Looking for a project or you and your kids or grandkids? This 1965 Ford Bronco more than fills the bill. This project does start, run and drive around a parking lot. Note: The brakes do not function.

Made in Ford’s Wayne Michigan assembly plant in August 1965, this compact sport-utility vehicle is dressed in white over Sahara Beige (code H). The paint and trim are in satisfactory order, while the car’s bodywork is straight. The chrome bumpers fit tightly to the body but are in similar condition to the rest of the vehicle’s exterior. The hinged windshield folds down. This is a very early production number of the first year bronco was offered.

This Bronco rolls on a mix of radials, size 275/75R15 at all four corners. The truck has no wheel covers, just steel wheels with front locking hubs and Equa-lock axle. There is a full-sized spare tire in the back. The tires and wheels are all in poor condition. It rides on a 92-inch wheelbase and has a 3,900 GVWR.

For 1966, three Bronco body configurations were offered, including a two-door wagon, a half-cab pickup and an open-body roadster.

Under the hood is a 170 CID 12-valve straight six-cylinder engine backed by a floor-mounted three-speed manual transmission and a 3.20:1 rear end. To lower production costs, at its launch, the Bronco was offered solely with a three-speed, column-shifted manual transmission and floor-mounted transfer case shifter. To simplify production, all examples were sold with four-wheel drive; a shift-on the-fly Dana 20 transfer case and locking hubs were standard. The rear axle was a Ford nine-inch unit, with a Hotchkiss drive and leaf springs; the front axle was a Dana 30. The vin plate (detached) does match the vin stamping on right front frame member.

Inside, the truck’s front buckets are in poor shape, there’s no carpeting and the headliner is in similar shape. There’s an original two-spoke steering wheel framing the original dashboard. The original inner door liners, the dash and steering wheel are all worn out. A factory AM radio completes the interior.

The idea behind the Bronco began with Ford product manager Donald N. Frey in the early 1960s (who also conceived the Ford Mustang) and was engineered by Paul G. Axelrad, with Lee Iacocca approving the final model for production in February 1964, after the first clay models were built in mid-1963. Developed as an off-road vehicle (ORV), the Bronco was intended as a competitor for the Jeep CJ-5, International Scout and Toyota Land Cruiser. Today a compact SUV in terms of size, Ford marketing shows a very early example of promoting a civilian off-roader as a “Sports Utility” (the two-door pickup version).

Competition to this Ford in 1966 included Jeep’s CJ-5, International’s Scout 800 and Toyota’s Land Cruiser.

If you like restoring 4×4 vehicles and you’ve never had a first-generation Ford Bronco in your garage, this is your opportunity to restore one. Visit MotoeXotica Classic Cars today to check out the foundation this Bronco offers for you to either restore to showroom new or take it in a totally different direction.

VIN: U15FL733163

This truck is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 98,635 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!

Note: Please see full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.

Inquire today on fourbie.com, or visit motoexotica.com for more information