Vehicle Description
1978 Ford Bronco XLT
The Ford Bronco was introduced to the public in August of 1965 to
compete against Jeep's CJ-5 and International Harvester's Scout in
the burgeoning recreational four wheel drive vehicle market. The
first Broncos were very spartan without options such as power
steering and an automatic transmission. Initial models were
available only with a 105hp 170 cid six-cylinder derived from
Ford's Falcon lineup. The only available transmission was Ford's
3.03 three-speed manual with a column mounted shifter.
For consignment a big version of the Bronco U-150 4x4 wagon. It is
equipped with the Ranger XLT package, has a newer respray in Jade
Green, and a matching fiberglass top. An additional 2-1/2 inches
has been added on the lift of the suspension, and some all terrain
Goodrich knobbies are wrapping Mickey Thompson Classic 3 wheels.
This lifted truck gives you the ability to literally go anywhere
and will do so with ease. Grab your gear and get off the main road
into the wilds, in classic style.
Exterior
All straight steel is neatly put together and minding its gapping
and is all bathed in a respray of Jade Green. A nice front shiny
grille with bumper below and good looking contrasting trimmings
surround the wheel wells and exterior glass. Badging is all correct
and new, and a walk around will have you hyped up on the extra
height and give you visions of wild out of the way places you can
get away to. A lift kit adds 2-1/2 inches to the ride height and
ground clearance. Mickey Thompson Classic III shiny 15-inch wheels
are on all 4 corners, and 33x12.5R15LT Goodrich tires wrap them
nicely.
Interior
Climbing inside I'm green with envy greeted with door panels bathed
in more green and a highlighting panel of faux leather pattern
vinyl in their centers. Seats are broadcloth inserts in various
shades of green with shiny green bolsters. The driver's seat shows
some cracking of the bolsters at the seams and revealing the foam
padding underneath. The dash has a new dash pad and is nicely
painted green to house the molded plastic square inserts for the
instruments. Some wood applique is accenting the dash front too,
and an aftermarket retro radio is now installed. New deep green
carpeting is installed, and the headliner is tight. Lest I forget a
rear bench seat is sitting in the middle of the bed, and looking
slightly used, no cracks or errors.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is the original 351M V8 with a newly rebuilt
carburetor atop. There is a C6 3-speed automatic transmission which
pushes power rearward to a Ford 9-inch rear axle with a 3.50 gear
ratio. An overall patina of surface rust and road dirt coats all
under this hood, save for the rebuilt carb and air cleaner
cover.
Undercarriage
Underneath we note some surface rusting that has begun to peel the
black undercoat paint off several surfaces. Looking closely at the
bodywork from underneath shows some invasive rust and some work on
the floorpans. Frame is sound and all the mechanicals are working
just fine. New brakes have recently been put on and noted is radius
arm and coil springs for the front suspension. and leaf springs for
the rear. Power disc brakes are on front and power drums for the
rear. Also noted is a Dana 44 front axle.
Drive-Ability
This truck started right up, and we began our climb(sic) to the
test track. Here it worked as it should, good acceleration, and
decent handling. Brakes are good and should be as they are fairly
new according to the consigner. All electronics were working just
fine, and the lift kit adds an awesome view for the driver.
I have personally experienced driving one of these in the
hinterlands of BLM in Utah, and we could not destroy it. One can
assume this truck has the same toughness, as it is of the same
vintage we were crawling around red rock territory, climbing things
that put fear into my heart, especially when you are looking
towards the sky but still moving forward! This truck is a nice
example, may need some TLC on the floorpan areas but all is looking
good and working just swimmingly, or should I say climb-ingly?!
Drum roll please!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.