1974 Ford Bronco – Don H.

I was stationed at Minot AFB, North Dakota, for my first assignment in the Air Force. Some of the things I like to do for enjoyment is hunt and fish. It came to a point where I was looking for something that would get me to those “secret” spots. I wanted it to be 4 wheel drive because of the heavy snows we would experience in North Dakota. Then one day I drove by a local car dealer and saw a Bronco sitting in their back lot. I always loved the way these early Broncos looked, so I went in to see if it was worth buying. The dealer let me take it home that evening for a “test drive.” When my wife saw it, she thought I had lost my mind. The tires were worn, the brakes barely worked, and the engine wasn’t running very smooth. Being in the service, we didn’t have a lot of spare money, but I managed to buy this 1974 Bronco.

I spent several weeks working on it to make it a daily driver. The brakes were fixed, the engine ran great after some work and we put new tires on it. Little did I know that this vehicle was now going to be part of the family for years to come.

After a year overseas, my return brought me to Whiteman AFB, Missouri. The daily driving took its toll on the body and it succumbed to rust. In 1995 I decided to try my hand at body work and restored the corroded body. During the restoration, we decided to change the color from blue to screaming yellow. Through the following years we did several upgrades to improve the drivability and capability of this little truck. The Bronco has been lifted, larger tires installed, converted drum brakes to disc, and added fuel injection from an ’89 Mustang 5.0 liter. Over the years my wife’s view of the Bronco changed as well. She really enjoys cruising around town with it as well as going to off-road parks.

In 2012 we had a house fire and lost just about everything. Even though the house was a total loss, a few things within the garage were spared, to include the Bronco. However, the caustic smoke had taken its toll and damaged the body pretty severely. The Bronco again went under restoration and was completed near the end of 2013. This time we decided a color change was in order and went with Grabber Orange.

We’ve owned this 1974 Bronco for nearly 30 years now. It still brings joy to us every time we take it out for a drive or adventure. Our only daughter loved to ride around with the top down. She has grown now and given us grandkids that also share the enjoyment of this classic vehicle.