a great truck, hauled some heavy trailers with it.

later bought an 86, it was nothing in comparison, cushy, sloppy, and slow. went back to the 78.

78 and 79 were 3/4 ton shortbed trucks, 3 driveshafts, rear carrier bearing.solid axles.

if it has not been done, plan on a complete suspension, steering, gas tank, u joints, etc rebuild.

c4 tranny holds up well.

tires are noisy, mine had 33's on newer aluminum ford stock wheels.

plan on lots of gas, 10 mpg at best

exact bronco.. 78. towing a car trailer with 3 ATV's in it. had to be way less than 4k lbs. my bro was driving along, when all of a sudden some idiot was passing us on the right. it was the trailer! it pulled us down the freeway doing donuts. bronco+trailer wide. we were driving from el paso to truth or consequences. it was *****ing the scariest vehicle moment i ever been thru. cars were ducking out of our way as we pirouetted down the tiny freeway. i pee'd alittle.

having said that, i am trying to work the 71 bronco away from my brother. i even gave him a 911. he just said thanks, and mumbled..."where can i park this? my bronco is in the way" greedy bastard.

Get an old International - things will run forever.

Trucks with short wheel bases are great for off roading. On the other hand, they make really bad tugs. Especially for 4,000 lb boats.

The "Pelican" board for full size Broncos: http://www.fullsizebronco.com/

Spot on. Its a fun drive (friend had one for eons) but its NOT very good for towing.

Same rule applies as in 911s:

Buy the newest Bronco you can afford:

- 95 and up
- ABS
- Driver's air bag
- EFI with MAF
- 302 or 351
- Overdrive transmission (E4OD is better in the later models)

I own a 95 that I use around town and for trips to the outdoors. It's about time to drop the top here soon. I have a soft top that goes on it in the summer. This started out as my wife's truck (hence the safety aspects listed above) and got handed down to me as a beater as we increased family size.

The Internationals are cool, but unless you can find a diesel, they are gas hogs and just a bit too old. No OD transmission either. It's nice that your SO likes to get such a truck, but most women aren't gearheads and want very reliable transportation. A newer model with less maintenance required (EFI) will be your better bet.

The Eddie Bauer models or XLTs are nice for the women that like a bit of "luxury". I bought the XL - bare bones, as the interior is rubber floor mats and vinyl, so topless and a rain shower isn't going to hurt it.

George

What soft top do you have? The one I bought sucks. I forget the make, but it is the fastback type.

All great info.

I will most likely hold on to my current DD and use this as a weekender & to haul the boat so I'd like to stick with the pre 79' for the classic look.

Good point about the short wheel base. The boat ramp is only 5 miles from the house so there will not be any high speed towing which will help.

I was thinking something like this:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1178199962.jpg

I bet that would do nicely for towing a boat and pulling up steep, wet ramps plus you'd even be able to engage all 4 wheels if necessary. Good choice imo...

Not sure about the brand. It has the shape of the hard top - roughly and works much like a boat top with bows that really hold the tension. It came with the truck. The seller said that he had more calls on his top than the truck, when he advertised it. ;)

George

You know that the truck in that picture gets 10 mpg on a good day? Not sure how much gas is in your neck of the woods, but that's a consideration. Make sure you buy this for the SO, not for yourself. Otherwise you'll just end up with a second car for yourself.

George

10 mpg is OK if he's just going to use it as a "weekender & the boat ramp only 5 miles from his house"...otherwise, you are spot on.

I think I saw a diesel Bronco once... yes/no?

Terry,

I had a 78 Bronco in High School/early college. It was a 302/automatic and I loved it. It was 2-tone brown, with a white removable top and white wagon wheels--never failed to start, got decent--not great mileage, and only got stuck once(when I tried to reverse through a mudhole which I just went through forward).
the 79s had a little less of a reputation in regards to build quality--especially the bumpers/bumper mounts.
Things to watch
--the Ford 400 was never a very popular motor--and replacement parts may be hard to come by
--a 302 may be underpowered for towing duties, but will be the most relaible--mine had 120K+ when I sold it.
--watch for rust--the tailgates are notorious for rusting along the bottom edge and internally(the back window in mine fell in and shattered while it was parked)
check the floorboards/rockers,and the fender/quarter panel lips.
--make sure the top is well-supported when you remove it--especially for longer periods of time--they are fiberglass and can warp/crack
--use new foam weatherstrip around where the top goes back on--cheap insurance for leaks/wind

Enjoy the search--they are great classic SUVs, are awesome with the top off, have great interior room, --even in the back--and the back seat is removable.

Anything is possible. But that would not be stock. The diesel is and was only available in the 3/4 ton and up (F250-F350 ...) trucks and not in the half ton truck (F-150) The Bronco is based on the F-150. Of course, one can do a diesel engine swap from an F250 into a Bronco, should be not too bad, actually.

Ford not offering a diesel in their half ton line is a big disappointment. I read that they had developed a small diesel and stopped it half way though. That was before gas doubled in price, of course ...

The international was available with a diesel. So, if you go back to the styling and technology of 70s Broncos, the International becomes more interesting again, as you could get it with a diesel for some real 'truckin'.

George

I've restored two Harvesters, both Scout II's. I thought I had a picture on my server but no, but I'll post it up later. The harvesters have some key issues, cab mounts up front rust easily, which can lead to the front doors not opening. They have a rain gutter area in front of the rear wheels that rusts even after replacement. The rockers have the same issue in the rear. really it's a battle you'll fight forever on them, fix one area then another rusts. The solution is often to replace the entire tub with an aluminum replacement.

Out of all the old cars I have restored the scouts were the most challenging, mostly due to parts supplies. There was a great supplier in Colorado Springs for years, but they are gone, parts are becoming hugely scarce.

The 345 can tow a very large boat, the motor has a ton of power, same can be said for the 305 version. And IH offered a Nissan diesel in 80' but I've never had any experience with them. Power steering and brakes are standard, which for those of us into old trucks, that's a huge bonus.

The roof is a bear to get off, and if it's never been off before be wary, the rails are probably rusted underneath. It's a nice solid ride when it's off though. First investment should be a roll cage if you plan on taking that thing off.

At any rate, it has one major thing going for it, it's not a Ford.

If you get the Bronco, get a roll bar.

No OJ jokes??