1977 Ford Bronco

1977 Ford Bronco If you're fans of the big TV car auctions, you've undoubtedly noticed a trend that has been hot for about 15 years. Vintage 4x4's have been in high demand and none more so than first generation Ford Broncos. As a result, and as they age, subsequent generations of Broncos are also enjoying a resurgence in desirability. Ford took notice and reintroduced the Bronco with retro styling but in modern materials and proportions. But the Bronco's fetching the most interest at those auctions continues to be modified first gen classics.   For consignment, a 1977 Ford Bronco showing 78,686 miles, but the true miles are unknown. 14,546 Broncos were produced in 1977 and all of them had 302 engines. Numbers were bolstered heavily in the following years with over 77,000 in 1978 and over 100,000 in '79.  Exterior This thing has a big presence, and high! We'll get to the lift specs, but the height is certainly helped by the 15-inch wheels holding 37x12.5R15's. Hovering up above those tires is a Matte Green truck augmented up front with modern, smoked LED headlights, KC foglights, and the requisite Smittybilt winch ready to pull plebeian cars from ditches at a moment's notice. A hood scoop lives up top along with heat extracting louvers closer to the cowl. Right angles take over from there with a nearly vertical windshield and rear window as a gray soft top with tinted plastic windows adds some bumps and curves to the square rig. Contrasting features include the custom black bumpers and ivory grille with the epic Ford embossment in red. It's all in great condition with no glaring exterior flaws. Interior The green and black palette is alive on the inside with simple plastic door cards on the green doors, black vinyl bucket seats up front and a small bench in back, all in nice shape. The black carpet stops after the front row and the rear is more bed-like with rough coated surfaces and floor. Up front, a wood rimmed steering wheel shares the column with a tachometer and the ivory dash contains the speedometer, various knobs, and an AM/FM radio above a tri-pack of gauges mounted under the dash. The range selector is on the transmission hump followed by the shifter between the seats. Clean conditions are found throughout the interior.  Drivetrain The muscular and familiar looking 302ci V8 presents cleanly under the hood, fueled by an Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor and backed by a C4 3-speed automatic transmission. Power can be split between the Dana 44 axle up front and the Ford 9 in back, each with 3.50 gears.   Undercarriage No need to put this on a lift, it's already lifted! We find clean conditions under here as well with a ProComp 6 lift provided with the leaf springs in back and coil spring with radius arms in front. Power brakes are provided, disc in front, drum in back. Headers flow from the 302 and the dual exhaust ends up connecting with glasspack style mufflers exiting behind each rear wheel.  Drive-Ability We're hoping the yoga we tried five years ago will pay off as we climb up into the cabin without side steps or running boards. We make it without injury and fire up the trusty 302, then point this mini monster truck toward the test loop. Good power, straight tracking, and plenty of stopping power. We do note some sloppy steering and things that don't work include the horn, radio, and reverse lights. All other functions operate as intended. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase. Ford Broncos have been consistently hot in the market for many years with not many signs of slowing down any time soon, and why should they? They are the ultimate in cool, tough, go anywhere kind of truck. Utilitarian and now stylish all at the same time. Equally at home at a bull riding rodeo, or parked on Rodeo Drive in posh Beverly Hills. It's the go to rig! U15GL