1980 Ford Bronco – Tiffany R.

I’ve always had an interest in old cars. My grandpa owns a 1985 GMC, and some of my favorite memories are of us driving it through the mountains. When I turned 16, I got my hands on a 1980 Ford Bronco. It didn’t run at the time and had a multitude of issues. The interior was very bad, the driver’s and passenger’s floorboards were rusted out, there were multiple water leaks, the interior panels were badly sun-damaged, and, to top it off, it had become a home to a family of mice. Those are only a few of the issues that needed attention. First, I had to take everything out of it, the seats, carpet, heat shields, and insolation (the mice too). I then had to cut the damaged floor out and replace it. One of the hardest parts was finding where the leaks were coming from. I would think I had fixed it but then more water would pour in. I spent my summers working on it and using the money I got from painting murals to buy new parts. Over the span of three years, I had to replace, restore, and renovate the whole interior. It went from a nasty orange to black. However, I couldn’t have done it without the help of my grandpa and dad. My grandpa was a mechanic for over 45 years; he knows so much about old vehicles, and he has taught me so much! My identical twin sister also has a 1979 Chevy Big 10 and with his help both of them run. I’m now a senior in high school and I drive it to school every day now! I started this project not even knowing what a wrench was. Now I have life skills that I will use for the rest of my life.