Cars - Ford Bronco

Home > Listing Index > Cars > Ford Bronco

	Cars - Ford Bronco

The Ford Bronco was an SUV produced from 1966 through 1996, with four distinct generations.

It was initially introduced as a competitor for the Jeep CJ-5 and International Harvester Scout. A major redesign based on the Ford F-Series truck in 1978 brought a larger Bronco to compete with the Chevrolet K5 Blazer and Dodge Ramcharger. The smaller Ford Bronco II accompanied the Bronco for several years in the 1980s. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the return of the large Bronco, based on a newer F-Series.

The full-size Broncos and the successor Expedition were produced at Ford's Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, Michigan.

The Bronco permanently entered popular culture in 1994 as the vehicle in which O. J. Simpson traveled during his (in)famous low-speed chase with police through the Los Angeles area. It was a white 1993 model owned by Al Cowlings.

1966-1977

The original Bronco was a small SUV, intended to compete with Jeeps and the International Harvester Scout. Its small size (92 in wheelbase) made it popular for off-roading and some other uses, but impractical for such things as towing.

The idea behind the Bronco began with Ford product manager Donald N. Frey, who also conceived of the Ford Mustang; and similarly, Lee Iacocca pushed the idea through into production. In many ways, the Bronco was a more original concept than the Mustang; whereas the Mustang was based upon the Ford Falcon, the Bronco had a frame, suspension, and body which were not shared with any other vehicle.

The Bronco was designed under engineer Paul G. Axelrad. Although the axles and brakes were sourced from the Ford F-100 four wheel drive truck, the front axle was located by leading arms (from the frame near the rear of the transmission forward to the axle) and a lateral track bar, allowing the use of coil springs which gave the Bronco a tight (34 ft) turning circle, long wheel travel, and an anti-dive geometry which was useful for snowplowing. The rear suspension was more conventional, with leaf springs in a typical Hotchkiss design. A shift-on the-fly (with utmost difficulty) Dana Engineering transfer case was standard, and heavy duty suspension was an option.

The initial engine was the Ford 170 in³ I6, modified with solid valve lifters, a six quart oil pan, heavy duty fuel pump, oil-bath air cleaner, and a carburetor with a float bowl compensated against tilting.

Styling was subordinated to simplicity and economy, so all glass was flat, bumpers were simple C-sections, the frame was a simple box-section ladder, and the basic left and right door skins were identical except for mounting holes.

The base price was only US$2,194, but the long option list included front bucket seats, a rear bench seat, a tachometer, and a CB radio, as well as functional items such as a tow bar, an auxiliary gas tank, a power takeoff, a snowplow, a winch, and a posthole digger. Aftermarket accessories included campers, overdrive units, and the usual array of wheels, tires, chassis and engine parts for increased performance.

The Bronco initially dominated the market against the Scout and Jeep until the advent of the fullsize Chevrolet Blazer in 1969, a much larger and more powerful vehicle which could offer greater luxury, comfort, space, and a longer option list including an automatic transmission and power steering, and thus had broader appeal. Ford countered by enlarging the optional V8 engine from 289 in³ and 200 hp to 302 in³ and 205 hp, but this still could not match the Blazer's optional 350 in³ and 255 hp. In 1973, power steering and automatic transmissions were made optional and sales spiked to 26,300, but by then, Blazer sales were double those of the Bronco, and International Harvester had seen the light and come out with the Scout II which was more in the Blazer class. For the average driver, those vehicles made more sense than the more rustically-oriented Bronco; however, the low sales of the Bronco (230,800 over twelve years) did not allow a large budget for upgrades, and it remained basically unchanged until the advent of the larger, more Blazer-like second generation Bronco in 1978. Perhaps predictably, sales of the original model peaked (30,700) in its last year, 1977, as buyers who wanted more of a fun, spunky, no-frills, go-anywhere vehicle took advantage of their last opportunity to buy one.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Ford Bronco ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Ford Bronco; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Cars - Ford Bronco

1966-1977

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay