FILTO

[SyntheticAtmosphere]

FILTO (phil-Toh) *acronym* Ford I'd like to own. meaning - Coveting thy neighbours/friends Ford.

Its not a sin, I promise!
If there was ever a reason for this beauty to fall into my lap, I would graciously accept with open arms.

Its a '69 Ford Bronco with a factory 289ci V8 and 3 "on-the-tree"
The car belongs to a friend who I met years ago working for a stamping & welding supplier to Honda Canada.
We were both Ford geeks at the time. Me Mustangs & a Lincoln MkVII, and he was a mustang nut plus his dad "Wayne" was a Ford Tech.
It belonged to his father and was licenced up to 1980, then spent a good part of the 80 in pieces. Reassembled and spent the 90s and 2000s as a plow truck after Wayne retired and continued to repair cars in his garage/shop. Wayne passed suddenly about 5 years ago.
Its actually a 1970 tub and doors pulled from a local wreaker that was in a front left corner collision. There is pretty much a complete bronco of parts in the shop collected over the years too, short of a frame and top.

Back in the summer I rebuilt the carb for my friend, he said it hasnt run that nice since his dad was master tinkerer on it. I thoroughly enjoy working on it. Its quirkiness and simplicity is only appreciated through experience. Unfortunately they were not built to make 50 years and this one has made it this far through luck and love.
My friend is not in a place to be able to take on a resto project right now, but rest assured it wont get neglected. This is what I envision it could be...

 

[scotman]

At least a 1960's or 70's era truck can be rebuilt and are fairly easy to repair. Old trucks like that Bronco is not a 70 or 80 mph kind of vehicle, even if you restore it to showroom stock condition. But, i wouldn't hold that against having one.
They were simply not engineered to operate at those speeds.
I am planning to get a mid 1970's Ford F150 to restore and drive. They are reasonably priced in solid condition and they won't depreciate like a new F150.
A new Bronco is not going to be a running vehicle in less than twenty years. Once Ford decides to no longer support the electronics it will become a paper weight. When i drive past a Ford dealership I can honestly say that I don't see a single new vehicle that appeals to me.

 

[SyntheticAtmosphere]

Finding parts for a low production vehicle has been the hardest part. But the simplicity is priceless. My friend couldnt believe I could set the carb float with the engine running and the top horn removed from the carb.
We had a heck of a time finding a fuel pump for it back in the summer. He had purchased a 80s 5L Mustang pump because we needed something. Then we found a non-OEM NOS replacement in Kentucky and had it shipped up...possibly the last one in existence! You see, the fuel pump is specific to the Bronco because it also includes a vacuum pump to operate the vacuum wiper motors. We also talked about fabricating an electrically operated vacuum pump to mount on the fender and running the more common Mustang fuel pump. However my friend wants to keep it as much a period time piece and wants to do very little to change it. In 1970, Ford went with electric wiper motors but also did away with the fold down windshield and removable door window frames. We figure it had something to do with this safety nut back then, you my have heard of...Ralph Nader!!?! He also wants to keep all those dangerous features.
We are now in the hunt for an air cleaner that uses a paper media filter. The original unit is an oil bath system, which will be kept for historic value and can be reinstalled as required. Im accustomed to oil bath from old farm tractors but agree they are messy and cumbersome for day to day.

 

[scotman]

You could keep an eye out for a vacuum pump for a 1984 to 1987 ford Tempo or Escort with the diesel engine option. If your friend cannot sleep well unless every part on his Bronco has a Ford part number! This would have one. Plus, he would discover that his power brakes, if so equipped, and wipers would function much better in all driving situations thanks to a constant and strong vacuum signal.

 

[SyntheticAtmosphere]

Its all good, we found the aftermarket NOS pump. Should be good for another 50 years. Plus I am going to disassemble the old one and see if it could be rebuilt.