Yahoo Autos Junkyard Gem: 1983 Ford Bronco
Ford built the Bronco from the 1966 through 1996 model years, after which it was replaced by the Expedition and its four doors. Then came 2021, when a brand-new Bronco appeared to do sales battle with the Jeep Wrangler. Broncos from the first couple of decades of production are junkyard rarities today, and the few that do show up in the boneyards tend to be mangled beyond recognition or picked clean within days of arrival. That made this '83, found in a Denver-area yard, an extra-special Junkyard Gem.
The first-generation (1966-1977) Bronco was built on its own bespoke chassis with a very short 92" wheelbase, just an inch longer than that of the little MGB sports car. For 1978, the Bronco moved to a shortened version of the F-Series truck chassis, becoming much bigger in every dimension and gaining more than 1,500 pounds in the process. The Bronco remained a member of the F-Series family all the way through the end of production in 1996, getting updates paralleling those of F-100/F-150 generations.
This one is a member of the third Bronco generation, built from the 1980 through 1986 model years.
The door tag tells us that it was built in December of 1982 at Ford's Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, and that it was sold new via the sales office in Seattle, Washington.
The base engine in the 1983 Bronco was the 300-cubic-inch (4.9-liter) straight-six, a sturdy truck-only plant rated at 115 horsepower and 223 pound-feet in this application. 302 and 351 (5.0- and 5.8-liter) Windsor V8s were available as options.
The base transmission in the 1983 Bronco was a four-on-the-floor manual, which could be equipped with an overdrive top gear for $78 extra ($250 in 2024 dollars). That's what's in this truck.
