• Just a reminder that you won't be able to start new posts or reply to existings posts in the Archive forum.

    This is where all the old posts go so they can still be used for reference and searched.
  • Welcome to ClassicBroncos! - You are currently viewing the forums as a GUEST. To take advantage of all the site features, please take a moment to register. It's fast, simple and absolutely free. So please join our community today!
    If you have problems registering or can't log into your account, please contact Admin.

College Essay - Resurgence of Bronco Popularity

stout22

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
2,692
Loc.
Athens, AL
I belong to a local 4X4 club. I'm the only Bronco and most of the times the only Ford.
When I first started riding with the club my Bronco was open front and rear. We would pull up to obstacles and the rock stacking would start when the Jeep guys tried to get through. When my Bronco got to an obstacle they would get out and watch - they expected that old Bronco to make it through. You expect a Bronco to get you there and back!
 

sykanr0ng

Bronco Guru
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
5,363
If it wasnt for the internet there would be no resurgence in the Bronco. The Bronco was a fantastic piece of farm equipment adaped to commuter use. If you look at all the survivor Broncos they still have their stock drivetrains. Every other maker and thier users out there wished they had a stock Bronco drivetrain. In stock form you have to try hard to bust it. Even when modifyed beyond design it is still a very heavy duty driveline.

About 1990, when I had my first early Bronco, I pointed out to someone that the Bronco had basically the same axles as the Ford 1/2 ton 4x4 trucks from the same years (which were acknowledged to be strong even by those that didn't like Fords).
 

kb6677

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 19, 2004
Messages
2,175
Erin-cool topic for a paper-
So, in no particular order but hopefully able to follow-
There is a portion of the Early Bronco following which are "legacy owners"- either remember their Dad's having one when they were a kid, or another significant influence from back in the day having one"- there are a few on here who were fortunate enough to buy theirs new!!- I think as time has progressed and the popularity has increased there is a real shift away from this "core group" to the newer, Hey those are cool, I would like to have one group-thus to your topic:

Design, function, ability to work on(probably many will never realize or attempt this!!) and lastly the point I want to expand on is word of mouth cool factor which turns out to be true.

The rise of the internet has been mentioned but not expanded on-
Before Classic broncos dot com, back in the '90's when email lists were the rage and super cool to be a part of, there was a site called Bronco dot com. They had an email list you could subscribe to which sent out real time email messages or you could sign up for "digest" which gave you the major traffic emails of the day in one email. There are folks on here that can give you the exact origin of bronco. com and the email list ebml(early bronco mailing list) if you are curious about the history.

Why is this noteworthy? I can't tell you how many times in the late 90's or early 2000's I would attend an event which was mentioned on the "list" and have people start conversations about "so and so's bronco is modified as ....... or I know someone who has restored their old bronco .......... but they are not on line. I will tell them about this event and get them to come next time. The event attendance grew as the number of folks on the internet grew and by old fashion word of mouth.

I made a post to someone on here a while back about his actions reminded me of junior high, when you found out something that the cool kids were into and could not wait to tell it so you told everybody to be cool like the cool kids. To a certain degree, our Early Broncos are in that category- popularity by who all has one and the various restored/modified rigs are cool- I want one to after seeing the various examples....

Now, specifically, WHY- novelty comes to mind- not the norm, not available,any more, has to be built/restored by someone - a blank canvas to make your own, stock to modified is cool, how modified can it be and still "be" a bronco?

I have read the comments about "tough, heavy duty, durable etc." to a degree these are accurate. I do have many memories of finding the limits to stock, uncut, unlifted and open differentials in the late 70's which made me start thinking about how to modify a bronco to make it "better". The ability to do those modifications is certainly a reason imo for the bronco's popularity. A new generation or group just finding out how easy it is to "increase a bronco's abilities" to take you further/on more challenging trails/ go further out off the beaten path etc.

