1975 Ford Bronco

-

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

U15GLV42626

Gasoline

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 965 5503 Schwake.Zielinski,LLP 45 11 6758 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false I am listing a buddy’s Early Bronco for sale. Unfortunately, what was once a mint, rust-free and beautiful truck, is now a burnt memory. This truck was restored about 4 years ago. I doubt it had 5,000 miles on it. It was a weekend driver, never offroad. It was a solid, rustfree truck from the start. It had the following installed/redone. So a week ago, he was driving done the road and heard an odd noise. Shortly thereafter, he saw smoke. Pulling over he cracked the hood (fiberglass) and saw flames. The truck was on fire, no extinquisher, and called 911. The wind was blowing straight back from the front of the vehicle and as the hood caught it traveling through the firewall and then igniting interior. The fire department made it to the seen within 10 minutes as they were within a mile of the incident. So the truck burned for under 10 minutes but the damage was done. As he texted me a photo of the fire, he said, “ a perfect ending to a perfect week”. He lost his father 5 days prior and the funeral was a day before the fire. No kidding. He asked me do with it what I thought best as he did not have the heart to deal with it (liability only). So I had a wrecker deliver to a buddy’s place. I took a bunch of photos and a video. After seeing the truck, it’s not as bad as I thought. I am going to give an honest opinion of the truck in the following: Interior -The interior is a total loss, end of story. It had a small DOM cage in it as you can see. Exterior -The driver’s side is straight. The fire only barely burnt the paint off the front fender on the very top. The is soot and some other scoring along the driver door and rear but there is nothing wrong with them. The door (interior burned) and doorjambs are in great shape. The door opens and closes solidly. -The tailgate has aluminum diamond plate on the inside and I am sure it will clean up. The tailgate open and closes perfectly and the paint is still shiny. -The passenger front is the worst of the body. The fender flare was burned off and the paint is toast. I don’t think there is much if any warping in the fender. -The passenger door opens and close solidly, just as it always did. You can see the burned areas but honestly, it’s not horrible. -Same for rear fender/body. -The grill is still straight and perfect. There is some soot on top of grill but because the wind was blowing away from the front. _The windshield frame though burned seems fine, looks straight. It definatley had flames on it. Motor The engine bay was were the fire started. It’s burned up, all hoses, belts, battery, accessories are goners. The steering box looks to be in good shape as are the Flaming River U-joints. There is salvageable parts on the steering. Pretty sure the radiator is toast and al the attached parts. The headers still have the “lava wrap”, I think it did it’s job. The motor had been rebuilt and had less than 10,000 miles on it. However, it was doused by the fire department. Undercarriage The undercarriage appears to be pretty much untouched by the fire. I could say from the firewall back, there is no damage. The exhaust is dualled outlooks fine and so does the suspension. Caveat: the front shocks are toast, the inner splash panels and inner fenders had heat on them. There is soot on the coils but they look to be surprisingly in good shape since they are outside the inner panels. The transmission was recently rebuilt. It still shifts into gear. The transfer case, which is a twin stick kit shifts but the knobs and top of shifter definitely got heat. That said, the blue paint on the transfer case remains blue from the rebuild and twin stick upgrade. The fire did not go through the floors. Axles Axles are a D44 and 9”, they are in great shape. I am going to check to see what gears are in them this week and try and find out what traction devices are installed in the differentials. If I remember correctly, he told me, 4.10's. I work on it this week. TiresTires are 35 x 12.5 x 15 BFG Mud Terrains. They have great tread, as in almost full tread. 