Choosing the right bronco l

I've been out of this game for quite a while now. My last rig was an 08 Yukon Denali that I'd put about an extra 60k into. Then one day in 2011 I totaled it and I've just been a regular civilian ever since. It broke my spirit, I was a shell of a man and I'd abandoned all romantic notions of life with which I'd once lived, much in the same way that I'd abandoned football after the oilers moved to Tennessee(I'm from Houston). That is until about 2 month ago when I went to the shop for alignment and laid my eyes on a beautiful red 1970 bronco. I was awe stricken, I felt like my oilers had returned home and Earl Campbell was young again. All the nostalgia of being a grease monkey addicted to exhaust fumes came rushing back and I knew I was helpless once more. In other words, I'd been bit and this time the bug was the almighty 66-77 bronco. Rejuvenated and naive, I wandered out into the rusty terrain of the EB world only to have my hopes and dreams shattered by 80,000 dollar price tags and mustang gt coyote motors. As a car enthusiast I'd never respected the mustang as anything more than a powerful boat with terrible handling and to pay 80k+ on anything related to a mustang gt seemed totally asinine. Luckily I came across a little company called rocky roads broncos and they were the perfect crash course on what to stay away from, I truly believe in sticking to the true spirit of what the car was designed for and this place was the opposite of that, but at least it was a good learning experience, I find that bad experiences teach us a lot more than good ones. Disheartened by the greed of opportunist trying to exploit these giant hunks of steel were so passionate about, I finally decided to reach out for help thinking maybe there were others out there like me, maybe I'm not alone. Hello, my name is rusty, and I'm a bronco addict. Now onto the topic, where do I start, I've been spending the past two months just acquainting myself with what the Bronco is, what the market is like, what's to be expected when you inspect one and what to look for, im definitely still paying my dues in that respect but I was hoping y'all could point me in the right direction. My perfect bronco would have no stereo, no ac, no power windows, and a powerful engine to move those 35" mud terrains, without fear of breaking an axle, id also like to be able to wash the interior with a pressure washer so def no fancy rolls Royce carpet (rocky roads idiots). I was curious though, what do you guys look for in your ideal bronco, I understand that I'm going to have to compromise a little and maybe even just build my own from scratch. What's the first thing y'all look for when inspecting a bronco for purchase, is there like some secret spot where on the car that's usually the most likely to have rust, I know a lot of cars show rust in different ways, any insider tips would be much appreciated cause I won't be able to rest until I can wax that beautiful red paint and just sit in my garage drinking beers staring at my bronco till I fall asleep

Holy shit, I wrote all that???

How funny..!!

EB's are like "seasoned" ladies. They all have their issues but they're still loveable...!

What I look for is mostly stock, straight frame, mostly working wiring.

Actually.., everything can be referbished, rebuilt or replaced.  i.e. eng/trannie/transf., steering, axles, etc.

And, in so many cases, this is needed.

Obviously, doing most of these tasks yourself saves $$$

I think the values get inflated due to "Joe EB owner"  paying shops high prices to "fix-up" his rig

and end up spending 10's of thousands, then expects to recover that $$ when selling.

'Ole Joe lost his love for his lady ('er truck) due to it sucked his bank account completely dry.

Sooooo.., it goes up for sale...

Any opinion on different engines in the EB? how do y'all even feel about a fuel injected bronco, don't you kinda feel like it sorta takes away from the true nature of the bronco, I don't want some new fancy new version of an EB, I prefer seeing that carburetor when I open the hood, which brings me to my next question. If you're not buying a bronco for highway purposes (stupid in my opinion, why the heck would you want 35" tires so you could go 70 on the freeway) which engine would provide better performance in low gear high rev driving, mainly talking about mud where you wanna have a lot of low end torque to throw that weight around. Wouldn't a carbureted motor provide more airflow and better combustion at lower speeds? This bronco isn't going to see much highway driving as I plan on 60mph be revving at around 4,500 rpm

I'm thinking something around 5.38 on 37" tires, do y'all have any input on how that might be a good or bad idea, what could happen if I had to drive it at 60mph for an hour or so with that gear ratio, I don't plan on ever taking it above 60-65mph

Take a look at www.wildhoses4x4.com  AX15 5 SPEED

thanks but it was to my understanding that their suspension kits are more aesthetic and not really meant to be ragged on, is that correct? wouldnt i be better off building my own suspension rather than going with a kit?

No..!  I'm living proof that the 11 pak leafs & the rest of the kit parts are PERFECT..!!

( not add-a-leafs & big arch 5 paks)

I can run 40 mph +   across this hard-packed desert.., ruts & whoop-d-doo's with comfort. (aired down of course)

YET.., run 70 down the freeways.

I have the TBP 11packs also and LOVE them...  For the price and the kit, I can't imagine building one better/cheaper unless you are going to run Baja..

I would NEVER drive 70 on the freeway with my bronco.  l love to watch everyone smile as they drive past me /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />