1974 Ford Bronco Ranger - Original and Uncut - 74,445 Original Miles

1974 Ford Bronco Ranger - Original and Uncut - 74. 45 Original MilesThis beautiful 1974 Bronco Ranger is part of a 60+ car private collection in Austin. Texas. For the last five years this gorgeous truck has shared a space with cars from Porsche. Ferrari. Lotus. Aston Martin. and others and has easily held its own. If you've never seen someone ignore and walk by a brand new Ferrari to get a better look at a 1974 Bronco. I can tell you that it’s 100% as much fun to see as it sounds. I acquired this 2-owner. numbers-matching Bronco in 2010 with 74. 72 original miles. Originally purchased in 1974 from the Ed Chovanes Ford dealership in San Leandro. CA this Bronco spent the first 20 years of its life with its first owner in Castro Valley. CA. In 1994 it was purchased by its second owner who resided Magalia. CA and there it stayed until I acquired it in August. 2010 and moved it to Austin. TX. It came nicely equipped from Ford with a 302 motor. 3-speed manual transmission. the U152 heavy duty package. and a Dana 44 front axle. Finished in ultra-rare Bright Lime with Avocado Green interior. this Bronco also came with the optional Ranger package which included full carpeting. houndstooth seat and panel inserts. rear interior quarter and door panels. a full headliner. bright body trim. argent grill. chrome bumpers. color keyed dashboard. spare tire carrier. and full wheel covers. When I acquired this truck. my goal was to preserve its incredible originality while increasing its performance. comfort. handling. and safety. Because this car was being built for my personal use. my goal was to build the best Bronco that I could. without regard to cost. With that in mind. I embarked on a 2-year. no-expense-spared. mechanical and cosmetic restoration to build the perfect Bronco. The results are as follows:Drivetrain:The original 302 was running strong after 35 years and less than 75. 00 miles and. after a full evaluation and compression check. we decided against a full rebuild. I also decided to keep the original. smooth-shifting “3 on the tree” manual transmission which. to me. was an integral part of the truck's charm and originality. With those decisions made. the engine was then stripped. steam-cleaned. and painted and the 70’s era smog equipment was carefully removed. We installed an Edelbrock manifold and carb set-up and a set of ceramic-coated headers. We also replaced just about everything under the hood that could be replaced including the fuel pump. water pump. radiator. fan. fan shroud. harmonic balance. air cleaner. valve covers. alternator. radiator tank. windshield washer tank. coolant and heater hoses. spark plug wires. and some other bits and pieces. When it was done. the truck was taken to a local exhaust specialist for a custom-bent exhaust system. The final result is a motor that starts reliably and runs strong with a perfectly-tuned rumble that’ll be music to the ears of any car guy. Exterior:I was dead set on preserving the paint on this truck which is 100% original with the exception of the left front fender which appears to have been refinished many years ago probably from a small dent or scrape (there are no signs of accident damage). As a collector. I understand the golden rule that YOU ALWAYS PRESERVE ORIGINAL PAINT and the patina on this truck is truly a thing of beauty. With that decision made. we decided to improve the cosmetics by buffing out the original paint. completely refinishing the front grill. backdating the front grill turn signals and installing clear lenses. installing a brand new Ranger stripe kit. installing new lenses and lens trim at all four corners. and installing all new emblems. We finished it off with a set of 5 white-spoke wheels and brand new Goodyear Wrangler tires. What we were left with is the rarest of the breed: an early Bronco with more than 90% original paint and an extraordinary patina complimented by just the right touches of bling. You will not find another original and uncut Bronco with the immediate and long-lasting eye-appeal of this special truck. Interior:After preserving the original exterior. we decided on a different path for the interior of our Bronco. Simply put. I wanted to feel like I was driving a brand new truck when I got behind the wheel and that's exactly what I got. We started by completing gutting the interior. painting and dynamatting the remarkably well-preserved original floors. and re-painting the dash. door panels. and kick panels in their original Bright Lime. A roll-bar was installed for safety (also correctly painted) and a new. premium-grade carpet kit was installed in the original Avocado. Next we installed new door panels and rear quarter panels in the correct houndstooth and the front seats were completely redone with new foam and new matching Avocado vinyl with houndstooth inserts. The freshly painted dash received a new foam dash pad. the speedometer and associated gauges were sent out for reconditioning and recalibrating. and a period-correct wood steering wheel was installed. Up top. we installed a brand new headliner with brand new and correct polished metal hardware. All the dash switches were either reconditioned or replaced and various bits and pieces were addressed as needed. The 4-wheel drive shift knob was custom painted in matching Bright Lime as a final touch. The only part that we left original is the rear seat. While the frame was sandblasted and repainted. we chose to keep the original vinyl and houndstooth rear seat cover as an homage to the Bronco’s originality and a testament to the original condition of this special vehicle. When we finished. we were left with an interior that looks just like it did the day it left the showroom (maybe better). Safety. Comfort. and Convenience:Now that we had a smooth-running motor. and had handled the inside and the outside of the truck. it was time to get to the details. We started with the suspension and installed new rear leaf springs and front coils. Bilstein shocks at all four corners. and a set of locking Warn hubs. To make the Bronco steer and stop like a new vehicle we installed modern power steering and a power. 4-wheel disc brake setup using all new. premium components from a Bronco specialist parts supplier. Inside we installed modern retractable shoulder belts for safety and a premium sound system including an Alpine CD player. Pioneer rear speakers. a custom dual-cone stereo speaker in the dash. and a powered subwoofer tucked away under the passenger seat. We also installed remote-control power door locks. a modern rear-view mirror with courtesy lights. and an electric tank switcher eliminating the need to manually switch between the two fuel tanks with that functionality now controlled by the dash switch used when checking fuel levels between the tanks. Finally. every seal and piece of rubber was replaced (and not just the easy stuff) including new door seals. a new windshield seal. new roll-up window seals and felts. new vent window seals. new rear side window seals. and new rear gate/hatch seals. I know this is an extensive list but. believe it or not. it’s not conclusive. There are many. probably dozens. of little things we did to this truck to make it perfect that I've failed to list. I pride myself in my attention to detail - especially when it comes to my cars - and this Bronco is truly the rare classic that needs nothing but a new owner. Since this Bronco was completed in 2012 I've driven her a total of 173 miles and the odometer currently shows the correct mileage of 74. 45. I've included multiple high-resolution photos with this listing. For even more photos. please visit: 1974 Ford Bronco Online Photo Album When making upgrades and modifications to this Bronco we made every effort to preserve its originality and. to that end. we saved every original part that we replaced during our restoration including the original wheels and hubcaps. steering wheel. air cleaner. valve covers and more. If the new owner would like to have these parts. I will happily include them with the sale. Please be advised that delivery of these parts will most likely entail a shipping fee as many auto transporters will not accept vehicles for delivery with spare parts or personal possessions inside the vehicle. For me. finding the right home for this spectacular truck is as important as getting the best price. If you have any questions. or would like to discuss this Bronco in more detail. please feel free to contact me. In-person inspections and test-drives are welcomed and encouraged but please do so before clicking “Buy It Now” or committing to a purchase. I have a clear and correct Texas title for this vehicle in my possession. Transportation and delivery of this vehicle is the responsibility of the purchaser. I'll happily assist in any way I can. I'll accept payment by wire transfer. cash or certified cashier’s check. A $500 non-refundable deposit is due upon agreeing to purchase with the balance due within 3 business days.