re: 1973 Ford Bronco "Restoration" - Tips Needed

I’m drooling over that ride. My Grandfather had a 74 that my Grandmother sold when I went to college. Came home for Christmas to hunt and it was gone. Asked her where the Bronco was??? She replied... oh honey I sold that thing. No one ever drove it......

Keep it as stock as you can. You can’t go back sometimes. Dave Kindig did one a few years ago that was very tasteful and would be my template. Should be on their website or Motor Trend.

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Restored I bet it would fetch $50k +.

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My former boss has a '74 that he has restored that may be one of the finest Broncos I have seen and I owned a '72 and my dad had a '69 and been in on several project Broncos. He gets offers of $50K plus all the time and he walks away. He has it insured for $70K.

I thought that was the best looking Bronco I have seen but I saw a black one sitting on 37" Boggers at Reds in Laffy back around Christmas that is hands down the best one I have seen now. I am sure someone on here knows who owns it because it is like the mythical OT 10.

Wow, a lot to respond to. Let me give this a try:

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Change the oil, and have it analyzed, do a compression check, check out all your dope and grease it, replace belts and hoses, and thermostat, check out the radiator good and put a new cap on it

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My dad changed the oil. We plan on putting fresh belts and replacing every rubber bushing. The thermostat and cooling system are definitely on the list since the reservoir has some gunk sitting at the bottom of it but they'll be later.

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I would do the wiring harness next after that, and get an electronic ignition on it

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Wiring harness is a MUST since there are wire splices all over the place and some wires are sitting directly on the valve covers. My grandpa didn't care too much about appearances under the skin and that is catching up to us.

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Check out your exhaust system, once that is good to go, do the brakes.

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Exhaust is in decent shape but the brakes are definitely the scariest part. Everyone who says to keep it original has not seen the leaking master cylinder or the rusted-out brake lines. As it stands, you have to pump the pedal a couple times to get it to stop and you lose a bit of fluid on each pump. 4-wheel discs with stainless lines and a new master cylinder is likely the first upgrade since that will make it driveable. We want to be able to actually stop it and discs will be much easier to maintain.

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While you are doing this stuff, go through every nook and cranny, underneath looking for rust, then fix it, and then get the fenders back like original.

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There is some rust in the floorboards but that will be done later. It's not too intrusive right now. As far as everything else underneath, rusted brake lines are the highest priority.

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What engine and transmission does it have?

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Not sure what specific transmission other than a 3-speed automatic but the engine is a 302 short block.

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you can get an entire rubber and seal kit from toms as I recall

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Thanks! Definitely need it...

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I know this may not be the popular answer but I’d leave that Bronco alone.

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Our highest priority at this point is making it safe and driveable. My dad wants to drive the grandkids in it and we prefer it be a safe endeavor. So the brakes and wiring harness are a must. Unfortunately the rear fenders have already been cut and we want to put on a simpler, cleaner set of flares. That'll be down the road.

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That is one beautiful piece, bapple.

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My Papaw had a love of cars, that's for sure! There's also a 65 red Mustang convertible sitting in the garage collecting dust. We'll see if we want to embark on that as well...

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just wanted to say holy crap that thing is beautiful.

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Like a couple others have said, PLEASE keep it original.

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The plan is to keep it as original as possible but have it be safe. As of now, it's not quite there - leaking, rusted brakes and the electrical connections are all kinds of crappy. There are numerous dangling wires with no connection and visible wire splices everywhere.

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And it doesn’t look like it needs any restoration. I was expecting a pic of something beat up and rusted out.

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Looks can be deceiving! The body is in decent shape and will be better once I correct all the paint but there is plenty of rust underneath. I have to say it's interesting polishing paint with no clear coat - the pad is quite blue right now.

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are you having a lot of electrical issues?

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There are quite a few things that don't work despite being hooked up and there are wires hanging out everywhere. A harness will be an early buy.

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if you replace the master cylinder might as well change the lines and update to front disc if it has drums.

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Probably going full brake upgrade with 4-wheel discs, new master cylinder, and new lines.

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Join a Bronco forum when you get a chance.

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The amount of stores specifically meant for restoring Broncos has been impressive.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Looking forward to some fun times and potentially not-so-fun repairs with this rig.

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4. Fender flares - as you can see, the rears have been cut but the flares on there now suck. I will likely drill out the leftover rivets and get some flares with self-tapping screws. My dad would prefer to go with white over black but suggestions are welcome.

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Passed an old Bronco on Perkins Rd with a similar paint scheme, it had white fender flares and they look awesome. I would go that route to keep it more original. Unlike some others, I would put larger tires than the current stock size.

As others have said, don't do anything to it! That is a great looking '73. I have owned/restored somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 classic Broncos. Love em.

If there is no cancer in rockers, tailgate, firewall or door panels, I wouldn't repaint it. It has a nice paint job right now and just a bit of buffing has brought back the shine.

Wiring harness is a good idea. Jeff's is a great site. Tom's Broncos is good too.
As for the suspension, good idea to replace the dry rotted bushings, etc. We did some of ours with poly and loved them.

I never had a Bronco with cutouts, didn't like cutting the fenders. Never really "lifted" one other than a 2"-3" suspension kit.

Man keep those stock wheels! Those and the wheel covers make it a true classic!

Other than that you have incredible specimen of a classic! Is there carpet? I see the chrome and trim and think maybe that model had carpet. Check the floor pans. Those will go too if the carpet stayed wet for long.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Forgot. As you said in a response, have leaks that need attention. That is a bugaboo with some of the old Ford engines. Do a valve cover gasket replacement as a minimum, or you may have to do the top end seals. Not a big deal but good to pull it apart and inspect inside. Also, both pumpkins and tranny seals will probably need to be replaced. Check these guys out too, I used them a bunch LINK

Canyon, thanks for all the helpful information.

Do you have an email address I can pass on to my dad? He wants to have a good resource to ask these questions as we move along with the project. If you’ve done about 7 of these you’re likely a good candidate to point us in the right direction.

Ken.ca.miller@gmail.com
I would love to assist in any way I can!

With the rims and tires and fenders keep it original.

I would redo the suspension, brakes, wiring

Does it have 3 on the tree?