Charles Rivera's 1979 Bronco, New Jersey.

Here is another tribute to a fallen Bronco. You may have already seen Charles' BIG '78 Bronco in showroom 4, well, this is a picture of his BIG '79 Bronco before it blew a fuel line and burned to the ground. 

Just like Charles '78 Bronco, this one had a free-flowing 460 and a 6" suspension / 3" body lift. Charles says that he is not going to let this happen twice and has installed all new Aeroquip braided stainless hoses on his '78.

-- I just went outside and made sure my fire extinguisher was fully charged. Hey, you never know, it can happen to anyone!

Jeff Smith's 1978 Bronco Ranger XLT, Dakota City, IA

This is Jeff's '78 Bronco. He bought it from a college student in Humboldt Iowa. The Bronco needs a lot of work but Jeff plans to perform a full restoration on it. It only has 125,000 miles on it and features the original 351M and a low-geared 4-speed manual trans.

-- I'm sure your Bronco will be eternally grateful now that you've rescued her and plan to bring her back to her former glory :-) 

Lenny Sellers 1979 Bronco Custom

Lenny's Bronco is almost completely stock, for the exception of the tires. He was able to fit the tires by cutting the wheel wells to fit large meats. He has just replaced the bushings in the track bar, which Lenny says made a big difference. 

He has lots of plans for his Broncos, so look for some updates on this one soon!

-- This is the Big Bronco I bagged on the hunting trip we took last year. It took me all day to track her down, but I finally caught up with the beast and took a shot at her. The hard part was loading her up in the back of the truck, but that's another story.......

Massimo Tupone's 1979 Bronco Custom, Italy.

Massimo's incredibly well-preserved '79 Bronco Custom could very well be the ONLY second-generation Bronco in the country of Italy. It has a 351M engine and is 100% original. Massimo points out that is it one of the biggest and badest trucks that can be seen on the roads of Italy. He also owns a '94 F-250 but points out that the feeling he gets from his Bronco is something really special.

-- A Bronco this nice would turn heads here in the 'States, I can't even imagine the looks this Bronco must get over there. I bet it's a real show stopper! 

Jonathan Sladek's 1979 Free-Wheel'n Bronco Ranger XLT, Wadsworth, Illinois

You know, sometimes I get emails from 66-77 and 80-96 Bronco owners asking me why on earth I created one of best Broncos sites in existence and it's just for second-generation (78-79) Broncos. Most commonly they ask, "What is so special about these Broncos?". Well, for those of you who just don't understand, it's Broncos like this one owned by Jonathan Sladek that inspired me to create this site. I mean just take a look at this thing, will you? Have you ever seen anything so gorgeous in your life? This Bronco is the perfect example of what I mean by "The Best Broncos Ever Built".

Now, about the truck. Jonathan purchased this Bronco in the fall of 2000 from the original owner on the Canadian side of St. Sue Marie. The Bronco was purchased there new and has been garaged all its life. The Bronco is 100% original (except for the tires) and is in absolute mint condition. There is no rust anywhere, the interior, exterior and drive train are in perfect condition, and it only has 65,000 original kilometers on it (that's about 40,000 miles). Even the doors open and close perfectly and the interior still smells like new. This Bronco is equipped with a 351 engine, C6 tans, no catalytic converter (it's a Canadian truck), Free-Wheel'n package, captain chairs, sport steering, CB radio, 8-track, and a factory GT (roll) bar.

As for Jonathan's future plans for his Bronco, well, other than adding black bumpers and mirrors (just like the Free-Wheel'n Bronco in the '79 dealer brochure), he simply says he's going to enjoy driving it. Wherever he goes people stare at it in amazement. 

-- You can add one more person to the list who is staring at it in amazement :-)

Zane Coppedge's 1979 Bronco Ranger XLT Trailer Special, Longview, TX

Zane's '79 Trailer Special features a 400 engine, factory GT (roll) bar, factory limited-slip rear axle, C6 tranny, fold down rear seat, and the original '70s era green interior. Zane has added a K&N filter charger, 35 inch Mud King steel radials, 15x10 inch American Racing Daytona rims, 3 inch body lift, dual batteries, custom (fancy) door lock tops, and a custom-built rear bumper he built himself out of 5 inch channel bar. Zane is in the process of making a font bumper with a provision for a Warn winch. He sprayed the metallic green & white paintjob himself.

Zane's future plans for the Bronco include ripping out the interior, spraying in a bed liner on the floor, adding diamond-plate door & rear cargo panels, paint the toolbox in the truck, add a high lift, air tank, and eventually apply his new "fleet bronco" color, but that will have to wait for another day.

-- GREAT SCOTT!!! It's a pirate Bronco! Sir, if it catches us our SUV will be looted and sank for sure! Then we'll be sold in to slavery and forced to restore Broncos as punishment for driving modern SUVs! AHHHH!

Rick Russell's 1978 Bronco Ranger XLT, Saskatchewan, Canada

This is just one of Rick's '78 Broncos (check out the other one below). It has a 400 engine, C6 trans, NP205 transfer case, 3.50 limited-slip gears, and 32x11.50 tires. The Bronco has just received a nice new black paint job in the fall of 2000.

UPDATE: Rick has installed a 460 EFI engine in this Bronco and is currently working on a technical article describing how he did it. Click Here to read all about it and see the pictures of the installation.

-- Nice work! That's the first time I've seen a 460 EFI in a Bronco :-)

Rick Russell's 1978 Bronco Custom, Saskatchewan, Canada

This '78 Bronco Custom built in late 1977 is truly a  one-of-a-kind. Like Rick's '78 XLT above, it also has a 400 engine, C6 trans, NP205 transfer case, and 3.50 gears.

To see more pictures and find out more info about Rick's Broncos, visit his web site at  http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/rrussell/

-- Here's a little glance of what the full-size Bronco would have looked like if Ford had released them when they were supposed to in the 1974 model year!

Sam Rothblum's 1979 Bronco Ranger XLT, Pennsylvania

Sam's Bronco has a 400 engine, a T-18 4-speed tranny and Traction-Lock diffs front and rear. The Bronco is almost completely stock and about the only things that have been replaced so far are the mirrors, one of which was slammed on a "Watch for Children" sign and the other that rotted out because of the road salt and other assorted factors of the weather in Pennsylvania. The Bronco has an older-style brush guard that is rarely seen on Broncos anymore, and although it looks rusty, it's still tough. The Bronco has pulled out a truck that was trying to pull out another truck towing a boat in the sand at San Louis Pass, Texas. It has also gone through mud almost up to it's windshield somewhere west of Houston, and survived. Over the years It has survived many a blizzard in Central Pennsylvania, and has even pulled a lawn tractor out of a ditch, which was a nasty high centering incident around the house (Ouch). 

If you look closely at Sam's Bronco you can see some custom paint on it that includes a Bronco horse and some pin striping. Sam hopes to keep the custom paint by touching it up. Just some of Sam's future plans for the Bronco include, but aren't limited to; rust removal, fiberglass patching, interior repair, maybe a 3" lift and a supercharger. 

-- I have to agree with Sam on keeping the little horse and the custom pin striping; it really adds character to these classic rides.