Hello all, I am looking into EB's for a trail rig... the one I am looking at is a V8/auto.. it has a 9" rear and 31's. They say it is a 69 and has a 3spd and a 302 and are asking $1500.... The shifter is on the column and I dont remember seeing a clutch pedal...

What usually goes bad on these or what are areas to look over before I buy??
How about the price, fair????

The floors have been poorly patched and the drivers side window is either just down or missing... It definately needs TLC...

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks!

OK, here we go.

A 69 will likely have a D30 front and small bearing rear. Neither will handle large tires well. You will want to upgrade gears/axles in the rear anyway, and you can get a big bearing housing cheap and easy.

The dana30 is just crap. I know a guy w/ a built 44 for sale for $950 with disk brakes and everything if you are interested.

Floorboards rust all the time. Check them close. Check where the bed and the cab sections meet. Check the bottom sides of the doors. Check in the engine bay on the sides by the firewall.

The 302 w/ an auto is a good choice. The motorcraft 2bbl carbs are actually pretty good for crawling.

Also check the hinge for the windshield fold down. Almost always rusted.

Also, the inside, bottom part of the tailgate.

Short of that, get it. I got mine over a year ago and love it.

-Jack

Originally posted by Sweet75
OK, here we go.

A 69 will likely have a D30 front and small bearing rear. Neither will handle large tires well. You will want to upgrade gears/axles in the rear anyway, and you can get a big bearing housing cheap and easy.

The dana30 is just crap. I know a guy w/ a built 44 for sale for $950 with disk brakes and everything if you are interested.

Floorboards rust all the time. Check them close. Check where the bed and the cab sections meet. Check the bottom sides of the doors. Check in the engine bay on the sides by the firewall.

The 302 w/ an auto is a good choice. The motorcraft 2bbl carbs are actually pretty good for crawling.

Also check the hinge for the windshield fold down. Almost always rusted.

Also, the inside, bottom part of the tailgate.

Short of that, get it. I got mine over a year ago and love it.

-Jack


I went and looked at it again last night. It is really rough! I think I am goign to pass. The tub is rusted where the door hinge bolt and most of the floor has been replaced in a sh!tty way! It is a 3spd manual and has a D30...... Someone has been jackin with this thing.. the gastank is out of something else and rigged into it... From what I could see of the frame, i saw no bad spots though, but the body is pretty bad... I think I will keep my eye out for another one...

If youre just using it to wheel, get one with a good drive train. Many times you can get a good deal on a built early bronco with bad body. These are dirt cheep and the owner usually ends up parting out to make his money back. Most people want a 25-35 year old truck to be rust free and concourse condition. Ive seen people take a nice stock bronco and build it up so nice and be afraid to drive it because theyve spend so much time and money on it. Or they end up bending sheet metal on the trail and start crying.

Get one that is built the way you want it and if the body is trashed thats better because you can get a better price on it and you wont be afraid to beat it up..

Just build a stout rollcage tied into the frame. The body just holds the gauges up and keeps mud from hitting the truck behind you.

My .03cents.

The 69 bronco I have had been rolled, it has d44 with 8lug chebby disks and ARB, narrowed dana60 full float rear, np435, np205, soft top 10000# ramsey winch, 351w power steering 38 inch swampers and other crap. It cost me $2000. The guy wanted $4500. But this truck will never me a show winner but it is functional. Ihave done numerous upgrades and changes since but I saved thousands by letting the previous owner do lots of the work. That 69 doesnt sound too good though.