One could also add, the Early Bronco owner group in this equation- many cool people have been met, gotten to be friends, exchanged info etc. over the years which again, lends itself by word of mouth- "hey those early bronco owners are really cool-good crew to hang out with". I can remember again, back in the day, wrapping up events and the owner of the camp/park or support personnel saying, "you old bronco guys come back next year, we had no problems with your group"

The vendors in our early bronco world play a real role in the popularity especially for those owners who actually want to restore/modify their rigs-not just buy one done. We are fortunate to have good aftermarket support for products and knowledge which most are happy to pass on to customers to make the work go smoother on the broncos.

Cutting edgemodifications?- yes, I think so- late model supercharged Coyote V8's and 6speed trans. are now showing up in some early bronco restorations. As was the case with the 50's F100s, if you can imagine a drivetrain being put in a platform, early broncos have their share of interesting combinations- from flatheads, to diesels to the above mentioned latest gen. Ford engines- and yes, over the years some bow ties have made their way into early broncos, much to the disdain of some and thats cool to others.

In conclusion, hope some of this made sense and by all means share your finished product
Good luck :)
 

tasker

Contributor
all knowing of nothing
Joined
Jun 2, 2006
Messages
20,730
Loc.
NH
WELL SAID KARL!! that is about all summed up in a nutshell (not that karl is nuts!)
 

bobscott

Full Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Messages
310
Cool topic, must be a fun class.

I think the prevalence of classic car centered television shows have caused an overall increase in interest in classic cars in the population at large. I am not sure what exactly is driving the interest in Broncos specifically. I suspect it is a combination of things; typical shifting of what is cool and what is wearing out, talk of a new Bronco, ICON and other highly done resto-mods, etc.

From my perspective pretty much any none exotic vehicle produced after the mid 70s is a tool with a finite shelf life, and nothing more. I have the nicest new pickup I could ever imagine owning. However, to me my truck is a tool that I expect to serve me for 10 years or so and then get replaced with another tool I really couldn’t care less about. Basically what I am trying to say is that my truck has no intrinsic value to me. To me any classic has an intrinsic value. Hell, I still miss my crappy rusted out Maverick I got when I was 15. I think the reason is a combination of the following; 1) you don’t get the connection to operating a new vehicle like a classic, 2) new vehicles have a “cheapness” to them with all the plastic and what not, 3) new vehicles are too complicated for most shade tree folks to do much with.
 

broncoitis

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Messages
4,449
I honestly LOVE my Bronco! Hell I named my dog Bronco! I don't really know how it started but the Bronco is the one for me. Maybe it started on the hunting trips I went on with my Dad! However, that was a Scout but it was badass as well. My Uncle owned the 2nd Gen Bronco but I fell in love with the first gen. The best thing for me is the fact that you can work on these and make them your own. The other thing is that they aren't all over the place like other SUV's out there and no two are exactly alike. They are an individual expression of the owners which is the best thing about them to me! In my case, my truck is a RESTOMOD. Kinda original but updated with modern amenities to make it even better! At least that is the plan. LOL! It's proportions are honestly almost perfect IMHO! Not too big and not too small and I can wrench on it unlike many of the modern SUV's which you need a computer and expensive programs to really do anything on! If FORD is smart, they will revisit the ORIGINAL Bronco and base the new Bronco coming out on that bodystyle and not the 2nd Gen Bronco. Jeep needs a competitor and the Bronco could provide that if Ford does it right!
 

oldcanoe

New Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2015
Messages
7
Loc.
Sandy Springs GA
No single reason to drive an early Bronco for our family. Drove a ‘78 for years, the family has always had one until maybe a decade ago when the last one rusted into the earth. Bought three basically the same, two-tone red/white, bench seat, 351/302 with a standard. Would have one now if they still made them. May buy a new one, depends how close they come to the previous versions. Have also been building restoring canoes/boats for 25 years. Decided 10 years ago to buy an early Bronco to move them around. Possibly waited a little too long, found a mostly original ‘76 Ranger a couple years ago. I use it as a daily driver, that and a Triumph TR6. Between the two of them one is on the road. At least until recently, the day after I started putting a new suspension on the Bronco the starter fell off the TR6.

