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10/14/2021
Today, I checked a wish-list box. I've always loved the old Bronco, and this body style in particular. It might be because my dad bought a dented, rusty 1979 F100 4x4 when I was beginning to drive and my buddy's dad drove a 1976 for many years. I even taught my 10 year old brother how to drive a stick in that truck, until our dad came outside and caught us. He wasn't thrilled about it, but we had fun. So I've loved the F-series trucks of this generation and also the same vintage Blazer, so loving and wanting a Bronco seems like a natural progression for me. With that intro, I'm excited to introduce A Horse With No Name to you. It will be my pleasure to find him a name, or not, but even better to get this Bronco back on the road where he belongs. Or off the road where he belongs. Whatever. Follow along with me as I tell the story from his past (as I know it), his present, and his future, which right now is looking bright. And very yellow.
10/15/2021
In 1972, Ford launched "Project Short Horn" as an answer to Chevrolet's Blazer which had been introduced in 1969. The idea was to create a full-sized replacement for the popular Bronco that would surpass the Blazer in every way, including sales. The new Bronco was to be based on the upcoming 1973 Ford F100 pickup, to keep manufacturing costs low, and would be released in the 1974 model year. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.
In 1973, the United States was hit hard by an energy crisis. OPEC implemented an oil embargo that sent shockwaves through the country, causing fuel shortages and prompting manufacturers to rethink fuel economy issues in automobiles. Small foreign cars began to sell like crazy and owners of large American cars who were stuck with big gas-guzzling engines began to swap them out and install smaller engines. Realizing the oil crisis could hurt sales of a full-sized truck and since they were already making the smaller first-generation Bronco, Ford put the new full-sized Bronco on the back burner. Finally, in mid-1977, the new Bronco was released, six years after the first F100 pickup it was based on hit the market. Even though the second-generation Bronco was only produced for two model years, it sold as well as Ford had hoped. The new Bronco was so popular that some waited more than 6 months to get one. That year Pickup, Van, and 4WD Magazine wrote, "It's a guess, but perhaps a very safe bet, that Chevy, Dodge, and Jeep engineers have '78 Broncos in their labs now, taking a look and calculating ways and means for catching up". Ford sold 77,917 Bronco's in 1978, more than the previous 4 years combined of the first generation.
The 1978 Ford Bronco came standard with a removable top, 4 wheel drive, bucket seats, and a 351 cubic inch V-8 mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox. Underneath was a 9" rear axle on leaf springs and Dana 44 solid front axle on coils. Trim options ranged from the Custom for the "outdoor enthusiast" up to the Ranger XLT for the family hauler. A few top-of-the-line Lariat Broncos were also built as promotional vehicles for dealerships to display. You could option for the more powerful 400 cubic inch V-8, an automatic transmission, and off-road handling suspension if you desired. Optional equipment for 1978 also included the square headlights which would become standard equipment in 1979 across all the F100 and Bronco lines.
In 1979 Ford sold an additional 104,038 units before retiring the two-year design in favor of the 3rd generation Ford Bronco.
After a two-month search for the perfect winter project in my new shop, I came across an ad in Craigslist that made me pause. It was for one of my favorite vehicles of all time, the 1979 Ford Bronco. The ad stated it was driven up from Arizona in 2003 and only driven in the summer months, so the body was rust-free. I had to take a look, so I called and made an appointment to come see for myself. Often times reality is very different from promises.
I was really excited with the prospect, since I was specifically looking for something that had none of that dreaded rot. Pulling up to the house, I was waved over to park my truck and trailer on the shoulder of the gravel road next to the house. The owner met me and after a handshake he invited me to have a look for myself while he finished up some other business.
The Bronco was parked at the edge of the yard next to rows of pine trees. Judging from the bare dirt underneath, I could tell it had been sitting there a while. That worried me a little until I started crawling around above and below inspecting everything. I could tell right away that the paint was original and the metal was as it came from the factory. The only rust of any significance I could find was on the lower edge of both doors, and even there it was very light. Everything else could be accurately described as patina rust. I was ecstatic! The inside of the Bronco was filled to the brim with parts, so it was difficult to asses the interior condition, but by the damp smell of mildew and dog hair I was pretty sure what I would find. By then the owner came over and I asked him to tell me the story.
In 2003 he flew down to Arizona and bought what I now know to be a bright yellow 1978 Ford Bronco Ranger XLT. (I assumed by the Craigslist description and square headlights it was a '79, not knowing those headlights were available as an option in '78 only on the Bronco.) He bought it from a rancher who had purchased the Bronco new and used it exclusively as a ranch vehicle, only racking up 73,000 miles in 24 years. The last year or so of ownership the rancher had let his daughter drive the Bronco for college, which put the most miles on it at the end. Leaving Arizona after buying the yellow Ford, he drove it back to Minnesota and enjoyed it until 2008, at which time he decided to make some changes. Wanting an upgrade, he pulled the running 351M V8 out of the truck, having sourced a 400 cubic inch built engine from another Bronco. After removing the engine, he installed aftermarket bumpers, a 5" lift, and 17" wheels and tires. He also collected a host of parts - intending a fairly extensive restoration. Unfortunately, as happens with all of us, life threw him a curve ball and so the Bronco sat on the back burner for the next 13 years. Finally, faced with a move overseas, he decided it was time to part with his dream truck and pass it on.
Included in the sale was an extra 1979 Bronco chassis with the Off-Road Handling Suspension and automatic transmission rolling on the white wagon wheel style wheels that were originally on his yellow truck. A 460 V8 and transmission sourced from a 2wd 1990 F250 was sitting astraddle it, so I agreed to take that home with me as well, to save him the trouble of selling it separately. The yellow 400 engine from the rolling chassis was on an engine stand, and the original 351M he would have to drop off later since it was in storage. All told, I ended up with three engines and transmissions along with a pile of parts I would have to inventory later.
I got it all home, except for the original engine, and emptied out the Bronco before running a vacuum through it and spraying OZIUM to cover the smell of spores. That many years outside will take its toll on any vehicle, but my plan is to gut the interior and replace everything with new, so its all good.
Speaking of plans, I've been sitting here daydreaming about what to do with A Horse With No Name (maybe I'll just call him Horse), and have a few ideas. Some of my ideas are at odds with the other ideas I have, so I've got some thinking to do. I've got a way of doing things that works for me, part of which includes listening to my gut. The other part includes listening to Horse and finding out what he wants. It's the best I can do, so come along for the ride if you feel like it. I can't promise it will be boring.
11/12/2021
I bought the Marti Report and discovered that Horse was built to California spec and sold new not very long after it was delivered. I suspect it was special ordered and sold before it even hit the dealership, such was the demand at that time.
2/11/2022
I'm a long-time fan of the Seinfeld series, and since my wife had never seen it we started watching the episodes together last year. One episode (The Marine Biologist) begins in the apartment with Jerry talking to an uninterested Elaine about his favorite tshirt he has named "Golden Boy". Fast forward to this year, I had ordered a custom tshirt in yellow to commemorate the Bronco build and when it finally came I put it on and was immediately reminded of that Seinfeld episode. "I call him...Golden Boy!" One thing led to another. Yada, yada, yada, and A Horse With No Name gets a name! Golden Boy. Perfect. And it makes me laugh every time I think about it, which is all that really matters.
"No!!! The reason he's iron man is because he goes out there and plays
every game. Wash!!! Spin!!! Rinse!!! Spin!!! You take that away
from him, you break his spirit!"
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