3 out of 4 on the track were untouched by the fire. All hold air but the passenger front has some blistering from being exposed. The spare was also exposed to the fire. All the wheels are in great shape, I think they were recently installed. If you know Broncos or are a shop, this would probably be a nice fit for you. If you are good with interiors, this truck is likely for you. Or maybe you want to part it out. It’s still a very straight truck and the running gear is in great shape. My buddy just wants it gone. Like I said, I am doing this for a friend that had a really bad week. He has a clear title in hand so depending what you plan on doing, it would have a clean title as he owned it outright and only had liability. The pictures will tell most the story. It had a prerunner bumper with a brand new Warn 8000 but it has been removed. It also had a nice tire carrier bumper with fual tank holder. I will include photos of them. They might be available to winner of auction. If you have questions, I’ll be as straightforward as possible, I’m not trying to hide anything. I have perfect feedback and try to disclose as much as possible, I’m not here to rip someone off. This truck sadly was burned. It is what it is and it carries no warranty express or implied. We can store the vehicle for a short period of time but $500 is due immediately after auction. The remaining is due within 5 days. Thanks for helping out my friend. We have the vehicle for sale locally and reserve the right to end the auction early I have a short video I can email to people.Here is a parts list of what was new, obviously the interior parts are toast.All new parts: Flaming River Tilt steering columnLecarra Steering WheelDuff Ultimate Power Steering SystemDuff Front Disc Brake Conversion with Power Booster KitTie Rod, Drag Link and Twin Stick ShiftersRancho RS9000X ShocksRancho Steering StabilizerBJ Goodrich 35X 12.5 R15 Mud TerrainsPre-runner BumpersWarn X8000i WinchSTC Half Doors (for summer)Military Fuel Can on Rear BumperNew Lugnuts/Center Caps/Warn Premium Locking HubsTaillight Lenses and Chrome Headlight RingsSport Handles on Roll CageStarterWipersPlug WiresWater PumpRadiatorAlternatorFuse BoxProcomp Tow HooksEdelbrock Endurashine CarburetorBestop Convertible TopDiamond Plate Door InsertsArm RestOutside MirrorsDoor LocksWindow CranksDoor SealsFuel Sending UnitFuel HosesOther InformationDana 44 Front Axle I am checking on gear ratios, believe 4.10'sFord 9” RearAftermarket 5.0 V8Diamond Plate Tailgate CoverTuffy Locking Security Center ConsoleBlaupunkt CD PlayerMTX 6 ½” Speakers3 ½” LiftRhino Lined FloorSlash-Cut Chrome Tip MufflersRecently Rebuilt Automatic TransmissionOriginal Hard Top Included On Mar-16-12 at 13:11:09 PDT, seller added the following information: 2 guys came by the shop today. Both said the description was accurate, which makes me feel I'm being fair describing it. Also, they both said the front fender looks straight. I think the interior may be in better shape than I thought, that said it is burned.Also, the tire are 33x12.5x15 NOT 35"s. Sorry, it's correct in one place but not other. Again, bumpers, winch, and tops not included. Thanks for all the view and watchers.On Mar-18-12 at 20:14:44 PDT, seller added the following information: AGAIN......I copied and pasted "the list" which was a description from my friend. I tried to amend but someone bid before I could correct, Ebay won't let me go back into the original description. I then went through what I saw after the fire.The TOPs......I can't sell/represent something I have not seen. The HARDTOP is NOT included. The SOFTTOP is NOT incuded.I have seen the BUMPERS, but they are NOT included. They (tops, soft and hard doors, bumpers) will be first offered to the winning bid after the auction for a fair price. I just got photos of the soft top, soft half doors and hard half doors about an hour ago. Unlike the truck itself I have not seen them in person so I can not first hand represent, hence the reason for them not being included. Please understand that I copied something and pasted it, obviously much of the list was destroyed.......again, the hardtop, soft top, doors are not included...what you see in the photos except for the pre-fire photo #1. The aftermath is the only thing you are bidding on. Thanks for all the condolences, they will be passed on. There are hundreds of folks watching the auction, more than I have ever had. Hopefully this rig will find a good home. I have had a lot of offers, but it looks like the highest bidder will win...... thanks for the looks and words. If you live on the west coast, I may have some reasonable transportation to Phoenix and temporary storage for a short period if this will help you. Thanks for helping out.