I am a professional engineer. Most of my job consists of maintaining high availability in industrial rotating equipment, large motors, turbines, generators, etc. I apply the same maintenance practices to the Bronco/TR6 (and boats) as I do to work equipment. Not to say they don’t breakdown, but I am prepared when they do. Both vehicles have seen the back of a tow truck in the last couple years. During training sessions/mentoring I weave the Bronco/TR6 into the narrative. If one can keep multiple 40 year old cars on the road as daily drivers keeping a power plant/paper mill of similar age running should not be impossible.

Has the last 20 years of driving modern SUV's make us crave something a bit different?
Yes, cars today tend to look and drive the same. Well over half the time random people comment on the vehicles. Someone driving a six figure Mercedes 4 wheel drive will walk over and admire a tired, 40 year old Bronco. Have met more than a few nice people this way, completely random encounters. Certainly doesn’t happen while driving a Honda Pilot.​

Is it the incomparable wheel base and chassis of these classics that we are missing from modern day vehicles?
The smaller size and simplicity of the early Bronco is one of the main attractions. An early Bronco is closer to a street legal four wheeler than a modern SUV.​

How is the drivability differ from the EB's to current vehicles and what makes people crave the EB's abilities?
I like driving old cars. They do tend to demand full attention. I use both the Bronco and the TR6 on a daily basis in the Atlanta area (and sometimes Maine). I am under no illusions the seat belts are going to do anything other than make it easier to find my body. After a couple of weeks of driving nothing else getting in a modern car seems plush. Modern vehicles have come a long ways since the 70s. The four wheel drive and small size means improved access to other inaccessible places.​
 
OP
OP
E

Erin

New Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
9
Loc.
Northeast Wisconsin
The insight that you all have given me has helped so far! I thank you! Some things such as the off-road capabilities are less knowledgeable to me. Preference, needs, and desires of one person varies from another. Not one Bronco is exactly alike anymore. They have become an individual expression of their owners.
 

half cab

Contributor
Guru Bronco
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
16,306
True what you said about being "Individual" in todays world. In the 1980's I bought up 3 junkers because parts were very hard to find.Not very much aftermarket stuff and very little help from Ford.

Now pretty much 90% can be purchased and a world of aftermarket add ons and mods can be had.

Depending on your pocketbook.
 

WILDHORSES

Sponsor/Vendor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Messages
2,196
Loc.
USA
May have been said already but you have to consider 240,000 EBs in 12 years of production (66-77). I think it would be ok to admit these were not all that popular when they were new. I'm no Ford historian but they did build millions of classic Mustangs. When Ford went "Full size" on the Bronco (78-79) they sold about 180,000.

That being said the EB is rare relatively speaking. Rare is cool.;D The prices of EBs are beginning to reflect this. The ability to build a Bronco completely from scratch is also a statement about the popularity.

As for the 2020 Bronco I think it remains to be seen if this new vehicle will tie into the roots of the classic. I hope so.


Jim
 

half cab

Contributor
Guru Bronco
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
16,306
[I guess around here there wasn't a lot of time or money for a vehicle that was just used for recreation.
In the early years around here Broncos were kinda of a do all vehicle. Worked and hunted out of them and daily drivers to work and back.

It's funny I remember a famer had a '66 with the back of the bed removed and converted to a flatbed. Top was cut also and a huge piece of plywood fited in the back of the cab. He used that bronco extensively in the winter to carry feed,tools and supplies where ever he needed on his farm.

PS kinda like what Pa Pitt does with his.
 

half cab

Contributor
Guru Bronco
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
16,306
I agree about liking to see the DSO brake down.

Another thing I seen when I was working in the Ms. Delta in the 80's was alot of the farm hands that worked on large farming tracks drove them mostly supplied by the land owners as well as the houses thy lived in. Their counterparts around here were driving same era Monte Carlos and Grand Prix's.

Most I looked at were already rust buckets and literally wore out!
 

sprdv1

Contributor
REBEL
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
81,734
The insight that you all have given me has helped so far! I thank you! Some things such as the off-road capabilities are less knowledgeable to me. Preference, needs, and desires of one person varies from another. Not one Bronco is exactly alike anymore. They have become an individual expression of their owners.

In more ways than one, that's for sure..
 
OP
OP
E

Erin

New Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
9
Loc.
Northeast Wisconsin
It's funny I remember a famer had a '66 with the back of the bed removed and converted to a flatbed. Top was cut also and a huge piece of plywood fited in the back of the cab. .

I had to laugh at this. I am supposed to be bringing a flatbed Bronco home this spring from an older gentleman 20 minutes north of where I live. From what I remember when I seen it last year... Someone took a saw and cut it straight down behind the seats. A homemade, 1-bar, roll bar. The back hatch and tailgate were attached to that. 1/4 inch steel plates built up and lined the back. It was a beautiful counterweight for the old plow attached to the front. The shocking part was that the fenders were still gorgeous and some of the sport trim was still on it.

I could not get my hands on it last year only because he was taking his time getting his other plow truck prepared for the winter.
 

dougyounger

Contributor
Full Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2005
Messages
308
I have a bit of a different story. I personally never had a long love affair with Broncos. In fact I don't remember ever seeing one growing up as a kid and didn't really even know they existed until the 90's. I had seen plenty of big Broncos around but not EB's. I always leaned towards Ford's and have owned quite a few and was always interested in muscle cars and all but to this day I can not figure out how I could have missed the early Bronco. I guess around here there wasn't a lot of time or money for a vehicle that was just used for recreation. I don't know but once I figured out there was such a thing as an EB I found that most of them here just rusted away and were used as plow trucks for people's driveways.
I bought mine in 1999 when some friends and I were doing some off-roading in their Jeep YJ and FJ40 and I needed something. Someone mentioned the Bronco so I got looking at them and figured I knew Fords so I bought one. I didn't know much about them but I found a good one in Illinois, looked at it and drove it home.

I could change about a dozen words in this and it would match my story exactly!

I bought mine in 1992 when some friends and I were looking at convertibles and I needed something. Someone mentioned the Bronco so I got looking at them and I knew nothing about Fords so I bought one. I didn't know much about them (still don't) but I found a good one in Liberty, MO, looked at it and drove it home.
 

WheelHorse

Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
Messages
2,491
Is it the incomparable wheel base and chassis of these classics that we are missing from modern day vehicles?
How is the drivability differ from the EB's to current vehicles and what makes people crave the EB's abilities?

When you drive your EB, what do you notice? I notice the the skinny A pillars and the outstanding view all around the rig.

My 2.5 year old LOVES riding in it. He can see the world all around him without trying to strain over a high belt line that's typically found in modern vehicles.

You can also comfortably rest your arm on the door as you drive, something that is hard to do in just about anything modern.

I wouldn't touch too much on abilities, but more on character. Every EB has a different personality. Not so with new cars, they are all the same as in, anything new, given the same model, ought to drive the same.
 

Rustytruck

Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 24, 2002
Messages
10,875
Driving a Bronco is an experience. Sometimes its a great experience, sometimes a good experience. Sometimes its a bad experience and some times it will just plain drive you to fits of frustration. But it is always some kind of experience. Just ask the guys that haven't even drove one yet but have been working it for years. Its just not a cookie cutter car.
 

Digger556

Sr. Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Messages
793
Here's a couple of thoughts:


I am currently working on a paper for a college course and my topic is the resurgence of popularity of the Bronco...
...I am also looking for tid-bits of the influx of interest from muscle cars and old trucks to the 4x4's of the late 60's and early 70's.
Even as the decades pass, people's interest always drifts back to this same era. There are many reasons that historians and scholars could put a more succinct point on, but many Boomers grew up in that era and look back fondly of the vehicles as a result. Others are nostalgic, as the period was a time of great optimism and enthusiasm and people associate the vehicles with the greatness that came with the space race and the jet age in America.


Has the last 20 years of driving modern SUV's make us crave something a bit different?
Absolutely! The 1980s saw the rise of the modern sedan and the minivan. Their popularity was largely driven by the need for practical transportation. The early 90s saw the rise of the SUV, driven by people's desire to set themselves apart from the crowd. Fast-forward 20 years, and those same soccer moms are tired of driving what amounted to a truck and demand better ride and amenities. They want a car, but don't want to sacrifice the "look" and "lifestyle" they associate with the rugged SUV. Enter the modern SUV / "Cute-Ute". The modern SUV is really just a tall car. Additionally government standards have slowly forced the vehicle manufactures into building cars that are all roughly the same shape/style.

I read a great article a few years ago about how European pedestrian safety standards have had a large influence on the shape of modern vehicles. Influencing hood shape, which influenced windshields and belt lines, which influenced interiors, etc etc

People today still desire to set themselves apart from the crowd. Even non-car people want to drive something different from their neighbors. Retro cars are one way to do that and a good choice for non-technical people with cash to burn. For others, they can buy an old car, fix it up and make it their own to drive and show off.



Is it the incomparable wheel base and chassis of these classics that we are missing from modern day vehicles?
...How is the drivability differ from the EB's to current vehicles and what makes people crave the EB's abilities?
Like others have stated, old Broncos (or other classics for that matter) have character or soul. They have a history and a story to tell. They have smells and make sounds that modern vehicles don't. They also represent freedom. The sound of an old pushrod V8 is distinct and very much classic Americana. Broncos are also largely unencumbered by regulation and that generates a certain feeling of freedom compared to modern vehicles.

Old vehicles offer a more solid connection between the driver and the world around them, much in the same way a motorcycle lets the rider connect to his/her surroundings. I notice this when driving (windows down most of the time). You pass through a low point in the terrain and you instantly feel the air temperature drop 10 degrees or you smell the fresh cut grass or the lake nearby.

New cars are numbingly boring to drive. They are perfectly comfortable and quiet, they don't stress your senses in anyway and they do much of the thinking for you. (I can't imagine "driving" a semi-autonomous car.) I love driving. I love feeling the little bumps and pulls caused by the road. I love driving a manual transmission and feeling that instantaneous push and sense of control as my feet jockey the clutch and the throttle.

I drove my Bronco 4000 miles from CO to TN and back last spring, and it was a great road trip. Despite driving 12+ hours a day, I was never tired or uncomfortable. Just took in the sites as the truck rolled along. Later in the year, my family took a 1500 mile vacation through 4 states with the Bronco towing our camper. We had no A/C in the middle of July and it was a great adventure for everyone. This could not have been replicated with my newer truck running windows up with the A/C blowing and the kids plugged into the DVD player.


Ok... So for off-road drivers. What is the desire to drive these older 4x4's compared to newer vehicles?
Wheel base? Flexibility? The ease of fixing/replacing parts?
They have certain features that other vehicles lack. Removable doors and top, and solid axles. They came stock with running gear that most have to upgrade to. Namely a V8, big axles and a coil sprung, linked suspension.

The only comparable modern vehicles are Jeep JKs, Defenders, and a few global Toyota platforms. However even modern Jeeps are slowly losing their "Jeepness" due to regulations and customer demand.



For me personally, I have always been more than a car-guy. I've been a gear head, someone who has to understand every nut, bolt and wire in a car. My Bronco reflects that. There isn't one component on my truck that I haven't rebuilt, designed, or manufactured myself. I like having a unique vehicle because it is an extension of my personality, not something I bought just to show off.

Non-owners seem to recognize many of the traits I listed above. I'm constantly stopped by friends, acquaintances and strangers to admire the truck and what it stands for.
 
Top