Workin' on a 1979 Bronco trailer special.It has a lot of the cool options-sport steering wheel,int. wipers,tilt,etc.On the back of the hood directly in the middle there is a piece bolted to the hood.There is a corresponding bracket riveted to the cowl.As the hood is closed,the hood piece slides into the cowl bracket and apparently centers and stabilizes the rear of the hood.I've owned and rebuilt over 20 73-79 pickups,but haven't messed with Broncos much.Is this a common Bronco item? I've never seen this set-up on any pickups.

 

Can you post a pic. of it. If what you are talking about is what I am thinking of, my 78 150 has that as well. However my 78 bronco does not. Both are Rangers. The 150 is an explorer and the bronco is an xlt. I'm not certain, but I think it might be a trailer special as well. The bronco not the 150. Not sure how to tell. I do know that it does not have the trailer special badge that the trucks got. I don't know if the broncos got that or not. I know it has the class 3 hitch, the 4 and 7 pin connector, heavy duty cooling, aux trans cooler, and a Kelsey Hayes brake control module. Although mine has cruise control instead of the sport wheel. And it has the factory 40 channel CB.

 

I have/have had a few 78/79 Bronco's and have always seen that piece you are talking about.

And have never seen it on any of the pick up trucks I have owned or own. I always say I am going to take one off a junk bronco and put it on my pick up truck.

I am also going to finish alot of other bigger projects next year too........

You can see it on the front of the green and brown one and then look at the hood on the bronco roof.

And a better pic of the one on the fire wall, and I believe it is rivet on there? And that is my current excuse for not swapping it over already.

 

Another "Yep," for it being common on Broncos.

 

All my bronco's have the piece you're referring to but none of my trucks have it on them.

 

Yeah that's what I thought you were talking about. My pick up has it and My bronco doesn't. In fact I have a 79 bronco for parts and it doesn't have that either. When I get time I'll get a pic. to show you guys. Then I'll need to get my wife to upload them for me.

 

Thanks for the quick replies guys.Wow 77&79 F250,nice 'lil junkyard ya got there. Like I said,rebuilt/owned lots of 73-79 pickys,but no Broncos.

 

Thanks, the first 3 are helping the next 3, every so often.

 

Hey Ken, how about posting a pic of your 52 HD panhead...? I love the old vintage HD's man!!

 

As a matter of fact my pick up was the only truck or bronco that I have seen with this on it. I was wondering if it was complete the way it is or if there was another linkage for it. None of mine nor my brothers original sales brochures show it. Another thing that my pickup has that neither of my broncos have is what looks like an extra support bracket on the inner aprons a.k.a inner fenders for the hood hinges. And I've been around these trucks my entire life. It all started my dads 77 F150 2wd custom and his 78 F150 2wd ranger explorer.

 

They did, you can just barely see it on the back of my Bronco. If it doesn't have the badge the gate could of been changed at one time or it wasn't a T/S.


You do know that neither of these items were included with the Trailer Special package?

Do you still have the factory CB antenna?

They are not a support bracket. They are designed to pierce the cowl in a front end collision and keep the back of the hood from going though the windshield. Pretty rare piece as I have only seen them on a few trucks I've parted.

 

My 78 F150 has it. It was a factory/ federal safety thing supposedly to keep the hood from going into the windshield. In a front end collision. They also started "notching" the hoods near the hinges and mid way so that the hood would buckle rather than go through the windshield.

 

I figured as much on the hitch brake module. And I wasn't sure what those brackets were on my pick up. I just didn't know how to better describe them. I'm not sure if the antennae is the factory c/b antennae or not. Here is the best I can describe it. Non telescoping flex coil like section down near the base, however the square mount base cover like what is standard with the o.e. antennaes is missing, not just the stainless cover the entire base, the screws for the square base is there though. And yes the factory c/b is there and it did work up until I parked for restoration. As soon as I can I'll go down to the storage facility where it's at to get pics to show everyone what I'm talking about.

 

So I went out an got a pic of the underside of the hood of my truck to show everyone the bracket in the center rear and on the cowl. Turns out I only have the bracket on the hood. I know the truck was redone many many years ago so it could be that the hood came off of a bronco that I don't know. Once I'm able to get the uploaded to photobucket I'll post them here to show everyone. I tried earlier but kept getting errors from photobucket.

 

Ranger how do you like that soft top on your bronco? I was thinking maybe when I get mine restored if I can still find a good one I might add it.