‘FTE’ Member Gives ’70 Ford Bronco a Very Patient Redo

After two years of waiting, FTE member scores a very solid old Bronco and begins a long process of fixing it up.

As the old saying goes, patience pays off. And that was certainly the case with Ford Truck Enthusiasts member grinnergetter, at least in regards to his relentless pursuit of one 1970 Ford Bronco. The Indiana resident, like many of us, has had his fair share of non-running, rust-bucket projects over the years. So when he finally scored this Bronco after two years of trying, it proved to be a rather nice change of pace.

“My new Bronco arrived from Wyoming on Monday. Gave the interior a bath and dug through the glovebox. It does have a bit of rust in the door area and tailgate, but the frame and the rest is super solid. It has a D44, manual trans, and 302 that’s tired but starts on the first spin. My plans are to install PS, PB, a serpentine conversion, and front discs. The wife wants an auto trans, but that’s if I just cant teach her to drive a manual. Hope to get the door areas fixed up with some new metal also. Most likely will be stock suspension because it already sits pretty dang nice IMO. It’s so weird to bring home a vehicle that runs, let alone isn’t a total basket case.”

The Bronco certainly looks like a solid find to us. And as the OP began to tear into it, he surprisingly found that to be the case everywhere. His first step was to install new glass, latches, seats, and some other various parts and pieces. Then it was one to tackling the suspension and a disc brake swap.

Next, the OP managed to find an automatic transmission, but it was flooded and required some work. In the meantime, he tackled little project after little project, things like getting the wipers working and troubleshooting some non-working gauges. He even managed to take it for a spin, at which point it became obvious the radiator was gone, too.

At this point, the OP is working on reconfiguring the interior, along with about a million other projects. So far, this Bronco build has been thoroughly entertaining to watch. So be sure and head over here to catch up on what’s been done so far. And stay tuned, because you can bet this project is far from finished!

Photos: Ford Truck Enthusiasts forums

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.