Sold my Bronco...thanks for all the collective knowledge on this forum!

[broncorik]

I read most of it. It’s a much appreciated reason for a “goodbye to Bronco” post. Unlike the ones where people buy an off road vehicle and then complain it doesn’t drive like the luxury sedan/crossover they came from. And they’re soooooo disappointed.

Very few disappointments with my Bronco...drove like a dream on the road, was plenty capable off road. If I ever win the lottery I'd probably have another one to mix things up.

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[broncorik]

That's a great looking FJ40. Nice score on finding one with a Ford mill. It seems the vast majority of them with V8 swaps have small block Chevys. BTW we'd let you wheel with us if you're ever out our way. We have an FJ40 that regularly comes on our So Cal Broncos runs with us. As well as a CJ6 and a smattering of other S.O.B.s.

Love them Ford mills! I suspected one when I noticed the Shelby Cobra steering wheel and was pleasantly surprised...that got me going down the rabbit hole...

 

[broncorik]

Thanks for playing on the Bronco forum. Your contributions were excellent. My wife is envious of the FJ she loves them. We saw this rare model in Finland this summer.

That would make an awesome dog car! Mine is a tad cramped for my beasts but still better than a regular car...that one looks to be in great shape. Here in California the key is finding something pre-1975...what year is that one? Judging from the mirrors and the door handles it's a later model one?

 

[broncorik]

LOVE your"new" FJ! This is our family hunting camp FJ....she won't get any modification kudos or win any beauty contests like yours, but we love her all the same.

However, I am really bummed to see you go. I looked forward to reading all your posts and all the knowledge you shared. You even took the time to talk to a complete stranger on the phone about your Road Armor bumper and all the little tricks for install ( mine just shipped out finally, 6m after order....but that is a story for another day). Thank you!!!

Wishing you lots of smiles per mile with the new rig!

Let me know if you need any assistance when you go to install that Road Armor bumper. Did you happen to notice they went on sale around Thanksgiving? They were 40% off I believe or even more...did you also get to swing out tire carrier? If so I definitely recommend replacing the Delrin block with urethane to eliminate any rattling. I imagine your FJ has run and will continue to run for a looooog time...they are pretty overbuilt.

 

[broadicustomworks]

I scored it for 44k...on the high side for many FJs, but the prior owner had over 100k in it...so there's that!

Solid deal.
Look what 44K gets you in a new car. Or even used trucks! *eyeroll on the used truck pricing

 

[Owl]

I've had 2 FJ40s... an 1980 that looked a lot like yours (stock straight 6), and a 1974 with a Chevy V8. Lots of folks converted these to V8s.

Cons & Pros:
1. Biggest CON -- they ride kind of harsh. No coil springs.
2. 2nd Biggest CON -- gas mileage (you visit 12-14 MPG a lot)
3. Rust shows easily below the rear door panels.
4. Last built (I think) in 1982... or at least imported.

Pros:
1. They are simple electronically (I miss that -- I really do)?
2. I believe they come stock with the equivalent of Dana-60s.
3. They are meant to come a part easily... with few tools (bush-ready).
4. They are fun... especially the V8 conversions.
5. They have manual engagement for 4WD (tow ready).
6. They are relatively short & wide, and really fun to drive.
7. As I recall... rims off Chevy 4WDs fit them (6 hole).
8. Some come with a rear heater (water heated).
9. The ones before 1974 have 2-piece doors (so topless is a breeze).
10. The old straight six was an older Chevy design (familiar).
11. You can still find V8 conversion kits and/or V8+tranny conversion kits.

A nice walk down memory lane..

 

[indio22]

Carvana has been sending me offers about once a month and their offer is dropping faster than my remaining loan balance.

That should be a very solid rig for you. Early Bronco prices are falling too though, I've seen some realllly nice ones in the 30-50k range lately. I bought mine too soon and I'm seeing better ones for what I paid.

I was thinking the new Bronco would moderate or even lessen EB prices. Similar to how older Wranglers/CJs can still be had for decent prices, because the vehicle is still in production.

The hard core classic buyers are still going to want an EB, but a segment of other potential buyers less so, now that they have a new Bronco option (that's arguably a better match for their usage anyway).

EB is no longer the only game in town for a Bronco, will be interesting to see how that impacts prices over time.

 

[NORCALGXP]

That would make an awesome dog car! Mine is a tad cramped for my beasts but still better than a regular car...that one looks to be in great shape. Here in California the key is finding something pre-1975...what year is that one? Judging from the mirrors and the door handles it's a later model one?

The Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45 'Troopy' is a long wheel base variant of the FJ45. Primarily produced until 1984.

 

[userdude]

If I ever win the lottery I'd probably have another one to mix things up.

You can sell a kidney. lol Very nice ride! Congrats and enjoy.

 

[corey07]

Let me know if you need any assistance when you go to install that Road Armor bumper. Did you happen to notice they went on sale around Thanksgiving? They were 40% off I believe or even more...did you also get to swing out tire carrier? If so I definitely recommend replacing the Delrin block with urethane to eliminate any rattling. I imagine your FJ has run and will continue to run for a looooog time...they are pretty overbuilt.

Thank you kindly! I might bug ya for more insight if we notice any quirks once we get in the shop and have a physical look at it. I did get the tire carrier, that was the main selling point for me, as at the time it seemed to offer the best spindle attachment for distributing weight. We have plenty of urethane blocks laying around so hopefully one will work for the delrin replacement, also got the shims you recommended should we need them for leveling. When I ordered in July it was on a really good sale as well (thanks to you for the heads up!), but I would have saved a couple hundred more during black friday. Kinda thought I would have had it by fall....that came and went. I had to get a bit nasty with them, on getting it shipped out. Not sure what happened, but they over shot the 8-12 weeks production time by quite a bit, it is scheduled to finally show up late next week.

That FJ has seen a thing or two...and I imagine it will see a thing or two more!

 

[etmccaus86]

Ford locks things down, as I noticed even because my neighbor who is a Ford tech said he doesn't even have access to use his laptop with FDRS at his house because none of the texts are given that level of access.

Happy trails and all that, but this sounds strange. I'm not a Ford tech and Ford is more than happy to grant me access to FDRS (save for key programming, which takes an elevated set of credentials) if I kick some money in Motorcraft's direction, and I very much doubt that will change.

 

[GToddC5]

Awesome FJ40, congrats! I love both for different reasons, but suspect I'd sell Cheeto before Blue:

 

[smrpilot]

Nice FJ! Mine has a 351 as well, although a little more rustic. We call her Patina Turner, and she ain't perfect, but that's what I want for a rig that I can knock around in the woods. To be honest though, the FJ hasn't been out much since we got the Bronco 2 years ago. The stock badlands non-squatch just has done everything so great, the wife and baby are comfy and flat tows so nice behind the RV, (I wanted to wheel it for a season stock before I modify it), that we're really toying with the Idea of letting Patina go.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I scored it for 44k..

I'm thinking that's a WIN!!!

Sweet rig.
Having an EB (or two) myself, I totally understand getting back to the simplicity. It's one of the reasons I went with the Base the first time around.
I've had soo much fun in the EB's and the bare bones simplicity of it is one of the major draws.
I mean, even the fuel injection I installed was so ....basic.

The new Base, despite being just a Base, still has way too many nanny's that will probably do a better job of leaving me stuck or stranded vs what they were supposed to do.

They certainly don't build them like they used to.

 

[broncorik]

Happy trails and all that, but this sounds strange. I'm not a Ford tech and Ford is more than happy to grant me access to FDRS (save for key programming, which takes an elevated set of credentials) if I kick some money in Motorcraft's direction, and I very much doubt that will change.

I think anyone can buy personal user access...but I think Ford can limit access to their employee accounts. Much like my work Microsoft 365 account...when I have it installed on a computer that leaves the building it can be not only monitored but remotely controlled. My neighbor would have been all too happy for me to pay him a fraction of what the dealership would have charged to install something but he had to pass because he can't even do his own programming at home. Or perhaps I got mixed up and it's not just the FDRS but instead it's the other thing they have to log into with an employee ID number so that if the Ford Tune was installed it logged it into the warranty database.

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