there used to be a somewhat popular class of vehicles

[Paul Pless]

The open top four by four. The only thing that is still sold in the states of this class is the Jeep Wrangler.

My favourite of these, although I've never owned one was the original Ford Bronco. If I had my choice I'd opt for the straight six and manual trans. When I was in college my neighbor had '74 model that was gorgeous, with less than 20,000 miles on it. He put it up for sale but refused to sell it to me. At the time I owned a CJ-5 with a monster lift and 44" tires. I think he was afraid that I was gonna cut it up. . .

[Hwyl]

There was a guy in the local Land Rover club who had a Bronco with a LR body, it made the Landies look foolish. Long time ago now though. As you can imagine there was a lot of controversy.

[ccmanuals]

I had an 80 Ford Bronco. Loved it. The thing looked exactly like this stock photo. Green two tone.

[Joe (SoCal)]

Had one of these 1976 cj5

[Rum_Pirate]

I used to have a 1962 Series IIA Land Rover with a 2.25 litre engine, which was real fun.

Mine had black vinyl (not naugahyde) seats which was not a good choice given the strength of the sun out here.

Almost third degree burns at midday.


Pic of another one

[skuthorp]

I had an open series 1 Landy, 1952 I think. The 80 inch chassis, with canvas seats, and at one stage a MGTC of about the same vintage. Five day a year cars, otherwise too wet, dusty, hot, cold, etc. I put a locally made hard top on the Land Rover eventually.

But now there's this.
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthre...drover-popular

[Ian McColgin]

I was down at the Ocean Street Dock and about 1400 got inspired to get the top down - Got Li'l Red in December so this is my first. In a most unmanly way, for an American man, I read the directions but a problem with the rear window zipper led me to an even less manly moment as I drove over to the dealer. He showed me where the directions were wrong and the whole bit is really easy, once we found a couple of parts cunningly hidden in the well in the rear. I've not had a rag top in 45 years so this is glorious. I even volunteered to take MaryEllen shopping just for the excuse to drive around.

[wardd]

[StevenBauer]

I used to have a '73 Chevy Blazer as a work truck. The pre '75 Blazers didn't have the metal top over the front seat area, the fiberglass cap went all the way up to the windshield. The first thing I did was take off the fiberglass cap and cup it up with a sawzall and put it in the dumpster. I got a soft top for it instead. It was awesome with the sides rolled up but having the sun protection of the canvass top. We used to use it for camping, too, I'm pretty sure our eldest was conceived it it.

[Rich Jones]

I love my 2010 Wrangler. It's got a hardtop with removeable roof panels over the seats. Easy on/easy off gives you the feeling of no top. One of these days, I'll take off the whole top, the doors and fold down the windshield and live on the wild side.

[Rum_Pirate]

I have this 998cc at present

[skuthorp]

Friend has one of those Mokes Rum Pirate, it lives in the luggage compartment of their home-away-from-home camper bus. Just squeezes in with the screen folded flat.

[Jim Bow]

Here's my current ride, 1947 CJ2A. Waiting for some more sun!

[Rum_Pirate]

Friend has one of those Mokes Rum Pirate, it lives in the luggage compartment of their home-away-from-home camper bus. Just squeezes in with the screen folded flat.

Would you be kind enough to post a pic here or PM me with it?

[doorstop]

No good at the pic posting thing but I had a 74 Nissan Patrol soft top bought new. Great vehicle in its' day, took me and mine all obver the North West through some amazing desert country, along many miles of unvisited beaches and never ever let us down. Unfortunately the body was 1 thou thick, the chassis came pre rusted I think and it had seats made of iron ore.....
Loved it

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

The original Bronco was a nice size, the original Blazer was too wide. The original Bronco also had a decent suspension, I think perhaps coils all around instead of leaf springs, but I could be wrong. One features prominently in the movie The Eiger Sanction.

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

I used to have a 1962 Series IIA Land Rover with a 2.25 litre engine, which was real fun.

Mine had black vinyl (not naugahyde) seats which was not a good choice given the strength of the sun out here.

Almost third degree burns at midday.


Pic of another one

Now that's a pretty truck. Some features I would like to see again are white top with a colored body (and love that color), rounded back corner windows, front vents. They make a dandy pickup conversion for a new Wrangler 4 door, but the conversion and vehicle together are about $80 grand. That, and a diesel powertrain with common rail pilot injection for quiet, and that's a nice small truck. Oh, and an aluminum body like a Rover to lower the CG and weight.

[skuthorp]

Would you be kind enough to post a pic here or PM me with it?

They and the bus are somewhere in Nth West Australia at present and I do not have a contact. I know they took a while to find a bus with enough clearance, but they have ramps with built in jacks that fit under the Moke when it's stored. Run the Moke on the ramp, jack them up and the car just rolls inside. I don't recall if they carry a top with them.

But I did find this: http://hobohome.com/the_motorhome/moke_in_motorhome.php
Different set-up and storage area.

[Flying Orca]

These things don't strike me as practical at all - most have no roll cage, which I suppose I could live with, but how do you keep the heat in or out, depending on the season? Or do you all live in places that don't have seasons like that?

[Paul Pless]

but how do you keep the heat in or out, depending on the season?

they have removable hard and/or soft tops

[Rum_Pirate]

Now that's a pretty truck. Some features I would like to see again are white top with a colored body (and love that color), rounded back corner windows, front vents. They make a dandy pickup conversion for a new Wrangler 4 door, but the conversion and vehicle together are about $80 grand. That, and a diesel powertrain with common rail pilot injection for quiet, and that's a nice small truck. Oh, and an aluminum body like a Rover to lower the CG and weight.

The land rover cab can be easily (some bolts) removed and the windscreen folds down.

[Rum_Pirate]

These things don't strike me as practical at all - most have no roll cage, which I suppose I could live with, but how do you keep the heat in or out, depending on the season? Or do you all live in places that don't have seasons like that?

Well, can't say for everyone but I do.

[Flying Orca]

they have removable hard and/or soft tops

Never used a soft top at -30 but I don't think I'd like it and I'd be surprised if they hold up for long. At +35 they might work slightly better.

I could see a removable hard top though - might even take it off once or twice a year. Where does it stow? How hard is it to put on when you park?

[Paul Pless]

The first thing I did was take off the fiberglass cap and cup it up with a sawzall and put it in the dumpster. I got a soft top for it instead. It was awesome with the sides rolled up but having the sun protection of the canvass top.

Sounds like the best Maine vehicle ever!

[Breakaway]

I had a Bronco. That truck rocked.


Kevin

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[ccmanuals]

I have this 998cc at present

Looks like the perfect vehicle for living in the islands. Who is the manufacturer?

[skuthorp]

Originally BMC I think, it's a Mini derivative but I think I read somewhere that they are being made in Sth or Central America still.

[Flying Orca]

Well, can't say for everyone but I do.

I haven't been anywhere in the Caribbean that didn't get hot enough to need AC, and I've only been there in the winter!

[carioca1232001]

Originally BMC I think, it's a Mini derivative but I think I read somewhere that they are being made in Sth or Central America still.

Yes BMC and they were known as Mini-Mokes then (60´s and 70´s). Seen a couple on the roads in Rio that look too 'brand new' to be renovated vintage BMC ones.

There is currently a Chinese knock-off in our market of the BMC Mini-Cooper that was relaunched by BMW a while ago. Supposedly no patent issue, as the original design patent reverts to the public domain after a couple of decades.

[carioca1232001]

Here's my current ride, 1947 CJ2A. Waiting for some more sun!

I have a 1963 CJ-6 (101" wheelbase) that has turned heads in the past. Haven´t put it on the road for some time as it requires some attention and am too busy at the moment finishing-off my 32 foot motor-cruiser !

An issue that has given me the shakes is that on these older CJ´s the rear-axle is not fully-floating so should you break a rear wheel drive-shaft, the whole wheel assembly drops off .........a life-threatening accident waiting to happen.

[coelacanth2]

I used to have a 1962 Series IIA Land Rover with a 2.25 litre engine, which was real fun.

Mine had black vinyl (not naugahyde) seats which was not a good choice given the strength of the sun out here.

Almost third degree burns at midday.


Pic of another one

thats why you grease up with suntan oil - so's you don't stick to the seat. I had a '66 dodge with the dark blue vinyl, I can sympathize.

[davebrown]

That first Bronco is the epitome of the design. All function and virtually no ornamentation. I am occasionally tempted to buy a wrangler and then I do something dumb like read COnsumer REports and they describe it is underpowered, cramped, unreliable, bad handling, poor amenities, noisy, vague steering and terrible fuel economy. Can they be that bad? Their resale value is shockingly high. I have a BMW convertible sitting in my driveway right now that has been, at 115k, one of the most fragile and delicate cars I have ever owned. I would like to replace it with a wrangler. Only one with a reverse, which the BMW has not had for 8k now.

[Paul Pless]

There was a guy in the local Land Rover club who had a Bronco with a LR body, it made the Landies look foolish. Long time ago now though. As you can imagine there was a lot of controversy.

upon doing a little googling, Land Rovers with Ford mechanicals tends to be a popular conversion. Ford power steering is also popular.

[Paul Pless]

In 1963 Ford returned to active participation in motorsports - factory backed efforts, racing parts available to teams and to the public from selected Ford dealerships. One of their biggest successes initially was with the original ford Bronco. Ford hired famed stock car team Holman Moody to build the Broncos and offroad team Stroppe to campaign them. They went on to dominate the Mint 400, Baja 500, and the Baja 1000 for the next decade. Parnelli Jones got his offroad start in Bronco's - first driving for Stroppe then on his own.

[Durnik]

Never used a soft top at -30 but I don't think I'd like it and I'd be surprised if they hold up for long. At +35 they might work slightly better.

I could see a removable hard top though - might even take it off once or twice a year. Where does it stow? How hard is it to put on when you park?

from here, this -



A brother did something similar, but I've no pics of his setup.


Years ago, I enjoyed one of these -



mine was never so pretty.. had no roll bar & this was in the days of H78-15's - but the color is right! ;-)

I've long lusted after one of these -



longer wheelbase than the CJ7..

I've driven 5's & 7's.. 5's take a bit of attention at highway speeds - but can be real nice in tight quarters - think, north Maine woods.. ;-)

Back to the OP - that original Bronco was sweet - as somebody else observed, it was a great example of form following function. Simple, utilitarian, beautiful.. Some years ago over Carthage way, there was a fellow with a beautifully maintained/restored Cherry Red/White Top '67' IIRC.. Sweet. At the time, I was driving a rather well worn Toyota Hilux.. Man, did I lust.. ;-) Realistically, tho - it couldn't haul the tools I need at various jobs. Ah, well, my current L/C (non-removable top) works, literally.

Speaking of power steering mods.. Saginaw pumps & FJ60 box/column are popular mods on FJ40's - the other cool hard/soft top 4x4..



another 'long lusted for' vehicle.. ;-)

enjoy
bobby